Tasks of modern univeristy teacher

Main tasks of modern university teacher can be principally divided into three categories:

1. The traditional university teacher

2. Academic researcher

3. Applied researcher who works at the interface of science and work life.

These tasks overlap each others more often than previously: universities encourage researchers and teacher to multidisciplinarity and applied research, so the university teacher's task is increasingly diverse. Academic researcher can no longer be only a pure scholar, as well as university teacher cannot be anymore just pure teacher. I feel personally that this trend is very welcome: no-one can no longer do purely one thing in nowadays world, and work life requires wide variety of skills and competencies.

This division of three of tasks of modern university teacher works in best case, if a university teacher, which also makes academic research, can also be involved in enterprise-development projects. But in real life, this is never achieved situation but a compromise of all these three tasks.

Similarly, academic researcher works in best case could directly import latest academic research results into teaching and education. This also works the other way around; education can bring new points into work of academic researcher. My opinion is that this topic is far too rarely taken into discussions about education. In best case, thoughts and ideas expressed by students can have influence to research as well. This just requires teacher´s own activity and self-reflectance of his/her own teachership.

There are no longer an academic researcher sitting alone inside in their academic rooms doing their own academic study but nowadays society requires researchers to be involved more and more in industrial projects. Also broader understanding of expertise area than just theoretical knowledge is required. This is also valid for demands of nowadays education. When academic researcher co-operates with industry, he/she also gains better understanding of how today's experts should look like; what he/she should be able to do, how he/she should act in work life and what skills work life requires from him/her. In this way, university education is interactively able to meet nowadays business challenges of life and to increase students' readiness for working life.

Trust and role of teacher in group dynamics

During couple of last weeks, I have been thinking a lot of trust and role of teacher in group dynamics. I have been carrying out this process in point of view how important trust is between teacher and students, in both directions. 

My opinion is that teacher has a huge responsibility of keeping students trust againt his/her way of doing anything related to teaching, learning or studying. It takes incredibly long time to create this trust but only couple of seconds to lose it. This is why I feel that teacher has to all the time think how he/she acts as this trust in lost only within couple of eye blinks. This trust also is absolute basis for efficient learning as students can be themselves (with words all positive meanings). This is also how teacher can earn his/her respect from students side.

This trust is mutual; this is absolutely important to remember. If teacher has to pay attention to act and do things reliably, students also has this same responsibility. This is absolute requirement so that teaching, learning and studying can happen in free and relaxed atmosphere.

This trust, for my point of view, is most important factor influencing in group dynamics in learning situation. If students know that they can express their thought, ideas, sometimes even critisism against topic to be learned, in trustful atmosphere, I think then learning happens in very natural, unforced and smooth atmosphere. And this atmosphere is also cruical for any situation in any group.

Trust of course is in critical path when there is question of some king of conflict wheter it is between group members (student-student), teacher-student or student-teacher. Here once again mutual nateure of trust in in key role; if teacher gives contstructive feedback and also if student is expressing constructive feedback to teacher, trust is maintained. Responsibility in trust means constructive way of expressing negative things in any communication. If atmosphere in group is trust-based and feedback given also ogf negative iisues is constructive, trust is maintained.

This of course leads us into daily nature of any comminaction between human beings; constructive feedback is usual far away from ideal life. Feelings, mostly stress, frustration and tiredness affect people´s behaviour a lot. Small words, expressed by tired mind, can be understood as disasterous consequences, even the aim is not. Group dynamics are living its hardest moments in these situations; how problems and disagreements can be solved in constructive way. Very often in these kind of situations also trustful atmophere buil up earlier in group helps; people understand that each of us, both student and teachers, are human beings with human feelings. In trustful atmosphere, negative feelings can also be expressed and group members can see "over" these situations and understand aspects of human life. Of course, these expressions are not allowed or can not be accepted but every human being has their weaknesses, which very usual come out in stressful situations. Greatness of human kind is shown when even these situations can be treated constructively and understood as part of human life. After succesfully solving these problems, group usually has better trust than before.

Role of teacher is of course to be supervisor or head of this group dynamics. this is why teacher has really important role also in creating trustful atmosphere. And also in constructive solving of conflict situations so that nobody feel misunderstood or mistreated. then trust is maintained. Of course in teacher-student relationship, level of teacher´s role in this trust is different; if students are infants, teenagers or adult students, role of teacher is different.