ENGLISH 105

Hand-out 2: The Principles of Interaction

A LITTLE REFLECTION
The classroom is always portrayed as a room with four corners where the learner is detained eight
hours a day to learn something from the sciences to languages, from history to mathematics. The job of a
teacher is take down the walls of the classroom and take the learners outside of the classroom, figuratively
speaking.
ROLES OF TEACHERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By: Ingrid Veira
Defining a Role
According to a dictionary, a role can be an actors part, ones function, what a person is appointed or
expected to do. In our daily lives we fulfil roles that have features of all these defining characteristics. Some
roles are hard to avoid (e.g. father, mother); some roles may be thrust upon us by circumstances (e.g.
student); on the other hand, we choose for ourselves many of the roles we fulfil (e.g. teacher).
Teachers perform different roles when making decisions about the planning and teaching of lessons. It
is often helpful to use metaphors to describe what teachers do. For example, some teachers say that they are
like actors because they feel they are always on stage. Others see themselves as orchestral conductors
because they direct conversations and set the tone and pace of the class.
How do students and other people see teachers? Some say we are:
administrators, social workers,
coat finders, arbitrators,
pencil sharpeners, language specialists,
a walking encyclopaedia,
surrogate parents, form fillers,
fundraisers, nose wipers,
examiners, scapegoats,
relations officers, accountants,
musicians, artistic directors,
petty cash clerks, report writers
but they can just call us teachers!
Roles of the Interactive Teacher.
An interactive teacher is by definition one that is fully aware of the group dynamics of a classroom. As
Drnyei and Murphey (2003) explained, the success of classroom learning is very much dependent on how
students relate to each other, what the classroom environment is, how effectively students cooperate and
communicate with each other, and what roles the teacher and learners play.
"Brown, H. Douglas (2007) mentions that teachers can play many roles in the course of
teaching and this might facilitate the learning. Their ability to carry these out effectively
will depend on a large extend on the rapport they establish with their students, and on
their own level of knowledge and skills. "
According to Harmer, J. (2007), the term facilitator is used by many authors to describe a particular
kind of teacher, one who is democratic (where the teacher shares some of the leadership with the students)
rather than autocratic (where the teacher is in control of everything that goes on in the classroom), and one
who fosters learner autonomy (where students not only learn on their own, but also take responsibility for that
learning) through the use of group work and pair work and by acting as more of a resource than a transmitter
of knowledge. Harmer, J. also states that it makes more sense to describe different teacher roles in more
detail and say what they are useful for, rather than make value judgments about their effectiveness in terms of
their facilitator credentials.
Some of the most common teachers roles are the following:
Controller: The teacher is in complete charge of the class, what students do, what they say and how they say
it. The teacher assumes this role when new language is being introduced and accurate reproduction
and drilling techniques are needed.
Prompter: The teacher encourages students to participate and makes suggestions about how students may
proceed in an activity. The teacher should be helping students only when necessary.
Resource: The teacher is a kind of walking resource centre (monitor) ready to offer help if needed or
providing students with whatever language they lack when performing communicative activities. The
teacher must make her/himself available so that students can consult her/him when (and only when)
they wish.

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Hand-out 2: The Principles of Interaction
Assessor: The teacher assumes this role to see how well students are performing or how well they
performed. Feedback and correction is organized and carried out.
Organizer: Perhaps the most difficult and important role the teacher has to play. The success of many
activities depends on good organization and on the students knowing exactly what they are to do.
Giving instructions is vital in this role as well as setting up activities.
Participant: This role improves the atmosphere in the class when the teacher takes part in an activity.
However, the teacher takes a risk of dominating the activity when performing it.
Tutor: the teacher acts as a coach when students are involved in project work or self-study. The teacher
provides advice and guidance and helps students clarify ideas and limit tasks.
Characteristics of a 21st Century Classroom.
In the 21st Century classroom:
-teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of productive classroom environments in
which students can develop the skills they will need in the workplace.
-the focus is on students experiencing the environment they will enter as 21st Century workers.
-The collaborative project-based curriculum used in this classroom develops higher order thinking skills,
effective communication skills, and knowledge of technology that students will need in the 21st Century
workplace.
-its interdisciplinary nature sets it apart from the 20th Century classroom.
20th Century teaching strategies are no longer effective. Teachers must embrace new teaching
strategies that are radically different from those employed in the 20th Century classroom. The
curriculum must become more relevant to what students will experience in the 21st Century workplace.
Role of Teachers in the 21st Century.
In the information technology age, it can be hard to get a grip on the evolving roles of teachers. On one
hand, it can seem as if the role of teachers has grown immensely; they are now expected to be tech-savvy,
computer literate and at the cutting edge of education. On the other hand, it can seem as if technology makes
the traditional role of the teacher largely obsolete. This, however, is not quite true; rather, teachers must keep
their traditional devotion to students and hands-on interaction while teaching students how to navigate their
21st century world (Lee Flamand, eHow Contributor).
Traditional Goals with New Resources.
The traditional goals of education remain the same. Teachers will help form their students into effective
critical thinkers and life-long learners with a strong sense of their social responsibilities. While information
technology can sometimes seem like a disadvantage rather than an advantage in reaching these goals, they
can also be effectively employed to help facilitate rather than disrupt the learning process; for example,
students can use Internet search engines to carry out research.
Techniques.
Teachers in the 21st century have access to a wide array of information about the latest research on
how students learn. They should be knowledgeable and willing to apply such research to their classroom. They
should understand different learning styles and be able to identify the learning styles of their students.
Teachers.
Students always need teachers, both inside and outside of the classroom. Arguably, this is true today
more than ever before, as school violence, drug abuse and other dangers have been becoming more and
more common. Teachers need to take their role as both a resource for students and as a guide through the
difficulties of life seriously, and should make a huge effort to foster healthy relationships with their students.
Action.
Teachers in the 21st century confront the challenges opened up by globalization. Teachers should
introduce students to their world, and moreover inculcate in them a sense of their own power to create change
in the world. Teachers should not just transmit knowledge to students; they should instil in them a sense of
their place in the larger world, and urge them to be active participants in it.
Conclusion.
Times have changed, has your classroom changed? The new role of the teacher in the 21st Century
classroom requires changes in teachers knowledge and classroom behaviours. If students are to be

