different types of teaching styles essay

Different types of teaching styles with examples

Considering different teaching styles is important because everyone has a different learning style too. If you want to engage students and increase participation and retention, it’s important to consider different approaches that will resonate with them. Those various approaches will also help you get through to them.

Plus, depending on what you’re teaching, different subject matters are better suited for certain teaching styles. While most teachers have a personal model, it’s important to be flexible and try different teaching styles to find an approach that will reach all of the needs of your current and potential students.

The relationship between a teacher and student is a special one. Think back to one of your favorite teachers growing up. What was something you loved most about them? Maybe it was how they encouraged or challenged you, or perhaps it was their passion for the material. Whatever it was about the style the teacher presented that landed for you, chances are their approach to teaching was compatible with your learning style.

Some common student learning styles include:

• Audio learners: These people retain information best by hearing it.
• Visual learners: These students retain information best by seeing it.
• Kinesthetic learners: Those who learn best this way retain information best by doing or moving their bodies.

To accommodate these different learning styles, an effective teaching style would incorporate a blend of audio (i.e. lesson), visual (i.e. presentation), and kinesthetic (i.e. hands-on activity) materials and/or exercises.

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Creating a space for learning

For effective teaching to occur, students should ideally feel encouraged, respected, and acknowledged. We can’t always guarantee our classroom—whether physical or virtual—is a safe space. That’s because as teachers, we don’t always know what personal experiences students have gone through. But what we can offer is a brave space for learning, as Micky ScottBey Jones describes .

It’s important to understand that if a student feels put down or shamed during their learning process, the part of their brain that retains information shuts down. They actually can’t learn in that type of environment. This is perhaps not as common in online learning spaces, but certainly, something to be aware of. Especially for teachers who lean more toward authoritative styles, which we’ll cover below.

Before we dive into various teaching styles, as well as the pros and cons for each of them, let’s look at two different approaches to teaching:

1. Teacher-centered approach

Imagine walking (or tuning) into a class, and the teacher follows their lesson plan to a tee, never going off script. They take on the role of authority. Passing on information through direct instruction, while students merely listen and absorb. This is an example of a teacher-centered approach to teaching. While this type of teaching is generally considered the most traditional, it isn’t necessarily always the most effective.

2. Student-centered approach

On the other hand, you have a student-centered approach. For this one, imagine you walk (or tune) into a class, and the teacher checks in with their students to see where everyone is at. They ask if anyone has any questions and connects with the class to start. Then, the teacher tailors class time to meeting students where they are. This is an example of a student-centered approach to teaching. This offers space for building trust and fostering connections with students.

It’s important to note that neither approach is good or bad, nor right or wrong. Each can work in different settings and with diverse audiences. It is, however, a good idea to try to incorporate both approaches. Finding a balance between the teacher-centered approach’s structure and the student-centered approach’s flexibility is ideal. This is not a one-size-fits-all undertaking and, most likely, will differ with each new group of students or cohort .

List of different types of teaching styles

We’re going to cover five different types of teaching styles.

• Lecturer is a traditional teacher-centered approach of one-way communication from teacher to students. Also referred to as an authoritative style. Lecturing is ideal for large groups of students, like a college lecture course. Or for online, pre-recorded courses , when two-way interaction isn’t realistic. While a pro of this type of teaching style is covering a lot of material quickly, a drawback is lower retention rates, as there is minimal active learning occurring.
• Demonstrator is mostly teacher-centered but more open to student involvement. The teacher is still the formal authority presenting the material but might ask engaging questions to start a discussion. And they might go beyond lectures to include exercises, presentations, and other visuals. Because of this, it supports more learning styles though may not accommodate all the needs of various students.
• Hybrid offers a balance between student-centered and teacher-centered approaches. In this blended style, the teacher provides structure and flexibility, adapting a lesson plan to activities that keep students engaged. While there is higher student engagement, learning may take place at a slower pace.
• Facilitator is a student-centered approach, in which the teacher moves away from an authoritative role and instead facilitates discussions. Students are free to share their wisdom and use their problem-solving skills through inquiry-based learning. While ideal for real-world applications, this approach might not work as well for theory-based or information-specific classes.
• Delegator is the most student-centric approach. Also referred to as a group style, the teacher observes students in peer-to-peer discussions and collaborations.

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Teaching style examples

There are pros and cons to each teaching style. So what those styles look like really depends on your subject matter and what will keep your particular group of students engaged. All groups of students are different, so it’s important for teachers to be prepared and adaptable. This might mean experimenting with what will support all students learning.

For instance, lecturing is ideal for a large audience and for covering a lot of material quickly. However, it doesn’t involve active learning or student participation. In addition to college lecture courses, this is also the most common approach for pre-recorded courses, as students can watch at their leisure and engagement is minimal.

• Lecture-based course on a science topic
• Lecture-based software classes

Demonstrating

With an online course, you can apply demonstrator teaching methods by offering a community space , such as a discussion board, Facebook group, etc., where students are asked to participate and share responses to different prompts or assignments.

Or, if the subject matter you’re teaching has to do more with showing, not telling, you can utilize video. Exercise classes, art classes, and anything else that involves action can be a great course to use demonstrations for.

• Fitness classes
• Art classes
• Cooking classes

A hybrid style strikes a balance between a student-centered and teacher-centered approach. The teacher offers the structure of a traditional classroom, as well as the flexibility to incorporate class activities and meet students where they are. One way to do this for an online course specifically is to offer both pre-recorded and live lessons.

• Writing classes
• Photography classes
• Music classes

Facilitator and delegator

Both the facilitator and the delegator styles are most likely to require live sessions rather than prerecorded ones. Although with the latter you can oversee small group activities that take place outside of class in a community space. Teaching strategies that support these teaching styles might include Zoom break-out rooms, relational work through small group or partner exercises, and facilitating discussions that offer space for all students.

As the saying (attributed to Joseph Joubert) goes, “To teach is to learn twice.” To be an effective teacher requires trial and error,  and experimenting with different approaches to see what will best support each new group of students. When you find yourself going back to the drawing board, or simply wanting to connect more with your students, refer back to this handy article to consider the approaches again.

• Writing workshops
• Emotional work classes
• Meditation or mindfulness practices

What are the 5 teaching approaches?

• Lecturer: A traditional teacher-centered approach of one-way communication from teacher to students.
• Demonstrator: A mostly teacher-centered but more open to student involvement.
• Hybrid: A balance between student-centered and teacher-centered approaches. The teacher provides structure and flexibility, adapting a lesson plan to activities that keep students engaged.
• Facilitator: A student-centered approach, in which the teacher moves away from an authoritative role and instead facilitates discussions.
• Delegator: The most student-centric approach. Also referred to as a group style, the teacher observes students in peer-to-peer discussions and collaborations.

What is the most effective teaching style?

There are pros and cons of each teaching style, so it really depends on your subject matter and what will keep your particular group of students engaged. For instance, lecturing is ideal for a large audience and covering a lot of material quickly, however, it doesn’t involve active learning or student participation. A hybrid style, on the other hand, is ideal because it offers a balance of both a student-centered and teacher-centered approach; the teacher offers the structure of a traditional classroom, as well as the flexibility to incorporate class activities and meet students where they’re at. All groups of students are different, so it’s important for teachers to be prepared and adaptable, experimenting with what will support all students learning.

Why are teaching styles important?

Considering different teaching styles is important because everyone has a different learning process. If you want to engage students, it’s important to consider different approaches that will resonate and help you get through to them. Plus, depending on what you’re teaching, different subject matters are better suited for specific teaching styles. It’s important for teachers to be adaptable and try different teaching styles to find an approach that will reach each of their students’ needs.

Katie Davidson , Katie is a freelance writer, copy coach, and certified yoga teacher currently based in California. Her work has been published on ELLE.com, InStyle.com, StyleCaster.com, and more. She has also been featured as a yoga expert on POPSUGAR Fitness. When she's not writing (or practicing her handstands), you can find her somewhere on a beach, cacao-chai latte in hand, with her beloved pup Toby.

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Every teacher has her or his own style of teaching. And as traditional teaching styles evolve with the advent of differentiated instruction, more and more teachers are adjusting their approach depending on their students’ learning needs.

But there are a few fundamental teaching styles most educators tend to use. Which one is yours?

You’ve Got Style

These teaching styles highlight the five main strategies teachers use in the classroom, as well as the benefits and potential pitfalls of each.

The 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.

• Pros : 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, which necessitate memorization of key facts, dates, names, etc.
• Cons : It’s a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or no interaction with the teacher. Plus it can get a little snooze-y. That’s why it’s a better approach for older, more mature students.

The Demonstrator, or coach style

The demonstrator retains the formal authority role by showing students what they need to know. The demonstrator is a lot like the lecturer, but their lessons include multimedia presentations, activities, and demonstrations. (Think: Math. Science. Music.)

• Pros : This style gives teachers opportunities to incorporate a variety of formats including lectures and multimedia presentations.
• Cons : Although it’s well-suited for teaching mathematics, music, physical education, or arts and crafts, it is difficult to accommodate students’ individual needs in larger classrooms.

The Facilitator, or activity style

Facilitators promote self-learning and help students develop critical thinking skills and retain knowledge that leads to self-actualization.

• Pros : 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.
• Cons : Challenges teacher to interact with students and prompt them toward discovery rather than lecturing facts and testing knowledge through memorization. So it’s a bit harder to measure success in tangible terms.

The Delegator, or group style

The delegator style is best suited for curricula that require lab activities, such as chemistry and biology, or subjects that warrant peer feedback, like debate and creative writing.

• Pros : Guided discovery and inquiry-based learning place the teacher in an observer role that inspires students by working in tandem toward common goals.
• Cons : Considered a modern style of teaching, it is sometimes criticized as eroding teacher authority. As a delegator, the teacher acts more as a consultant rather than the traditional authority figure.

