The Roles ofthe Reflective

Classroom TeacherAhmad Zainuri Bin Loap Ahmad

Abstract: This article first answers the question, "Why do teachersneed to reflect on their teaching?" This article also focuses on fiveroles a reflective teacher performs in the classroom: thecommunicator role, counselor role, ethicist role, political role andresearcher role. In order to be effective teachers and role models,teachers are advised to choose roles,juggle roles and shift roles.

Keywords: Role, reflective teachers.

INTRODUCTION

In schools today, many stories abound of unforfun ate studentsbeing sidelined by teachers through no fault oftheirs, but becauseof teachers who lack professionalism for various reasons.Frustrated students often vent their frustrations on society. Teachers

could be the partial cause of the astronomical, unexplained numberof social ills that we encounter today. Teachers need to sit back andreflect deeply each day as well as allow The Almighty to guidethem at all times in discharging their duties. Reflection breathesnew life into the soul of every homo sapiens on this earth, andguides them at all times to be better human beings. Well, if the sixstudents from the religious school Sekolah Menengah Agama A1-

Maidah Addiniah, Padang Tengku, Lipis, had done reflectivethinking, they would not be bullying their junior Muhammad AfiqAbu Qusyairi, as reported in the local newspapers in May 2005. Ifall educators have been reflecting appropriately as they shouldhave, there would not be the public outcry for an overhaul of thenational education system, thus reported in the New Straits Timeson December 31,2002.

lrnglish Languagc Journal

Reflection could be the answer for the many who are ernbroiledin emotional unrest. It is crystal clear that humans devoid ofreflective thinking can unleash the untamed dark side within eachand every one of them! And who else better to instil this awarenessof the importance of reflective thinking in our lives, if not teachers

themselves.

But one question worth considering here is "Why do teachersneed to reflect on their teaching?" There are at least three goodreasons. First of all, although all teaching situations share somesimilarities, each situation has unique characteristics. Students,school settings, curricula - as well as teachers' own backgroundand interests are different for each individual, and knowing aboutmany possible instructional strategies helps teachers makeintelligent choices about what will be best in their own classrooms.

In addition, reflecting the process of evaluating and choosingamong strategies help teachers become better teachers byencouraging them to recognize and exercise their power to bedecision-makers. Teachers do not become stronger professionals byhaving someone else, for instance a textbook author, chooseteaching methods for them.

Perhaps the most important reason for reflecting on teaching andlearning is that education is a field bubbling with good ideas. Notextbook can present them all for both students and teachers,because more new strategies and methods are being devised all thetime. Studying, observing, reading professional j ournals, attendingconferences and reflecting on teachers own practices will maketeaching more effective and teachers more competent. In a nutshell,reflecting is a good thing for teachers. It does not only involvereflecting on the past, but also reflecting on the present and thefuture. Serious reflection helps teachers gain competence, masteryand understanding. Besides that, reflective teachers also engage

themselves in solitary dialogues (mental activity that is a

conversation between two sides of the inner self).Teachers can play many roles in the course of teaching. Teacher

roles are often described in the form of metaphors. Sometimespeople say that teachers are like actors because "they are always on

2

Thc Rc{lectivc Tcachcr

stage". Some think teachers are like orchestral conductors because"they direct conversation and set the pace and tone". Yet others feelteachers are like gardeners because "they plant the seeds and waterthem to help them grow".

In this 2lst century teachers should change their perception ofthemselves that teachers are those who dispenses knowl8dge:people who impart knowledge, lectures, tell, feed and disseminatethe subject matter to students. The students only sit passivelylistening to the teacher and carry out the instructions, tasks and

activities given by the teachers concemed. Teachers should realizedthat they are no longer the source of all knowledge, but instead thefacilitator of learning. In other words, a teacher is not the "sage onstage" but the "guide on the side".

Obviously, teachers wear many hats and play many roles: notonly the roles mentioned above but also the roles as friend,counselor, judge, researcher, mentor, baby-sitter, mother, father -hundreds ofroles and different roles for different classes, studentsand extra-curricular duties. Richards & Lockhart (1999) believethat teachers create their own roles within the classroom. Teachers

may select roles for themselves: planner, manager, qualitycontroller, group organizer, facilitator, motivator, empowerer andteam member. Mclntyre and O'Hair (1996) contend that there are

ten reflective roles of the classroom teacher. They have listed theten roles as otganizer, manager, counselor, communicator,professional, innovator, motivator, ethicist, political and legal.

For the purpose of this paper, I will only focus on thecommunicator role, counselor role, ethicist role, political role and

researcher role.

