Kuma Reflection

Although a lot of good material was presented in this weeks reading, I found it interesting how defining the role of a teacher is much like choosing the best teaching method for a classroom. While reading chapter 1 in Kumarauvdivelu's book Beyond Methods: Macrostrategies for Language Teaching, I could not help but notice that there has never been one conclusive decision on the definition of a teacher's role in the classroom. According to Kuma, some individuals see themselves as passive technicians, others reflective practitioners, or even transformative intellectuals (sometimes a combination of them all) when it comes to being an educator.

I just found it interesting how there are (what sometimes seems like) endless discussions as to what is the purpose of a teacher in the classroom, and how those talks are similar to the continuous discussions of which teaching method is most effective for second language learners. Personally, I have come to discover that the conclusion in both of these topics is that there is no conclusion. There is not a definite answer because there is no one best term or method. In other words, people will always view their role in the classroom, or which teaching approach would be the best practiced, differently because every person and situation is unique. Depending on the make-up of the classroom environment, as well as on how the individual themself views the situation, will influence the teacher's approach to teaching a second language and/or defining their personal role to their students.


In general, I have gathered from the various readings for this course thus far, that there is not just one way to define a teacher, nor is there just one teaching method that works best. As the instructor, he/she will have to evaluate his/her students and their abilities, in order to select a teaching approach that would be the most effective. In addition, every teacher may see themselves maintaining a different role in the classroom as their fellow co-workers because their situation and viewpoints are unique.

.