The Hybrid, or blended style

Hybrid, or blended style, follows an integrated approach to teaching that blends the teacher’s personality and interests with students’ needs and curriculum-appropriate methods.

• Pros : Inclusive! And it enables teachers to tailor their styles to student needs and appropriate subject matter.
• Cons : 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.

Because teachers have styles that reflect their distinct personalities and curriculum—from math and science to English and history—it’s crucial that they remain focused on their teaching objectives and avoid trying to be all things to all students.

What you need to know about your teaching style

Although it is not the teacher’s job to entertain students, it is vital to engage them in the learning process. Selecting a style that addresses the needs of diverse students at different learning levels begins with a personal inventory—a self-evaluation—of the teacher’s strengths and weaknesses. As they develop their teaching styles and integrate them with effective classroom management skills, teachers will learn what works best for their personalities and curriculum.

Our guide encapsulates today’s different teaching styles and helps teachers identify the style that’s right for them and their students. Browse through the article or use these links to jump to your desired destination.

• What is a teaching style inventory, and how have teaching styles evolved?
• What teaching method is best for today’s students?

How does classroom diversity influence teachers?

Emergence of the teaching style inventory.

How have teaching styles evolved? This is a question teachers are asked, and frequently ask themselves, as they embark on their careers, and occasionally pause along the way to reflect on job performance. To understand the differences in teaching styles, it’s helpful to know where the modern concept of classifying teaching methods originated.

The late Anthony F. Grasha, a noted professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, is credited with developing the classic five teaching styles. A follower of psychiatrist Carl Jung, Grasha began studying the dynamics of the relationship between teachers and learning in college classrooms. His groundbreaking book, Teaching with Style , was written both as a guide for teachers and as a tool to help colleagues, administrators and students systematically evaluate an instructor’s effectiveness in the classroom.

Grasha understood that schools must use a consistent, formal approach in evaluating a teacher’s classroom performance. He recognized that any system designed to help teachers improve their instructional skills requires a simple classification system. 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.

How does differentiated instruction affect teaching styles?

Carol Ann Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Virginia, is an early advocate of differentiated instruction and a pioneer in the development of learning-based teaching styles. If Grasha laid the groundwork for 20th-century teachers to adopt styles tailored to match their personalities and strengths, Tomlinson has advanced this theme into the 21st century by focusing on differentiated instruction.

In the simplest terms, differentiated instruction means keeping all students in mind when developing lesson plans and workbook exercises, lectures, and interactive learning. These student-focused differences necessitate instructional styles that embrace diverse classrooms for students at all learning levels and from various backgrounds without compromising the teacher’s strengths.

What teaching style is best for today’s students?

Whether you’re a first-year teacher eager to put into practice all of the pedagogical techniques you learned in college, or a classroom veteran examining differentiated instruction and new learning methodologies, consider that not all students respond well to one particular style. Although teaching styles have been categorized into five groups, today’s ideal teaching style is not an either/or proposition but more of a hybrid approach that blends the best of everything a teacher has to offer.

The traditional advice that teachers not overreach with a cluster of all-encompassing teaching styles might seem to conflict with today’s emphasis on student-centered classrooms. Theoretically, the more teachers emphasize student-centric learning, the harder it is to develop a well-focused style based on their personal attributes, strengths, and goals.

In short, modern methods of teaching require different types of teachers—from the analyst/organizer to the negotiator/consultant. Here are some other factors to consider as teachers determine the best teaching method for their students.

Empty vessel : Critics of the “sage on the stage” lecture style point to the “empty vessel” theory, which assumes a student’s mind is essentially empty and needs to be filled by the “expert” teacher. Critics of this traditional approach to teaching insist this teaching style is outmoded and needs to be updated for the diverse 21st-century classroom.

Active vs. passive : Proponents of the traditional lecture approach believe that an overemphasis on group-oriented participatory teaching styles, like facilitator and delegator, favor gifted and competitive students over passive children with varied learning abilities, thereby exacerbating the challenges of meeting the needs of all learners.

Knowledge vs. information : Knowledge implies a complete understanding, or full comprehension, of a particular subject. A blend of teaching styles that incorporate facilitator, delegator, demonstrator, and lecturer techniques helps the broadest range of students acquire in-depth knowledge and mastery of a given subject. This stands in contrast to passive learning, which typically entails memorizing facts, or information, with the short-term objective of scoring well on tests.

Interactive classrooms : Laptops and tablets, video conferencing, and podcasts in classrooms play a vital role in today’s teaching styles. With technology in mind, it is imperative that teachers assess their students’ knowledge while they are learning. The alternative is to wait for test results, only to discover knowledge gaps that should have been detected during the active learning phase.

Constructivist teaching methods : Contemporary teaching styles tend to be group-focused and inquiry-driven. Constructivist teaching methods embrace subsets of alternative teaching styles, including modeling, coaching, and test preparation through rubrics scaffolding. All of these are designed to promote student participation and necessitate a hybrid approach to teaching. One criticism of the constructivist approach is that it caters to extroverted, group-oriented students, who tend to dominate and benefit from these teaching methods more than introverts; however, this assumes introverts aren’t learning by observing.

Student-centric learning does not have to come at the expense of an instructor’s preferred teaching method. However, differentiated instruction demands that teachers finesse their style to accommodate the diverse needs of 21st-century classrooms.

The ‘sage on the stage’ meets the ‘tiger mom’

The objective of blending teaching styles to leverage the teacher’s strengths while meeting the demands of diverse students has become increasingly difficult, as parents take a decidedly proactive role in child-learning techniques.

The traditional authoritative/expert, or “sage on the stage” lecture style, has come under attack by some parents—and contemporary educational leaders—who emphasize that a more diverse approach to teaching is necessary to engage students. This is compounded by the rise of “tiger moms,” a term made popular by parents devoted to improving the quality of education with laser-precision focus on A-list schools and a highly competitive job market.

Age of the proactive parent

Regardless of what style a teacher adopts, it’s important for teachers to develop positive attitudes, set goals, and establish high expectations for students.

“Assume students can excel!” education authors Harry and Rosemary Wong declare. As former teachers with a combined 80-plus years of educational experience, the Wongs emphasize in their best-selling book, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher and their more recent, The Classroom Management Book that 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.

It is abundantly clear that today’s teachers are responsible for students with a diverse range of learning abilities. The 21st-century teacher does not have the luxury of “picking the low-hanging fruit” and then leaving the rest of the tree for experts who specialize in children with behavioral issues or learning disorders.

Today’s teachers must develop instructional styles that work well in diverse classrooms. Effective teaching methods engage gifted students, as well as slow-learning children and those with attention deficit tendencies. This is where differentiated instruction and a balanced mix of teaching styles can help reach all students in a given classroom—not just the few who respond well to one particular style of teaching.

The wonderment of teaching, what author/educator Dr. Harry Wong refers to as “that a-ha moment” when a child “gets it,” is one of the most rewarding and seemingly elusive benefits of becoming a teacher. This transfer of knowledge from expert to student is an art form and a skill. Fortunately, both can be learned and perfected.

Knowing how to engage students begins with selecting the teaching style that’s right for you. And remember, even though you may prefer one teaching style over another, you must find the style that works best for your students! Try different styles to meet different objectives, and always challenge yourself to find ways to reach each student.

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21 Types of Teaching Styles

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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There is a wide range of teaching style, which often sit on a spectrum from student-centered to teacher-centered.

Student-centered means a style that focuses on the learner being an active learner, while teacher-centered is a model where the teacher positions themselves as the powerful, all-knowing dictator in the classroom.

Of course, we have many other styles that may sit along this spectrum but with their own styles, convictions, and teaching philosophies, many of which are outlined below.

Types of Teaching Styles

1. student-centered teaching.

Student-centered teaching is a pedagogical approach that emphasizes the learner’s active role in their educational process.

In this style, students are encouraged to take charge of their learning, with the teacher acting as a guide or facilitator.

This method often involves active learning , where students engage in activities like discussions, problem-solving, and hands-on projects.

The focus is on developing students’ skills and knowledge through their own exploration and discovery, often tailored to their interests and abilities.

• Encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Fosters independence and responsibility in learners.
• Adapts to individual learning styles and needs.
• Promotes a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Limitations

• Requires a high level of self-motivation from students.
• Can be challenging for teachers to manage bustling learning spaces.
• May lack structured guidance, which some students need.
• Time-consuming to plan and implement effectively.

Go Deeper: Student-Centered Learning Guide

2. Teacher-Centered Teaching

Teacher-centered teaching is a traditional educational model where the teacher is the primary authority and source of information.

In this approach, the teacher typically stands at the front of the classroom, delivering information through lectures or direct instruction . Students are expected to passively receive knowledge, often through note-taking and memorization.

The focus is on teacher-led presentations and explanations, with less emphasis on student participation or discovery.

• Efficient for covering a large amount of material in a short time.
• Provides a structured and predictable learning environment.
• Easier to manage and control classroom dynamics.
• Suitable for delivering foundational knowledge and concepts.
• Can lead to passive learning , with limited student engagement.
• May not address individual learning styles and needs.
• Less opportunity for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Can inhibit creativity and independent thought in students.

3. Student-Led Teaching and Learning

Student-led teaching is a method where learners take an active role in leading and managing their own learning process.

In this style, students are often given the autonomy to design and implement their own learning activities , projects, or discussions, with the teacher acting as a facilitator rather than a direct instructor.

This approach emphasizes student responsibility and engagement, fostering a sense of ownership over the educational experience.

• Enhances student engagement and motivation.
• Develops leadership and organizational skills .
• Encourages collaborative learning and peer-to-peer interaction.
• Fosters creativity and innovation in approaching tasks.
• May be challenging for students who lack self-discipline or motivation.
• Is often difficult to implement in a school setting where a curriculum must be followed.

4. The Didactic Teaching Style

Didactic teaching is a traditional instructional approach centered on direct teaching methods , where the teacher imparts knowledge through lectures, readings, and demonstrations.

