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Understanding different teaching styles and when to use them is essential to optimizing classroom learning. Here are five commonly recognized types—what is your natural teaching style?
Remember your favorite teacher, the one who always seemed to make even the most challenging concepts clear? The best educators are more than masters in a specific subject, they’re skilled communicators who understand their audience.
But not every student learns the same way, and some material requires a particular approach to ensure it’s accessible to everyone. Understanding teaching styles, and the ones that work best for you and your class, can help put complex material within your students’ grasp.
Also known as presentation or authority style, it may seem traditional compared to more modern instructional options but it remains among the most effective by concentrating student attention. Research by Newcastle University found this naturalistic, conversational approach uniquely well suited for introducing new subject matter and when there is a significant gap of knowledge between the presenter and the audience.
However, increased recognition of auditory processing disorders among adolescents is a factor to consider. Though the diagnosed rate of roughly one in 25 children is relatively low, it’s likely much higher. Among those with an identified learning disability, that rate jumps to more than 40%. Adding visual elements to presentations and providing notes afterward can help support students who learn better visually.
SmartLink® Desks, with a unique shape that allows Teachers to get creative with multiple layout options, makes the transition from lectures to group projects quick and easy.
This delegation approach to instruction incorporates practical skills—like compromise, consensus building, and peer feedback. Teachers organize teams and outline specific objectives for the assignment, but then take on the role of supportive observer. Often students choose group leaders among themselves, formally or informally.
The key benefit of this style is that it offers the opportunity to understand interpersonal dynamics. Cornell University’s Center for Teaching Innovation notes both primary and ancillary advantages to collaborative learning. Not only do students improve oral communication skills and engage in higher level thinking, but also increases in self-esteem and personal responsibility translate into greater information retention and academic success. Collaboration also teaches interpersonal skills that improve professional relationships after graduation.
HON Build™ desks are perfect for this style. They come in six distinct shapes that can be configured for collaboration or individual seating.
This method favors student-led self-discovery. Teachers are still involved, providing the necessary content and context, but the purpose is to promote problem-solving rather than simply supplying solutions without the educational power of personal experience.
This style of instruction is hardly new. In fact, Harvard University published a list of recommended physics experiments for high school students who aspired to enroll back in 1886. Nearly a century after its founding, the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) still champions the merits of observation and reflection, instructional strategies that are increasingly relevant for STEM concepts and pursuing employment in related fields. There is often no substitute for hands-on learning.
HON Build Makerspace tables are a great option for activity learning. They combine convenient storage and durable finishes perfect for this teaching style.
This style falls somewhere between lecture and activity styles. Though invaluable for subjects like music and art, which require more of a mentoring approach, the use of examples and experience also applies to creative writing, as well as math and science when there are sometimes more than one way to determine the correct answer.
Coaching favors the sharing of knowledge over self-discovery. It’s still hands-on, just with more guidance. Researchers at the University of Florida found this style of instruction to be particularly effective as a multi-sensory approach that allows students to learn by example, watching a teacher perform a complex task or routine, then modeling the process themselves.
HON Class-ifi™ is a flexible, multifunctional hub that supports learning for any subject. Great for art and science projects, or even everyday lessons that could use a change of scenery.
Mixing components of all of the above helps reach students who learn in a variety of ways. Instructional styles range from teacher-centered to student-centered and adjust based on the material and the classroom. There is no ideal style for all subjects or situations. Adept educators adapt, finding the right style for the moment.
As noted by Dr. Joseph Lanthan, director of the Master of Education program at the University of San Diego, comparing instructional styles is “not intended to reduce the organic practice of classroom teaching into neat categories or to pigeonhole educators.” Understanding the differences helps teachers identify their strengths and expand their versatility, serving students regardless of how they learn best.
For flexibility, HON Tangram™ seating is a soft and social alternative to traditional chairs that makes any educational space more comfortable and casual.
All educators inevitably rely on a balance of styles, learning from fellow teachers and their students which approach suits them. Though these five teaching styles go by several names, finding and honing the one that comes most naturally will allow you to design lessons with lasting impact.
We’re interested in knowing which of these styles best resemble the way you teach your students. So we’ve created a brief Classroom Design Survey to ask just that. Responding to our survey will take just five minutes; it’s one way we gauge school needs, and allows us to respond with even more effective products in the future.
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