CHANGING ROLES AND RESPONISBILITIES OF TEACHERS IN 21st CENTURY

The teaching profession occupies one of the prestigious and dignified profession in the society. Teachers are expected to fulfil the present needs and demands of the learners, parents and society as a whole. The teachers play a crucial role in developing and refining the personality of the students. The teacher in the modern sense is regarded as friend, philosopher and guide. Hence, with all these expectations comes more responsibilities on their shoulders. In the traditional system of education, roles and responsibilities of the teachers were limited and constrained because of the goals and requirements of the society. Teachers in the traditional education stressed more on the delivery of the content, subject – knowledge and intellectual aspect. The lecture method was used in the teaching learning process and it gave little importance to the learner. But with the flow of time and reforms in the education system, the aims and objectives were changed and it brought new roles and responsibilities to teachers. The modern education aims to accomplish the needs and demands of the learners, parents, society and nation as a whole. The major responsibilities of the teachers in the present era are diverse. Teachers act as a facilitator, guide, supervisor, mentor, friend, philosopher, motivator, etc. Henceforth, to execute all these qualities they require more preparation and training. The pedagogic knowledge, skills, methodology of teaching specific subjects, child psychology, use of ICT and many more skills and knowledge are essential to efficiently teach the students for meaningful learning. Therefore, this paper specifically focuses on the dynamics of teacher and its changing roles and responsibilities to meet the expectations of the learner.