The 21st century has introduced some changes in the teacher's role. These changes are visible in second-language teaching and in all the curriculum subjects.
In this post, we will focus on the second language teacher's role and the material design. There are many roles a teacher must fulfil to be a good teacher. This includes the relationship with the students, how teachers deliver the lessons, the material they present to students, etc. Sometimes teachers do not have the chance to select their own material. As we know, it is very common that the institutions already have a coursebook to work with and teachers have to adapt their lessons to it. Sometimes the material that teachers should present to the students is not very suitable, either because the topics are not interesting for students, or because the book was designed for contexts which are very different from ours.
Many of the changes that occurred in the last century put the teacher at the centre of the scene, especially in this era of the pandemic.
The part teachers took in lessons is by far more active than before. Teachers are required to be more in charge of the lessons, to motivate students, and to guide them towards the management of the information, as Szucs says “Nowadays, teachers provide information and show their students how to tackle it”. But this is not all teachers should do. Apart from that, there is another issue that shapes the role of teachers. The selection and creation of materials occupy a significant place in the discussion.
In my opinion, teachers can take the easy way and work with commercially available material such as coursebooks, recordings, and videotapes. However, these materials can present a problem for the students. Sometimes the coursebooks are designed for a globalized context and include cultural issues that are seen as something very strange for students. This can lead to the demotivation of students. Because of that, some teachers took the initiative of creating their own material.
The creation of material is not easy, it requires a lot of time and dedication but once the teachers get to know their students, their interest and their needs it can be very fruitful and positive. At present teachers have to adapt the material they produced for virtual teaching. This is a challenge for those who were not very used to working with technology and implies extra work on the part of the teachers. Apart from students’ interests and needs, teachers have to take into account the accessibility the students will have to the materials, and maybe, depending on that, the creation of different materials for different students in the same class.
As we can see, the roles of teachers are very varied. It implies being a facilitator, a controller, a tutor, a prompter, and so on. Being a teacher in the 21st century is a complete challenge that requires dedication and effort. It also requires the teacher to be autonomous in the creation of the material they will work with to cover all the students´ needs. This is not easy but once the teachers get used to it, they start feeling more confident and the results are beneficial for both the teacher and the student.
Bibliography:
- Nola A. The 7 roles of a teacher in the 21st century.
- The role of teachers in the 21st century. Éva Ujlakyné Szucs. http://www.sens-public.org/articles/667/
- J. Howard & J. Major. Guidelines for designing effective English language teaching materials.
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