The teacher as researcher

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 435.

The teacher as mediator

The role of mediator is not new for language teachers; it has always been their task to act as intermediary between two cultures while they introduce learners to new linguistic and cultural concepts. However, the immediacy offered by the new media for fronts this role and gives it a new importance. Within the relatively safe confines of traditional textbooks, teachers could introduce relevant aspects of the target language and culture in small, manageable chunks. Access to the “real world” of the target culture and, at times, confrontation with it, requires new strategies and approaches that need to be learned and practiced. Indeed, a more rewarding and promising point of departure is perhaps one which takes into account the multilingual environment that many learners live in and bring with them into the classroom.

To keep abreast of developments in relevant fields of knowledge and walks of life, particularly in the countries of the target language, teachers need to know how and where they can access information for their own and for their learners' use. Reflective practice and action research are now becoming part and parcel of the daily lives of teachers. Teachers need to keep up to date with knowledge generated in the field of modern languages and applied linguistics, not only for the sake of their learners, but also for their own professional development. Familiarity with the use of electronic tools or language analysis like concordances will, for example, enable teachers to further develop their own linguistic and professional competence and increase their confidence in the use of the language. Research often takes the shape of “reflection-on-action”. Action research involves a self-reflective, systematic, and critical approach to enquiry by teachers in order to identify areas of difficulty, to embark on a period of study, possibly in collaboration with others, and to bring about informed changes in practice as a result.

Teachers-as-researchers should be able to adjust continually to varying demands made upon their professional competence and knowledge. These demands vary from, for example, the level of learner competence they are asked to deal with, to the increasing responsibility placed on them to participate in the administration and evaluation of the educational institution. For those concerned with mainstream education, the propriety and reliability of information sources must figure as one of the main criteria for the selection of background material.