Teaching Defined by the Role of the Teacher

TEACHING DEFINED BY THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER

Milaun Murry

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Introduction

        Learning, education and teaching are all related to each other specifically in terms of their roles. According to Atherton learning can be defined as “change in behavior which more or less sticks and is the product of interaction with the organism’s environment within an organism’s lifespan” (2011). Education, for the purpose of this paper, will be defined as the process of receiving or giving information that can result in knowledge. In terms of roles learning carries the role of the subject or learner who is receiving the education. In our series of roles there is a role missing. In order for the education to reach the learner there must be someone or something teaching the information. This paper will explore how the definition of teaching varies depending on the perspective.

What is Teaching

        Many dictionary definitions of teaching are similar if not the same, “the act, practice, or profession of a teacher” (Merriam-Webster,). So what do teachers do? The obvious answer would be that teachers teach but then the explanation would become circulatory. The better question to ask in this situation is what role a teacher plays in a student’s learning experience. John Lott stated that “teaching is a contract between a student and a teacher” (2008). This would imply that what a teacher does is dependent upon the student/students and the purpose behind the contract between the two. The definition of teaching will change dependent upon this as well and can be clearly seen when looking at different perspectives of teaching. Some perspectives place the teacher in the role of the facilitator while others have the teacher as the sole authoritative figure. The next section will identify two perspectives that place teachers in these opposing roles and show how the definitions of teaching differ between the two.

Perspectives of Teaching

The teaching perspective of transmission follows the more traditional teaching methods and is utilized in the essentialist educational practices. With transmission the primary focus is placed on the effective transfer of information from teacher to student. Here, the role of the teacher is that of the sole authoritative figure and the learning experience is teacher centered (Pratt, 1998). With transmission the definition of teaching could be seen as the act of transmitting information from a knowledgeable source (the teacher) to a student and ensuring understanding of information through the use of projects and assessments.

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