Teacher's Identity

Berrocal, Consuelo
November 30th, 2012
What is teacher’s Identity?
Throughout our years at the university and our Elab’s we have been developing different styles of teaching, these are based on the methodology we like the most for the students, but also we take into consideration what is the learning style of our learners or so. But, what about our own identity as teachers, how do you know what is your teachers identity.
According to Oxford dictionary identity refers to “the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is”. So, in relation to this meaning, teacher’s identity is how you would describe you as a teacher, what type of things are your characteristic that define you as a future teacher.
In every school I went because of the Elabs has helped me to notice what my uniqueness is, in terms of my individuality as a teacher. And there are two concepts that at least for me are the most important; one is sharing the power with your students, this is significant for me because you have to see your students as equal as you, not as a hierarchy, but as a way to learn from your students, too. According to Educator’s Manifesto if you take technology to the classroom, the active participants (students and teachers) create a meaningful learning and social construction of digital communities, because they are helping each other.
Although, you have to show them respect because they are all equal for you, it is important to know they have differences for example, their background, their learning style, and their personality are not the same because they are not alike.
How do you do to integrate these two concepts in the classroom? Despite your good will to get involved your students in the class and treat them as equal as you, there are some situations that always make you doubt about that. Nevertheless, there are some things that you can do in order to not have many problems with equality or so, and one is technology, with this tool you can ask for help to your students, you can work as a team with them, and they will feel as an important part of the class. Besides, your work will be as a mere monitor.
For teachers, technology should be a one of the most vital tools if we want to be updated; one of the problems of not wanting to share the power in the classroom is because you do not know much about certain things and your afraid, so you need to have the control of the classroom. Most of the teachers who think in that way, they do not let their students take any control in the class, and as a result they do not have active learners in their classroom. For that reason, pupils get bored and they do not reach your expectations when you are teaching them.
Nowadays, technology helps us in different aspects of teaching; firstly, you can teach them how to work in groups, second, there is certain equality while you are teaching with technology (we are talking about computers, smartboards, or so) because sometimes they do know more about this concept than you, so they become helpful, students are aware that they are an important tool for the development of the class, they feel the significant meaning they have for our activities.

To sum up, I would like to say that now the role of technology in educational terms is on the top one list if we want to develop a more integrated society. The class needs to be center in the students, we have to change that they are internalizing the topic we are teaching them. It is remarkably important to increase their curiosity for learning and that is the mistake of teachers they are not doing this. They are only teaching the students how to be a passive and receptive attitude.