[The roles of teacher in the classroom]

MACT Synthesis Paper

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Teaching Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University

Zihan. Liu PID A ! "# $% % Mar. !&' (&#

Introduction Linda is a se)enth grade student in the *o.# middle school of +ei,ing. -ight no.' she is ha)ing an /nglish class. Linda is 0uried 0ehind a pile of 0oo1s' so do her classmates. /)ery student is 0usy on .riting do.n notes on their note0oo1 a0out today2s /nglish grammar .hile teacher is .riting do.n things on the 0lac10oard. 3ou cannot hear anyone2s )oice in the classroom' e4cept teacher2s. Linda sha1e her hand for a .hile' 0ecause of too much .ritings' and she loo1ed through the .indo. hoping this class can finish earlier' so she could stretch her 0ody for a little 0it since she has 0een sitting on her chair for more than !& minutes. This is the picture of a typical Chinese classroom. A teacher standing at the head of a classroom .ith a piece of chal1 in one hand' the students listening attenti)ely and hanging on the teacher2s e)ery .ord. The students are quiet and reasona0ly .ell 0eha)ed' repeat li1e a chorus .hat the teacher as1s them to repeat' and are other.ise silent .hile the teacher lectures. Students usually as1 no questions' 0ecause teacher .ill not li1e 0een interrupted during the lecture. 5o.e)er' they are )ery .elcome to as1 questions or discuss pro0lems .ith teacher after the class. /ducated in this 1ind of classroom en)ironment made me thin1 teacher .as a leader or a 0oss in the classroom' they ha)e #&& percent of po.er to control e)erything' such as .hen student can tal1' .hen cannot. Students are #&& percent o0ey teachers. Three years ago' .hen I first .al1ed into an America classroom' it .as a 0ig shoc1. Students .ere gathering around different ta0les and tal1ing .ith each other' .hile instead of standing in the front of the classroom' teacher .as mo)ing around and tal1ing to some students time to time. At 0eginning' I thought they .ere ha)ing a 0rea1 0et.een lessons' 0ecause in China' the only time students .ere allo.ed to .al1 around .as their #&6minutes 0rea1 time 0et.een lessons. 7hen I .al1ed closer' I found students .ere ma1ing a diagram of comparing li)ing and nonli)ing things. Teacher .as .al1ing around the classroom to chec1 ho. .as students .or1 going and .hether they need some help. The classroom phenomenon .as )ery different from China' so did e)eryone2s role. Teacher loo1ed more easy6going and nice' 0ecause they didn2t ta1e control all the time' sometimes I felt students .ere leading the classroom .hile teacher sat there as an o0ser)er. Students had more freedom in the classroom8 they can as1 questions at any time' they can .al1 to the 0athroom during the class. It loo1s li1e the classroom can run 0y itself .ithout a teacher inside. It is really ama9ing:

Then I 0egin to thin1' .hat is the teacher2s role in the classroom; Should teacher 0e li1e a 0ig and serious 0oss in the classroom' li1e most of the Chinese teacher' or should teacher 0e li1e a facilitator .ho pro)ides help .hen students need them; In those three years' I too1 a fe. classes of MATC program' and e)ery course shaped my )ie. of teacher2s role in )arious .ays. At the 0eginning' in the course of T/<#< =Curriculum in Its Social Conte4t>' I thought teacher .as a good learner' then T/<?# =Special Topics in Teaching' Curriculum' and Schooling>' I thought teacher is a consultant8 T/ < ( =/lementary -eading Assessment @ Instruction>' I thought teacher .as a leader' etc. My understanding of teacher2s role .as change all the time' then suddenly I reali9ed that teacher play a multi6role in the classroom. Sometimes' they are the leader in the classroom li1e Chinese teacher' sometimes they are facilitators' and sometimes they are also a good learner.

