No two teachers are created the same!

This is so true, as any experienced trainer will tell you. Having to deal with a wide variety of personalities, potentials and idiosyncrasies is what makes the teaching field so challenging … and fascinating! Still, quite early on in a teaching career, a teacher decides what their professional persona is; how they perceive themselves and how they wish to be perceived in class. What I have listed below is a list of very wide categories most teachers fall under, but it is by no means exclusive or scientifically proven!!! It is simply based on my empirical observations. I call them teaching styles, and are to be taken with a grain of salt.

TEACHING STYLES

• Chirpy and cheerful
• Serious professional
• Creative maverick
• Quiet and supportive
• Traditional and effective

But what makes a teacher opt for one specific style, other than personal preferences of course? Could there be some common denominators between all these different options, shaping those choices to a certain degree?

Well, you must have heard the term rapport being tossed around in relation to teacher training, to refer to the way you approach and engage learners during the lesson. It is often paired with another term, (learner) motivation – hardly surprising, since these two feed off each other! What is more interesting is how these terms are being interpreted according to the wider educational and teacher training contexts. I believe that the way you interpret these terms largely defines your teaching style, and I have composed a quiz to prove it!

So, what is your teaching style? Take the quiz here and find out!

QUIZ

Choose THE ONE answer that BEST summarises your approach to teaching and learning in each area:

A.  Learning philosophy

• Every learner is different, and a teacher needs to take that into account and be flexible.
• Syllabuses are there for a reason and they must be followed for a successful outcome.
• Learners should be allowed to express themselves at all times.
• There should be little or no homework: most of the learning should be done in class.
• If learners are not motivated, there is very little you can teach them.

B.   Control over learners

• The teacher should follow the lesson plan no matter what.
• Learners can learn a lot when given freedom of choice.
• The teacher should be in control at all times.
• The teacher should act as a facilitator most of the time.
• Learners’ attention will fail if left to their own devices.

C. Teacher talk

• The teacher should speak loudly to draw the learners’ attention.
• Learners don’t need to be told what to do in detail the whole time.
• Learners should talk more than the teacher.
• Repetition is always helpful.
• Proper terminology should be used at all times.

D. Overall demeanour

• The teacher should be cheerful at all times.
• The teacher should be serious and avoid smiling.
• Teachers should keep a distance from learners so as to preserve their authority.
• The teacher’s pastoral role is critical.
• Teachers should treat learners like equals.

E. Attitude to correction and feedback

• Learners should be allowed to make mistakes as it facilitates learning.
• Teachers should correct all the mistakes learners make, at some point.
• Teachers can choose which mistakes they should correct and when.
• Learners should not be asked to correct themselves or each other: it is the teacher’s job.
• Teachers should never make mistakes in their language: it makes them look unprofessional.

F. Preparation and planning

• Each lesson should be planned in detail.
• It is usually enough to have a quick look at the coursebook pages you are teaching and have an answer key at hand.
• We should never use designated coursebooks: we can ask learners what they want to do in each lesson and go from there.
• You can find materials online and prepare a quick task or two, if needed.
• It is important that you have a clear idea of where your lesson is going, but you also need to be prepared to make changes on the fly.

KEY: Click on the link to find out your results.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed this! Were you the type you thought you would be? Please drop a line in the comments.