2. Pair work. Discuss with your partner the following questions:

1. What are the most important abilities that the teacher should possess?

2. What's your idea of the teacher's ability to understand and trust?

3. What's your understanding of an ability to quickly assess this or that situation at a lesson?

4. Why do you think it's important for a teacher to possess an ability to accurately convey to pupils his (her) mood, feelings and thoughts by words, facial expressions and body motions?

5. How is it possible to obtain a reliable picture of relations among children in a short period of time?

6. What will you do as an English teacher to make children comply with your request and do it willingly?

7. Do you agree with the statements: "A true teacher enjoys communicating with children"?

8. Will you explain to us how you are going to establish communication with children when you are on teaching practice or when you work as a regular English teacher?

9. What's you point of view on the value of the use of linguistic games and role plays in the instructional process?

10. How will you account for the statement: "A teacher's heart must be nourished by love"?

11. What do you think of this statement: "In teaching, as in poetry, a person's ability to create is realized only when ms spiritual forces are developed to the full. Only through high spiritual development can the teacher become closer to a child's heart"?

12. Why do you think children like contests and competitions when doing speech exercises at English lessons? Will you, please, explain to us how you'll organize contests and competitions at your English lessons?

13. What's the value of improvisation? How will you develop your pupils' ability to improvise?

14. Why do you think the teacher's profession is a special profession? In what way do you understand the teacher's cultural, professional and general standards?

15. Will you tell us, please, whether the teacher's profession is vocation (calling) only? Try to sustain your argument?

3. Work in groups. a) Read a list of teacher qualities in your teaching context and select 10 important in your opinion. Include any other key qualities not mentioned. b) Single out 3 main qualities which are essential for being an efficient teacher. Describe responsibilities and duties of a teacher. Share your ideas with your group mates. Explain your choice.

List of Teacher Qualities

1) providing a varied set of learning activities

2) presenting language points clearly and interestingly

3) maintaining a balance between accuracy-focused and content-focused work

4) establishing good rapport with class and individual students

5) relating language study to appropriate cultural and academic contexts

6) eliciting students' background knowledge of course texts/topics

7) allowing appropriate teacher talk for the activity and course level

8) giving students sufficient time to respond to teacher questions

9) encouraging students to ask questions

10) recognizing student effort/achievement

11) taking account of different ability levels in the class

12) maintaining good classroom organization

13) using varied error correction strategies

14) using information gap and other communicative activities

15) making clear the pedagogic purpose of activities

16) promoting communication between students

17) varying the pace according to different lesson stages

18) involving students in decision making

19) grouping students appropriately

20) giving feedback to students on their progress

21) making good use of whiteboard/audiovisual aids

22) having flexibility in implementation of planned activities

23) explaining activities clearly

24) paying attention to classroom language

4. Read the information and a) choose 5 the most importantroles and responsibilitiesof an educator in each section. Explain your choice. b) Enlist the qualities and skills of an ideal teacher. Share them with your partner.

Roles and Responsibilities of an Educator

Towards Students

1. Inculcate model behavior and mannerisms by self- example.

2. Prepare long-term teaching programs and daily lessons in accordance with the guidelines of the school's education system.

3. Provide activities and materials that engage and challenge the students intellectually.

4. Understand and implement the use of information technology in lesson preparation and teaching.

5. Shift between formal and informal methods of teaching, like debates, discussions, practical activities, experiments, projects and excursions.

6. Plan, set and evaluate grade test, exams and assignments.

7. Supervise student conduct during class, lunchtime and other breaks.

8. Understand the diverse background students come from, their strengths, weaknesses and areas of interest.

9. Be honest in student appraisal and avoid favoritism.

10. Enforce discipline by firmly setting classroom rules.

11. Resolve conflict among students by encouraging positive debate.

12. Be ready to adjust teaching styles to meet individual needs of students.

Towards Parents

1. Keep parents well-informed about their ward's progress.

2. Take time out to discuss an issue, or a problematic behavior.

3. Encourage parents to promote various diverse interests of their children.

4. Inform parents about after-school activities like excursions, meetings, as well as detention.

5. Keep the parent feedback journal updated.

6. Encourage parent participation in parent-teacher meets.

7. Finally, work with parents for the betterment of their child's future.

Towards Management

1. Actively involve in staff meetings, educational conferences, and school programs.

2. Voluntarily participate in organizing sporting events, and other excursions like camping trips, picnics, educational tours, etc.

3. Maintain a healthy relationship with all teaching and non-teaching staff members.

4. Help out in formulating school policies.

5. Carry out administrative duties relevant to your position in the school.

Towards Themselves

1. Be a teacher out of choice, and not by default.

2. Acquire relevant professional education and training to get the right concepts of teaching.

3. Honesty and sincerity towards the profession.

4. Accept that being a teacher does not make you a 'know-it-all'; so it's important to become a partner in the learning cycle with the students.

5. Accept that no two students will think, act and react alike, and respect that diversity.

6. Upgrade knowledge and learn new ways of teaching.

7. Avoid indulging in unethical behavior, and at all times maintain the dignity of a teacher-student relationship.

8. In an emerging world, responsibilities of an educator have increased several folds. From being a person who just imparts bookish knowledge, an educator now has the power to shape a better world for the students and empower them with knowledge to take on the world!