Task 2 - Roles and responsibilities of the teacher

Focus: On the teacher

Student teachers will focus on the roles of the teacher, how s/he organizes
his/her classroom and interacts with the learners.

Objective

For student teachers to begin to understand the diverse nature of

teaching by observing a teacher for the day.

Procedure
Using the following checklist, observe the teacher throughout the day and
write down what her/his roles and responsibilities were, and how long was
spent on
each.

Your teachers real roles and

responsibilities throughout
the day
Time
Spent

8-8:30
8:30-9
9-9:30

9:30-10
10-10:30
10:3010:50
10:5011:15
11:1511:45
11:45-12
12-1
1

Did the
anything
Yes she
as her

WHAT S/HE DID:

Free play / Welcoming
students
Attendance / Big library
Circle time (Mathematics
+ summer and winter
clothes)
Clothes activity
Snack time
Music time (Miss Maria)
Activity (Sandwich)
Story time (kids + Miss
Pinkie)
Free play
Students left + Lunch for
others
Teachers break time

teacher do
not on the
checklists?
did, as well
assistants
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 Please change duties depending on your school

Observation

Use full sentences and correct grammar/spelling.

Think of the parts of a paragraph before you write be sure to start
with an appropriate topic sentence!

Write a summary of your teachers roles and

responsibilities during the day and what you did to
help her in the different activities. Use the table
above for this information.
Miss Mahrin, my MST in British Orchard Nursery, had many
roles in one day. At the beginning of the day she and her
assistants were welcoming students while they are having their
free play time. After a while, she took attendance and we all went
to the big library; which is the colleges library. I helped my MST
and assistants in arranging students to stay on the line. When we
came back, we had circle time with Miss Pinkie. We revised
numbers 1,2,3,4, and 5, and discussed the use of summer and
winter clothes. At the end of the circle time, students started
sticking clothes on children. Later on, we had an activity by which
students should know which clothes are for summer, and which
are for winter. Miss Mahrin, assistants, and I were helping
students in sticking clothes for the appropriate season. Moreover,
10 AM to 10:30 AM was the snack time. I helped students having
their snacks, and made sure that they finish their food, tidy up,
put their lunch boxes back in their bags, and helped assistants
cleaning after them. Miss Marias time with Bouncing Bunnies
class was at 10:30, by which students had their music time. We
danced and sang on the rhymes, and we had fun. Miss Maria is
the music teacher, in which she passed on all classes to have
music time with them. When she left at 10:50, our class had
another activity, which is making a sandwich, and spread a jam
on it, then design it when raisins. Due to students age, we were
supposed to help them spreading the jam on the bread. In
addition, what made me laugh, most of the kids ate the bread and
raisins instead of using them in their activity. After a while,
students had their story time at 11:15 AM. First they read some
stories by their own, and then Miss Pinkie, the responsible
assistant of todays circle and story time, read us a story about a
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family trip. At 11:45 AM students had a free play time Until 12 PM.
At the end, two classes were joined together; Bouncing Bunnies
and Lady Birds, to have their lunch together while waiting for their
parents to come and pick them up. Finally, when students were
leaving, Miss Mahrin told me to have my break time, after
answering my task two question. Due to the holiday we have
tomorrow, we had few students today, who left at 12 PM, which
made my MST allowing me leave early today.

Reflection

Use full sentences and correct grammar/spelling.

Put the roles and responsibilities in order of what you

feel is the most important job your teacher has to
the least important one. Explain your reasoning for
this. Put in five (including most important and least
important ones)
Most important
1) Attendance
2) Welcoming students
3) Circle time (teaching)
4) Snack/lunch time
5) Free play

Least important
1) Library
2) Music time
3) Story time
4) Activity

Which role or responsibility do you think you will do well

at? Why?
Attendance (Easy to do and takes no time)
Activities (Kids love trying using hands, which makes it easy
from teacher give them an activity)
Free play time (I enjoy watching kids developing and
discovering the world independently)
Which roles will be difficult for you? Why?
Music time (I dont like music a lot, and cant memorize
English songs then say them very fast, which nurserys rhymes
are)
Circle/story time (Having all students attention at the same
time is very difficult. For example if you told a student to set
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down you will find out that another 2 students are behind you
missing up your stuff) not easy to control
Also think in terms of teachers roles and
responsibilities

What surprised you?

