3636. Is the Teacher Necessary in Innovative Schools? Yep, He Is.

 As you may know, I have greatly written on this blog about foreign or second language autonomous learners. And that’s ok, for it’s them who really really really learn and acquire that language. 

Today I wanted to say, however, that the teacher is just necessary and essential too. 

Furthermore I would say that the language lesson has to be student-centered… but also teacher-centered. 

We have to recognize that a good teacher may well help and boost his or her students’ learning. 

I have learned a lot of English over time, yet I am very grateful to my teachers over the years: they were just so great, and have helped me learn that tongue. 

As a matter of fact a teacher also may excite and stimulate his or her students’ eagerness for learning the language. It’s something of what I try hard in my classes to adults, and these ones are great language learners, yep they are. 

As well the teacher may shorten the way to learners, because he or she may provide with useful techniques, approaches, tricks, tips, hints… to his or her learners. 

Before I said that lessons should be student-centered and teacher-centered, both, ok? One example? 

Let’s see to it. Well, one of my groups are learning BE GOING TO for plans and predictions. To be honest, last lesson tuned out a bit of a failure about that grammar point: some of the pupils got it and can make sentences and utilize that verbal form, but others… just not. Next class I will treat that point once more. 

I will use the PPP procedure, that is, Presentation, Practice and Production. 

On the first stage, presentation, I’ll elicit some examples from the students plus some examples by me perhaps. Thus I am involving them a bit more in the class. What I mean is that, ok, they are the protagonists of the class, but also the teacher fulfills an unequivocal role, is that right? 

And that teacher has to be kind of an animator, actor, prompter, adviser, a bit of a clown, authority, etcetera. Oh, and the teacher has to provide contents and knowledge and some wisdom, plus he or she has to provoke in their students the lure for learning, reading books, working on textbooks. Thus a library is just essential in the school. 

Some of the ideas here were taken from expert English-language teacher and methodologist Jeremy Harmer and Spanish pedagogue and philosopher Gregorio Luri. Have a nice day.

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