Overview of Teaching Styles

Individual teaching styles are composed from many elements. Because many combinations are possible, there are hundreds of teaching style variations. These elements include, but are not limited to, the following:

Psychological approaches: How will you accommodate multiple intelligences?
Teaching methods: How will you accommodate diverse learning preferences?
Classroom management: What social learning dynamics will you facilitate?
Classroom environment: What are important physical classroom design considerations?
Teaching Techniques: How will you structure the students' learning experiences?
Professional characteristics: What student attitudes will you model, promote, etc.

Teaching Styles

1. Review the five video clips demonstrating five different ways to teach the same content. All links will open in a new window. Click on the "View in QuickTime" link to open the video in a stand-alone QuickTime player. We recommend this option for users of assistive technology.

Didactic: Additional information
Video: View clip | View in QuickTime | View transcript

Socratic: Additional information
Video: View clip | View in QuickTime | View transcript

Problem-based learning: Additional information
Video: View clip | View in QuickTime | View transcript

Problem-based group learning: Additional information
Video: View clip | View in QuickTime | View transcript

Kinesthetic: Additional information
Video: View clip | View in QuickTime | View transcript

2. Answer the following questions on your own and then discuss the results with your peers and mentor(s):

Which teaching strategy caters to your personal learning style? Why?
Which teaching strategies seem the most effective? Least effective?
Are there ways that two or more strategies could be combined?
Which teaching strategies would you try in your classroom? Why?
Which ones would you not try right away? Why not?

Resources:

Common Teaching Methods (pop-up): Strengths and limitations of 14 different teaching methods.

Selecting a Delivery Strategy (pop-up): Good questions to help you choose whether to use lecture, demonstration or discussion.