THE COMMUNICATOR ROLE

Just as a good communication network system is cruciallyimportant for a good organization, so a teacher who acts as a good

communicator in his or her own school setting, thus becoming a

lubricant. The reason is that he or she generates a good flow ofwork order and prevents many problematic incidents from arising.

English Language Journal

Lacking such a person will make the school become a total lhiluredue to a missing part in the communication network.

Ideally, a good communicator is a person who exercises an"open communication st5rle". He or she exercises openness in his orher communication approach. Such a person exhibits flexibility ingiviffg and receiving advice, is well liked, promotes productivity,accepts criticism, listens well and acts wisely. This style ofcommunication is explained by Tan Tuan Hock in his book, HumanRelations and Interpersonal communication (1997) a term whichhe has associated with "Open Area',, the first type ofcommunication highlighted in "Johari window", a communicationand human relations model developed by Joseph Luft and HaoyIngham.

In the above model, "Open Area" communication is based onthe maxim, "I know that you know',. It is an area which we sharecertain aspects of ourselves with others, a sharing which coulddevelop trust. So, to develop this area of communication, we havebeen strongly advised to reduce the .,Hidden Area" throughappropriate self-disclosure and reduce the ..Blind Area" throughfeedback from others by inviting them to honestly share theirperceptions about us.

This state of communication is what all schools wish. If it is notestablished, communication barriers will occur as a result of theclosed (unknown), blind and hidden style or atea ofcommunication. consequently, the school should embrace both theformal communication, (practiced among the administrators) andthe informal communication also called as .,grape-vine

communication" (trrracticed among the closed, blind and hiddenstyle communicators). If the grape-vine communication overridesthe formal communication network, the smooth operation of theschool will come to a standstill and consequently fails.

However, if the school has a good trouble shooter, normally theprincipal who exercises the open sfyle communication, the schoolwill be able to strip off the communication barrier and use thegrape-vine communication to the advantage of the school's vision,mission and objectives. Such is the importance of a good

4

The Rellcctive Teacher

communicator in an organization like a school. Besides the

principal, a teacher with good communication skill can also widenhis or her circle of influence for the betterment of the school. Inshort, the entire school rests on good communicators foreffectiveness and success.

In the role of a communicatoE a teacher is expected to interacteffectively with different people in many different formats and

environments that characterize and define the school climate and

culture. A teacher has to communicate with students, teachers,

principals, officers and parents. The communication process is the

process ofindividuals sharing ideas, beliefs, thoughts, and feelingswith each other in common, understandable ways. In the process,

misunderstandings are bound to take place. Thus, it becomes

increasingly important to know the elements of the communicationand the role each element plays. Teachers need to select the

appropriate approach in the role of a communicator in order toavoid any misunderstanding.

One question that teachers should consider at this point is "Howare we communicating with our students?" This question requires a

teacher to ascertain what triggers the entire communication in the

classroom context. Barnes (1975) perceived that the entire

classroom communication is triggered by the perception a teacher

holds towards knowledge. From the teacher's perception about

knowledge emanates other elements of discussion like teacher-

student level of interaction in the classroom, kinds ofcommunication and the type of group work practised within the

classroom context.Barnes affrrmed that if a teacher perceives knowledge as

content, then he or she would generate a transmission type ofcommunication in his classroom. As a result, he or she overemphasizes the need to assess students' oral or writtenpresentations to ascertain whether the intended knowledge had

been successfully transmitted. Such an attempt only enables

students to acquire "school knowledge", thus creating an

examination-oriented approach to the entire teaching and learningprocess in the classroom.

English Language Journal

on the other hand, should the teacher perceive knowredge asstudents' ability to interpret, then he or she naturally executesinteractive communication. [n so doing, he or she evokes elementslike negotiation, collaborative types of group work for students toexplore the newly received knowledge so that what is learnt isapplied in a new problem-solving context. Ideally, such an attempthelps students to be equipped with "action knowledge". with thisknowledge, they become more prepared to face the real world.

THE COUNSELOR ROLE

J.S. Farrant (1988) defines counseling as an act of assisting anindividual with advice, comfort or guidance in order to relieve orovercome problems that trouble him or her. Jack c. Richards andcharles Lockhart (1996) add that as a counselor, the teacher isencouraged to identify students who are having problems andlearning difficulties, and to offer individual counseling to studentswho need it. It is a well known fact that teachers not only teach thesubject content but also ensure that their students are mentally andemotionally prepared to receive knowledge learned on their own orimparted to them by teachers or peers. In this respect, a teacher whoassumes the role of a counselor executes three types ofcompetencies- They involve advising and counseling students,promoting students' self concept, and promoting cooperativelearning among fellow students.

