The role of teacher according to Realists is neither as high and neither important as the Idealists advocate nor as negligible as the Naturalists speak out, it is fairly important.
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The teacher, according to Realists, is expected to have full knowledge of the content and the needs of children.
Not only this, he must also be capable to present before children the content in a clear and intelligible way by employing psychological and scientific methods.
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It is the duty of teacher to tell children about scientific discoveries, researches and inventions by others in various fields of knowledge. He himself should also be engaged in some research work on experimentation.
At the same time he must inspire children to undertake wide and close observation and experimentation themselves so that they are able to find out new facts. Not only this, the teacher must understand well the amount of knowledge to be provided to each child at a specific time.
Discipline
Realists emphasize moral and religious education of the child. For this type of education, discipline is essential and a pre-requisite condition. But what type of discipline? They advocate self-discipline to effect smooth adjustment of the child with external environment, the teacher only inspiring and encouraging sympathetically.
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According to Commines the school should be like the lap of mother full of affection, love and sympathy. In short, Realists advocate a synthetic form of impressionistic and emancipator forms of discipline.
School management
Realists have different views about school. Some Realists do not feel any need of school at all. They prescribe wide travelling, tours and teaching by private tutors as the best means of education. On the contrary, other Realists emphasize the importance of school and class teaching.
They regard school as a mirror of society reflecting its true state of affairs. As such, the school should not only include, in its work, all the activities going on in society, but it should also be well-furnished and equipped with all the necessary aids and device for effective observation and experimentations by children.
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According to them, the school is an agency which meets the needs of the child and the demands of society as well. Insert, it is school only which provides for the fullest development of the child according to his nature and needs.