Middle School English Teacher

Direct Reporting Line: Principal or relevant Head of School 

Key Relationships: Students, colleagues, parents, and the school Principal, Heads of School, and Senior Leadership team. 

Primary Purpose of Job: The Taaleem teacher embodies, radiates, and transmits the unique Taaleem ethos of excellence, innovation, creativity, and compassion. Through inspirational teaching, with a deep understanding of students’ individual learning needs, the Taaleem teacher strives to ensure that our distinctive curriculum programs lay firm foundations for academic and professional success, personal and spiritual fulfillment, and a love of lifelong learning in every one of our students. Taaleem Teachers inspire young minds. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Representing areas of knowledge, understanding, and skills, in all their richness, to students taught 
• Inculcating by precept and example the highest regard for truth, justice, equality of opportunity, human rights, benevolence, and compassion 
• Engaging and motivating students to achieve at levels that are beyond their expectations and previous limits 
• Using excellent subject knowledge and pedagogic and interpersonal skills to enthuse students and enable students to enjoy learning 
• Making full use of ICT and new technologies to enhance the quality of teaching and learning for students of all ages and attainment levels 
• Planning lessons taking full account of students’ individual learning needs, as well as their learning  styles, preferences, and capabilities 
• Encouraging and enabling all students to become effective, confident, and independent life-long learners 
• Maintaining excellent professional relationships with colleagues by making a wider professional contribution to the continuing improvement of the school 
• Planning and delivery of a program of learning opportunities and activities to enrich and enhance the taught curriculum 
• Co-operating with colleagues to establish and maintain fair and consistent disciplinary practices in the classroom, around the school, and on school trips, and taking active measures to protect students from all forms of abuse, including racist or sexist abuse, bullying, and any kind of corporal punishment 
• Communicate openly and professionally with parents regularly about the attainment and progress of their child 
• Maintain high levels of confidentiality when speaking to parents and external parties. 
• Model good practice of academic honesty 
• Contribute actively to department discussions in a meeting 
• Contribute to and plan after-school activities as required 
• Actively support the school partnership with the community, e.g., attending school/community events, which may occasionally occur at weekends or in the evening, i.e., school concerts, etc. 
• Other responsibilities as reasonably requested

Teaching:

• Plan and prepare schemes of work and complete planning documentation 
• Teach with consistent effectiveness the students in her/his classes, taking full account of all students’  individual educational needs 
• Set and mark work to be carried out by the students in school, at home, and elsewhere as appropriate 
• Promote the intellectual, moral, spiritual, cultural, physical, and personal abilities and aptitudes of the students in her/his classes and provide guidance and advice to students on educational and relevant social and other matters 
• Make records of and reports on the personal and social needs of students 
• Take part as appropriate in whole school development and share and promote best practice 

Assessment, recording, and reporting:

• Assess, record, and report on the development, progress, and attainment of the students in her/his classes 
• Provide or contribute to oral and written assessments, reports, and references relating to individual students or groups of students 
• Guide students to set targets to improve on their previous ‘best’ and give regular feedback to students to support the next steps in learning 

Continuing Professional Development:

• Keep under review her/his methods of teaching and programs of work 
• Be proactive and take accountability for your development 
• Participate in arrangements for her/his further training and professional development as a teacher 

Curriculum Development:

• Advise and co-operate with the Principal and other colleagues on the preparation and development of courses of study, teaching materials, teaching schemes, methods of teaching and assessment, and pastoral arrangements 
• Take responsibility for specific subjects 
• To embed UAE heritage and culture within the curriculum 

Taaleem Professional Teachers’ Standards: 

Teachers make the education of their pupils their first concern and are accountable for achieving the highest possible standards in work and conduct. Teachers act with honesty and integrity; have strong subject knowledge, keep their knowledge and skills as teachers up-to-date and are self-critical; forge positive professional relationships; and work with parents and other stakeholders in the best interests of their pupils. 

Part One: Teaching 

A teacher must: 

Set high expectations that inspire, motivate, and challenge pupils: 

• Establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect 
• Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities, and dispositions 
• Demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values, and behavior that are expected of pupils 

Promote good progress and outcomes with/for pupils: 

• Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes 
• Be aware of pupils’ capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these 
• Guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs 
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts teaching 
• Encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their work and study 

Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge: 

• Have a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas, foster and maintain pupils’ interest 
• in the subject, and address misunderstandings 
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in the subject and curriculum areas and promote the value of scholarship 
• Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy 
• and the correct use of Standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject 
• If teaching early reading, demonstrate a clear understanding of systematic synthetic phonics 
• If teaching early mathematics, demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate teaching strategies 

Plan and teach well-structured lessons: 

• Impart knowledge and develop understanding through effective use of lesson time 
• Promote a love of learning and pupil’s intellectual curiosity 
• Set homework when appropriate and plan other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired 
• Reflect systematically on the effectiveness of lessons and approaches to teaching 
• Contribute to the design and provision of an engaging curriculum within the relevant subject area(s) 

Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils: 

• Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches that enable pupils to be taught effectively 
• Have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn and how best to overcome these 
• Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social, and intellectual development of pupils and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development 
• Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs, those of high ability, those with English as an additional language, those with disabilities, and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them 

Make accurate and productive use of assessment: 

• Know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements 
• Make use of formative and summative assessments to secure pupils’ progress 
• Use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons 
• Give pupils regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage pupils to respond positively to the feedback 

Manage behavior effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment: 

• Have clear rules and routines for behavior in classrooms, and take responsibility for promoting good and courteous behavior both in classrooms and around the school, according to the school’s behavior policy 
• Have high expectations of behavior and establish a framework for discipline with a range of strategies, using praise, sanctions, and rewards consistently and fairly 
• Manage classes effectively, using approaches that are appropriate to pupils’ needs to involve and motivate them 
• Maintain good relationships with pupils, exercise appropriate authority, and act decisively when necessary 

Fulfill wider professional responsibilities: 

• Make a positive contribution to the wider community and ethos of the school 
• Develop effective professional relationships with colleagues, knowing how and when to draw on advice and specialist support 
• Deploy support staff effectively 
• Take responsibility for improving teaching through appropriate professional development, responding to advice and feedback from colleagues 
• Communicate effectively with parents and other stakeholders about pupils’ achievements and well-being 

Part Two: Personal and Professional Conduct 

• A teacher is expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of personal and professional conduct. The following statements define the behavior and attitudes that set the required conduct standards throughout a teacher’s career. 
• Teachers uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behavior, within and outside school, by: 
• Treating pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper 
• boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position 
• Having regard for the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being by statutory/regulatory provisions 
• Showing tolerance of and respect for the rights of others 
• Not undermining the fundamental values and culture of the UAE, ensuring that due diligence and respect are given to the associated precedence of the country 
• Ensuring that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways that exploit pupils’ vulnerability or might lead them to break the law 
• Teachers must have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies, and practices of the school in which they teach and maintain high standards in their attendance and punctuality 
• Teachers must have proper and professional regard and adhere to school policies about dress code, footwear, makeup up, and jewelry 
• Teachers must have an understanding of and always act within the policies set out by Taaleem, which set out their professional duties and responsibilities