The Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships in Education and Training - Essay Example

Every professional has responsibilities, roles, and boundaries that are set to distinguish that profession from other professions in the labor market. The roles and responsibilities are critical and significant because they facilitate order in an organization and provide opportunities and avenues to realize both personal and organizational objectives (Reece & Walker, 2016). A teacher wears many hats; for instance, he or she is expected to be a counselor, judge, mentor, among many other roles given to them. However, in terms of teaching a teacher is an assessor. In a learning environment, learners have different and unique learning needs and for me to accommodate all their needs as a teacher I have to possess assessment skills that will enhance and facilitate equality, diversity, and inclusion as well during teaching.

Again, as a teacher, I have to motivate my learners to enable them to develop their abilities and aspirations to the full potential. People may think that a teacher is just responsible for delivering training and facilitating the learning process, but the truth is that a teacher is more than that. As a teacher, it is not only about teaching the subject matter or assessing learners. According to Tummons (2010), teaching role is closely associated with the motivation and inspiration of learners to promote and inculcate good moral and personal values in them. As a result, my aim as a teacher is to enable learners understands how to take part in the development of their own skills. This objective can be achieved through preparing and planning the teaching activities to involve the needs and well-being of the learners. Some of the key aspects of my role as a teacher that I am expected to have included the following: carrying out the initial assessments, communicating clearly with learners, identify and meet the individual needs of learners, support the available mechanism being organized in the school to assist the well-being of the learners. The responsibilities of a teacher include the following: promote a safe and supportive learning environment, facilitate equality and diversity in the learning environment, demonstrate professional behavior at all times, follow the key legislation and regulatory requirements and the code of practice in the teaching profession (Reece & Walker, 2016).

Teachers are required to maintain the highest and appropriate standards of conduct to enable them to fulfill their roles and responsibilities (Lifelong Learning, 2006). In order to achieve that, a teacher is expected to adhere to the set professional and personal boundaries which set the limits to what and what not to do. Setting role boundaries is very important as well in teaching. This enables the teacher to define the duties and everything that the teaching profession requires. For instance, it would be right to contact a learner regarding a course; however, it would be considered inappropriate to contact the learner more than five or ten times. A teacher needs to have self-discoursed caution which sets the discrete behavior that is required in the profession. A teacher cannot be everything in the school; there are times that a teacher must involve other stakeholders to help handle critical situations regarding the learners (Lifelong Learning, 2006). For instance, when a teacher realizes that a certain student is using drugs the best thing to do in that case is to report the matter to the local authorities starting with the head of the institution.

Summary of key aspects of Legislation, Regulatory requirements and Codes of Practice

Teachers have a responsibility to protect themselves and way to do that is to adhere to rules of the code of practice. Being a teacher is a calling that requires a lot to be delivered. Therefore, as a teacher, I am required to show good conduct which should be a guideline for the learners. As a teacher, I am required to be a role model to the learners. This should be demonstrated in the way the teacher goes about his or her daily activities and interactions with the learners. The code of teaching professional practice involves everything regarding good teacher conduct (Lifelong Learning, 2006). In the current dynamic society, the teaching profession is becoming more complex each and every day. However, in order to keep with the continually changing society, a teacher is required to meet the highest possible standards of conduct. As a teacher, one is required to adopt the following codes of practice: integrity, respect, care, practice, disclosure, and responsibility.

Some of the legislation that a teacher is required to adhere to include the equality and diversity Act of 2010 which requires that every teacher should be guided by the LLUK standards (Lifelong Learning, 2006). As a teacher, I understand that knowing and understanding the equality and diversity Act is not only critical but crucial because it enables me to assess every learners needs and be able to strategize on how to meet the identified needs. Even though it is not easy to realize equality and diversity in a society that has more than one racial group, different nationalities, different socioeconomic backgrounds, and health issues. Learners come from different backgrounds and achieving the equality and diversity concepts may not be easy, but as a teacher one is required to spearhead equality and diversity within and outside the classrooms. Disability Act of 2010 or Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 and 2005 are another crucial legislation that a teacher is required to adhere to (Lifelong Learning, 2006). The Disability Act of 2010 refers to the people or learners in this case who got medical conditions that require special attention and care. As a teacher, I am supposed to treat every learner equal and not to exclude them. It is a duty and responsibility of a teacher to treat the disabled children favorably and make reasonable adjustment s to meet the needs of the disabled. The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child of 1989 is another important global legislation that requires that every child is given equal opportunity to develop and get an education (Lifelong Learning, 2006). Therefore, this legislation is crucial especially in the diverse and dynamic contemporary society where learners come from all sorts of backgrounds. This legislation also provides all children with the right to relax, play, and join a wide range of activities. Therefore, it would be unprofessional and inappropriate to deny the child these fundamental rights. As a teacher and a role model, I am expected to facilitate the learners rights and ensure that they are protected from any form of harm.