The focus is on the transmission of factual information and established theories, with students typically playing a passive role in the learning process.

This method is often used for teaching specific subjects, theories, or principles.

• Effective for conveying a large amount of information in a structured way.
• Provides clear and direct instruction on specific topics.
• Ideal for introducing foundational concepts and facts.
• Efficient for preparing students for standardized tests and exams.
• Limited opportunity for practical application and hands-on experience.
• Can be less engaging and motivating for students.
• Does not encourage critical thinking and independent learning.

5. The Democratic Teaching Model

Democratic teaching is an approach that emphasizes shared decision-making and collaboration between teachers and students.

In this style, students have a voice in how the classroom operates, including the choice of learning activities, class rules , and sometimes even assessment methods.

The focus is on creating a learning environment where students feel valued and responsible, encouraging active participation and mutual respect.

• Fosters a sense of community and respect in the classroom.
• Encourages students to develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Enhances student engagement and motivation by valuing their opinions.
• Promotes social and emotional learning alongside academic content.
• Potentially challenging for teachers to relinquish some control, especially when it comes to safety concerns and expectations to follow a curriculum.
• Risk of disagreements or conflicts within the class.
• Requires a balance to ensure educational goals are still met.

6. The Progressive Teaching Style

Progressive teaching is an educational philosophy that emphasizes experiential learning, critical thinking, and the development of problem-solving skills.

In this approach, education is seen as a process of engaging with real-world issues and questions, rather than just acquiring facts.

Progressive teaching often involves interdisciplinary projects, collaborative work, and a focus on social justice and democracy.

• Encourages students to connect learning to real-life situations.
• Fosters a deeper understanding of subjects through hands-on experiences.
• Promotes critical thinking, creativity, and independent learning.
• Helps students develop a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement.
• May lack a structured approach to curriculum and assessment.
• Can be challenging to align with standardized testing requirements.
• Requires significant teacher creativity and flexibility.
• Potentially overwhelming for students who prefer more structure.

Go Deeper: Progressive Teaching Guide

7. The Demonstrator Teacher

Demonstrator teaching, also known as coaching style , involves the teacher actively demonstrating concepts and skills to students.

In this method, the teacher is both a role model and an instructor, often using multimedia, presentations, and hands-on activities to showcase a topic or skill.

This style is particularly effective in subjects where practical skills or techniques are being taught, like science experiments, artistic techniques, or physical education.

• Provides clear examples of concepts or skills in action.
• Engages multiple learning styles with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements.
• Helps students visualize and understand complex or abstract ideas.
• Encourages active learning and student participation.
• Can be resource-intensive, requiring various teaching aids.
• May not cater to students who learn better through discussion or independent study.
• The effectiveness depends heavily on the teacher’s presentation skills.
• Risk of becoming teacher-centered if student participation is not encouraged.

8. The Moderator/Facilitator Teacher

Moderator or facilitator teaching is an approach where the teacher guides and supports students in their learning process without being the central focus.

The facilitator encourages students to explore topics, ask questions, and develop their understanding, often through group work, discussions, and projects.

This role is more about prompting and guiding thought processes rather than directly conveying information.

• Encourages independent thinking and self-directed learning .
• Fosters collaborative learning and peer discussion.
• Develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Allows for a more personalized learning experience as students explore topics of interest.
• May be challenging for students used to more direct instruction.
• Requires well-developed group dynamics and communication skills.
• Can be less efficient in covering a broad curriculum.
• The teacher must be skilled in managing diverse opinions and guiding discussions.

9. The Delegator Teacher

Delegator teaching is an approach where the teacher assigns tasks and responsibilities to students, allowing them to explore and learn independently or in groups.

This style is characterized by a high degree of student autonomy, with the teacher acting as an overseer rather than a direct instructor. Delegator teaching is effective in promoting self-learning, critical thinking, and collaborative skills, particularly in project-based or research-oriented settings.

• Encourages self-reliance and independent problem-solving.
• Promotes teamwork and collaborative skills.
• Allows students to explore topics in depth and apply learning practically.
• Fosters leadership and organizational abilities among students.
• Can be challenging for students who lack self-motivation or discipline.
• Risk of uneven participation and contribution in group settings.
• Requires careful monitoring to ensure educational objectives are met.
• Not all students may feel comfortable with a high level of autonomy.

10. The Laissez-Faire Teaching Style

Laissez-faire teaching is a non-authoritative style where the teacher provides minimal guidance and supervision, allowing students to take control of their learning process.

This approach is characterized by a high level of freedom for students to explore, create, and make decisions, with the teacher serving as a resource rather than a director.

Laissez-faire teaching is often used in creative or exploratory subjects where individual expression and discovery are valued.

• Maximizes creativity and self-expression among students.
• Encourages independence and decision-making skills.
• Allows students to learn at their own pace and according to their interests.
• Fosters a relaxed and open learning environment.
• May lead to a lack of structure and direction, impacting learning outcomes.
• Not suitable for all subjects, particularly those requiring a strong foundational knowledge.
• Can be challenging for students who need more guidance and support.
• Risk of students feeling overwhelmed or directionless without adequate supervision.

11. The Collaborative Teacher

Collaborative teaching is a method where students work together in groups to explore a concept, solve problems, or create projects.

This approach emphasizes teamwork and peer-to-peer learning , with the teacher facilitating and guiding the process.

Collaborative teaching encourages communication, cooperation, and the exchange of ideas among students, making it effective for developing social skills and deepening understanding through shared perspectives.

• Promotes teamwork and social interaction skills.
• Encourages diverse viewpoints and peer learning.
• Enhances critical thinking and problem-solving through group dynamics.
• Provides opportunities for active and engaged learning.
• Can be challenging to manage and coordinate effectively.
• Risk of some students dominating while others are passive.
• Requires students to have or develop good interpersonal skills .
• Potential for unequal workload distribution in group tasks.

12. The Coaching Style of Teaching

Coaching teaching is a style that focuses on developing students’ skills and abilities through personalized guidance and feedback.

In this approach, the teacher acts more like a coach, supporting and encouraging students to reach their full potential.

Coaching often involves setting goals, providing constructive feedback , and working closely with students to overcome challenges and improve performance, making it particularly effective in skill-based subjects.

• Provides tailored support and guidance to individual students.
• Encourages continuous improvement and skill development.
• Builds confidence and self-efficacy in learners.
• Helps identify and address individual learning needs and challenges.
• Can be time-consuming due to the need for individual attention.
• Requires teachers to have strong mentoring and interpersonal skills.
• May not cover a broad curriculum efficiently.
• Relies on students being receptive to feedback and coaching.

13. Formal Authority (Lecturer) Teachers

Formal authority or lecturer teaching is a style where the teacher maintains a position of authority and expertise, primarily delivering content through lectures and presentations.

This approach is characterized by a structured environment where the teacher directs the learning process, often emphasizing standards, rules, and a clear curriculum.

It is commonly used in higher education and large classroom settings, focusing on efficient knowledge transmission.

• Effective for delivering a large amount of information to many students.
• Provides a clear, structured learning environment.
• Ensures consistent coverage of standardized curriculum.
• Ideal for subjects requiring extensive knowledge dissemination.
• Limited interaction and engagement with students.
• Reduced opportunity for personalized learning and feedback.
• Can encourage passive learning rather than active participation.
• May not effectively cater to diverse learning styles and needs.

14. The Hybrid Style (Both Student and Teacher-Centered)

Hybrid teaching combines elements of both student-centered and teacher-centered approaches, aiming to balance structured guidance with student autonomy.

In this style, teachers provide clear objectives and foundational knowledge, while also encouraging students to explore, discuss, and engage actively with the content.

This method is adaptable to different learning styles and educational goals, offering a flexible and diverse learning environment.

• Balances teacher guidance with student independence.
• Adapts to various learning styles and needs.
• Encourages active learning and critical thinking.
• Allows for a diverse range of teaching methods and activities.
• Can be challenging to strike the right balance between teacher and student roles.
• Requires careful planning to integrate different teaching approaches effectively.

15. The Flipped Teaching Style

Flipped teaching is a pedagogical approach where traditional learning environments are reversed.

In this model, students first engage with new material outside of class, typically through video lectures or reading assignments, and then use class time for deeper exploration through discussions, problem-solving, and practical exercises.

This method shifts the focus from passive listening to active learning during class time, with the teacher facilitating and guiding student-led exploration.

• Encourages active learning and student engagement in the classroom.
• Allows more time for hands-on activities and practical application.
• Promotes self-paced learning outside of class.
• Facilitates deeper understanding through interactive class discussions and exercises.
• Depends on students’ self-discipline to study materials beforehand.
• Requires access to technology and resources outside of class.
• Can be challenging for students who struggle with independent learning.
• Demands significant preparation and planning from the teacher.

Go Deeper: Flipped Teaching Model Guide

16. The Socratic Model

Socratic teaching is a method based on the Socratic method of inquiry, where the teacher asks a series of thought-provoking questions to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas.

This approach encourages students to question and examine their beliefs and understandings, leading to deeper comprehension and insight. It’s particularly effective in developing reasoning skills and fostering an inquisitive mindset.

• Promotes critical thinking and self-reflection.
• Encourages active participation and engagement in learning.
• Helps students develop strong argumentation and reasoning skills.
• Fosters a deeper understanding of complex concepts through dialogue.
• Requires a classroom environment conducive to open discussion.
• Can be challenging for students not used to this style of learning.
• May not cover a broad curriculum if discussions become too focused.
• Depends on the teacher’s skill in crafting effective questions and guiding discussions.

17. Team Teachers

Team teaching involves two or more teachers collaboratively planning, teaching, and assessing a course or unit.

This approach allows teachers to share their expertise and perspectives, offering students a richer and more diverse learning experience.

It often leads to more innovative and interdisciplinary teaching, as different teachers bring their unique skills and knowledge to the classroom.

