Teaching Styles

Created by:

Dr. Vicki Casella
Director, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching
San Francisco State University

Mr. Kevin Kelly
Assistant Director, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching
San Francisco State University

Dr. Jennifer Breckler
Professor of Biology
San Francisco State University

Overview

Current educational literature is filled with competing teaching styles: "teacher-centered versus learner-centered,""passive versus active learning,""teacher-led versus student-led," and "traditional versus alternative teaching." Great debates continue as to the value of the "one learning style fits all" teaching approach versus the notion that students should be actively engaged in learning that is designed to meet their individual learning styles. What's the debate all about and what distinguishes one style from another? This module provides some of the details.

Objectives

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

reflect on positive personal learning experiences
identify the characteristics of best teaching practices
relate best-practice characteristics to different personal learning styles
examine best-practice strategies in the context of the classroom environment
- e.g., how do you incorporate them into your own teaching?
identify various teaching style elements