Teach English in BAtang Zhen - Chongqing

Teaching StylesAs teachers we all have different styles we use to teach which we need to be aware of and be able to adapt to fit the needs of students. Following is an explanation of different teaching styles, but a teacher must bear in mind that they may have to use some or all of the styles in order to ensure that all students in the class are being catered for: The most traditional teaching style is probably direct instruction which is very teacher-centred and does not provide for much student-teacher interaction. The teacher is the focus of attention and is seen as having all the knowledge and control as to how the information is imparted. This style is also referred to as formal authority. The direct instruction style is effective for teaching facts and formulae or where large amounts of information needs to be covered in a short space of time, however, it does not aid in building relationships in the classroom environment. The second style, demonstrator or personal model style, is also teacher-centred but with this style the teacher acts as a role-model to the students by demonstrating the skills being taught. The students then try and copy what the teacher has demonstrated. This style does focus on the teacher as the source of knowledge but also encourages a fair bit of interaction and gives the student some responsibility for their own learning. The third teaching style would be coach or facilitator style which is much more student-centred. This style is also called indirect instruction. With this style students are encouraged to think through the learning activity and to come up with their own conclusions ? in effect students are teaching themselves while the teacher facilitates the process and guides the students by discussing the conclusions they come to. The coach or facilitator style helps develop the students thinking ability and helps them retain information as they have had to find the answer themselves. This style is not suitable for students who are beginners or who are not able to work independently. The fourth style we will discuss is another interactive style called cooperative learning. This style encourages independence among the students by having them work together on activities. This style assists in creating relationships between the students and a positive classroom dynamic can be achieved using this style. This style is good for students who enjoy working with others and like to participate in group activities but may be overwhelming for a shy student who struggles to participate in group environments. Finally a more student orientated approach is the delegator style which puts the responsibility of learning on the students themselves. With the delegator style the teacher would explain the reasoning involved but would then direct the students to apply that reason to a variety of problems such as predictions, questioning or summarising. This style helps develop critical thinking skills and encourages the students to improve their independent thought and reasoning skills instead of depending solely on the teacher. As with facilitator style students may not be willing to accept the responsibility of their own learning and it may be difficult to ensure equal participation from all students. No one teaching style is best and it is evident that a variety of teaching styles are needed which need to be adapted to suit different students/classes. Some students require more or less direction from the teacher. A good teacher should know which style works best for them but should also work at developing a variety of different styles. The student is the most important person in the teacher-student relationship and an effective teacher will constantly adapt their style of teaching to achieve the most effective teaching by accommodating individual differences thereby enhancing the learning of all students.