META Online MOODLE Course for EFL Teachers - 2015

Learning-Teaching Styles and Classroom

EnvironmentInstructor:

Irina Pomazanovschi, ETRC/IRIMpomazanovschi@gmail.com

By the end of this session you will be able to: State your opinion about learning styles; Learn about 5 classic teaching styles; Formulate 3 components of healthy

classroom environment that will help you motivate your students

The VAK modelThe VAK modelThe VAK model is divided in three different learning styles depending on the way each one receives and processes the information.

Learning StylesMyth or reality?

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs

Video title on youtube: Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection | Tesia Marshik | TEDxUWLaCrosse

No two teachers are alike, and any teacher with classroom teaching experience will agree that their style of teaching is uniquely their own. 

TEACHING STYLE?

1. 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.+

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.

- It is a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or no interaction with the teacher.

2. Personal Model/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.

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

- Although it’s 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.

+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.

- 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.+

Guided discovery and inquiry-based learning places the teacher in an observer role that inspires students by working in tandem toward common goals.

-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

… follows an integrated approach to teaching that blends the teachers’ personality and interests with students’ needs and curriculum-appropriate methods.+

Achieves the inclusive approach of combining teaching style clusters and enables teachers to tailor their styles to student needs and appropriate subject matter.

-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.

Anthony F. Grasha, a noted professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, is credited with developing the classic five teaching styles. (1996)

He developed a teaching style inventory that has since been adopted and modified by followers.Expert: Similar to a coach, experts share knowledge, demonstrate their expertise, advise students and provide feedback to improve understanding and promote learning.Formal authority: Authoritative teachers incorporate the traditional lecture format and share many of the same characteristics as experts, but with less student interaction.Personal model: Incorporates blended teaching styles that match the best techniques with the appropriate learning scenarios and students in an adaptive format.Facilitator: Designs participatory learning activities and manages classroom projects while providing information and offering feedback to facilitate critical thinking.Delegator: Organizes group learning, observes students, provides consultation, and promotes interaction between groups and among individuals to achieve learning objectives.Although he developed specific teaching styles, Grasha warned against boxing teachers into a single category. Instead, he advocated that teachers play multiple roles in the classroom. He believed most teachers possess some combination of all or most of the classic teaching styles.

Remain focused on your teaching objectives and avoid trying to be all things

to all students!

Education authors Harry and Rosemary Wong declare: “successful teachers share three common characteristics”: effective classroom management

skills lesson mastery positive expectations

All instructors, when developing their teaching styles, should keep in mind these three goals, as well as the

primary objective of education: student learning.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

Classroom Management Skills

3 R’s

1. Relationships What does it mean to ‘understand learners’? Think of a foreign language you have studied in

the past: what motivated you to learn? What motivates your learners to learn English?

Getting to know your learners helps you to find out more about what motivates them. 

How do you get to know new classes/ learners quickly? (activities?)

Rapport How has the teacher built this lesson around the

students’ interests? What kind of relationship she has with this class?

a relationship in which people like, understand,

and respect each other.The doctor had an excellent rapport with

his patients.

/ræˈpɔr/

You might not be able to plan every lesson around the interests of your learners, but there are some things you can always do to build rapport and create a good relationship with your learners.

Choose your attitudeYou need to be friendly but professional. Remember that your students don’t want you as a friend, but want to respect you as a teacher. Show them from the outset that you expect them to work hard in your class, but that it can be enjoyable.

Use namesYes, it can be difficult with a large class to learn names quickly, but using your learners’ names shows that you see them as individuals and creates bonds.

ListenReally listen to the messages in what your learners say, not just the English that they produce. Try to avoid unnecessary ‘echoing’, or simply repeating what learners say and be aware of the amount of time you spend talking in a class.

Avoid over-correctingTeachers who correct learners every time they speak run the risk of damaging learner confidence and breaking down rapport. Of course, learners need correcting at times, and when this is done supportively it can increase trust between learner and teacher.

Stand tallWork on your voice and body language so that you appear confident, even if you really don’t feel it. Your voice needs to be loud and clear. Stand straight in front of the class, and don’t hide behind a desk.

Activities-suggestions POSTER: what kind of teacher do you want? WEEKLY REFLECTIONS: write down and share in small

groups 2+ and 1- events in their lives “ALL ABOUT ME” BAG: few objects that reveal things or

are special to them, share with the class. 4 SQUARES: give time to write ;Stand up and share box 1 with a partner “I AM” PROJECT: (poster, poem, top 10 list; slideshow) sentence starters to spur their thinking skills “I am happy when …”

Like about school

My family

Places I’ve visited

Dislike about school

Get-to-know you activities Extra resources from British Councils

Classrooms in Moldovan Schools

How important is a comfortable classroom?  Research by Reinisch: comfort = “most necessary” 775 4th – 8th graders: the following elements

to a good learning environment: A clean classroom Artwork and wall decorations A classroom pet

Tips on how to help young children feel safe and more at ease in the classroom:

Have group activities where children are encouraged to decorate the classroom together.

Install a large bulletin board and encourage student to bring photos of their family and pets to pin on the board. Children should also be encouraged to bring and share items of cultural significance to display.

Hold an orientation early in the school year where parents are invited to the classroom. This will serve as an icebreaker and help the classroom environment feel less strange.

Flexible Learning Spaces

What might scare teachers in flexible classrooms?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_x4OLsfReQ

Video Title on Youtube: Flexible Learning Environments

3. Routines The key to getting your classroom to

run smoothly and minimize behavior issues is to establish procedures and routines. This takes significant work and practice in the beginning 

References:  Colorado State University's Learning Styles Page

http://secure.casa.colostate.edu/applications/learningstyles/index.aspx Learning Styles.ALL STUDENTS ARE CREATED EQUALLY (AND DIFFERENTLY.)

http://teach.com/what/teachers-teach/learning-styles What is Your Teaching Style? 5 Effective Teaching Methods for Your Classroom. Posted

January 5, 2013 by Eric Gill in Teaching Strategies. Updated June 15, 2015. http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/5-types-of-classroom-teaching-styles/

How Comfortable Classrooms Lead to a Better Student Community. Posted October 19, 2012 in Featured Stories. http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/welcoming-classrooms-better-students/

Classroom Environments: Does Space Make a Difference? MARCH 17, 2011 BY Andrew Marcinek, Director of Technology and EducatorU.org Co-founder, Boston, MA http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-environments-make-difference-andrew-marcinek

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/734 http://www.ok.gov/octp/documents/Classroom%20Environment%201.pdf http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-environments-make-difference-andrew-marcinek