(for example-are there any roles your teacher has that you were
surprised to find out a teacher does?) Cleaning kids nose, and saliva.
Also wearing them their shoes and socks
What shocked you?
I thought that main teacher does not change nappies! In fact she does
(Did your MST have to do any jobs that you were shocked about?
Something that perhaps you did not think a teacher must do or should
do?)
What delighted you?
(What roles does your MST do that you are happy about because you
like doing those things?)
Teaching students, listening to them, teach them new things, and focus
on their manners (this makes me feel that I am important in which I am
raising a new generation)
Any other things you thought about while you were completing this
task.
(Maybe you thought things like, Wow! A teacher sure has to do a lot of
things during the day. Or, I wonder how s/he manages to do so much
every day.)
I always wonder how she can manage doing all these stuffs every day,
and stays calm with kids years and years
Ask your MST about the roles s/he prefers the most. Find out why. Are
there any s/he does not like to do that much?
-She likes doing circle time for students, singing, as well as storytelling.
Because she likes activities that make all students involved in
something educated together, and have their attention to what she is
teaching
-She doesnt dislike something, in contrast, she loves doing everything,
even when she is forced to change some ones diaper, and this makes
her feel good, because she is helping a kid who relied on her when he
needs help

Although MST has many

during the day, some of the
important than others. Taking
important task my teacher has.

roles and responsibilities

responsibilities are more
attendance is the most
Knowing who is her today

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and who is not, makes parents feel that their kids are safe
and they are attended in their class. It also helps my teacher
in counting students number, due to their movements.
Second, she must welcome her students daily. Little kids
sometimes feel scared from familiar people if they didnt
show their interest of seeing them. So, welcoming students
helps students settle with the class quickly and dont cry
when mom or dad leave. Third, she has the circle time with
the students. The circle time is when students set on the
carpet, while the teacher teaches them something new. This
is why students go to school, to learn, and teachers get
salary to teach. So education is an important part, whether
in nursery, school, or university. Furthermore, having some
food at the middle of the day is something students,
especially kids, must have. Without food, they will have no
energy to complete studying and playing till the end of the
day. Therefore, my teacher and her assistants make sure
that students are eating well in the school, and if they
noticed that a kid has no enough food to eat and he is still
hungry, they inform the mother about it. Even though
students are having fun in the circle and story time, they
need some free time to play together without their teachers
being involved. Playing is something essential for kids, which
helps their bodies grow, and develop their physical,
intellectual, language, emotional, and social growth. On the
other hand, I believe that my teacher has responsibilities
that are less important than what I have mentioned. Going to
the library is on top of the list; because students have their
own stories and books in class, which compensate them from
going to the big library. Music time with Miss Maria comes
next. Listening to music which is not education, does not
benefit kids as much as circle time does. Story time is
number three from least important list. From what I have
seen, students love story time, yet, it is not benefiting them
that much. Lastly, is the activity, activity considers somehow
important, due to kids eager to try new things. Having free
play time can compensate students from the activity,
because both, activity and free play time whether outdoor or
indoor, allow students to experience new things and discover
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how things work. Furthermore, if I were the teacher, I believe

that I will do well in taking attendance; because it is easy
and takes no time. Also, making some activities to the kids
related to our todays lesson. When students achieve
something in class, this reflects the teacher, in which it
makes her happy and she feels that she is the one who
achieved. Moreover, students like to do things on their own
way, so the given activities give them the opportunity to
express their level of understanding, and how do they feel.
Just like free play time; watching kids developing and
discovering the world independently makes me happy. In
contrast, there are some roles that I dont feel that I will do
well in, such as music, circle, and story time. I dont like
music a lot, and cant memorize English songs then repeat
them very fast, which nurserys rhymes should be. When it
comes for the circle and story time, I feel that it is very
difficult for a teacher to attract all students attention at the
same time, on one thing. For instance, if you told a student
to set down you will find out that another two students are
behind you missing up your stuff. So, it needs big effort to
control kids and make them have fun at the same time. In
addition, in British Orchard Nursery, I found out that
sometimes cleaning kids nose, saliva, and wearing students
their shoes and socks are considered as the teachers roles.
Yet, what shocked me is when my MST told me that
sometimes if her assistants were not there, she must change
diapers for students, while I was thinking the opposite. Yet,
there many things that I saw my MST and her assistants
doing that made me happy. Teaching students, listening to
them, teach them new things, and focus on their manners
was the teachers responsibilities which I liked. For me, doing
these as a teacher made me feel that I am important in
which I am raising a new generation. In fact, I always wonder
how my MST and other teachers around the world can
manage doing all these stuffs every day, and stay calm
within kids years and years! That is amazing. Finally, I asked
my MST about the roles she likes and dislikes in being a
teacher. She told that she likes doing circle time for students,
singing, as well as storytelling. Because she loves activities
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that make all students involved in something educated

together, and have their attention to what she is teaching.
Surprisingly, she doesnt dislike something, in contrast, she
loves doing everything, even when she is forced to change
someones diaper; this makes her feel good, because she is
helping a kid who relied on her when he needs help.

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