What role should a teacher play in facilitating the learning process?

Well, the teacher's role  has to do with the management of the group.

There are three main activities that small group teachers have to manage simultaneously:

• managing the group
• managing activities
• managing the learning.

In many small group teaching situations, the role of the teacher is that of facilitator of learning: leading discussions, asking open-ended questions, guiding process and task, and enabling active participation of learners and engagement with ideas. However, small groups function and behave in various ways and have different purposes. Teachers therefore need to be able to adopt a range of roles and skills to suit specific situations, often during the same teaching session.

Other roles that may be adopted include that of:

• the instructor, who imparts information to students
• the neutral chair
• the consultant, from whom learners can ask questions
• the devil’s advocate
• the commentator
• the wanderer, such as in a larger workshop
• the absent friend.  I strongly believe that the teatcher should unveil the mask of formality when dealing with his students; the latter thus would find a better atmosphere to learn.

A teacher should ensure a respect-giving, reliable and confidence-boosting environment where students feel motivated to share and express their opinions and thoughts so that learning can be easy with a long-lasting impact.