Teacher as leader Classroom is a group of leaners. Typically spea1ing' this group has t.o goals' one is to complement learning tas1s and another one is to maintain positi)e and effecti)e relationships among each group mem0er. Li1e a lead in any organi9ation' teacher is the person .ho leads this group to.ard their learning goals' achie)e them successfully .hile also maintain mem0ers in the team ha)e a positi)e relationship. In the classroom' teacher2s leadership sho.s in the follo.ing aspectsA Teacher is a role model. Students pay more attention to .hat .e do than .hat .e say. People may ha)e de0ate on .hether teacher should 0e student2s role model' .hile I strongly agree teacher they certainly are. 7hen students come to the school for the first day' Mrs. Zo)ne1 too1 her students ha)e a tour in the school. She put her hands 0ehind8 .al1ed quietly in the hall.ay. Those ne. 1indergarteners follo.ed 0ehind her and did the same thing as their teacher. In a math class' Mrs. -anger .as e4plaining addition to her students. She saidA 2I put the 0igger num0er in my head and smaller num0er on my hand' then I start to count from the num0er in my head' !' '$. 3es' the ans.er of ! plus ! equals ".2 Mrs. -anger .as modeling her thin1ing in front of students. Students learned the .ay of thin1ing .hen they .ere doing math pro0lems. As a Chinese teacher' I tried my 0est to spea1 as much Chinese as I can' 0ecause I .ant to sho. them the .ay ho. .e spea1 Chinese in the daily life' .hat is the right .ay to say things in Chinese. Same as me' those /nglish teachers also use standard /nglish in the classroom .hile

teacher 0ecause they .ant to sho. their students the right .ay of spea1ing a sentence. Teachers are role model at any time in the classroom. /4cept the 1no.ledge' teacher also sho. students ho. to 0e nice to each other' ho. to .or1 together .ith each other. 7e .al1 in front of students' let me see the right .ay to do things' ,ust li1e ho. Mrs. Zo)ne1 sho.ed her students the right 0eha)ior in the hall.ay. This is ho. teacher play as a leader in the classroom' .e use our action to sho. students instead of ,ust tell them .hat to do. Teacher is a decision ma1er. The curriculum tell teacher .hat to teach 0ut no ho. to teach' so teacher has choices in her classroom. They can decide ho. to ma1e up herBhis unit plan or lesson plan. As a professions' teacher ha)e a solid understanding of su0,ect matter' for e4ample' I found out my al.ays read C in DCueen2 sound' 0ecause of the influence of their nati)e language. So I design a lesson to practice this sound. I made my decision 0ased on the 1no.ledge of my su0,ect and I ho. to teach them and .hen do I need to add this lesson in my curriculum =Standard (>. If my assessment of students2 learning of this sound sho.s me that $&E students still cannot pronounce it correctly' I .ill try to analy9e the pro0lem and search for some solution and decide .hat to do ne4t =Stand !>. In my artifact %' I reflected on my first e4perience of ma1ing up my curriculum and tried it out in the real teaching' one of my learning .as teacher .as ma1ing )arious decision all the time 0ased on student2s needs' through those decisions' students mo)ed for.ard to complete their learning tas1 step 0y step. In fact' the amount of decisions that are made 0y teachers results in different types of leadership in the classroom. In the Chinese classroom' teacher has an authoritarian leadership. They use pressure' a sharp )oice or intimidation force students to learn. This often results in an atmosphere of hostility and' for students' feelings of po.erlessness' competiti)eness' high dependency' and alienation from the su0,ect matter =Schmuc1 @ Schmuc1' #?<<>. There .as one time .hen I .as a middle school student8 the .hole class had a 0ad result in a .riting test. 7e .ere punished to .rite one .ord for a hundred times. Some of the classmates 0egan to disli1e this su0,ect and the teacher8 they mis0eha)ed on purpose in order to e4press their stress. Fn the contrast' American teacher has a more democratic leadership in the classroom. Teachers de)elop students2 self 6esteem 0y in)ol)ing them in the decision6ma1ing process' requiring them to ta1e responsi0ility for their o.n actions' and encouraging them .hen they ta1e ris1s and ma1e mista1es. I can al.ays hear American teacher saidA2Ma1e the right choice in the classroom.2' DIt is

