What are teaching styles?

Teaching styles, also called teaching methods, are considered to be the general principles,
educational, and management strategies for classroom instruction.
Types of teaching styles:
There are five main types of teaching styles and methods to choose from.
 The Authority method, also known as the lecture style, involves sitting and listening to
the instructor speak about a pre-assigned topic while the students take notes and memorize
to the best of their ability what is being said. This particular style is more popular in
universities and some high schools due to a larger student population. However, less
common in the standard classroom setting due to its lack of allowance of student
participation and inability to meet individual needs. The Authority method, also known
as the lecture style, involves sitting and listening to the instructor speak about a pre-
assigned topic while the students take notes and memorize to the best of their ability what is
being said. This particular style is more popular in universities and some high schools due
to a larger student population. However, less common in the standard classroom setting due
to its lack of allowance of student participation and inability to meet individual needs.
 The Demonstrator method, widely known as the coaching style, similar to the lecture
style, The Demonstrator method tries to maintain authority in the classroom. Even so,
instead of using only a verbal lecture to give information and teach, these style coaches
students using gateways like multimedia presentations, class activities and demonstrations.
For subjects like music, art, and physical education subjects, this style is perfect because the
demonstration is usually necessary to acquire a full understanding of the subject. However,
a downside is that there is little individual interaction between the teacher and students
which make it difficult to accommodate to personalized needs.
 The Facilitator style recognized also as the activity or action method, tries to
encourage self-learning through peer-to-teacher learning. In contrast to the lecture style,
teachers ask students to question rather than give them the answer. The goal is for students
to develop a deeper understanding of the topic by using self-discovery and develop
problem-solving skills. This technique is best used in small classroom settings because, as a
facilitator, the teacher needs to interact with students on an individual basis, which can be
difficult with a larger number of students.
 The Delegator style, or group method, is used for school subjects that require group
work, lab-based learning, or peer feedback. For example, science classes and certain
language learning classes. The teacher acts as a delegator, becoming an observer to promote
peer collaboration and encourage student-to-student learning. The Delegator style is
becoming more and more popular throughout many classrooms. However, some people
consider other styles to be more proactive due to the fact that the group method removes the
teacher from a position of authority.
 Last, but not least, the Hybrid method, also known as blended learning, is an
integrated teaching style that incorporates personal preferences, individual personalities,
and specific interests into their teaching. It’s popular in English, science, and religion
classes because it’s easy to incorporate extra-curricular knowledge into a developed, deeper
knowledge of a particular topic. Some argue that this style weakens the learning process
because the teacher tries to be all things to all students.

https://blog.cognifit.com/teaching-styles/
You’ve Got Style

These teaching styles highlight the five main strategies teachers use in the classroom, as well as
the benefits and potential pitfalls of each.

 The Authority, or lecture style

The authority model is teacher-centered and frequently entails lengthy lecture sessions or one-
way presentations. Students are expected to take notes or absorb information.

Pros: This style is acceptable for certain higher-education disciplines and auditorium settings
with large groups of students. The pure lecture style is most suitable for subjects like history,
which necessitate memorization of key facts, dates, names, etc.

Cons: It’s a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or no interaction with
the teacher. Plus it can get a little snooze-y. That’s why it’s a better approach for older, more
mature students.

 The Demonstrator or coach style

The demonstrator retains the formal authority role by showing students what they need to know.
The demonstrator is a lot like the lecturer, but their lessons include multimedia presentations,
activities, and demonstrations. (Think: Math. Science. Music.)

Pros: This style gives teachers opportunities to incorporate a variety of formats including
lectures and multimedia presentations.

Cons: Although it’s well-suited for teaching mathematics, music, physical education, or arts and
crafts, it is difficult to accommodate students’ individual needs in larger classrooms.

 The Facilitator or activity style

Facilitators promote self-learning and help students develop critical thinking skills and retain
knowledge that leads to self-actualization.

Pros: This style trains students to ask questions and helps develop skills to find answers and
solutions through exploration; it is ideal for teaching science and similar subjects.

Cons: Challenges teacher to interact with students and prompt them toward discovery rather than
lecturing facts and testing knowledge through memorization. So it’s a bit harder to measure
success in tangible terms.

 The Delegator or group style

The delegator style is best suited for curricula that require lab activities, such as chemistry and
biology, or subjects that warrant peer feedback, like debate and creative writing.
Pros: Guided discovery and inquiry-based learning place the teacher in an observer role that
inspires students by working in tandem toward common goals.

Cons: Considered a modern style of teaching, it is sometimes criticized as eroding teacher

authority. As a delegator, the teacher acts more as a consultant rather than the traditional
authority figure.