• Provides students with multiple teaching styles and perspectives.
• Encourages collaboration and professional development among teachers.
• Can lead to more creative and comprehensive curriculum design.
• Offers opportunities for peer support and learning among teachers.
• Requires effective communication and coordination between teachers.
• Potential for conflicting teaching styles and philosophies.
• Can be logistically challenging to organize and manage.
• May require more time for planning and collaboration.

18. Inquiry-Based Style

Inquiry-based learning is a student-centered approach that encourages learners to ask questions, conduct investigations, and explore topics in-depth.

This method fosters curiosity and active learning, as students are directly involved in the process of discovery.

Teachers guide and facilitate the process, but the focus is on student-generated questions and exploration, often leading to project-based learning activities.

• Promotes curiosity and a love of learning.
• Develops critical thinking and research skills.
• Encourages self-directed learning and independence.
• Helps students connect learning to real-world problems and interests.
• Can be challenging for students who prefer more structured learning.
• Requires time and resources for effective implementation.
• May be difficult to align with standardized testing and curriculum requirements.
• Depends on the teacher’s ability to effectively guide and support the inquiry process.

Go Deeper: Inquiry-Based Learning Guide

19. Project-Based Style

Project-based learning is a dynamic teaching approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges through the creation of projects.

This method emphasizes practical, hands-on learning and often involves collaboration among students. Teachers act as facilitators, guiding the learning process and providing resources, but the focus is on student-driven research, design, and execution of projects.

• Encourages active and engaged learning.
• Develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
• Provides opportunities for practical application of knowledge.
• Helps students understand the relevance of their learning to real-world situations.
• Requires significant planning and resource allocation.
• Can be challenging to assess student learning and project outcomes objectively.
• May not cover all aspects of a standardized curriculum.
• Depends on students’ ability to work independently and manage projects.

20. Andragogy (A Style of Teaching for Adults)

Andragogy refers to the method and practice of teaching adult learners, with a focus on self-directed learning.

It is based on the principle that adults learn differently from children, and thus require a different approach.

Andragogy emphasizes the role of the learner’s experiences, encourages practical application of learning, and involves learners in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.

• Tailors learning experiences to the specific needs of adults.
• Recognizes and utilizes the rich experiences of adult learners.
• Promotes self-directed and autonomous learning.
• Facilitates practical, relevant, and immediately applicable learning.
• Assumes a high level of motivation and self-discipline among learners.
• May require more flexible and varied instructional strategies .
• Can be challenging to align with traditional educational frameworks.
• Depends on the learners’ readiness and willingness to engage in the learning process.

Go Deeper: The Six Principles of Andragogy

21. Nurturing/Humanist Teaching Style

Nurturing or humanist teaching is an approach centered around the emotional and psychological well-being of students.

It emphasizes a supportive and caring classroom environment, where the teacher acts as a facilitator of learning rather than an authoritarian figure.

This style focuses on developing the whole person, including emotional intelligence and self-esteem, and encourages a love of learning for its own sake.

• Creates a safe and supportive learning environment.
• Promotes students’ self-esteem and emotional well-being.
• Encourages intrinsic motivation and a love for learning.
• Helps develop social and emotional skills alongside academic learning.
• May require more time to cover the curriculum due to the focus on emotional aspects.
• Can be challenging to measure and assess emotional and personal growth .
• Requires teachers to be highly empathetic and emotionally intelligent.
• May not align with traditional educational systems focused on standardized testing.

Go Deeper: Learn About Humanism in Education

22. The Montessori Teacher

Montessori teaching is a child-centered educational approach developed by Dr. Maria Montessori.

It emphasizes hands-on, independent learning and collaborative play in a carefully prepared environment. Montessori classrooms are characterized by mixed-age groups, student-chosen activities, and uninterrupted blocks of work time.

This method fosters self-discipline, self-motivation, and a love for learning, focusing on the whole child—cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

• Encourages independence and self-directed learning.
• Supports holistic development—intellectual, social, emotional, and physical.
• Adapts to individual learning styles and paces.
• Promotes a sense of community and responsibility among students.
• Requires specially trained teachers and specific materials.
• Can be expensive to implement due to specialized equipment and training.
• May not align with traditional education systems, especially in terms of assessment.
• The approach might not suit every child, particularly those who thrive in more structured environments.

Go Deeper: Learn About the Montessori Philosophy

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
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• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

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15 Teaching Styles: The Complete Guide for Effective Teaching

1. Lecture-based teaching style

Distinctive features:, student ages it works best for:, usage examples:, 2. inquiry-based teaching style, 3. collaborative teaching style, 4. flipped classroom teaching style, 5. problem-based teaching style.

Problem-based teaching invites students to take the helm in their learning journey, utilizing real-world problems as a motivation for critical thinking and problem solving. Working collaboratively with peers, they can foster creative solutions while developing invaluable skills that are transferable across multiple contexts.

6. Demonstration teaching style

7. hands-on teaching style, 8. visual teaching style, 9. kinesthetic teaching style, 10. game-based teaching style, 11. project-based teaching style, 12. direct instruction teaching style, 13. socratic teaching style, 14. experimental teaching style, 15. self-directed learning teaching style, what teaching style is best for today’s students, overview of current research and trends in education, and how they relate to teaching styles, overall major pros and cons of switching different teaching styles, how to choose the most effective teaching style, keep learning, leave a comment cancel reply.

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Teaching Styles: Everything you need to know about teaching methods and strategies

Have you ever thought about how each classroom teaches things differently? In this article, we answer what are teaching styles, why are there multiple teaching styles, what are the different styles, and which style works the best today?

What are teaching styles?

Teaching styles , also called teaching methods, are considered to be the general principles, educational, and management strategies for classroom instruction.

The use of different teaching styles started in the beginning of the twentieth century. This was due to the amount of research being poured into different learning methods. Once we understood that everybody learns differently, it became obvious that there need to be different teaching styles to accommodate the learning styles .

Two philosophers, John Locke (Some Thoughts Concerning Education) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (On Education), developed different theories as to how to educate which lead us to have the idea of different teaching styles today. Locke saw the importance of developing a child’s physical habits first anything else. To Locke, this was essential to a child’s development. Rousseau believed that education should be more centered on a child’s interactions with the world and the teaching style should concentrate less on books.

Why have different teaching styles?

Why can’t everyone be taught the same way? Well, why can’t you learn something the same way as your partner or next door neighbor? Everybody learns different ideas at different times at different paces. Some people can learn something on the first try after being told what to do whereas others might need to have hands-on experience in order to learn and possibly repeat it a few times to really get the hang of things. 

Different teaching styles  are necessary because the students need to be able to learn what the teacher is teaching. However, the choice of teaching styles used can also depend on the school mission statement, the classroom demographics, the educational philosophy of the teacher, and most importantly, the subject area.

Types of teaching styles:

There are five main types of teaching styles and methods to choose from.

• The Authority method , also known as the lecture style , involves sitting and listening to the instructor speak about a pre-assigned topic while the students take notes and memorize to the best of their ability what is being said. This particular style is more popular in universities and some high schools due to a larger student population. However, less common in the standard classroom setting due to its lack of allowance of student participation and inability to meet individual needs. The Authority method , also known as the lecture style , involves sitting and listening to the instructor speak about a pre-assigned topic while the students take notes and memorize to the best of their ability what is being said. This particular style is more popular in universities and some high schools due to a larger student population. However, less common in the standard classroom setting due to its lack of allowance of student participation and inability to meet individual needs.
• The Demonstrator method , widely known as the coaching style , similar to the lecture style, The Demonstrator method tries to maintain authority in the classroom. Even so, instead of using only a verbal lecture to give information and teach, this style coaches students using gateways like multimedia presentations, class activities and demonstrations. For subjects like music, art, and physical education subjects, this style is perfect because the demonstration is usually necessary to acquire a full understanding of the subject. However, a downside is that there is little individual interaction between the teacher and students which makes it difficult to accommodate to personalized needs.
• The Facilitator style recognized also as the activity or action method , tries to encourage self-learning through peer-to-teacher learning. In contrast to the lecture style, teachers ask students to question rather than give them the answer. The goal is for students to develop a deeper understanding of the topic by using self-discovery and develop problem-solving skills. This technique is best used in small classroom settings because, as a facilitator, the teacher needs to interact with students on an individual basis, which can be difficult with a larger number of students.
• The Delegator style , or group method , is used for school subjects that require group work, lab-based learning, or peer feedback. For example, science classes and certain language learning classes. The teacher acts as a delegator, becoming an observer to promote peer collaboration and encourage student-to-student learning. The Delegator style is becoming more and more popular throughout many classrooms. However, some people consider other styles to be more proactive due to the fact that the group method removes the teacher from a position of authority.
• Last, but not least, the Hybrid method , also known as   blended learning , is an integrated teaching style that incorporates personal preferences, individual personalities, and specific interests into their teaching. It’s popular in English, science, and religion classes because it’s easy to incorporate extra-curricular knowledge into a developed, deeper knowledge of a particular topic. Some argue that this style weakens the learning process because the teacher tries to be all things to all students.

Teaching style Inventory

Teaching styles can also be organized into four categories with two parameters each: a teacher-centered approach versus a student-centered approach , and high-tech material use versus low-tech material use .

Teaching Styles: Student-Centered Approach

In a student-centered approach to learning, teachers and students share the focus and interact equally while the teacher still maintains authority. This can be beneficial to students because group work is encouraged; thus, communication and collaboration are used and encouraged. However, due to the fact that students are talking, classrooms may be noisier and may be more difficult to manage.

One method to use is inquiry-based learning which makes the teacher more of a supportive figure (rather than completely authoritative) who can provide support and guidance throughout the learning process. By being an inquiry-based learning facilitator , the teacher and student undergo the learning process together with student learning lightly guided by the teacher. By being the personal model , comparable to the personal model in the direct instruction, the teacher acts as the guide and mentor to help enable students to learn by observation and copying the teacher’s actions. By using the delegator method, teachers act as a support for students, are able to answer questions and most importantly are there to provide a sense of freedom and independence for the student.