It should be remembered that teacher means everything forstudents. In fact, what teachers say or do in and outside theclassroom greatly influence their students who observe theseactivities. Very often, students confide their problems to teachersmore than to their parents and friends. As a result, teachersnaturally become their advisorr and counselors. so, it is crucial thatteachers know the difference between advisors and counselors.

To understand this difference, Munter (1996) in Tan Tuan Hock(1997) opined that teachers become advisors when they assume theresponsibility for students' decision making. A classic examplewould be a teacher's advice to students to visit the ..Muzium

6

The Reflective Teacher

Negara" instead of visiting the "Perpustakaan Negara" to get

enough resources to write an essay on, "The History of Tin MiningActivity in Kuala Lumpur". Other examples would include a

teacher who gives moral advice to his or her students to respect the

elders and care for their neighbours and who incorporates these

values in the daily lessons. On the other hand, counseling takes a

different approach. Munter pointed out that in counseling, both the

teacher and the student solve a problem. For example, when a

teacher notices a student who falls asleep in the classroom and

neglects his or her homework, the teacher can talk to him or her

about ways to avoid the problem. It could be done by the teacher

finding out the student's personal problems he or she faces at home

or in school and then suggesting ways to overcome them. In doing

so, the teacher could give initial guidance until the student makes

progrqss in his or her studies. In this regard, the teacher and

students work together to overcome the two problems mentioned

above.

Howeveq how the teacher goes about getting the student's

cooperation depends on how well the teacher establishes a good

relationship with the student concerned. By and large, a good

counselor ought to elicit six roles as outlined by Gibson and

Mitchell (1990) in Mclntyre & O'Hair (1996). They include the

listener-advisor role, referral and receiving agent, human potential

discoverer, career educator, human relations facilitator and

counseling programme supporter. In short, when the world moves

towards modernization at such a dizzying speed, decline and

change in social values is inevitable and bound to occur. Thus, the

teacher as counselor is increasingly recognized as an important

component of the teacher's work since children learn best when

they are free from worries or matters that interfere with the

development of their personality. In the teacher's capacity as a

counselor, he or she should display genuine concem for the welfare

and well-being (physical, emotional, moral and spiritual) of the

students, provide guidance as well as supervise their behaviours

and activities.

Ilnglish Languagc Journal

THE ETHICIST ROLE

It is said by Mclntyre & o'Hair (1996) that among the many rolesof a classroom teacher the ethicist role is the most controversialrole. The reason is that a teacher is always portrayed by mostpeople as one who possess a system of moral values that exerts apositive influence on students. Thus the duty of a teacher is not onlyto impart knowledge to the students but also to bring moral valuesinto the classroom. Moral values will influence the students'attitudes and behaviours in their daily life.

Inculcating moral values to the students can be done in manyways. First of all, the teacher becomes a role model for the students.For example, the way a teacher dresses, speaks, behaves and showsphysical appearance is observed by students. so in this case theteacher must portray good and positive mannerisms towards thestudents as students always believe that whatever their teacher doesis right and must be imitated. Students look up to teachers andexpect them to be good or even sometimes perfect examples. It is asif they (the teachers) are not entitled to any wrongdoings. lmagineliving up to that standard! The students will closely n'onito,everything the teacher does. Therefore, teachers should always bearin mind that they are the most important persons for cultivatingmoral values and molding the students to be ethical people as it ismentioned in our National philosophy of Education.

Another way to inculcate moral values to the students is byteaching moral values in context when delivering the contentknowledge in the classroom. In the national curriculum andsyllabus there are 16 moral values to be taught to the student, anddoing so is compulsory. To do this, teachers can bring in stories ortexts that stress certain moral values. Besides that, teachers can alsorequire group activities that can help students develop moral valuessuch as cooperation, tolerance, respect and responsibility. Theseactivities will not only fulfil the requirements of the NationalPhilosophy of Education in producing skillful and knowledgeablestudents but also help produce students who are emotionally,mentally, physically and spiritually balanced and stable besidesbeing ethical people.

8

The Reflective Teacher

An ethical teacher should treat all the students equally and notbe biased about them in any circumstances. Teachers should be fairand square when dealing with students from different backgrounds,races, gender, religions and academic levels. When delegatingwork, teachers must make sure that it is divided equally among the

students. Teachers should state the instruction clearly, be punctualto class, show self-discipline and be firm in making decisions.Changing a decision may give a bad impression about a teacher,and then students might not respect and trust the teacher.