your choice of mis0eha)ing in the classroom' so you need to ta1e the consequence.2 Students are moti)ated from .ithin rather than from teacher demands. I thin1 democratic leaderships is more helpful in moti)ate students2 learning' and practice their independent thin1ing and critical thin1ing. 7hat is more' teacher sho.s leadership in the school and in the community. -ecently' reports on the status of teacher education ha)e issued strong and compelling pleas for dramatically different roles for teachers and increased professional de)elopment =Carnegie' #?<"8 5olmes #?<">. 7hile recogni9ing the centrality of teaching' the reports emphasi9e the need for teachers to e4tend their sphere of influence 0eyond the classroom and into school .ide leadership acti)ities =Goal !>. Teachers are the person .ho .or1 in the field and meeting .ith learners e)ery day' no one ha)e a more )i)id and authentic of student2s needs' they are in the 0est position of ma1ing decisions a0out curriculum and instructions. Moreo)er' they are 0etter a0le to implement changes in a comprehensi)e and continuous manner =5o.ey' #?<<8 Li)ingston' #??(>. *o.adays' .e can notice more teachers made )oice in curriculum design' education policy ma1ing' .or1ing as a mentor to ne. teachers' facilitating professional acti)ities. In our school meeting' .e al.ays ha)e a fe. teachers proactive participation in collaborative initiatives, professional learning communities, professional organizations, and teacher leadership beyond the classroom =Stand ">.

Teacher as facilitator Traditionally' teachers are a source of 1no.ledge. They present information in oral presentations .hile students listen' ta1e notes and occasionally as1 questions. Most of the time' teacher presents 1no.ledge through lectures. There is little room for students do independent .or1' such as group discussion' or hands6on acti)ities. Teacher is spea1ing consistently .hile students sitting quietly listening to teachers. 5o.e)er' in the (# century' teacher2s role has e)ol)ed. Galileo said' 23ou cannot teach a man anything8 you can only help him disco)er it .ithin himself.2 Hno.ledge is not simply taught 0y teacher8 instead' 1no.ledge .as grasped through students themsel)es. /)en though it is hard to define facilitator precisely' it is to recogni9e .hen it is occurring and .hen it is missing. In artifact ' I tried to 0ecome a facilitator instead of lecture in the classroom' in order to engage student2s learning. It .as a 0ig challenge for me' 0ecause gro.n up in the Chinese education system

.here teacher ha)e authoritarian po.er in the classroom' I really uncomforta0le to Dlet go of students2. I .orried of losing control in the classroom' and once I lose it if .ill 0e hard to get it 0ac1. 5o.e)er' the result turned to 0e opposite. Students are more engaging than 0efore' and the mis0eha)ior pro0lem reduced. 7hen .e find the teacher .ho is a facilitator' .e find a classroom .here personal gro.th is flourishing. 7hen teacher ser)e as a facilitator in the classroom' it is a student6centered classroom. Teacher2s role is to help and encourage students to de)elop their s1ills' 0ut .ithout relinquishing our more traditional role as a source of information' ad)ice and 1no.ledge =Leo Iones' (&&%>. Teacher2s responsi0ilities are helping students .or1 independently' monitoring them .hile they are .or1ing together' and gi)ing them feed0ac1 after.ard. Students are encouraged to e4change different opinions .ith each other' ta1e charge of their o.n 0eha)iors and learning .hile the teacher .al1s in the classroom monitoring. There are many light 0ul0 moments in the classroom' students suddenly said' D*o.' I got it:2 A good facilitator is a good listener. Literally' you need to 0e a good listener. It is not an easy thing to understand a student' especially a younger one. It is )ery common that 1indergarten students' e)en some ! grade students cannot spea1 )ery clearly' sometimes I need to as1 student repeat for a fe. times. And also' teacher needs to figure out the real needs or the real questions from the students. /)ery teacher has the e4perience that students spo1e a lot in front you' 0ut you totally ha)e no clue of .hat happened. Last .ee1' one student came to tell me that Tyler had his paper8 he had a pin1 one and Tyler li1e pin1 one. I thought Tyler too1 his paper .ithout his permission and he .as upset a0out that' so I as1ed Tyler .hat happened. Tyler said +rice ga)e to her. Then this little 0oy repeated I had the pin1 one. In order to sa)e the time' I said' D+rice' you are such a nice 0oy that you are .illing to share .ith others.2 And the 0oy returned to his seat. To 0e honest' I didn2t figure out .hat did he need e4actly' praise or a ne. paper. To 0e a good facilitator' you really need to 0e a good listener so you can understand student2s need correctly and pro)ide them .ith appreciates support. An intense eye contact' full attention and no rush to the spea1er can 0e )ery crucial. A good facilitator has clear goals. Most of teacher .orried a0out losing po.er in the classroom' they cannot trust their students .ill focus on tas1 all the time. It is a 1ey component that each learner is a.are of the goals for the acti)ity' the class and the .hole unit. Teacher should 1no. it too. /ach acti)ity is dro)e 0y the goal. 7e ha)e a point of using different materials and acidity. Sometimes' I found students

