EFL

Roles of an EFL Teacher

[Name of the Student]

Roles of an EFL Teacher

Introduction

In countries where English is not spoken and understood as a first language or English is not a mother tongue, there are various institutes, which teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Another term ESL (English as a Second Language) is used where English serves as an important communication tongue for social functions such as a medium of jurisdiction or education. The focus of this assignment is on EFL and the role of EFL teachers, and I will share my experience of teaching in Russia. The article will review my role, as an EFL teacher, within the classroom, and then the scope of my influence will be expanded to Russian society as a whole. Finally, few recommendations will be shared to enhance the role of EFL teachers (Harmer 2001, p.42).

Role of a British Teacher in a Secondary School in Russia

In the following discussion, the easy will cover an experience of an EFL teacher, teaching in a secondary school, in Russia. The initial discussion will provide general information of teaching in Russia followed by my own experience. The teacher's traditional role has changed considerably in past decades, in Northern Asia. One reason is due to fast adoption of technology in developing Asian countries. There are certain traditional qualities of teachers which are common around the world such as the ability to teach. However, the teaching style has changed to student centred from previously adopted teacher-centred. My personal style of teaching was student centred, when I was teaching EFL in Russia. The personality of teachers is still considered important in Northern Asian schools.

In his book “Honouring Diverse Teaching Styles: A Guide for Supervisors”, Edward Pajak differentiates between 4 groups teachers including inspiring, inventing, knowing and caring, these can be seen as role of teachers.

Caring teachers are those who help students in understanding themselves and respecting others. Knowing teachers emphasize the importance of specializing in any field. Inventing teachers focus on problem solving skills and follow the idea of 'education for life'. Finally, inspiring teachers promote independence and teach students to live lives according to principles and values (Pajak 2003, p.23). From my experience as an EFL teacher in Russia, I realized that teachers are playing three traditional roles in Northern Asia schools including assessors, organizers and controllers. These teachers fall in the category of knowing teachers (Bright & McGregor 1974, p.5).

My Role as a Teacher in the Classroom

Although, teacher's role is not limited to classrooms, however, their primary duty starts within the proximity of class (Broughton 2002, p.174). I, as an EFL teacher in Russia, was responsible for overall course and class management. I was assigned a course and a class. I was responsible for making syllabus and schedule overall activities. I was responsible for preparing students for examination, making sure that each student accomplishes learning objectives. I was also responsible to controlling and monitoring class activities and student affairs. There are various roles, which I ...