Teachers must also be good observers of what is happeningaround them. They need to observe their students' actions and non-actions so that they can vary their approach in analyzing theirteaching development. Good teachers will not hesitate to givepositive feedback, and it is necessary for teachers to be blunt at

times and sincere with their feedback. Teachers should givestudents opportunity to learn through their mistakes, as doing thiswill promote a healthy teacher-students relationship. Teachers

should believe that their students can draw valid and meaningfulconclusions from their own experiences too.

THE POLITICAL ROLB

Many teachers are unaware of their political roles in school.According to Mclntyre and O'Hair (1996), there are threecompetencies involved in the political role. The three competenciesare defining and recognizing the political behaviour that exists inschool, understanding the classroom political strategies and lastlyunderstanding other important variables that exist in the schoolstructure which influence the internal political classroom situation.

In the first competency, teachers need to define as well as torecognize the political behaviour that exists in school especially intheir own classroom. According to Spaulding (1994) in Mclntyre &O'Hair (1996), political strategy refers to the attempts of certainindividuals to influence other people around them throughcooperative and conflictive ways in order to achieve their desiredgoals. Of course, this is a common phenomenon which happens in

lingl ish Languagc Journal

every school throughout the country. In the schoor c,ntcxt, trrere arcalways people such as principals, parents, teachers and stuclentswho tend to influence people around them in order to attain theirown goals. Thus, teachers need to be aware of this situation in orderto be able to carry out their duties in schoor without facing manyproblems' In order to know ail these poritical strategies, tlachersmust be able to recognise them beforehand.

Recognising political strategies can be done through severalways such as doing some observations of students' behaviour.Apart from that, teachers must be abre to learn about themselves bydoing interviews with the students. They may arso carry outactivities such as role-playing and simulation in the crassroom inorder to understand and learn about sfudents, expectation.

Next, teachers must be aware of the political strategies in theclassroom. This is where the second competency fits in. It can bedivided into two types of strategies. In addition, it involves twogroups of people - teachers and students. As a result of thestrategies, there are several consequences, both positive andnegative, that impact teachers and students.

As for the teachers' strategies, there are two types namely thepolitical strategy of support and the political strategy of control.Teachers use the political strategy of support to promote andenhance students' achievement in the learning p.o""r.. Thus theyuse strategies such as praising the students and awarding them withcertain things. As a result, students will be more motivated in thelearning process and therefore the teacher's goal is achieved. Thisis a positive consequence regarding the political strategy used.

However, in the political strategy of control, teachers play theirrole as someone who regulate the students' behaviour ana sets forttrthe principles to be followed by the students so that teachers cancontrol the students effectively. As for this strategy, teachers usethreats, ignoring students or promoting peer pressure on them.Unfortunately, the consequences ofthese strategies are negative asthe students will not give their cooperation to the teachers in theleaming process.

l0

The Reflective Teacher

Likewise, students also have two types of political strategies thatcan be used for the teachers. These are the political strategy ofcooperation and the political strategy of resistance. As for thepolitical strategy of cooperation, students "play by the rules". Theyfollow all the instructions and give their full cooperation to theteachers. The reason for this behaviour is that they want somethingin return from the teacher such as rewards, good marks orrecognition. At the end of the lesson, the teachers will be satisfiedwith theirjob which makes them happy.

Unlike the political strategy of cooperation, the political strategyof resistance is a nightmare to every teacher. This is used by thestudents for teachers whose behaviour they dislike. Therefore, theyuse all sorts of unpleasant strategies such as ignoring, repeating,constantly changing the topic in order to achieve their goal. These

strategies may demotivate the teachers, and they feel disappointedand fatigued. However, the positive consequence of this strategy isthat, the reflective teacher may be aware of his or her ownperformance and try to do adjustments in order to suit the students'needs.

The last competency is the understanding of other variables thatexist in the school structure which influence the classroom internalpolitical situation. There are three common variables: parents,principals and peer teachers. As for the parents, they may have avery high expectation for their children's academic achievementthat somehow contradicts the teacher's own judgment. Therefore,teachers must be wise enough to confront this type of parents and

be aware of parental actions.Principals and peer teachers are also among the variables which

influence the classroom internal political situation. They have themost authority and power in the school. Usually the students willsee the principal as someone who has the dominant power inschool, especially for student punishment. Hence the students are

afraid of them due to what principals are able to do to them. Whilefor the teachers, they are aware that the principals are the ones whoevaluate and observe their performance. Thus, teachers will try toplease and get recognition from their principal by teaching

ll

tingl ish Languagc Journal

effectively. As for peer teachers, they may influencc otlrcr tcachcrsin term of job performance regarding creativity ancl alsoprofessional practices. Peer teachers transmit influence throughcomments, advices and actions.