.ere )ery engaging .hen they .ere complete their acti)ity' they had a fun time. 5o.e)er' in the end' .hen I as1 them questions a0out our acti)ity' only a fe. students raised up the hands. They only had a fun time' 0ut there is no learning. In order to a)oid this' it is )ery important that 0efore .e do each acti)ity' student 1no. .hy .e do this. Teacher .ill chec1 their understandings after.ard. A good facilitator is 1no.ledgea0le =Stand (>. Teacher should ha)e e4tensi)e 1no.ledge of su0,ects taught. As a Chinese teacher' 1no.ing grammar rules' authentic culture' etc. are the 0asic requirements. The more 1no.ledge you 1no.' the easier teaching can 0e. Teacher is li1e glue or connector .ho helps students put their memory pu99les together into a complete picture. Fnly .hen teacher ha)e a a0undance of 1no.ledge' they can see pro0lem in a higher le)el' li1e .e see from the top of the mountains. Then teacher can figure out .hich is the missing pu99le of students' and ho. to help them connect them together. Teacher may only say a fe. .ords' and then student .ill feel li1e a light 0ul0 in their 0rain' things suddenly 0ecome )ery clear to them. If teacher doesn2t ha)e enough 1no.ledge in hisBher content area' it may hard for teacher to figure out student2s missing pu99le' so ho. can they help student to put all pu99les together. It is )ery crucial that teacher ha)e a a0undance of 1no.ledge in hisBher field. A good facilitator is a good monitor =Stand #>. Jrist' teacher should sense the feelings of students' sometimes' students may not .illing to learn thing .e taught them' they pay their attention on other things. 7hen .e introduce a topic to student' .hat is their reaction' .hether it is interesting to them. If student sho.s no interest to this topic' there is no grantee of good learning result. Second' 0e sensiti)e to the feeling of the group. In any group' the .hole is greater than the sum of the parts' and group KchemistryK generally reflects shared feelingA eager' restless' angry' 0ored' enthusiastic' suspicious' or e)en silly. Percei)ing and responding to the groupLs dynamic is essential to s1illful facilitation. Thrid' figure out student2s needs. 3ou can find out a0out your students goals and interests informally 0y tal1ing .ith them and o0ser)ing them' or more formally 0y using questionnaires. 3ou can e)en 0uild this into classroom acti)ities 0y ha)ing them inter)ie. each other' ha)ing them sur)ey their te4t0oo1 to see if the topics match .ith .hat they e4pect' etc. 3ou can refer to their goals and e4pectations .hen you tal1 a0out your o.n goals and e4pectations for the class.

