From each of the educational theories, teachers extract and develop a
plentitude of different teaching styles, or strategies. Teachers must
have a large and varied arsenal of strategies to use weekly and even
daily in order to build rapport, keep pupils engaged and even keep
themselves from getting bored with their own material. These can be
applicable to all teaching levels, but adaptations must be made based
on the pupils’ age and level of development.
Differentiated instruction is one of the most popular teaching strategies,
which means that teachers adjust the curriculum for a lesson, unit or
even entire term in a way that engages all learners in various ways.
This means changing one’s teaching styles constantly to fit not only the
material but more importantly, the pupils based on their learning styles.
Learning styles are the ways in which pupils learn best. The most
popular types are visual, audio, kinesthetic and read/write. Visual
learners learn best by watching the instruction or a demonstration;
audio learners need to hear a lesson; kinesthetic learners learn by
doing, or are hands-on learners; read/write learners do best by reading
textbooks and writing notes. When teachers know their pupils and what
types of learners are in their classroom, teachers are able to
differentiate their instruction and assignments to those learning types.
The remedy for this is a strategy called blended learning where
differentiated instruction is occurring simultaneously in the classroom to
target all learners. In order to be successful at blended learning,
teachers once again need to know their students, how they learn and
their strengths and weaknesses. Blended learning can include
combining several learning styles into one lesson.
There are so many different methodologies and strategies that go into
becoming an effective teacher. A consistent theme throughout all of
these is for a teacher to take the time to know their pupils because they
care, not because they have to. When teachers know well their pupils,
they are able to design lessons to be more fun, more meaningful, and
more effective.