Another method commonly used is the cooperative learning style where students work in small groups and the teacher can act as the facilitator, where everyone learns together, or as the delegator, where the teacher gives more free-reign to the student while still pointing them in the right direction.

Teaching Styles: Teacher-Centered Approach

In the teaching styles, especifically the teacher-centered approach to learning, the students put their attention on the teacher, students work alone, and collaboration is prevented. This is great because students are, in theory, quiet and paying full attention to the teacher while being able to make individual decisions. However, a student may suffer in their communication skills and feel unable to ask questions due to the fact they normally work alone and quietly. Plus, this classic method is sometimes thought of as dull and uninteresting.

Direct instruction is a method that uses little technology and relies on lecturing. The teacher may take on the formal authority role, where the teacher is in power due to their senior and level of knowledge over the students. They may also take on the expert role where students can be referred to as “ empty vessels” because they are viewed solely as receptors of information and knowledge. The other role a teacher can take on in the direct instruction method is that of a personal model . This method uses the teacher as a model of instruction, to lead by example, and students learn by observation.

Teaching Styles: High-Tech Approach

Many schools and classes are taking advantage of the recent advancements in technology which has enabled us to develop a high-tech approach to learning.

The flipped classroom is a high-tech idea developed in 2007 by two teachers who began to pre-record their lectures which allow students to learn from home by completing assignments to go along with the lectures. This is great if students want to work at their own pace, but if there’s a slow internet connection it’s near impossible to use this method.

Inquiry-based learning can involve technology by asking the students a question about the world and they have to do some research. The findings could be presented in the forms of a website, self-made videos, or PowerPoints.

Based on the man who founded Outward Bound , expeditionary learning is a project-based learning involving expeditions and engagement in in-depth topics that impact their schools, communities, and lives. This was created so students can see how problem-solving is happening in the real world, that is, the world around them. A student in NYC could study statistics about the pollution surrounding them or a student from Alaska could study the snow impact from where they live. G-Suite (Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Drive ) is used for this method because it helps students collect and show research in a way that makes it easy for everyone.

Personalized learning is a relatively new style of teaching that, as the name gives away, is all about personalizing the student’s method of learning according to their specific interests and skills. It’s founded on the idea of student self-direction and choice. The assessments are also personalized and quite individual by using a competency-based progression. This means that once a student has mastered a certain skill or subject, they can move on to the next level, regardless of their current grade level. There is also an emphasis on college and career preparation involved because students work on their own, with a mentor (boss) guiding them along. The technology involved is, like the learning itself, quite personalized. However, everyone involved will need to have a certain comfort level with navigating online lessons and programs between the student and instructor.  

Another high-tech learning option is game-based learning which encourages students to develop a “mastery” mindset rather than focus too much on grades. Students develop problem-solving skills by working on accomplishing a specific goal (also known as a learning objective ) by choosing actions and different activities and then experimenting with them to achieve the goal. As students progress, they can earn badges and points, as they would in video games . Some of the software that makes game-based learning possible on the teacher’s part is 3DGameLab and Classcraft . Although this style of teaching isn’t completely student-centered, it’s still rather relatively focused on the student because they are able to work at their own pace and make independent choices while still in a gaming environment.

Low-Tech Approach

Some schools or teachers may not enjoy or have the money for high-tech learning and instead, they opt for a low-tech approach to teaching by using a technique called kinesthetic learning . Also known as tactile learning or hands-on learning , kinesthetic learning is a teacher-centered approach that uses the concept of multiple intelligences , the idea that everyone has a strong suit in certain intelligences than in others (i.e. better with words than math). Instead of lectures, students use physical activities to learn. For example, drawing, role-playing, and building. This isn’t as common of a teaching style one might think. However, this teaching style rarely uses technology by putting a stronger emphasis on movement and creativity. Because of this, it’s a cheap and screen-free teaching style.

Another low-tech teaching method is d ifferentiated instruction . Although this is a student-centered teaching style that aims to meet a student’s specific needs, it is mostly implemented by the teacher. Used commonly with students with special needs, differentiated instruction became popular in the United States in 1975 when a law was passed that ensure every child has equal access to an equal education. Some examples of differentiated instruction could include having students read books at their own reading levels or offering different spelling tests to different students depending on their literacy ability. Due to the lack of necessity to use technology and the adaptability of the teaching style, it’s a low-key and traditional teaching style.

What teaching style is best for today’s students?

As a teacher, it’s difficult to cater to each student’s needs. Constructivist teaching style  follows the theory that learning is an active, constructive, and valuable process. It carries with it the idea that people construct their own personal reality and any new information is given is then linked and connected to prior knowledge . Every person will bring with them cultural factors and past experiences to the table. Thus, any mental representation is made personal and individual. The constructivist teaching style assumes that all knowledge is constructed from information given in the past, regardless of how one is taught. It’s important to keep this idea in mind when choosing a teaching style.

Some students might learn better with being an empty vessel and having information , simply processed data, lectured to them. This is a form of passive learning and is commonly used when “teaching to the test,” meaning that the teaching style is structured to pass a certain exam like the ACT, for example.

Proven to be the most effective in a number of ways, an active learning style is best suited for interactive classrooms . That is to say, both the teacher and the student are engaged in the teaching style and learning process which helps the student gain knowledge , information modeled to be useful.

Do you have any fun teaching styles or strategies? What’s your favorite way that you were taught in school? Let us know in the comments below.

• Category: Educators
• Tag: learning , school , teaching styles

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The 7 main types of learning styles (and how to teach to them), share this article.

Understanding the 7 main types of learning styles and how to teach them will help both your students and your courses be more successful.

When it comes to learning something new, we all absorb information at different rates and understand it differently too. Some students get new concepts right away; others need to sit and ponder for some time before they can arrive at similar conclusions.

Why? The answer lies in the type of learning styles different students feel more comfortable with. In other words, we respond to information in different ways depending on how it is presented to us.

Clearly, different types of learning styles exist, and there are lots of debates in pedagogy about what they are and how to adapt to them.

For practical purposes, it’s recommended to ensure that your course or presentation covers the 7 main types of learning.

In this article, we’ll break down the 7 types of learning styles, and give practical tips for how you can improve your own teaching styles , whether it’s in higher education or an online course you plan to create on the side.

Skip ahead:

What are the 7 types of learning styles?

How to accommodate different types of learning styles online.

• How to help students understand their different types of learning styles

How to create an online course for all

In the academic literature, the most common model for the types of learning you can find is referred to as VARK.

VARK is an acronym that stands for Visual, Auditory, Reading & Writing, and Kinesthetic. While these learning methods are the most recognized, there are people that do not fit into these boxes and prefer to learn differently. So we’re adding three more learning types to our list, including Logical, Social, and Solitary.

Visual learners

Visual learners are individuals that learn more through images, diagrams, charts, graphs, presentations, and anything that illustrates ideas. These people often doodle and make all kinds of visual notes of their own as it helps them retain information better. 

When teaching visual learners, the goal isn’t just to incorporate images and infographics into your lesson. It’s about helping them visualize the relationships between different pieces of data or information as they learn. 

Gamified lessons are a great way to teach visual learners as they’re interactive and aesthetically appealing. You should also give handouts, create presentations, and search for useful infographics to support your lessons.

Since visual information can be pretty dense, give your students enough time to absorb all the new knowledge and make their own connections between visual clues.

Auditory/aural learners

The auditory style of learning is quite the opposite of the visual one. Auditory learners are people that absorb information better when it is presented in audio format (i.e. the lessons are spoken). This type of learner prefers to learn by listening and might not take any notes at all. They also ask questions often or repeat what they have just heard aloud to remember it better.

Aural learners are often not afraid of speaking up and are great at explaining themselves. When teaching auditory learners, keep in mind that they shouldn’t stay quiet for long periods of time. So plan a few activities where you can exchange ideas or ask questions. Watching videos or listening to audio during class will also help with retaining new information.

Reading and writing (or verbal) learners

Reading & Writing learners absorb information best when they use words, whether they’re reading or writing them. To verbal learners, written words are more powerful and granular than images or spoken words, so they’re excellent at writing essays, articles, books, etc. 

To support the way reading-writing students learn best, ensure they have time to take ample notes and allocate extra time for reading. This type of learner also does really well at remote learning, on their own schedule. Including reading materials and writing assignments in their homework should also yield good results.

Kinesthetic/tactile learners

Kinesthetic learners use different senses to absorb information. They prefer to learn by doing or experiencing what they’re being taught. These types of learners are tactile and need to live through experiences to truly understand something new. This makes it a bit challenging to prepare for them in a regular class setting. 

As you try to teach tactile learners, note that they can’t sit still for long and need more frequent breaks than others. You need to get them moving and come up with activities that reinforce the information that was just covered in class. Acting out different roles is great; games are excellent; even collaborative writing on a whiteboard should work fine. If applicable, you can also organize hands-on laboratory sessions, immersions, and workshops.

In general, try to bring every abstract idea into the real world to help kinesthetic learners succeed.

Logical/analytical learners 

As the name implies, logical learners rely on logic to process information and understand a particular subject. They search for causes and patterns to create a connection between different kinds of information. Many times, these connections are not obvious to people to learn differently, but they make perfect sense to logical learners. 

Logical learners generally do well with facts, statistics, sequential lists, and problem-solving tasks to mention a few. 

As a teacher, you can engage logical learners by asking open-ended or obscure questions that require them to apply their own interpretation. You should also use teaching material that helps them hone their problem-solving skills and encourages them to form conclusions based on facts and critical thinking. 

Social/interpersonal learners 

Social or interpersonal learners love socializing with others and working in groups so they learn best during lessons that require them to interact with their peers . Think study groups, peer discussions, and class quizzes. 

