teaching style
How can you change your style of teaching?
Hi Dennis:
One idea when selecting course material and media is to try employ as many teaching styles as we can in order to address as many learning styles as possible. Selecting material and presenting it in a visual, audio, and kinesthetic way is generally considered the most efficient method of delivery.
Regards, Barry
Hi Linda:
One idea when selecting course material and the follow-up teaching style is to try employ as many styles as we can in order to address as many learning styles as possible. Selecting material and presenting it in a visual, audio, and kinesthetic way is generally considered the most efficient method of delivery.
Regards, Barry
Hi Bruce:
One idea when selecting course material and media is to try employ as many teaching styles as we can in order to address as many learning styles as possible. Selecting material and presenting it in a visual, audio, and kinesthetic way is considered the most efficient method of delivery.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patricia:
One thing to keep in mind is to use as many teaching methods as possible to be sure to address as many learning styles as we can.
Regards, Barry
Hi Becky:
One idea about being flexible is this: if practical, an instructor might ideally use as many teaching styles as they can in the one learning session to address as many learning styles as they can.
Regards, Barry
Hi Laura:
That is a great point. Similarly, one thing newer instructors should never be afraid to do is ask a series of questions that promote discussion. Sometimes, this can even serve to help students understand a concept just because they are hearing about it in many different ways.
Regards, Barry
Hi Jamie:
Adaptibility is very important. The other side of that coin is to be rigid, which most would agree is a less effective way of managing classroom environments due to the type of "energy" it can create.
Regards, Barry
Hi Gilbert:
The key thing in your statement is the concept of being fair. That can be challenging to some instructors who are passionate about their subject and feel like the students should be just as passionate.
Regards, Barry
You should change your teaching style, as necessary, to better reach your students on a level which enables them to learn, as opposed to being taught.
As already stated by several, the classes we teach can vary even with the same course subject. Adapting to the type(s) of classes is an absolute "MUST".
Hi Laura:
Very ture - usually by trying something new, the information feels more energized because we the instructors are considering the information from a new viewpoint as well. That energy will undoubtedly get transmitted to the learning environment.
Regards, Barry
You hit the nail on the head. As instructors we must be ready, willing, and able to change tatics at a moments notice. When a discussion falls flat, when students get restless, or when you have a wonderful presenetation that is running over your time limit. To be able to change quickly you must have a pretty good grasp of the material you are teaching. Not only do you need to know the material, you must know how the material applies to the chosen career choice as well as how this lesson applies to your students both professionally and personally.
Hi Lawrence:
You know, even the word "style" implies variation, creative differences, preferences. So you're right, there isn't a perfect, by-the-book method that will fit every situation.
One thing is students will be more interested and pay attention in class if they feel there is some benefit to them, or the information will help them in some way. A good way to do this is by presenting stories or case stidies from the real world of work that will caputre their attention, keep their focus, and teach them something in the process.
Regards, Barry
Good commentary from all, but I would lean toward those that mention adaptation. One motto I use, borrowed from the military and other organizations, is: Innovate, Adapt and Overcome.
This incorporates flexibility for the needs of the various classmembers and accommodates their learning styles, education and backgroud.
You can facilitate the same information, by changing levels of presentation, formats, tone of voice, vocabulary used and examples, etc.
As we know most of us learn by seeing and hearing - but the more you can incorporate all of the senses, hearing, sight, touch, feel, taste and smell - generally the more the students will retain. The old John Dewey School of instruction: Taste it,feel it,see it, hear it, touch it do it.Then it make more sense.
Then you take the results of that understanding and show them the WIIFM portion. What's In It For Me. Now! How does the subject matter relate to my life, now! How can I use it! Why study it! How does it function in my world today? When I finish with this class, what is the immediate application to my life, my job, my mind set? My family?
Teaching style has to be innovative and definitive in today's world. With so many alternative methods of teaching/learning/acquiring information, the facilitator needs to use as many techniques, that totally involve the students, as possible.
Lecture, as we all know, is the worst form of teaching or information conveyance. Involved disucssuion of the material and relevance to current life styles is absolutely necessary, along with visual aids of some sort.
Therefore - facilitator preparation is necessary. You as the leader must be prepared to present a dramatic, entertaining and relevant show everytime you walk onto the classroom stage. You have to be able to suck your class into the dynamics of subject learning with your presentation skills. Too many styles are flat and lecture based or book read. Paraphrase and expound! Show the class how the material comes to life! Have them do the same. The concepts of retention are important, and word for word recitation is not necessary. They have to understand the material and be able to relate it real life.
Think about what you would enjoy when you go to a seminar, or take a class or participate in a discussion group. What makes it work for you? How could the facilitator have done a better presentation? Take your life experience's - likes and dislikes - and analyze them - what can you do to make your learning presentations the best they can be.
There is no magic bullet as to teaching style. It boils down to preparation, solid undrstanding of the subject and material and dramatic presentation skills that draw your class (audience ) into the subject matter and show the relevance and direct application of the material. You are in many respects and actor practicing and intellectual craft. Do it well!
Larry Bignall
Cleveland, Ohio
Sameness can get boring. I like to change up my teaching style when I sense the class getting to comfortable with what is coming next. I try to mix it up and not "telegraph" my next move.
You can change your style of teaching by learning new strategies of delivering your class material. Also adapting to the needs of your class. You have to become excited about how to impact learning in your students. An instructor learns by what they did wrong in previous classes and then can improve by changing their teaching style. Although your instruction may lead to one type of style, an instructor has to learn how to vary their delivery of material. Think if you were a student in that classroom listening to you. You have to make it interesting and relate it to the big picture of the student's learning.
Depending on the type of class it is, my teaching style changes. Some classes need a certain type of teacher.
I think being flexible is a good idea. I'm in a situation where I teach 3 successive classess to the same set of students. After teaching the first class, if I find a format that seems to work for that group of students, I'll continue the same format for the following classes. It seems that most of the students like the consistency; they know what to expect and what they need to do to succeed. That being said, sometimes I worry that the sameness becomes boring.
I believe that as an instructor that you must be able to be adaptable because every class is different. A class can be different every single time due to a number of things: students attitudes toward the class and subject, weather, time of day, students different learning styles, etc. So, as instructors we need to be able to change our approach in teaching the material for that day needs to have varity to it.
