The changing role of the teacher

Photo credit: Hamilton Lund

As the nature of education changes, so does the role of the teacher. No longer the sole keepers of knowledge, the role of the teacher is changing from content delivery to instructional design; designing effective learning opportunities and environments for each student’s diverse learning needs. 

Preeminent educator, Professor Richard Elmore from Harvard University wrote in 2007: 'Teaching, as a profession, is undergoing a dramatic transformation, from isolated work in self-contained classrooms to collaborative work designed around challenging problems of student learning' and said that 'continuous mastery of new knowledge must be a condition of practice for teachers.'

In recent years, much of the discussion about schooling has focused on educating for the 21^st century, but as Executive Director of Schools, Greg Whitby, explains, there is often a misconception about what this means.

'It is not enough to buy a laptop for every student,' says Greg. 'Technology is simply a tool for learning and teaching and, in and of itself, does not constitute a 21^st century education.'

'The focus is much more on our understanding of how each student learns and the competencies they need to develop, than about just the content taught. Critical thinking; problem solving skills; being able to work collaboratively; creativity; and the ability to learn and re-learn are some of the key competencies of a 21^st century education.'

Traditionally, teachers have been considered the keepers of knowledge; delivering content and imparting information to students from the front of the classroom. Now, the role of the teacher is much more complex; as learning is personalised for each student, the teacher’s role is to continuously review, refine and rebuild learning experiences using a range of strategies to teach to the individual student’s needs based on what they know, what they need to know and how they learn.

It is not about changing what is taught; rather it is about recognising how different students learn, and re-assessing teaching strategies to meet each student’s diverse needs. This is known as ‘instructional design’.

President of the Diocese’s Primary Principals Association, Michael Hopley, identifies a shift in the expectations of employers in recent decades, noting adaptability and ongoing learning as key attributes looked for in prospective employees.

'I remember as a young teacher in the early 80s listening to a spokesman from the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions) insisting that students entering the workforce needed to be multi-skilled, and it was the teacher’s role to make sure their students were able to adopt a wide range of skills,' said Michael.

'Today, employers are looking for individuals that have the ability to locate, organise and communicate information. Many industries are now established on adaptability and the belief that ‘if you don’t know how to do it, you can easily learn’. Teaching students how to lead their own learning is critical.'

At the 2011 Ann D Clark lecture (see story right), Professor Stephen Dinham OAM from the University of Melbourne, echoed the idea of learning as a life long endeavour, not just for the students but for teachers as well.

'Teachers need to be clinical practitioners so they can assess, diagnose, prescribe and evaluate students’ learning,' says Professor Dinham. 'We cannot give every person what they need in pre-service training. Teacher professional learning is about constantly questioning.'

Australian Catholic University (ACU) Senior Lecturer, Professor Wendy Moran, agrees that pre-service training is not enough. With the traditional role of the teacher increasingly moving towards a collaborative approach, ACU has incorporated a program called ‘Instructional Rounds’ into their teaching course to prepare undergraduates for their role as teachers.

'Student teachers need to understand that their role is changing; that teaching is about collaboration – planning and teaching together - and teaching is a profession that requires continuous learning,' Professor Moran said.

Recently, her second year teaching undergraduates took part in the program - inspired by Richard Elmore’s book, Instructional Rounds in Education - visiting Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Seven Hills to observe learning and teaching in action and to speak with teachers working collaboratively.

Second year undergraduate, Tahlia O’Rouke, identified the opportunity for on-the-job mentoring as a significant benefit of the collaborative environment.

'Walking into a classroom on my own will be daunting,' said Tahlia. 'This environment allows beginning teachers to collaborate and learn from colleagues who have a wealth of practical experience.'

At Emmaus Catholic College, Kemps Creek, mentoring is already a part of teachers’ professional learning. Each year, staff participates in Teachers’ Enrichment Week - an opportunity for teachers to critically evaluate their colleagues’ teaching pratice via video, with the aim of identifying good teaching practice and incorporating these techniques into their own teaching.

Emmaus’ Assistant Principal, Chris Welch, believes teachers today feel a greater responsibility to develop their own skills.

'Teachers have always worked to ensure the best for their students but there is more of a responsibility for teachers to continually develop their own skills,' Chris said. 'Educational research has proven that teachers make the most significant difference to learning so we need to constantly reflect on our practice to ensure we are doing our job effectively and the best way to do this is by watching, learning and collaborating with other teachers.'

For Greg Whitby, student learning and teacher learning are inextricably linked.

'There is no one-size-fits-all approach; there’s not even a one-size-fits-most approach. Our purpose as educators is to provide each child with the knowledge and skills they need to meet their unique potential in all facets of their human lives. This lies at the very heart of Catholic schooling.'

'Knowing each student and ensuring learning is relevant and meaningful to their diverse needs is challenging, but ultimately rewarding, work for teachers. We know the best way to meet this challenge is by developing communities of learners; where students and teachers work collaboratively, continually engaged in learning.'

It seems that if the competencies required of a 21^st century student are critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration and the ability to learn and re-learn, then the competencies required of a 21^st century teacher are very much the same. Maybe the old adage, ‘wisdom is caught, not taught’ holds true. The 21^st century teacher is a model of learning for their students.

References:

Elmore, R. 2007, ‘Teaching is not Rocket Science’, The Age, 27 August, pp.14

City, E., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., Teitel, L. 2009, Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning, Harvard Education Press, Cambridge Massachusetts

http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/news---events/latest-news/latest-news.aspx/teachers--salaries-a-19th-century-artefact-says-2011-adc-lecture-speaker-.aspx

 http://www.theage.com.au/news/education-news/teachers-told-to-take-control/2007/09/14/1189276985702.html

http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/20th_vs_21st_Century_Classroom.htm

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