To effectively teach interpersonal learners, you’ll need to make teamwork a core part of your lessons. Encourage student interaction by asking questions and sharing stories. You can also incorporate group activities and role-playing into your lessons, and divide the students into study groups.  

Solitary/intrapersonal learners 

Solitary learning is the opposite of social learning. Solitary, or solo, learners prefer to study alone without interacting with other people. These learners are quite good at motivating themselves and doing individual work. In contrast, they generally don’t do well with teamwork or group discussions.

To help students like this, you should encourage activities that require individual work, such as journaling, which allows them to reflect on themselves and improve their skills. You should also acknowledge your students’ individual accomplishments and help them refine their problem-solving skills. 

Are there any unique intelligence types commonly shared by your students? Adapting to these different types of intelligence can help you can design a course best suited to help your students succeed.

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How to help students understand their different types of learning styles 

Unless you’re teaching preschoolers, most students probably already realize the type of learning style that fits them best. But some students do get it wrong.

The key here is to observe every student carefully and plan your content for different learning styles right from the start.

Another idea is to implement as much individual learning as you can and then customize that learning for each student. So you can have visual auditory activities, riddles for logical learners, games for kinesthetic learners, reading activities, writing tasks, drawing challenges, and more.

When you’re creating your first course online, it’s important to dedicate enough time to planning out its structure. Don’t just think that a successful course consists of five uploaded videos.

Think about how you present the new knowledge. Where it makes sense to pause and give students the time to reflect. Where to include activities to review the new material. Adapting to the different learning types that people exhibit can help you design an online course best suited to help your students succeed.

That being said, here are some tips to help you tailor your course to each learning style, or at least create enough balance. 

Visual learners 

Since visual learners like to see or observe images, diagrams, demonstrations, etc., to understand a topic, here’s how you can create a course for them: 

• Include graphics, cartoons, or illustrations of concepts 
• Use flashcards to review course material 
• Use flow charts or maps to organize materials 
• Highlight and color code notes to organize materials 
• Use color-coded tables to compare and contrast elements 
• Use a whiteboard to explain important information
• Have students play around with different font styles and sizes to improve readability 

Auditory learners prefer to absorb information by listening to spoken words, so they do well when teachers give spoken instructions and lessons. Here’s how to cater to this learning type through your online course: 

• Converse with your students about the subject or topic 
• Ask your students questions after each lesson and have them answer you (through the spoken word)
• Have them record lectures and review them with you 
• Have articles, essays, and comprehension passages out to them
• As you teach, explain your methods, questions, and answers 
• Ask for oral summaries of the course material 
• If you teach math or any other math-related course, use a talking calculator 
• Create an audio file that your students can listen to
• Create a video of you teaching your lesson to your student
• Include a YouTube video or podcast episode for your students to listen to
• Organize a live Q & A session where students can talk to you and other learners to help them better understand the subject

Reading and writing (or verbal) learners 

This one is pretty straightforward. Verbal learners learn best when they read or write (or both), so here are some practical ways to include that in your online course:

• Have your students write summaries about the lesson 
• If you teach language or literature, assign them stories and essays that they’d have to read out loud to understand
• If your course is video-based, add transcripts to aid your students’ learning process
• Make lists of important parts of your lesson to help your students memorize them
• Provide downloadable notes and checklists that your students can review after they’ve finished each chapter of your course
• Encourage extra reading by including links to a post on your blog or another website in the course
• Use some type of body movement or rhythm, such as snapping your fingers, mouthing, or pacing, while reciting the material your students should learn

Since kinesthetic learners like to experience hands-on what they learn with their senses — holding, touching, hearing, and doing. So instead of churning out instructions and expecting to follow, do these instead: 

• Encourage them to experiment with textured paper, and different sizes of pencils, pens, and crayons to jot down information
• If you teach diction or language, give them words that they should incorporate into their daily conversations with other people
• Encourage students to dramatize or act out lesson concepts to understand them better 

Logical learners are great at recognizing patterns, analyzing information, and solving problems. So in your online course, you need to structure your lessons to help them hone these abilities. Here are some things you can do:

• Come up with tasks that require them to solve problems. This is easy if you teach math or a math-related course
• Create charts and graphs that your students need to interpret to fully grasp the lesson
• Ask open-ended questions that require critical thinking 
• Create a mystery for your students to solve with clues that require logical thinking or math
• Pose an issue/topic to your students and ask them to address it from multiple perspectives

Since social learners prefer to discuss or interact with others, you should set up your course to include group activities. Here’s how you can do that:

• Encourage them to discuss the course concept with their classmates
• Get your students involved in forum discussions
• Create a platform (via Slack, Discord, etc.) for group discussions
• Pair two or more social students to teach each other the course material
• If you’re offering a cohort-based course , you can encourage students to make their own presentations and explain them to the rest of the class

Solitary learners prefer to learn alone. So when designing your course, you need to take that into consideration and provide these learners a means to work by themselves. Here are some things you can try: 

• Encourage them to do assignments by themselves
• Break down big projects into smaller ones to help them manage time efficiently
• Give them activities that require them to do research on their own
• When they’re faced with problems regarding the topic, let them try to work around it on their own. But let them know that they are welcome to ask you for help if they need to
• Encourage them to speak up when you ask them questions as it builds their communication skills 
• Explore blended learning , if possible, by combining teacher-led classes with self-guided assignments and extra ideas that students can explore on their own.

Now that you’re ready to teach something to everyone, you might be wondering what you actually need to do to create your online courses. Well, start with a platform.

Thinkific is an intuitive and easy-to-use platform any instructor can use to create online courses that would resonate with all types of learning styles. Include videos, audio, presentations, quizzes, and assignments in your curriculum. Guide courses in real-time or pre-record information in advance. It’s your choice.

In addition, creating a course on Thinkific doesn’t require you to know any programming. You can use a professionally designed template and customize it with a drag-and-drop editor to get exactly the course you want in just a few hours. Try it yourself to see how easy it can be.

This blog was originally published in August 2017, it has since been updated in March 2023. 

Althea Storm is a B2B SaaS writer who specializes in creating data-driven content that drives traffic and increases conversions for businesses. She has worked with top companies like AdEspresso, HubSpot, Aura, and Thinkific. When she's not writing web content, she's curled up in a chair reading a crime thriller or solving a Rubik's cube.

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Different types of teaching styles for effective learning.

Teaching is an art, and just like any other art form, there are various styles that educators can adopt to engage and inspire their students. By understanding and utilising different teaching styles, teachers can create a dynamic and effective learning environment. In this blog, we will explore the different types of teaching styles and provide examples that showcase their unique characteristics and benefits.

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Creating a space for learning.

Before we delve into the different teaching styles, it's important to understand the fundamental principle of creating a space for learning. This entails establishing an environment that nurtures curiosity, promotes critical thinking, and encourages active participation from students. By cultivating a safe and engaging space, teachers set the stage for effective teaching and learning to take place.

When it comes to creating a space for learning, one of the key factors to consider is the physical environment. The classroom layout, lighting, and seating arrangement can all have a significant impact on students' ability to focus and engage with the material. For example, having flexible seating options, such as bean bags or standing desks, can provide students with the freedom to choose a comfortable and productive learning space that suits their individual needs.

In addition to the physical environment, the emotional and social aspects of the learning space are equally important. Teachers should strive to create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where students feel valued and respected. This can be achieved through various strategies, such as implementing classroom norms that promote kindness and empathy, encouraging collaboration and teamwork, and providing opportunities for students to share their thoughts and ideas without fear of judgement.

Furthermore, a space for learning should be intellectually stimulating and rich in resources. Teachers can achieve this by incorporating a variety of teaching materials, such as textbooks, multimedia resources, and hands-on activities. These resources not only cater to different learning styles but also help to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment that keeps students motivated and eager to learn.

Another essential aspect of creating a space for learning is the establishment of clear expectations and routines. When students know what is expected of them and have a predictable routine to follow, they can focus their energy on learning rather than figuring out what to do next. This can be achieved through the use of visual cues, such as visual schedules or task boards, as well as through explicit instruction and consistent reinforcement of expectations.

Lastly, creating a space for learning involves fostering a positive teacher-student relationship. When students feel a sense of connection and trust with their teacher, they are more likely to actively participate in class and take ownership of their learning. Teachers can build this relationship by showing genuine interest in their students' lives, providing individualised support and feedback, and being approachable and accessible outside of class.

In conclusion, creating a space for learning goes beyond just setting up a physical classroom. It involves creating an environment that nurtures curiosity, promotes critical thinking, and encourages active participation. By considering the physical, emotional, and intellectual aspects of the learning space, establishing clear expectations and routines, and fostering positive teacher-student relationships, teachers can create a space where effective teaching and learning can thrive.

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Teacher-Centred Approach

The teacher-centred approach, also known as the traditional approach, emphasises the role of the teacher as the primary source of knowledge and authority in the classroom. In this style, the teacher takes on the role of a lecturer or instructor, delivering information to the students who passively receive it.

While the teacher-centred approach has been the dominant method of instruction for many years, it has its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, this approach allows for a structured and organised classroom environment, where students can easily follow along with the teacher's instructions. It also ensures that the teacher has control over the content and pace of the lesson, ensuring that all necessary information is covered.

However, the teacher-centred approach may also limit student engagement and critical thinking. With the focus on the teacher as the sole authority figure, students may become passive learners, simply absorbing information without actively processing or questioning it. This can hinder their ability to develop independent thinking skills and creativity.

Examples of Traditional Teaching Styles

One example of a traditional teaching style is the lecture method. In this approach, the teacher presents information through formal lectures, often relying heavily on textbooks and PowerPoint presentations. Lectures can be an efficient way to deliver large amounts of information to a large group of students. However, they may not be the most effective method for promoting active learning and student engagement.