Conclusion

I 0elie)e teacher2s role in the classroom is not only limited to a leader to a facilitator. Same as many other people' I strongly agree teacher is a life6long learner. In the .hole process of MATC program' I remem0ered .hen read )arious types of materials' ,ournal' 0oo1s' .e0site' and )ideos. /ach .ee1' .e .rote do.n our thoughts of reading' e4changed our ideas .ith professors or other classmates =Standard $A Communication s1ills and information literacy>. 7e .ere learning in a 0ig community' .e learned not only from materials t .e read' 0ut also from reading other2s critical thoughts. /4cept learning from the course I too1 in MSM' 0ut also my real teaching e4perience. I still remem0er the first day of my teaching' my hand .as sha1ing' my heart 0eat cra9ily. I loo1ed at those ne. faces and pretend I .as in control. The truth .as' I .as so ner)ous that I could not hear my o.n )oice. -ight no.' I .al1ed into e)ery classroom confidently8 I 1ne. .hat I am going to do. I 1no. .hich part of lesson can attract student2s attention' and I 1no. the methods of handling students2 mis0eha)iors pro0lems =Goal (>. I reflected on my teaching =Artifact #> and learn from real cases in the teaching =Artifact (>. I 1ne. I still ha)e many aspects needed to 0e impro)ed' li1e in the Artifact $. I .ant to read more 0oo1s a0out S1inner2s 0eha)ior theories so I can ha)e a 0etter classroom management. /)ery day is a ne. day for a teacher' there is al.ays ne. theories or methods to try during the teaching' .hich is the most interesting part of teaching. I could not agree more DTeaching is learning2.

I loo1ed 0ac1 of my introduction part' I suddenly reali9ed teachers are playing 0oth roles in the classroom' they mo)e 0et.een the role of a leader and facilitator. Learning is li1e a trip in the .onderland. Teacher lead student into a .onderful .orld' gi)e them free to e4plore the .orld and interact the .orld. 7hen students ha)e any questions or meet any difficulties' teacher said'2I am here' .hat do you need;2. Teacher should 0e 0oth leader and facilitator in the classroom. Morgan McCall' -o0ert /ichinger and Michael Lom0ardo originated the %&6(&6#& frame.or1 at the Center for Creati)e Leadership in *orth Carolina. Their #??" 0oo1' The Career Architect(' stated that lessons learned 0y successful managers came roughlyA %& percent from real life and on6the6,o0 e4periences' tas1s and pro0lem sol)ing' (& percent from feed0ac1 and .or1ing .ith and o0ser)ing role models' #& percent from courses and reading. 7e thin1 %& percent of learning from .hat student did' and in the process' teacher play as a

facilitator. 5o.e)er' another #& percent .hich student learned from course and reading pro)ide the foundation of students %& percent of learning. Teacher usually plays as a leader in this progress. Jor e4ample' .hen teachers are gi)ing instructions they are the leader' .hile .hen students 0egin to finish their hands on acti)ities' teacher turns into a facilitator. Imagine .ithout teacher2s instructions ahead' ho. student can 1no. .hat to do and ho. to do' let alone they learn from doing it. In the end' teacher change to a leader again' 0ecause she .ill pro)ide feed0ac1 to students.

Teacher2s role as leader and facilitator interact .ith each other. 7e cannot simply separate them apart and thin1 one is 0etter than another. It is the same .e cannot ma1e the statement that American education is 0etter than the Chinese one' or Chinese /ducation is 0etter than American one. They 0oth ha)e their limitations and strengths. Teacher should 1no. hisBher clear and play appropriate role at the right time. +oth roles2 goal is to help student achie)e success.

Reference

#. Schmuc1' -. A.' @ Schmuc1' P. A. =#?<<>. Group processes in the classroom =$th ed.>. Du0uque' IAA 7illiam C. +ro.n. (. 5o.ey' H. -. =#?<<>. 7hy teacher leadership; Journal of Teacher Education, !=#>' (<6!#. !. Carnegie Jorum on /ducation and the /conomy. =#?<">. A nation prepared" Teachers for the t#enty$first century" The report of the Carnegie %orum on Education and The Economy&s Tas' %orce on Teaching as a (rofession)7ashington' DCA The Jorum. . 5olmes Group. =#?<">. Tomorro#&s teachers" A report of the *olmes Group) /ast Lansing' MIA Author. $. Leo Iones. =(&&%>. The Student$centered Classroom) Cam0ridge Mni)ersity Press' *3. ". MATC Standards and Goals