3 Different Ways You Can Teach Your Class

With summer nearing an end and the return to classes on the horizon, preparations for lessons begin anew. One thing to consider when preparing is the style in which you teach your students. With the popularity of online classes growing, traditional methods may need rethinking.  As teachers and educators, our job is to provide the best learning experience possible for our students.

Everyone learns differently. And on top of that, there will be different environments you may encounter while teaching. No one style of teaching fits all, and it’s good to be flexible. Making your lessons easier for your students to understand will go a long way in being an effective teacher. Today’s topic tackles different styles and approaches to teaching your students. Here are 3 ways you can teach your class.

Lecture Style

Lecture-style teaching is a very traditional experience in the sense that it has been tried and tested for centuries. It is one of the most popular styles for large classrooms or student populations. This style is centered around the teacher and can frequently involve lengthy discussions. Students sit in and listen to the teacher discuss a pre-selected topic. Students are expected to take notes and absorb as much information as possible during the duration of the lesson. After the lecture, homework is usually assigned to students so that they can further absorb the discussed topic and learn on their own.

Lecture-style lessons, however, are usually less common in standard classroom settings. Due to the nature of the presentation, student participation can suffer. This can lead to individual needs not being met and some students feeling left out of the lesson. Homework can also feel tiresome, and some students may feel as if it’s an added burden.

There are ways, however, to mitigate these issues. To improve student participation, you can leave time at the end of the lesson to give them a chance to ask questions. You can also make your lessons more interactive by having students participate in various ways. You can go the extra mile with homework as well. Making homework fun and engaging can improve learning retention.

Pros:

– Great when teaching large classes

– Proven and tested method for teaching

Cons:

– Possible lack of student participation

– Not suitable for smaller classrooms

Lab Style

Lab-Style teaching involves letting students work in a self-paced manner instead of having to follow a lecture closely. With this method, teachers are available to assists students when needed, but students are generally left to learn and explore lessons on their own. Lab-style teaching is more suitable for small and medium-sized classes but can be adopted in larger classrooms as long as you have multiple teachers to meet student demand. Lab-style teaching can also work well when there are group projects or lab-based learning as it encourages group interaction, group problem solving, and critical thinking. The goal of this style is for students to develop a deeper understanding of the lesson through self-discovery, and encourage self-learning through student-teacher interaction.

Lab-style teaching has been growing in popularity recently, but it comes with its fair share of criticism as well. One of the drawbacks to Lab-Style teaching is that it removes the teacher from a position of authority in group scenarios. Another is the need for multiple teachers to address individual student questions or needs that may arise over the course of a lesson. Large classes with a single teacher may wind up lacking proper student interaction and aren’t advisable.

Pros:

– Good for small to medium-sized classes

– Encourages self-learning, critical thinking skills

– Can work well in group settings

Cons:

– Not suitable for large classes

– Large classes will require more than one teacher for adequate student interaction

– Teacher is removed from a position of authority in group scenarios

Hybrid

Hybrid-style teaching attempts to take the best of both of the aforementioned styles and neatly package them together for the best overall learning experience. The best of both worlds, so to speak. A typical Hybrid-style lesson includes 10-15 minutes of intro and lecturing on the topic, then leaves the remainder of the lesson to be learned and absorbed in a self-paced manner. Hybrid teaching is more flexible thanks to this and can accommodate a wide range of class sizes from small to large. The dual nature of the style also gives a chance for lessons to benefit students who learn differently. Some students may prefer the lecture, others may benefit more from the self-paced portion. Hybrid lessons can accommodate differing student needs a little better than either of the two previously mentioned styles on their own.

On the flip side, Hybrid-style lessons can be a bit harder to prepare and host. Preparation for both the lecture and self-paced portions may require more effort. It also may be difficult to find a balance between the two styles and sometimes this compromise can show. Larger classes may require further effort during the self-paced portions to keep student interaction satisfactory.

Pros:

– Best of both Lecture and Lab-style lessons wrapped into one

– Offers a flexible way to teach students

– Can better accommodate differing student needs

Cons:

– May require more effort to properly prepare lessons

– Taxing for larger classes

Questions and Contact

If you’d like to know more about us and what we offer, or have any questions or comments regarding learning styles, feel free to contact us at info@gobrite.io or 425-665-7799 and we’ll be happy to get back to you.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s blog post!