Another example is the direct instruction method, where the teacher provides explicit instruction, followed by guided practice and independent work. This method is often used in subjects that require step-by-step processes, such as mathematics or grammar. It provides clear and structured guidance for students, but it may not allow for much creativity or exploration.

Another teacher-centred teaching style is the demonstrator or show-and-tell method. In this approach, the teacher demonstrates a concept or skill to the students and then allows them to observe and replicate the process. This method is often used in hands-on subjects such as science or art. By providing a visual and tangible demonstration, students can better understand and apply what they have learned.

Furthermore, the teacher-centred approach can also involve the use of drills and practice exercises to reinforce learning. These exercises can help students develop their skills through repetition and reinforcement. While this approach may be effective for certain subjects that require mastery of specific techniques, it may not foster a deep understanding or critical thinking.

Student-Centred Approach

The student-centred approach emphasises the active involvement and engagement of students in the learning process. In this style, the teacher serves as a facilitator or guide, providing support and resources while encouraging students to take ownership of their learning.

Examples of Student-Centred Teaching Styles

One example of a student-centred teaching style is the cooperative learning method. In this approach, students work collaboratively in groups to solve problems, complete projects, or discuss concepts. This method promotes peer interaction, critical thinking, and the development of teamwork skills.

Another example is the inquiry-based learning method, where students explore a topic or question through research, experimentation, and critical thinking. This approach fosters curiosity, independent thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Understanding Different Teaching Styles

Each teaching style has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these can help educators choose the most appropriate approach for their students and learning objectives.

Exploring the Benefits of Different Teaching Styles

By utilising different teaching styles, educators can cater to different learning preferences, promote student engagement, and enhance the overall learning experience. It allows students to learn in a way that best suits their individual needs and strengths, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

Examples of Constructivist Teaching Styles

In the constructivist teaching style, students actively construct knowledge through hands-on experiences, collaboration, and reflection. One example is the project-based learning method, where students work on long-term, real-world projects that integrate various subjects and skills. This approach encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and the application of knowledge in authentic contexts.

Pros and Cons of Different Teaching Styles

Here are some of the pros and cons associated with different teaching styles:

• Teacher-centred styles provide structure and ensure content coverage.
• Student-centred styles foster active learning and critical thinking.
• Constructivist styles promote hands-on experiences and real-world application.
• Teacher-centred styles may limit student engagement and creativity.
• Student-centred styles may require more time for planning and implementation.
• Constructivist styles may be challenging to assess and require additional resources.

Strategies for Adapting Different Teaching Styles

Adapting teaching styles to meet the needs of diverse learners is essential. Here are some strategies educators can employ:

• Get to know your students: Understanding their interests, learning styles, and background can help tailor teaching styles accordingly.
• Combine approaches: Integrating different teaching styles within a lesson or unit can cater to a range of learning preferences.
• Offer choices: Providing students with options for demonstrating their understanding allows them to showcase their strengths and interests.
• Regularly assess and reflect: Monitoring student progress and reflecting on teaching strategies can inform necessary adaptations.

In conclusion, understanding and utilising different teaching styles is crucial for educators aiming to create an engaging and effective learning environment. By considering the advantages and disadvantages of each style and adapting accordingly, teachers can meet the diverse needs of their students and facilitate meaningful learning experiences. Through a combination of teacher-centred, student-centred, and constructivist approaches, educators can inspire learners and empower them to become active participants in their own education.

The impact of different teaching styles reaches beyond the classroom. A well-rounded education equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in various aspects of life. By employing different teaching styles, educators can foster critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and lifelong learning.

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Teaching Methods and Strategies: The Complete Guide

You’ve completed your coursework. Student teaching has ended. You’ve donned the cap and gown, crossed the stage, smiled with your diploma and went home to fill out application after application.

Suddenly you are standing in what will be your classroom for the next year and after the excitement of decorating it wears off and you begin lesson planning, you start to notice all of your lessons are executed the same way, just with different material. But that is what you know and what you’ve been taught, so you go with it.

After a while, your students are bored, and so are you. There must be something wrong because this isn’t what you envisioned teaching to be like. There is.

Figuring out the best ways you can deliver information to students can sometimes be even harder than what students go through in discovering how they learn best. The reason is because every single teacher needs a variety of different teaching methods in their theoretical teaching bag to pull from depending on the lesson, the students, and things as seemingly minute as the time the class is and the subject.

Using these different teaching methods, which are rooted in theory of different teaching styles, will not only help teachers reach their full potential, but more importantly engage, motivate and reach the students in their classes, whether in person or online.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methods, or methodology, is a narrower topic because it’s founded in theories and educational psychology. If you have a degree in teaching, you most likely have heard of names like Skinner, Vygotsky , Gardner, Piaget , and Bloom . If their names don’t ring a bell, you should definitely recognize their theories that have become teaching methods. The following are the most common teaching theories.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism is the theory that every learner is essentially a “clean slate” to start off and shaped by emotions. People react to stimuli, reactions as well as positive and negative reinforcement, the site states.

Learning Theories names the most popular theorists who ascribed to this theory were Ivan Pavlov, who many people may know with his experiments with dogs. He performed an experiment with dogs that when he rang a bell, the dogs responded to the stimuli; then he applied the idea to humans.

Other popular educational theorists who were part of behaviorism was B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura .

Social Cognitive Theory

Social Cognitive Theory is typically spoken about at the early childhood level because it has to do with critical thinking with the biggest concept being the idea of play, according to Edwin Peel writing for Encyclopedia Britannica . Though Bandura and Lev Vygotsky also contributed to cognitive theory, according to Dr. Norman Herr with California State University , the most popular and first theorist of cognitivism is Piaget.

There are four stages to Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development that he created in 1918. Each stage correlates with a child’s development from infancy to their teenage years.

The first stage is called the Sensorimotor Stage which occurs from birth to 18 months. The reason this is considered cognitive development is because the brain is literally growing through exploration, like squeaking horns, discovering themselves in mirrors or spinning things that click on their floor mats or walkers; creating habits like sleeping with a certain blanket; having reflexes like rubbing their eyes when tired or thumb sucking; and beginning to decipher vocal tones.

The second stage, or the Preoperational Stage, occurs from ages 2 to 7 when toddlers begin to understand and correlate symbols around them, ask a lot of questions, and start forming sentences and conversations, but they haven’t developed perspective yet so empathy does not quite exist yet, the website states. This is the stage when children tend to blurt out honest statements, usually embarrassing their parents, because they don’t understand censoring themselves either.

From ages 7 to 11, children are beginning to problem solve, can have conversations about things they are interested in, are more aware of logic and develop empathy during the Concrete Operational Stage.

The final stage, called the Formal Operational Stage, though by definition ends at age 16, can continue beyond. It involves deeper thinking and abstract thoughts as well as questioning not only what things are but why the way they are is popular, the site states. Many times people entering new stages of their lives like high school, college, or even marriage go through elements of Piaget’s theory, which is why the strategies that come from this method are applicable across all levels of education.

The Multiple Intelligences Theory

The Multiple Intelligences Theory states that people don’t need to be smart in every single discipline to be considered intelligent on paper tests, but that people excel in various disciplines, making them exceptional.

Created in 1983, the former principal in the Scranton School District in Scranton, PA, created eight different intelligences, though since then two others have been debated of whether to be added but have not yet officially, according to the site.

The original eight are musical, spatial, linguistic, mathematical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic and most people have a predominant intelligence followed by others. For those who are musically-inclined either via instruments, vocals, has perfect pitch, can read sheet music or can easily create music has Musical Intelligence.

Being able to see something and rearrange it or imagine it differently is Spatial Intelligence, while being talented with language, writing or avid readers have Linguistic Intelligence. Kinesthetic Intelligence refers to understanding how the body works either anatomically or athletically and Naturalistic Intelligence is having an understanding of nature and elements of the ecosystem.

The final intelligences have to do with personal interactions. Intrapersonal Intelligence is a matter of knowing oneself, one’s limits, and their inner selves while Interpersonal Intelligence is knowing how to handle a variety of other people without conflict or knowing how to resolve it, the site states. There is still an elementary school in Scranton, PA named after their once-principal.

Constructivism

Constructivism is another theory created by Piaget which is used as a foundation for many other educational theories and strategies because constructivism is focused on how people learn. Piaget states in this theory that people learn from their experiences. They learn best through active learning , connect it to their prior knowledge and then digest this information their own way. This theory has created the ideas of student-centered learning in education versus teacher-centered learning.

Universal Design for Learning

The final method is the Universal Design for Learning which has redefined the educational community since its inception in the mid-1980s by David H. Rose. This theory focuses on how teachers need to design their curriculum for their students. This theory really gained traction in the United States in 2004 when it was presented at an international conference and he explained that this theory is based on neuroscience and how the brain processes information, perform tasks and get excited about education.

The theory, known as UDL, advocates for presenting information in multiple ways to enable a variety of learners to understand the information; presenting multiple assessments for students to show what they have learned; and learn and utilize a student’s own interests to motivate them to learn, the site states. This theory also discussed incorporating technology in the classroom and ways to educate students in the digital age.

Teaching Styles

From each of the educational theories, teachers extract and develop a plethora of different teaching styles, or strategies. Instructors must have a large and varied arsenal of strategies to use weekly and even daily in order to build rapport, keep students engaged and even keep instructors from getting bored with their own material. These can be applicable to all teaching levels, but adaptations must be made based on the student’s age and level of development.

Differentiated instruction is one of the most popular teaching strategies, which means that teachers adjust the curriculum for a lesson, unit or even entire term in a way that engages all learners in various ways, according to Chapter 2 of the book Instructional Process and Concepts in Theory and Practice by Celal Akdeniz . This means changing one’s teaching styles constantly to fit not only the material but more importantly, the students based on their learning styles.

