The 5 Main Types of Teaching Styles
The activity of any teacher necessarily has its own style. This is a permanent set of techniques that manifests itself with varying degrees of intensity depending on the situation. The stylistic pedagogical activity depends on several factors, both on the activity itself and on the students. The style is very much due to the individual characteristics of the teacher’s personality. There are five main types of teaching styles.
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ekaterina V.
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Teacher as an authority
The first one is called “The Authority style”. The teacher considers his students as objects of influence, and not equal partners in the activity. For this reason, the teacher separates himself both from the educational team and from each student individually. This type of teachers always controls independently. In fact, this particular style is more popular in universities. The advantage of the Authority method is that it’s a better approach for older students during classes which necessitate memorization and don’t require teachers’ feedback.
However, this style of individual lessons is unacceptable. Students become closed. Contact with the teacher is not established, which has a negative influence on students’ success and progress as they don’t have any desire to study. Some students resist such an impact and provoke conflict. As a result, most children lose their self-confidence and independence.
Also Read: The Many Roles of the Teacher in the ESL Classroom
Teacher as a demonstrator
“The Demonstrator style” is the second teaching type of behavior. This style is also called “coach style” and has many similarities with the Authority style. During lessons, a teacher might include multimedia presentations or different class activities. This style is perfect for subjects where you can provide a full understanding of a topic only through demonstration. For instance: teaching music, arts, science, etc. The main problem is that interaction between the teacher and students is small.
Also Read: Strong Reasons for Completing a TEFL Course
Teacher as a facilitator
The third style is named “The Facilitator style”. The main task of the teacher-facilitator is to facilitate and at the same time stimulate the learning process, by creating an appropriate intellectual and emotional environment in the classroom and an atmosphere of psychological support. This style of teaching encourages self-learning, which means that students should find answers and information through exploration. Learning is structured as follows: the teacher helps to formulate goals and objectives for a group of students or individual, and then creates a free and relaxed atmosphere that will encourage students to solve problems. In this case, as a teacher it is important: to be yourself, openly express your thoughts and feelings; to show children full confidence in them and in their capabilities and abilities; to show empathy, that is, an understanding of the feelings and experiences of each student. This technique should be used in small groups because a teacher-facilitator needs to interact with students individually.
Also Read: Why Non-Native English Teachers Can Be Great Teachers
Teacher as a delegator
The fourth style is “The Delegator style”. This method is often used for group work and activities. The teacher has the role of observer and has to involve students into such activities as different team projects, creative writing or debate. The advantage of this teaching strategy is that students feel their independence and freedom of choice. On the other hand, some people may criticize this style because it influences teachers’ authority.
Also Read: The 3 Most Important Tricks When Teaching English to Kindergarteners
Teacher as a conductor
The last, fifth style is “The Hybrid style” or “blended learning” is a modern digital teaching approach that combines traditional classroom techniques with computer-mediated learning activities. The strength of this training is the combination of different technologies into one integrated learning approach. Teachers prefer blended learning because of the quantity and quality of interaction between the participants in the educational process increase. This teaching method helps to create a sense of community in large classes and allows students to access course materials and master them at a convenient time and place. On the contrary, there’re many arguments against this learning method because it has a negative impact on students and teachers. For students, it might be a cognitive load or some usage difficulties for very young inexperienced learners. For teachers, one of the main problems is overwork. Each time, they have to develop a unique content adapted to their students’ needs.
Also Read: Songs in the ESL Classroom for Younger Beginners
Are you ready to adjust your teaching style to ESL students?
To summarize I can’t claim that there’s one particular style which is considered to be the best. All of them have their pros and cons. In my opinion, the teachers’ behavior and teaching style should be flexible, balanced and appropriate. I believe, that the best teaching style includes such qualities as being sensitive to your students, being able to motivate them and hear theirs requires and complains.
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