Essay " Teacher in the 21st centure"

What am I going to do as an English teacher to engage with the 21^st century skills?

By Oksana Harko

When we talk about the process of learning we think about two people: a learner and a teacher. The learner is a person who wants to get to know something new or to increase his/ her knowledge. But who is the Teacher? In my point of view, teachers are those who impart education to students who will be tomorrow’s leaders, or simply a mother of two. Nowadays, teachers are one of the most influential people in the children’s lives.

Day by day, teachers try to do their work better. They spend a lot of time. Inside and outside their classes, thinking how to help their students. To my mind, learning is a journey – a journey from one place to another. When people go on journey they always bring some baggage with them: their experiences, expectations, questions and some worries. In this case, the teacher is a person who can help to overcome difficulties.

As for me I am an English teacher. I have been teaching English for 3 years. Of course, it’s not too much. I haven’t got enough experience, but I have my own idea how to teach and how to learn.

Every day I play many roles during a lesson. I am the Organizer, the Manager, the Facilitator and the Source of knowledge. Learning is a process. Learning foreign language is a long process. It takes a lot of time and efforts. In my classes I work as a manager using a variety of activities and techniques such as individual work, pair work, or small group work to create an appropriate atmosphere, because learning our first language is different from a learning a second one. Unfortunately, we don’t have a natural context around us into which we can immerse.

I recognize I am the Planner. If you are a teacher you should understand the all students are different. They process information in different way, they learn in different way, and if the teacher in his classroom uses the same activities all the time, some students will fail to learn. And these students fail not because they can’t learn, but because their learning style is not catered for. Usually, before my classes I try to make decision about a lot of things such as which learning materials will be most suitable, what tasks would be best for students and which techniques would be most effective.

But the most important role is the Source of knowledge. Every day I share my knowledge with my students. We often talk of language as a system which involves the following elements: grammar, lexis, pronunciation and so on. Furthermore, I spend a lot of time to explain grammar rules and meaning of phrases. But many of us forget about the communicative competence. Quite often, our students are not able to use language in social context, despite of the fact that they are good at grammar.

I believe I have to inspire my students to learn English not to make them do it. And I have to find the best way to impart my knowledge to students. Speaking frankly, I make many mistakes but I really want my students to achieve much success in learning English.