Of course, we work with students from different communities, religious backgrounds, ethnicities, and more, and no two students learn the same way.

So to be the most effective teacher, it’s important to know each of our students’ strengths and weakness—and then consider combining teaching styles.

Our most practiced teaching styles are:

Demonstration

A lot of teachers rely on demonstration to help their students comprehend material, as many individuals benefit from this style of teaching no matter how they learn.

One of the most common ways we can accomplish this is by showing, instead of just telling, by way of computer-based displays and experiments. We also use projectors and visual brainstorm webs.

When it comes to mathematics in particular, our students need supported practice—so make sure to model a new concept several times and then take the students through guided practice. Once guided practice has been completed, they can begin practicing independently.

Hands-on

Primary students generally learn best from hands-on activities. For instance, students will most likely have difficulty understanding the concept of multiplication if it is just explained to them. But if they begin experimenting with multiplication and practicing this type of problem, they will understand it better and recall how it works.

The traditional lecture

A standard, formal way of teaching is the traditional lecture style, where the teacher assumes the role of an expert and provide facts to her students. Many times, students will take notes on the information that is being taught.

This teaching method is especially beneficial before tests; it’s helpful in that it offers students the main topics to study and assists them in organizing a review sheet to study.

We are very aware that we have visual learners too, who may have difficulty with this style because they succeed by seeing rather than listening….and we accommodate these students too by using the appropriate tools needed.

Collaboration

Pairing students together or putting them in a group for a project or activity is beneficial for a number of reasons. It inspires students to work together, and inspires students in several ways. This style encourages:

• Problem solving
• Communication skills
• Interactive learning, and much more

Collaboration is also helpful in determining which areas certain students need assistance in and in which areas they are stronger.

We always have the collaboration method followed by a group discussion where students can converse about their perceptions and findings, showing you exactly what was discussed and how they worked together.

• Hands-off

This teaching style includes minimal instructions. Instead of telling all students what to do, we instead let our students study independently. This helps our students develop self-actualization and critical thinking skills.

The hands-off teaching style is considered more sophisticated and works best for students in their later years of primary school. Students who can take on more responsibility in their classwork are ideal candidates for this teaching method (but of course, we know our students best  ).

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