Description of the Points of Referral to Meet the Needs of Learners

Learners are different and they cannot be alike in any way. Therefore, the teacher has to design a strategy or mechanism to help each and every individual learner deal with his or her challenges and barriers to meet their individual needs. It is important to note that there is list of points of referral that can help meet the needs of learners. The learners needs and points of referral can be achieved through proper planning and delivery of content. Planning involves preparing and ensuring that the course documents take into consideration the learners needs (Gravells & Simpson, 2010). A teacher needs to provide a suitable learning environment for the learners with regards to layout and accessibility. Therefore, as a teacher, I would involve varied styles of learning throughout the teaching process. Again, I would ensure that the needs of the learners with special needs are incorporated into the teaching and learning process. The delivery method also matters a lot when it comes to referrals to meet the needs of the learners. A teacher is required to use the right assessment method that suits the needs of all learners. Therefore, as a teacher, I would emphasize on the appropriate and sensitive use of language as means of delivery and also challenge inappropriate use of language. Further, it is also important to describe the points and how they attempt to address the individual needs of learners. A teacher should always consider or prioritize the needs of learners. However, achieving this may require more than just dedication and commitment to the profession. Meeting the needs of every learner requires collaboration and corporation from every stakeholder involved (Reisenberger & Dadzie, 2002). The referrals need to be classified as internal and external ones. The following table summarizes the points of referrals to meet the need of learners.

Internal Referrals External Referrals

Information and guidance staff Previous teachers

Administrators Parents

Technicians Counselors

Security guards Childcare

Counselors Child line

Student representatives Church

Chaplaincy Special needs assistant Career master and advisors Table 1: Referrals to meet the need of Learners

The above list shows some of the internal and external referrals that can help the teacher meet the needs of a child. Even though a teacher is a professional, but in order to meet the needs of the learners effectively, he or she is required to collaborate with the other professionals. However, when talking to other professionals as a professional the teacher should act and behave professionally, be polite, appropriate, respectful, and calm. There are many reasons why a teacher may seek help from other professionals with the aim of meeting the needs of learners. First, the teacher needs to gain a good relationship with the other professionals. Being an effective teacher involves helping learners identify the factors or barriers that affect their learning process. Therefore, through the relationship with the other professional, the teacher can be able to offer support with the information he or she has collected from the other professionals to help address the issues of challenges. Secondly, a teacher may choose to get information regarding the learners needs from other professionals to safeguard the issues. As a teacher, one is required to act in a professional manner. Teachers need to realize when their learners would benefit from other professional help to be able to know when to seek for the information (Tummons, 2010). Some of the information may be within the organization while others may require the teacher to go outside the organization; thus, the two types of referrals listed above.

Importance of identifying and meeting the needs of learners

Every teacher must understand that even though learners are different but they ought to acquire equal goals, education, and future aspirations. On the other hand, the teacher must also understand that they will meet learners from every background. Therefore, they must be prepared to interact and meet learners from all sorts of life and they must meet their needs. It is important to identify and meet the needs of learners due to various reasons: First, it helps the teacher to achieve equality in the classroom. Classrooms contain children with different behavioral, social, and emotional challenges that may inhibit and affect their learning (Vizard, 2012). Therefore, as a teacher one should identify the learners weaknesses and apply the measures that can help to overcome them. This will ensure that learners with challenges or disability will not feel excluded or discriminated from the rest of the learners. Secondly, identifying and meeting the needs of learners help in developing talents in the class. It is important to note that the needs of learners are not always negative. Sometimes, learners may need to develop their passion or interest in other areas apart from the classroom. As a teacher one needs to inspire and motivate each and ev...