Teaching and Learning Styles

P. Ramesh
ICAR- National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM)

No two teachers are alike, and any teacher with classroom teaching experience will agree that
their style of teaching is uniquely their own. An effective teaching style engages students in the
learning process and helps them develop critical thinking skills. Traditional teaching styles have
evolved with the advent of differentiated instruction, prompting teachers to adjust their styles
toward students learning needs.
What are the different styles of teaching?
The following list of teaching styles highlights the five main strategies teachers use in the
classroom, as well as the benefits and potential pitfalls of each respective teaching method.
1. Authority, or lecture style
The authority model is teacher-centered and frequently entails lengthy lecture sessions or oneway 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 that necessitate memorization of key facts, dates, names, etc.

Cons: It is a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or no

interaction with the teacher.

2. Demonstrator, or coach style

The demonstrator retains the formal authority role while allowing teachers to demonstrate their
expertise by showing students what they need to know.

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

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

3. 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.

4. Delegator, or group style

The delegator style is best-suited for curriculum that requires 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 places 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 newfangled

and geared toward teacher as consultant rather than the traditional authority figure.

5. Hybrid, or blended style

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

Pros: Achieves the inclusive approach of combining teaching style clusters and 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.

Because teachers have styles that reflect their distinct personalities and curriculum from math
and science to English and history its crucial that they remain focused on their teaching
objectives and avoid trying to be all things to all students.

Teacher-Centered Approach
The main focus behind the teacher-centered approach is the idea that the teacher is the main
authority figure. The students are simply there to learn through lectures and direct instruction,
and the focus is mainly on passing tests and assessments. A teachers role in this approach is to
pass on the knowledge and information needed to their students. There is only one subcategory
under this approach, and that is direct instruction.
Direct Instruction
Direct instruction is used to define traditional teaching, which includes lectures and teacher-led
demonstrations. The idea is that only the teacher can give students the knowledge and
information they need to succeed. If this is your preferred style of teaching, you might want
to consider taking a course in power Point to create lectures. There are three teaching models
beneath this subcategory.

Formal Authority

These kinds of teachers are the sole person of authority and leadership. They have more
knowledge than the students and hold a higher status over their students. Classroom management
is usually based on traditional methods involving teacher-designed rules and expectations.

Expert

The teacher described in this model is basically the know-everything in the classroom. They are
there to guide and direct their students. Students are nothing more than empty vessels designed to
receive the knowledge being given by the teacher.

Personal Model

In this method, the teacher leads by example. They show the student how to find information and
how to understand it. The idea is that the students will learn by watching and copying what the
teacher does exactly as the teacher does it.

Student-Centered Approach
In this approach, the teacher is still the authority figure, but the student plays an active role in
what is learned. The idea is that the teacher will advise and guide the students down a learning
path. Assessment involves informal and formal methods tests, group projects, portfolios, and
class participation. The teacher continues to assess a students learning even throughout the
lesson. The students are learning the information the teacher is giving, and the teacher is learning
how best to approach his students. There are two subcategories in this approach inquiry-based
learning and cooperative learning.
Inquiry-Based Learning
This teaching style focuses on letting the student explore and actively participate in learning.
Rather than being a dictator, the teacher is more of a guide, giving the students advice and
supporting their efforts. Students are expected to participate and play an active role in their own
learning. There are three models under this subcategory.

Facilitator

A teacher using this model will work under an open classroom model. The idea will be to place a
stronger emphasis on the teacher-student relationship by joining the student in the learning
process. The students progress will be loosely guided, and the teacher will work on encouraging
the students to be more independent, more exploratory, and involve more hands-on learning.

Personal Model

This type of model is similar to the personal model from the direct instruction subcategory.
However, these kinds of personal models are learning with the students so that they can learn to
explore and experiment with new ideas. In this way, students can learn that making mistakes are
part of the learning process as they watch their teacher make mistakes as well. They will,
hopefully, also see that people can learn from their mistakes.

Delegator

A delegator has the most hands-off approach of all of the modeled teaching methods. The idea is
to encourage autonomy in the students learning process. The teacher explains what is expected,
gives them the resources needed, and spends the rest of the time acting as a resource of sorts.
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They will answer questions and check on progress when needed. The students are actively
involved in their own learning process with no real guidance from the teacher.
Cooperative Learning
The idea behind this kind of teaching style is community. Much of the work in the classroom is
group projects, and the students are responsible for their own learning and development. The
theory behind this style of teaching is that students learn best when interacting with their peers. If
all of the students are going to have access to technology either at home or at the school, you
should consider a class in Microsoft Project, so they can use it for their projects and portfolios.
There are two models under this subcategory.

Facilitator

This model is just like the facilitator model under inquiry-based learning. The only difference is
that there is a higher focus on group projects rather than individual work. The teacher still uses
an open classroom, and the focus is still on increasing a students independence, hands-on
learning, and exploration. However, instead of the student undergoing this process alone or with
the teacher, he will also have a group of his peers joining him in the learning process.

