TKT Glossary – Teacher Roles

It refers to the different functions a teacher can have in a class and the different ways a teacher can manage the classroom and the learners, e.g. a teacher can choose to take a controlling role, giving directions or instructions at the front of the class or to take a less controlling role, monitoring learners as they work.

This teacher role entails assessing learners' performance, behaviour, effort and contribution; checking understanding; evaluating learners' performance, behaviour, and contribution; testing learner progress and level; and providing feedback on work, progress, behaviour and contribution.

This teacher role entails providing ideas or information other than language, e.g. participating in discussions.

This teacher role entails giving learners advice on difficulties they may have outside of their language class and showing understanding of issues learners bring to the classroom from outside.

This teacher role entails diagnosing and evaluating learners' needs and difficulties.

This teacher role entails developing learner autonomy; enabling learners to fulfil their potential; helping learners to access resources; and providing opportunities for individual learning.

This teacher role entails clarifying language; correcting learner language; consolidating learner language; contextualising language; eliciting language; explaining language; modelling language; personalising language; and providing language input.

This teacher role entails managing the learners, the lessons and procedures in the classroom, e.g. controlling the group dynamic; deciding on interaction patterns; demonstrating tasks and activities; developing rapport; encouraging learners; giving instructions; motivating learners; praising learners; maintaining discipline; and responding to classroom problems as they happen.

This teacher role entails observing and collecting information about learner performance, behaviour, contribution and effort and progress; and keeping a written record of learners' work.

This teacher role entails narrating stories and things that have happened.

This teacher role entails anticipating problems; deciding on a methodology for lessons; designing and adapting texts and materials for lessons; preparing texts and tasks for learners; and selecting materials and texts for lessons.

This teacher role entails thinking about his/her own performance as well as about learners' progress.

The strategies used by a teacher to organise the classroom, the learning and the learners, such as seating arrangements, different types of activities, teacher roles and interaction patterns.

The system of rules used to maintain control of learners in the classroom.

The relationship between the teacher and learners.

Something which is done regularly such as a teacher setting writing homework every Friday or always asking learners to record new words with their meaning and an example sentence.