 The Hybrid or blended style

Hybrid, or blended style, follows an integrated approach to teaching that blends the teacher’s
personality and interests with students’ needs and curriculum-appropriate methods.

Pros: Inclusive! And it enables teachers to tailor their styles to student needs and appropriate
subject matter.

Cons: Hybrid style runs the risk of trying to be too many things to all students, prompting
teachers to spread themselves too thin and dilute learning.

https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/5-types-of-classroom-teaching-styles/
Learning styles

Learning style are defined as “the complex manner in which, and conditions under which,
learners most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn”
(James and Gardner, 1995: 20), while cognitive styles are defined as “an individuals’ natural,
habitual, and preferred way (s) of absorbing, processing and retaining new information and
skills” (Reid, 1995: viii).

Classification of Learning Styles

Broadly speaking, learning styles can be categorized into three main types: cognitive,
personality (psychology), and sensory. Cognitive encompasses analytical/ global, field
dependent/ field independent, impulsive/ reflective learning styles, Kolb’s model of learning
styles and Ehrman and Leavers’ construct.

 Global versus analytic

Global learners concentrate on the big picture and follow their instincts or guess the main idea of
a text. They like short answers rather than long explanations. On the other hand, analytic learners
focus on logical analysis and thinking to tackle problems. They break ideas apart and tend to
place more emphasis on grammar rules (Dornyei, 2005).

Personality learning styles include extroverted/introverted, random-intuitive/concrete

sequential, and closure-oriented/ open oriented.

 Active versus Reflective

Active learners enjoy doing tasks directly by applying and discussing them with others, while
reflective learners understand and remember information best by reflecting on it in advance.
Active learners prefer to work in groups, while reflective learners enjoy working alone or in pairs
(Felder, 1993)

 Individual versus group preferences

Individual learners prefer to work and learn independently on their own. On the other hand,
learners with a group preference like to study and learn in groups (Dornyei, 2005).
 Sensory learning styles are divided into three sub-types: visual, tactile/kinesthetic and
auditory (Dornyei, 2005; Oxford, 2001).

 Visual versus verbal

Visual learners prefer to think in pictures and obtain information through visual means such as
diagrams and videos. In contrast verbal learners gain more information through verbal
explanations (either spoken or written) (Ldpride, n.d; Felder, 1993).

 Auditory learners

Auditory learners gain information through aural channels such as verbal discussions and
listening to others speech. These learners understand meaning by concentrating on the pitch, tone
and speed of voice. They benefit from reading text out loud and they may not make use of
written information (Ldpride,n.d.). Kinesthetic or tactile learners: they like movement and work
with touchable objects. They enjoy regular breaks and move around the room (Oxford, 2001).

Intuitive (random) versus sensing (sequential) Intuitive learners prefer information that originates
from their imagination, reflection and internal memory. They think in futuristic, no-sequential
and large-scale ways and enjoy creating new theories and possibilities. Conversely, sensing
learners prefer information that arises from senses. They think about here and now, and prefer
facts to theories. They would like to be guided and instructed by teachers (Felder, 1993; Oxford,
2001).

The Importance of Identifying and Understanding Learning Styles

The benefit of identifying learners’ style is that it assists them in solving problems more
effectively. The more successful learners at dealing with their problems, the better they will
control their own lives (Biggs, 2001). Furthermore, understanding learning style helps learners in
learning how to learn. Thereby, learners become more autonomous and accountable for their
own learning. Another advantage of understanding learning styles is that it helps teachers to
design lesson plans to match their students’ styles. In other occasions, mismatching might be
convenient as to help learners experience new methods of learning and accommodate different
ways of thinking and reflect on their own styles.

In addition, (Ldpride,n.d.) suggests three advantages of identifying learning styles: Academic,

personal, and professional advantages. Academic benefits include enhancing students
learning ability, triumph over all educational stages, finding out how to study in an ideal way and
gain good grades on tests and exams, controlling classroom limitations. Personal merits include
increasing students’ self-esteem and self-confidence, learning how to best optimize learners’
brain, knowing students strong and weak points, learning how to make learning more enjoyable,
increasing motivation for learning, and learning how to strengthen students’ innate abilities and
skills. Professional virtues encompass being informed of professional topics, gaining an
advantage over competition, being effective in team management, developing students’ sales
kills, and surging power of earning.

It can be concluded that learning styles play an important role in the lives of learners. When
students recognize their own learning style, they will be able to integrate it into their learning
process. As a result, learning process will be enjoyable, faster, and more effective. Moreover,
teachers should try to adjust their teaching styles so that they match their students’ learning
styles.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275567766_Learning_Styles_and_Their_Relation
_to_Teaching_Styles/link/564e1c8508ae4988a7a5f866/download