THE RESEARCHER ROLE

There is no denying that only a handful of teachers placethemselves in the shoes of a researcher. probably there has been nourgency for teachers in the field ofeducation, to do so. In fact it isonly now with the advent of the new world order and the dawn ofglobalization that prompted our former prime Minister, Tun Dr.Mahathir bin Mohammad, to challenge Malaysians to produceMalaysia's first Nobel Laureate by 2020 that we see many teachersand others scrambling to come to terms with the vision. That visionhad dictated unspoken importance in the area of research toexpedite development and to improve the nation,s ability tocompete globally! The urgency to achieve excellence in researchhas spurred our former Education Minister, Tan Sri Musa Mohamadas reported in the New Sunday Times on 2g December 2003, tourge public universities and the private sectors to embark onintensive research and development that could create a strongeconomy based on knowledge.

A scientist and academic turned administrator at the Ministry ofScience, Technology and Environment, professor Mohd AliHashim in an article on 28 December 2003 in The sunday Times,similarly echoed Tan sri Musa's sentiments. He asserted that aspecial environment is required to spawn scholars and creativemilieus. He added that this special environment begins during aresearcher's formative years with schools and dedicated teachersplaying a major role. we can infer therefore that the success orfailure in bringing Malaysia to compete in the global front lies inthe hands of teachers! And above all, as opined by professor MohdAli Hashim, teachers need to expose students as early as possible tothe wonders that research can bring.

l2 l3

The Rellective Teacher

Consequently, teachers have to rise to the occasion to meet the

changes and challenges brought about by globalization. Teachers

cannot allow themselves to slip into a comfort zone and be

complacent with their perceived success in education. Teachers

have to brush away the village champion mentality in them and

benchmark themselves against the best if they want to succeed and

achieve world-class standards in education! Most importantly,

teachers themselves have to be familiar with research before our

young leaders are comfortable with it. The time is ripe for teachers

to accommodate this new role as a researcher in classrooms to

ensure the success of Malaysia globally.

Teachers as researchers should conduct studies to address

problem encountered in their areas of concern and not just sweep

problems under the carpet or wait for another unfortunate teacher to

take over the followingyear.In fact, the problems we face today,

such as that of students who are incompetent in written and spoken

English after 12 years of education need to be researched to.avoid

further deterioration which could be the result of years of blissfulignorance about the importance of research in classrooms! Teachers

have to change with the times, and it is not too late to work towards

our quest of producing a Nobel Laureate as envisioned. After all, ajourney of a thousand miles always starts with a first step!

CONCLUSION

Every one of us has a role to play in society and teachers, the

educators, hold the magic wand in ensuring only just, fair and

capable individuals lead our country so that Malaysia can stand up

tall among other nations, just by being role models.

Considering the moral, ethical, and social complexities ofteaching, reflection allows teacher to think rigorously, critically and

systematically about educational practices and problems ofimportance in order to foster growth in self, students and the

system. It is clear that teachers must quickly decide whichreflective roles to choose, sometimes juggling several. In addition

to that, teachers must not remain in one role for too long. If they

tlngl ish Languagc Journal

spend too much time being psychologists or cops, students wiil startacting like patients or criminals. Thus, the rores shourd be part of alarger identity, each role coming to the foreground for not amoment longer than needed, then drifting into the backgroundagain.

Hence, to work as an effective teacher requires shifting amongmany roles above and beyond "teacher". By shifting roles,leacherscan at times also be dentists (helping fill "cavities,' of ignorance,sometimes causing pain), friends (when sfudents are mature enoughto handle an equal relationship), and physicians (taking histories,giving exam, diagnosing, prescribing, following up).

The teacher's shifting roles can help students succeed asstudents in the short term. But there may arso be long-term benefits.Teachers surely can serve as models for sfudents who later becometeachers and may be, more subtly, models for those students whosomeday become psychologists, parents, cops and world leaders.

REFERENCES

Farrant, J.s. (1988). principles and practice of Education. New york: McGraw_Hill.

Mclntyre, D'J' & o'Hair, IvI.J. (1996)- The Re/rective Rores of the crassroomTeacher. Washington: Wadsworth publishinj Company.

Richards, J.C. & Lockhart, C. (1996). Reflective Teaching in Second LanguageClassroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.

Richards, J.C. & Nunan, D. (1990). Second Language Teacher Mucation.Cambridge: Cambridge University press.

Tan-Tuan Hock (1997). Htlman Rerations & Interpersonar Communication KuaraLumpur: Malaysian Inititute of Management.

t4