Delegator

Like the delegator model from the inquiry-based learning subcategory, this model acts as a
resource to students with a hands-off approach to the students learning. There is a higher focus
on group projects compared to the inquiry-based learning delegator model, but overall, the same
key ideas are behind both models.
What teaching style is best for todays students?
Whether youre a first-year teacher eager to put into practice all of the pedagogical techniques
you learned in college, or a classroom veteran examining differentiated instruction and new
learning methodologies, consider that not all students respond well to one particular style.
Although teaching styles have been categorized into five groups, todays ideal teaching style is
not an either/or proposition but more of a hybrid approach that blends the best of everything a
teacher has to offer.

Learning Styles
Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. They involve educating methods,
particular to an individual that are presumed to allow that individual to learn best. Most people
prefer an identifiable method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or
information. Based on this concept, the idea of individualized "learning styles" originated in the
1970s, and acquired "enormous popularity". Proponents say that teachers should assess the
learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's
learning style, which is called the "meshing hypothesis".
Different types of learning styles:
1. Active and Reflective learners
2. Sensing and Intuitive learners
3. Visual and Verbal learners
4. Sequential and Global learners

1. Active and Reflective Learners

Active Learners

Reflective Learners

Tend to retain and understand information best Prefer to think about it quietly first
by doing something active with it- discussing or
applying it or explaining it to others
Lets try it out and see how it works

Lets think it through first

Tend to like group work

Prefer working alone

If you always act before reflecting, you can jump If you spend too much time reflecting,
into things prematurely and get into trouble.

you may never get anything done.

2. Sensing and Intuitive Learners

Sensing Learners

Intuitive Learners

Tend to like learning facts

Often prefer discovering possibilities and

relationships

Often like solving problems by well- Like innovation and dislike repetition.
established

methods

and

dislike

complications and surprises.

Tend to be patient with details and good at Better at grasping new concepts and are often
memorizing facts and doing hands-on work.

more comfortable with abstractions and

mathematical formulations

Tend to be more practical and careful

Tend to work faster and to be more

innovative

Dont like courses that have no apparent Dont like plug-and chug courses that
connection to the real world

involve a lot of memorization and routine

calculations.

3. Visual and Verbal Learners

Visual Learners

Verbal Learners

Remembers best what they see pictures, Get more out of words written and spoken
diagrams,

flow

charts,

films

and explanation.

demonstrations.
4. Sequential and Global Learners
Sequential Learners

Global Learners

Tend to gain understanding in linear steps, Tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing
with each step following logically from the material almost randomly without seeing
previous one.

connections, and then suddenly getting it.

Tend to follow logical stepwise paths in Able to solve complex problems quickly or
finding solutions.

put things together in novel ways once they

have grasped the big picture, but they may
have difficulty explaining how they did it.

Implications of learning styles towards teaching-learning process:

1. Most of the students learn differently.
2. Each of the students learns differently from the other students.
3. No one teaching method will effectively reach all the students.
4. We cannot address all the students' learning styles all of the time.

Practical Strategies for Each Learning Style

Strategies for the Kinesthetic Learner (learns best by doing hands on)

Pace or walk around while referencing your notes and reciting to yourself.
If you need to fidget, try doing so in a way which will not disturb others. Use the Tangle
Jr., Wikki Sticks, or a stress ball.
You might not study best while at a desk. Try lying on your stomach or back on a
comfortable lounge chair.
Studying with music in the background might suit you (instrumental music is best as
opposed to heavily rhythm-based music).
While studying, take frequent breaks. A reasonable schedule would be 20-30 minutes of
study, and 5 minutes of break time.

Strategies for the Auditory Learner (learns best by hearing)

Study with a friend, parent, or group so you can discuss and hear the information.
Recite out loud the information you want to remember several times.
Make your own tapes of important points you want to remember and listen to it
repeatedly. This is especially useful for learning material for tests.
When doing math calculations, use grid paper to help you set your sums out correctly and
in their correct columns.
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Use different colors and pictures in your notes, exercise books, etc. This will help you
remember them.

Strategies for the Visual Learner (learns best by seeing)

Try to work in a quiet place. Some visual learners like soft music in the background.
Most visual learners learn best alone.
When studying, take many notes and write down lots of details.
When trying to learn material by writing out notes, cover your notes then re-write.
Rewriting will help you remember better.
Use color to highlight main ideas.
Before reading a chapter or a book, preview it first by scanning the pictures, headings,
terms in bold and so on.
When creating flashcards, always add a picture cue to aide memory.

Its important to remember that everyone learns differently. Sometimes, parents make the
mistake of thinking that their child learns as they do, but this is often not the case. Many adults
learn well by auditory means, but children frequently need visual and kinesthetic methods.