Education

Assignment 04

E13 Early Childhood Literacy

Directions:  Be sure to make an electronic copy of your answer before submitting it to Ashworth College for grading.  Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English spelling and grammar.  Sources must be cited in APA format.  Your response should be four (4) pages in length; refer to the “Assignment Format” page for specific format requirements.

Discuss the key features of a teacher’s role as model, provider, and facilitator in promoting language learning and literacy. Be specific in discussing practical ways that each role is shown.

Grading Rubric

Please refer to the rubric on the next page for the grading criteria for this assignment.

 ANSWER

Assignment 4: Early Childhood Literacy

Assignment 4: Early Childhood Literacy

Introduction

Many students take teachers for granted. However, a teacher is very important in the life of a student. Most teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students. Various factors make some teachers stand out from the rest. The roles of a teacher range from being a model, to a provider, and a facilitator. In this paper, these roles are discussed in relation to the promotion of language learning and literacy.

The Teacher as a Model

The interactions between a teacher and their students influence how students learn and grow. Learning becomes easier and perfect when a teacher is rich in language and uses vocabulary when interacting with the students (Khan et al., 2017). When describing objects and activities, a teacher who uses different vocabulary and explains it enables students to learn a language better. A good teacher demonstrates the use of facial expressions and gestures to teach their students. This way, the teacher serves as a model for their students to emulate. A teacher needs to encourage discussion and participation by giving students a chance to explain to their colleagues what they understand. When a teacher demonstrates the use of language and vocabulary, students develop the ability to understand and express themselves using gestures, vocabulary, and non-verbal cues. Interactions between students and the teacher through guidance, approval, and holding conversations help quicken the language growth skill learning of students.

Teachers who are rich in language and experienced in the use of vocabulary use active participation strategies in their teaching, which engages learners’ critical thinking. This motivates students to apply new knowledge and language acquired in real life and the classroom. A good teacher demonstrates the use of rhyme, imagery, and tongue twisters to enable learners to understand the use of language and its features. The teacher acts as a role model for the students, enabling the students to learn through observation and listening to the teacher’s use of language (Bicaj & Shala, 2018). While being a model for students eases and quickens the learning process for students, other factors affect and influence the ability of students to grasp literature and language concepts. Cultural and social background factors have to be considered to adapt teaching. A teacher has to be student-centered rather than class-centered to make it easier for every student to learn.

The Teacher as a Provider

The role of a teacher in the modernized world, where the learning environment has greatly evolved, has changed from being just an instructor to a provider for learners. The classroom environment today needs to be developed based on love and care. Teachers act as a caring parent or adult figure to learners. A teacher acts like a parent who provides knowledge and motivates learners to learn. Learners need to feel safe and secure with their teacher so that they can open up about their weaknesses and what they wish to learn. A teacher has to provide a caring and loving environment for students (Khan et al., 2017). The teacher also has to provide any necessary special and supplemental instructions and assistance to students experiencing learning difficulties. Some students need extra attention and tutoring to be at the same level as the rest of the fast learners in the classroom. A teacher has to be flexible and willing to provide extra assistance and tutoring to these students. This way, they can identify and address the areas of weakness for each student and assist them in strengthening their learning capabilities by using simpler vocabulary, more examples, and explaining sentence constructions.

In learning, tools of learning are important since they provide mental abilities to analyze, interpret, and categorize information. A teacher has to provide tools that learners can relate to in the classroom environment (Chaikovska, 2018). They also have to provide learners with an opportunity to put their knowledge to test in the class, through tests and examinations, and outside in the classroom through life experience. Teachers also provide a good environment for learners to participate in learning activities in the classroom. They have to give learners homework and reports to write to keep them engaged and provide an opportunity for them to practice what they learn. When a teacher provides multiple materials in teaching, it widens the scope of thinking of the students. Providing students with materials such as comic strips, storybooks, and magazines, for instance, provides learners with good sources of English since they act as supplementary learning materials (Chaikovska, 2018).

The Teacher as a Facilitator

Besides being providers and models for learners, teachers today have to be facilitators in the learning environment. Rather than being a leader or spoon-feeding learners, a teacher simply aids learners in leading themselves and learning. Effective learning occurs when learners learn by themselves and are not taught everything (Farrell, 2016). By being facilitators, teachers help learners to learn new concepts with minimal assistance. Teachers encourage learners to conduct research and critical thinking by themselves to improve comprehension and understanding. Learners are given an example and then left to discuss amongst themselves and develop more examples of a concept. A teacher has to encourage learners to think about how a concept learned applies to their lives outside the classroom. They develop topics of discussion and motivate students to share their thoughts and contributions on the topics. Activities such as grouping students into small groups for discussing different topics are conducted by a teacher as a facilitator. Facilitation is a good example of student-centered teaching and enables learners to play a critical role in their learning (Farrell, 2016).

Being a facilitator is the most important role of a teacher. As a facilitator, a teacher uses their own creativity and abilities to ensure that learners take responsibility for their learning. A teacher gives control to learners and empowers them to be in charge of their learning. A teacher ensures learner participation by being a facilitator. They ensure that students take the initiative of their learning, while they remain backstage and monitor learning (Farrell, 2016). This way, the teacher gives the learners a chance to gain insight, develop connections, assess their weaknesses, and discover new ideas and concepts. Facilitating does not mean that a teacher sits back and leaves learners struggling. A teacher needs to give students guidance and examples first, to enable them to navigate their learning by themselves afterward.

Conclusion

In the learning environment, a teacher plays various roles such as being a facilitator, a model, and a provider for the learners. Effective teaching involves being a good example of how language should be used, provide learners with a conducive learning environment and with the necessary learning tools, and facilitating learning through enabling learners to take charge of their learning.

References

Bicaj, A., & Shala, A. (2018). Theoretical Approaches vs. Teacher as a Role Model Towards Language Learning. Educational Process: International Journal, 7(4), 278.

Chaikovska, O. (2018). Benefits of teaching ESL through comic strips. Web of Scholar, 4(1), 8-11.

Farrell, T. S. (2016). The teacher is a facilitator: Reflecting on ESL teacher beliefs through metaphor analysis. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 4(1), 1-10.

Khan, A., Khan, S., Zia-Ul-Islam, S., & Khan, M. (2017). Communication Skills of a Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students’ Academic Success. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(1), 18-21.