AN EDUCATOR’S

GUIDE TO TE ACHING ST YLES &

LE ARNING ST YLES
HOW STUDENT LEARNING STYLES AFFECT EDUCATORS’
TEACHING STYLES, AND VICE VERSA.

[email protected] An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Individual Student Learning Styles

6 A Range of Different Teaching Styles

8 Impact of a Master’s Degree

9 Launch Your Career

Editor’s note: The decision to playfully craft this resource to feel like a classroom
lesson is a writing strategy intended to engage the reader for what we hope will
be an informative discussion of important educational concepts and practices.

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 2

 STUDENT LEARNING STYLES

If you are a teacher, you know that no two students

are the same and that there is a spectrum of different
learning styles. An educator’s teaching style, therefore,
can greatly impact a student’s ability to learn and One is the Theory of Multiple Intelligences,
comprehend. This is why knowledge of different developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s
learning styles is essential for teachers. by Harvard educator Howard Gardner,
who believed that there are eight distinct

1 Does Andrea learn most effectively through images

and graphics? She may be a Visual learner.
“intelligences” that are closely connected
to learning.

2 Does Jeremy seem to grasp the material best

by listening to lectures, asking questions and
participating in group discussions? He may be an
Auditory learner.

3 Do Max and Emily prefer to gather information

by reading, taking notes and writing reports or
essays? They may be Reading/Writing learners.

4 And what about Dylan? She is very hands-on,

and seems to enjoy taking things apart and
putting them back together — to learn by doing. She
may be a Kinesthetic learner.

That’s one common breakdown of the spectrum

of learning styles — but of course, it is not the
only one. Within these broad categories, there are
many variations, nuances and combinations of
learning styles students can display (one of the first
lessons you learn when researching this topic). The
following are some of the most widely recognized
theories regarding how learners consume and retain
information.

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 3

 VISUAL SPATIAL
1 The ability to conceptualize and manipulate large-scale spatial arrays (e.g. airplane pilot,
sailor), or more local forms of space (e.g. architect, chess player).

BODILY-KINESTHETIC
2 The ability to use one’s whole body, or parts of the body (like the hands or the mouth),
to solve problems or create products (e.g. dancer).

MUSICAL
3 Sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, meter, tone, melody and timbre. May entail the ability to
sing, play musical instruments, and/or compose music (e.g. musical conductor).

LINGUISTIC
4 Sensitivity to the meaning of words, the order among words and the sound, rhythms,
inflections and meter of words (e.g. poet). Sometimes called language intelligence.

LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL
5 The ability to conceptualize and manipulate large-scale spatial arrays (e.g. airplane pilot,
sailor), or more local forms of space (e.g. architect, chess player).

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 4

 INTERPERSONAL
6 The ability to interact effectively with others. Sensitivity to others’ moods, feelings,
temperaments and motivations (e.g. negotiator). Sometimes called social intelligence.

INTRAPERSONAL
7 Sensitivity to one’s own feelings, goals and anxieties, and the capacity to plan and act in
light of one’s own traits. It is not particular to specific careers; rather, it connects to the
ability of every individual to make consequential decisions for oneself. Sometimes called
self-intelligence.

NATURALISTIC
8 The ability to make consequential distinctions in the world of nature as, for example,
between one plant and another, or one cloud formation and another. Sometimes called
nature intelligence.

The idea behind multiple

intelligence theories is not that
people learn in only one way,
but that people are stronger
in different areas and can
demonstrate their knowledge
and abilities in different ways.
For teachers, being attuned to
such distinctions can be helpful
in understanding how to best
connect with individual students.

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 5

 A RANGE OF DIFFERENT TEACHING STYLES

TEACHER-CENTERED APPROACH: STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH:

The teacher-centered approach to education positions The student-centered approach creates more
the teacher as the expert who is in charge of imparting equanimity between the teacher and student, with
knowledge to his or her students via lectures or direct each playing a role in the learning process. In this
instruction. In this approach (sometimes called “sage approach, the teacher is sometimes referred to as the
on the stage”), students are passive actors or “empty “guide on the side.”
vessels,” listening and absorbing information.
While the teacher still holds authority, he or she is
This teacher-centered style is the traditional approach more likely to act as a facilitator, coaching students
to teaching, but it’s not necessarily the best. And as and assisting them in their learning. This approach
educators learn more about effective ways to engage champions student choice and facilitates connections
learners of every style, the teacher-centered approach among students. A couple of styles within the
is looked upon less fondly than it once was. However, studentcentered approach to teaching are:
there are also countless examples of students being
challenged and transformed by a teacher or professor Inquiry-Based Style: This student-centered learning
lecturing about a subject they have spent their entire style encourages independence, autonomy and
life exploring. hands-on learning, with students leading the way and
receiving guidance from their teachers.

Cooperative Style: Cooperative learning is a student-

centered approach that focuses on group work and
social growth. Much like the inquiry-based style, the
cooperative style encourages independence and
hands-on learning but puts special importance on
peer-to-peer work and community.

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 6

Though this may be a case where there are no “right
answers,” many educational resources break down
the different styles of teaching into the following five
primary categories:

Authoritative Style: The authoritative teaching style

follows the traditional teacher-centered approach,
often characterized by lecture sessions or one-way
presentations. In this approach (also called the
“chalk and talk” style), students are expected to pay
attention, absorb the information, take notes and ask
questions.

Demonstrator Style: Often used in math, science HOW MANY TEACHING STYLES ARE THERE?
and music, the demonstrator style involves more
This is sort of a “trick question” because, as you might
“showing” rather than “telling” with teachers more
expect, different educational theorists offer differing
likely to support the information with examples ideas about the range, scope, descriptions (and
or experiments, demonstrations or multimedia number) of different teaching styles.
presentations.

Facilitator Style: The facilitator/teacher is focused on

promoting self-learning and helping students develop
critical learning and thinking skills. A student-centered The discussion above is not intended to reduce the
approach, it involves creating learning plans and organic practice of classroom teaching into neat
classes that require students to explore and discover categories or to pigeonhole educators into being
the course content in creative and original ways. characterized as one “type” of teacher or another — but
rather to explore different methodologies to enhance
Group Style: Well-suited for curriculums that include our shared understanding of the teaching experience.
or emphasize group activities, the delegator style What it boils down to is getting to know your students
of teaching shifts much of the responsibility for and using your skills and instincts to discover the most
learning onto the students, who are encouraged to effective ways to engage both the individual student
work together in projects connected to the lesson and entire classes with your curriculum.
themes (think science labs, debates, etc.). In this style,
the teacher is an active observer working to guide Getting to know each student well enough to
students in the right direction. effectively teach them is especially challenging for high
school and middle school teachers who have different
Hybrid Style: The hybrid approach may integrate students every hour. What works with one student or
elements of the styles discussed above, often blending group might not work with the next.
the teacher’s personality and interests with those of
the students. While this method is considered inclusive, That’s why it’s so important for educators to have
enabling teachers to tailor their styles to student needs both a strong sense of the range of different student
within the subject matter, some educators believe learning styles and a firm grasp of the different
it risks diluting the learning process by placing less teaching styles and strategies you can use to be the
emphasis on in-depth study than when following a most effective educator you can be.
single, focused approach.

An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Styles & Learning Styles 7