Page 19 - Beyond Methods

Conceptualizing teaching acts 7
ing. The entire edifice of education, however, is constructed on the foundation that teaching can contribute to accelerated and accom- plished learning.
The overall process of education certainly involves several play- ers—educational administrators, policy makers, curriculum plan- ners, teacher educators, textbook writers, and others—each consti- tuting an important link in the educational chain. However, the players who have a direct bearing on shaping and reshaping the de- sired learning outcome are the classroom teachers. This is not very different from saying that the success or failure of a theatrical pro- duction depends largely on the histrionic talent of the actors who actually appear on the stage. It is true that several individuals have worked hard behind the scenes to make that production possible: the director, the scriptwriter, and the production manager, to name a few. But if the actors do not perform well on the stage, and if they are not able to connect with the audience, then all the behind-the- scenes activities will come to naught.
In fact, the educational role played by teachers in the classroom is much more demanding and daunting than the theatrical role played by actors on the stage for the simple reason that the failure of an educational enterprise has more far-reaching consequences for an individual or for a nation than the failure of a theatrical produc- tion. Such is the significance of the teacher. Nevertheless, there is very little consensus about the precise role the teacher is expected to play.
The Role of the Teacher
The role of the teacher has been a perennial topic of discussion in the field of general education as well as in language education. Un- able to precisely pin down the role and function of the teacher, the teaching profession has grappled with a multitude of metaphors. The teacher has been variously referred to as an artist and an ar- chitect; a scientist and a psychologist; a manager and a mentor; a controller and a counselor; a sage on the stage; a guide on the side; and more. There is merit in each of these metaphors. Each of them captures the teacher’s role partially but none of them fully.
Instead of delving deep into the familiar metaphors, I believe it is much more beneficial to view the historical role and function of classroom teachers to understand how the concept of teacher role has developed over the years, and how that development has shaped