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Hand-out 2: The Principles of Interaction
productive members of the 21st Century workplace, they must move beyond the skills of the 20th Century and
master those of the 21st Century. Teachers are entrusted with mastering these skills as well and with
modelling these skills in the classroom. The characteristics of the 21st Century classroom will be very different
from those in the classrooms of the past because the focus is on producing students who are highly
productive, effective communicators, inventive thinkers, and masters of technology.
http://www.pearsonclassroomlink.com/articles/0910/0910_0502.htm
On Classroom Interaction
Language Learning evolves out of learning how to carry on conversations-Hatch
Effective classroom interaction has two implications:
1. concerns a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom with friendly relationships among the participants
of the learning process.
2. encourages students to become effective communicators in a foreign language.
This can be achieved through various ways:
1. by implementing different student and teacher roles
2. by exposing students to a varied classroom organisation
3. by employing a variety of activities
4. by helping students to express themselves and by encouraging their use of communication
strategies.
If the two implications are joined, we get a pleasant classroom atmosphere in which students are
trying to communicate in the foreign language.
CLASSROOM INTERACTION
Cambridge International Dictionary of English defines the verb to interact as to
communicate with or react to (each other)
New Oxford Dictionary of English defines the noun interaction as a reciprocal action or influence.
Therefore interaction is more than action followed by reaction. It includes acting reciprocally, acting
upon each other.
Rivers (1987, 57) describes the word through its Latin roots: agere meaning to do and inter meaning
among. It shows us the active and social part of a human being that affects other people through
interaction.
Brown (2001, 165) relates interaction to communication, saying, interaction is, in fact, the heart of
communication: it is what communication is all about
PARTICIPANTS IN THE CLASSROOM INTERACTION
a. Teacher-Learners
-established when a teacher talks to the whole class at the same time
-He takes the role of a leader or controller and decides about the type and process of the activity
-the primary function of such interaction is controlled practising of certain language structures or
vocabulary. Mostly, they are in the form of repeating structures after the teacher (the model).
-this type of practice is also referred to as a drill
b. Teacher-Learner/a group of learners
The second arrangement is conducted when the teacher refers to the whole class, but expects only one
student or a group of students to answer. It is often used for evaluation of individual students. This
arrangement can also be used for an informal conversation at the beginning of the lesson or for leading
students into a less guided activity
c. Learner-Learner
The third type of interaction is called pair work. Students get an assignment, which they have
to finish in pairs. The teacher holds the role of a consultant or adviser, helping when necessary.
After the activity, he puts the pairs into a whole group and each pair reports on their work
d. Learner-Learners
The last type of classroom interaction is called group work. As with pair work, the teachers
function here is that of a consultant and individual groups report on their work as a follow-up activity
The ROLE of a TEACHER in CLASSROOM INTERACTION
In a traditional classroom the teacher had the dominant role of an all-knowing leader who filled
students empty heads with knowledge. This role has changed and the teacher has now got many roles
depending on different classroom situations. In a broad sense, he is a facilitator of learning, which includes
the following (Littlewood 1981, 92):
1. A general overseer of learning, who coordinates the activities so that they form a coherent
progression from lesser to greater communicative ability.

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Hand-out 2: The Principles of Interaction
2. A classroom manager, who is responsible for grouping activities into lessons and for their overall
organisation.
3. A language instructor, who presents new language, controls, evaluates and corrects learners
performance.
4. In free communicative activities he will act as a consultant or adviser, helping where necessary. He
may move around the classroom and monitor students progress, strengths and weaknesses.
5. Sometimes he will participate in an activity as a co-communicator with the learners. He may
encourage learners without taking their main role.
CHECKPOINT:
Read the given question. Construct an answer based on your own experiences. Give an honest answer.
Your answer should be in complete sentences. A minimum of three sentences and a maximum of seven
sentences is expected. Encode your answer in a short bond paper. Do not forget to write your name and the
date of submission.
My Reflection 2
In your opinion, why is classroom interaction dependent to the relationship between a teacher and the
students? You can cite examples or situations if it would allow you to make your explanations more
meaningful.
HARD DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION:
December 3, 2014