Teaching is a profession that requires a range of skills and techniques. It is a process of transferring knowledge, skills, and values from the teacher to the student. The way a teacher imparts this information is known as their teaching style.
What is meant by teaching styles?
Teaching styles are a set of strategies and techniques used to create a learning environment that meets the needs of students. Different teaching methods and styles are effective for different types of students, learning objectives, and subjects.
What are the different teaching styles?
There are several different types of teaching styles, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the most common ones:
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Lecture
This is the most traditional form of teaching, by delivering information through a lecture. This teaching style is useful when the teacher wants to convey a lot of information in a short period. While this style is useful for introducing new concepts, it also has its weaknesses. For example, students find a long lecture boring, and this style does not encourage active participation. -
Demonstration
This teaching style involves showing the students how to do something. It is a hands-on approach to teaching that is useful for practical subjects, such as science and engineering. While the strength of this style provides hands-on learning experience, it’s time consuming and not particularly appropriate for subjects that require more theoretical knowledge. -
Facilitation
This teaching style encourages student participation and focuses on the students' needs and interests. The teacher acts as a facilitator and guides students through the learning process. While this style promotes active participation, it may be challenging to implement in large classrooms, and usually means the teacher spends more time prepping lessons. -
Collaboration
This teaching style involves working together. The teacher works with the students to create a collaborative learning environment, where students work in groups to achieve a common goal. This style encourages teamwork and helps in the development of social skills. However, it is not suitable for all subjects and may be difficult to manage in large classrooms. -
Hybrid style
This combines different teaching styles to create a blended approach that is tailored to the needs of the students. It is flexible, as it can be adapted to different learning objectives and student needs. This style requires more planning and preparation from the teacher. It can also be challenging to implement with big classes.
How to identify your teaching style
As a teacher, it's important to identify your own teaching style. This helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses in the classroom, and aids in creating a learning environment that best meets the needs of your students. The following steps will help you identify your teaching style and establish whether these education techniques are appropriate learning situations:
- Assess your teaching goals. What do you want your students to achieve? What are your teaching objectives?
- Reflect on your teaching experiences. Think about the teaching experiences that have stood out to you. What worked well? What didn't work so well? Reflecting on your experiences helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.
- Observe your students. What are their learning styles? What motivates them? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
- Reflect on your teaching methods. What methods have worked well in the past? What can be improved?
- Ask for feedback. Ask your students and colleagues for regular feedback on your teaching style. This helps identify areas for improvement and builds on your strengths.
- Observe your colleagues. If you are given the opportunity, it could be helpful to observe other teachers in action and take note of their teaching styles. This can help you identify teaching styles that resonate with you and ones that you want to avoid.
- Keep learning through reading and research. This can help you better understand and stay up to date with developments in teaching styles and methods.
Choosing the right teaching style for your students
To be an effective teacher you need to adapt your teaching style to fit the needs of your students. Meeting student needs includes:
- Creating a supportive learning environment. This helps students feel comfortable and engaged in the learning process. This includes actions like providing positive feedback, offering support and resources, and promoting a growth mindset.
- Using a variety of teaching methods enables you to reach students with different learning styles. These include lectures, group discussions, hands-on activities, and multimedia presentations.
- Understanding your students. It's important to consider the diversity of your student population when choosing a teaching style. Different teaching styles may be more effective for different audiences.
Knowing your teaching style is crucial if you are to become a teacher who is able to create a learning environment that best meets the needs of your students. When you know your style, you can tailor your lessons to fit your strengths, and work on improving areas that need development to create a learning environment that is most effective for your students. Learn more about becoming an educator by enquiring with The IIE’s Varsity College. A Student Advisor will then contact you to answer all your questions, so you can confidently choose the qualification you want to pursue.
The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE) is South Africa’s largest registered and accredited private provider of higher education. At Varsity College, an educational brand of The IIE, we understand that no two students are the same or learn the same. That’s why we make sure a student’s education is shaped around them; how they like to learn, what they are passionate about, what makes them tick, and what makes them thrive. Our Education by Design approach allows students to grow into their best, and creates a space where they can live, learn and play – their way.