My Roles as a Teacher

My Own Role And Responsibles

My role as a ICT tutor, sometimes requires me to be mentor or even an absent friend to support my learners emotionally through their learning. All of this provides me the means to enable learning to the best of my ability. I have a responsibility to ensure that students gain the knowledge and skills they require to become effective learners. Also the responsibility to meet the high standards of professional and ethical behavior required by the learner, and my profession itself. The responsibilities listed below provide guidance for me as a teacher. * To demonstrate the highest standards of professional behaviour, exercise professional judgement and act in a considerate and sensitive manner when interacting with students, or caregivers, staff and the public. * To be conscious of the need for equitable treatment of all students, including those with disabilities or other special needs; to meet the individual learning needs of students and assist each student to maximize his or her learning outcomes. * To be familiar with the provisions of legislation relevant to my official responsibilities. * To perform my duties efficiently and effectively and with honesty, integrity and fairness at all times * To ensure that decisions are made fairly and conveyed promptly both within the Department and to those students and members of the public who have a right to know. * To use information gained in the course of employment only for proper and appropriate purpose. * To use public resources economically * I must not, under any circumstances, have sexual relationships with students. It is irrelevant whether the relationship is homosexual or heterosexual, consensual or non-consensual .The age of the students or staff member involved is also irrelevant. * I must not, under any circumstances, engage in conduct of a sexual nature with a student. Improper conduct of a sexual nature by me against a student includes sexual intercourse and any other form of child sexual abuse (which must be notified) as well as but not limited to: inappropriate conversations of a sexual nature; obscene language of a sexual nature; suggestive remarks or actions; jokes of a sexual nature; obscene gestures; unwarranted and inappropriate touching; sexual exhibitionism; personal correspondence with students in respect of my sexual feelings for the student; and deliberate exposure of students to sexual behavior of others. * Prescribed medications and non-prescribed medications (such as analgesics) should only be administered in accordance with departmental guidelines. You must not give students alcohol or other drugs, or encourage or condone the use of alcohol or other drugs by students. * I must not, under any circumstances, use any form of discipline that includes any threat of physical violence or harm, corporal punishment or engage in any form of behaviour which could cause physical, emotional or psychological harm of any kind to students.
Several examples of good or acceptable behaviour

Teacher-student relationships
• Participate in social contact with a student only after obtaining informed consent of the student (and principal where appropriate); such contact includes meetings, sporting events, phone calls or electronic communications, e.g., emails and text messages;
• When acting as a student's mentor, develop a relationship with clear professional boundaries that cannot be misinterpreted as a personal, rather than a professional, interest in the student.
• If a student develops a ‘crush' on you, inform a supervisor, so independent, sensitive advice and support are available;
• Praise and recognise all students when appropriate, so they all feel fairly treated.
• Physically contact students in a way that makes them comfortable, e.g., shaking hands, a congratulatory pat on the back.
• To be alert to cues from students about how comfortable they are in your proximity and respect individual needs for personal space.
• Be aware of cultural norms that may influence interpretation of your behaviour towards students. Interaction with students with identified needs
• Be especially sensitive interacting with students who may have poor ‘boundaries' for appropriate behaviour after being traumatised by physical, emotional or sexual abuse, because they may misinterpret your actions.

Poor or unacceptable practice

Listed below are several examples of what I believe to be unacceptable behaviour
Classroom culture
• Leaving a class unattended or dismissing students early from a lesson so that they are unsupervised
• Not reporting concerns about risk or misconduct of a staff member towards a student
• Attempting to physically prevent a student from entering or leaving a classroom, unless there is a concern for the safety of the student, other students or staff
• Closing doors or windows to rooms without checking students are safely out of the way
• Shouting angrily at students to intimidate them
• Commenting to or about students on the basis of disability, gender, sexuality, cultural or racial stereotypes.

Teacher-student relationships

Teasing students or unfairly withholding praise from them
• Putting your arms around students while instructing them on the computer
• Developing a practice of cheek kissing as a greeting or for congratulating students
• Repeatedly and unnecessarily touching students on the back, shoulders, arms or legs
• Allowing a student to sit on your lap
• Conversing about sexual matters unrelated to a syllabus
• Telling jokes of a sexual nature
• Making sexually suggestive remarks or actions, obscene gestures or showing inappropriate videos
• Deliberately exposing a student to the sexual behaviour of others, including access to pornography. * Giving gifts or money to students as a reward or incentive for good behaviour or as a gesture of friendship
Through the application of my roles in relation to the teaching cycle. Starting with the initial assessment stage I would go about this by conducting interviews with new applicants and assessing their subject knowledge and also discover their learning style using Fleming’s (1987) aural, visual and kinaesthetic definitions in conjunction with Honey & Mumford’s (1986) or Kolb’s experiential learning styles to plan their learning journey. I would then decide their aims and then record these on the learners. My role as a tutor includes many things, the primary objective is to help students achieve their chosen course .This will be by using various teaching and learning approaches and taking a student’s needs into account. One of my roles is to identify learner’s needs which could include: * Identifying any barriers or challenges to learning * Arranging suitable initial assessments * Identifying any student ,self and directorial needs

There are advantages and limitations that could involve arranging suitable initial assessments, an advantage would be to determine their current skills and knowledge of students to agree a suitable learning plan. A limitation would be if the initial assessment was carried out too late, the student could be working towards an unsuitable course or level.My roles concerning delivery are to keep up to date with the teaching theory and my subject knowledge being ICT via continuing personal development and promoting a wide range of active learning via use of available media and practical’s. I think it is so the students can understand more as suggested by Laird’s (1985) sensory theory, where he believes greater learning will take place if the senses are engaged. I feel the assessment should take place continually within the chosen subject, to ensure mastery has taken by means of recapping what was taught and to pinpoint difficulties. For the student I would provide them feedback on how to improve. For me the teacher this is achieved through peer observations, student feedback and external moderation. At this point in the cycle we would look at what is relevant or if the lesson plans, content and delivery methods needed to be simplified or removed to enhance the learning. I consider my roles and responsibilities to be a combination of ideas that flow and are hard to define individually. However there are several responsibilities that are in place to safeguard my learners, myself and all of the participants, therefore these must be separated and are on several stated above.