Learning styles are the ways in which students learn best. The most popular types are visual, audio, kinesthetic and read/write , though others include global as another type of learner, according to Akdeniz . For some, they may seem self-explanatory. Visual learners learn best by watching the instruction or a demonstration; audio learners need to hear a lesson; kinesthetic learners learn by doing, or are hands-on learners; read/write learners to best by reading textbooks and writing notes; and global learners need material to be applied to their real lives, according to The Library of Congress .

There are many activities available to instructors that enable their students to find out what kind of learner they are. Typically students have a main style with a close runner-up, which enables them to learn best a certain way but they can also learn material in an additional way.

When an instructor knows their students and what types of learners are in their classroom, instructors are able to then differentiate their instruction and assignments to those learning types, according to Akdeniz and The Library of Congress. Learn more about different learning styles.

When teaching new material to any type of learner, is it important to utilize a strategy called scaffolding . Scaffolding is based on a student’s prior knowledge and building a lesson, unit or course from the most foundational pieces and with each step make the information more complicated, according to an article by Jerry Webster .

To scaffold well, a teacher must take a personal interest in their students to learn not only what their prior knowledge is but their strengths as well. This will enable an instructor to base new information around their strengths and use positive reinforcement when mistakes are made with the new material.

There is an unfortunate concept in teaching called “teach to the middle” where instructors target their lessons to the average ability of the students in their classroom, leaving slower students frustrated and confused, and above average students frustrated and bored. This often results in the lower- and higher-level students scoring poorly and a teacher with no idea why.

The remedy for this is a strategy called blended learning where differentiated instruction is occurring simultaneously in the classroom to target all learners, according to author and educator Juliana Finegan . In order to be successful at blended learning, teachers once again need to know their students, how they learn and their strengths and weaknesses, according to Finegan.

Blended learning can include combining several learning styles into one lesson like lecturing from a PowerPoint – not reading the information on the slides — that includes cartoons and music associations while the students have the print-outs. The lecture can include real-life examples and stories of what the instructor encountered and what the students may encounter. That example incorporates four learning styles and misses kinesthetic, but the activity afterwards can be solely kinesthetic.

A huge component of blended learning is technology. Technology enables students to set their own pace and access the resources they want and need based on their level of understanding, according to The Library of Congress . It can be used three different ways in education which include face-to-face, synchronously or asynchronously . Technology used with the student in the classroom where the teacher can answer questions while being in the student’s physical presence is known as face-to-face.

Synchronous learning is when students are learning information online and have a teacher live with them online at the same time, but through a live chat or video conferencing program, like Skype, or Zoom, according to The Library of Congress.

Finally, asynchronous learning is when students take a course or element of a course online, like a test or assignment, as it fits into their own schedule, but a teacher is not online with them at the time they are completing or submitting the work. Teachers are still accessible through asynchronous learning but typically via email or a scheduled chat meeting, states the Library of Congress.

The final strategy to be discussed actually incorporates a few teaching strategies, so it’s almost like blended teaching. It starts with a concept that has numerous labels such as student-centered learning, learner-centered pedagogy, and teacher-as-tutor but all mean that an instructor revolves lessons around the students and ensures that students take a participatory role in the learning process, known as active learning, according to the Learning Portal .

In this model, a teacher is just a facilitator, meaning that they have created the lesson as well as the structure for learning, but the students themselves become the teachers or create their own knowledge, the Learning Portal says. As this is occurring, the instructor is circulating the room working as a one-on-one resource, tutor or guide, according to author Sara Sanchez Alonso from Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning. For this to work well and instructors be successful one-on-one and planning these lessons, it’s essential that they have taken the time to know their students’ history and prior knowledge, otherwise it can end up to be an exercise in futility, Alonso said.

Some activities teachers can use are by putting students in groups and assigning each student a role within the group, creating reading buddies or literature circles, making games out of the material with individual white boards, create different stations within the classroom for different skill levels or interest in a lesson or find ways to get students to get up out of their seats and moving, offers Fortheteachers.org .

There are so many different methodologies and strategies that go into becoming an effective instructor. A consistent theme throughout all of these is for a teacher to take the time to know their students because they care, not because they have to. When an instructor knows the stories behind the students, they are able to design lessons that are more fun, more meaningful, and more effective because they were designed with the students’ best interests in mind.

There are plenty of pre-made lessons, activities and tests available online and from textbook publishers that any teacher could use. But you need to decide if you want to be the original teacher who makes a significant impact on your students, or a pre-made teacher a student needs to get through.

Read Also: – Blended Learning Guide – Collaborative Learning Guide – Flipped Classroom Guide – Game Based Learning Guide – Gamification in Education Guide – Holistic Education Guide – Maker Education Guide – Personalized Learning Guide – Place-Based Education Guide – Project-Based Learning Guide – Scaffolding in Education Guide – Social-Emotional Learning Guide

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• Discover Your Learning Style – Comprehensive Guide on Different Learning Styles
• 35 of the BEST Educational Apps for Teachers (Updated 2024)
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Few roles are more important than teaching. 88 per cent of people think that their teachers had a significant influence on their lives, according to Seed Scientific. On average, a teacher will influence more than 3,000 people over the course of their career. That’s a significant impact.  

But while teaching can be rewarding and fulfilling, every teacher knows that it has its challenges, including the reality that no two students are alike. Learners — both children and adults — come to in-person and virtual classrooms with vastly different personalities, knowledge and learning capabilities.  

So how can an educator make the learning journey meaningful for each and every individual? Let’s explore how educators have differentiated their approach for the learning environment - and what might work for you. 

Past teaching and learning styles

To understand how people learn, researchers have developed numerous theories on different teaching styles. This includes those specifically prepared for people who have visual learning styles, auditory learning styles, reading and writing learning styles and kinesthetic learning styles. 

Misconceptions about teaching and learning styles

The core learning styles are widely known. However, there is no scientific evidence to support positive outcomes associated with implementing teaching strategies that adhere to certain learning styles.  

While individuals may have learning preferences, there is no proof that presenting educational information in that format will help you absorb the material better or increase your productivity.  

Additionally, certain subjects are best taught in specific formats which may not align with learning preferences. Mathematics, for example, is almost never taught in an audio format, as it would likely be more confusing for learners than a visual or kinesthetic format.  

However, while no scientific evidence exists to show that using preferred learning styles improves educational outcomes, they’ve been fundamental in understanding students and ensuring that students have the opportunity to learn through a variety of activities paving the way for Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  

To be the best possible teacher, modern educators must understand historical learning teaching styles and how they have influenced more scientifically based methods.  

While the four learning styles – visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic – have not been found to improve student learning outcomes, they can provide a useful ‘rule of thumb’ to help educators design interactive and diverse learning experiences. 

Visual learning style

The first well-known learning style is the visual learning style. As the name suggests, visual learning means that a learner might prefer to see information to learn it. Visual learners prefer to understand and remember information in various visual forms, including spatial awareness or photographic memory.  

Visual learning style strategies

If visual learners wanted to learn to tie their shoelaces, for example, they’d theoretically be able to do so much more effectively by watching an instructional video, as opposed to listening to someone describe how to do it.  

These strategies are said to be the most productive for learners with a visual preference:  

• Using mind maps 
• Asking learners to take notes, including asking them to highlight important information in those notes 
• Requesting that learners write down a project’s goals 
• Placing sticky notes throughout teaching material  
• Using charts, diagrams and lists  
• Playing instructional videos 
• Asking learners to take photographs  
• Using flash cards 
• Telling learners to sit in a place in the classroom where they can easily see the teacher 
• Making the study area visually appealing

Auditory learning style

Theoretically, auditory learners prefer to learn by hearing and listening. They’re more likely to understand and remember things they hear, and store information by the way it sounds. As such, verbal instructions often make the most sense to them.  

They often also have good speaking skills, strong listening and storytelling skills and excel at oral exams. 

Auditory learning style strategies

If visual learners learn to tie their shoelaces by watching an instructional video and don’t want to hear someone describe how to do it, auditory learners want the exact opposite. They thrive on hearing instructions from someone.  

These strategies are said to be the most productive for learners with an auditory preference: 

• Reading stories and information aloud  
• Playing background music, as auditory learners don’t like silence  
• Asking learners to repeat information  
• Asking learners their opinions  
• Organising group discussions 
• Recording important lessons and ensuring that learners listen to them later  
• Talking learners through any issues they may have  
• Using mnemonics, rhymes and jingles  
• Encouraging learners to repeat facts with their eyes closed  
• Encouraging learners to sit near the front of the room

Reading and writing learning style

This style is closely related to the visual learning style in that it’s also quite visual. Learners who ascribe to this style prefer to learn by reading and writing. Specifically, they enjoy making notes and using handouts and textbooks. They also like to reread and rewrite their notes, and when doing so, they make use of headings, glossaries and lists.  

These learners are likely to perform well on multiple-choice and essay tests. 

Reading and writing learning style strategies

Unlike visual learners who prefer to watch instructional videos on tying shoelaces and auditory learners who want to hear instructions, reading and writing learners prefer to read a set of instructions.  

These strategies are said to be the most productive for learners with a preference for reading and writing: 

• Encouraging learners to write out words and notes repeatedly  
• Asking learners to rewrite ideas and principles in their own words  
• Organising diagrams and graphs into statements; for example, instead of a graph, writing a statement that describes a trend 
• Organising information into lists with bullet points and subheadings 
• Giving learners multiple-choice questions  
• Asking learners to complete essays on particular topics  
• Providing supplementary reading information  
• Directing learners to textbooks or online articles about topics 

Kinesthetic learning style

Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn by doing, for example, through touch, movement and action. Intuition and practice also help kinesthetic learners achieve their goals. 

Learners with a preference for learning kinesthetically like real-life examples when they’re learning a new skill or concept, and prefer hands-on practice to master those particular skills. From an academic perspective, kinesthetic learners often don’t have much learning catered specifically to them, as their approach is more practical. 

Kinesthetic learning style strategies

When learning to tie their shoelaces, kinesthetic learners would simply like to try the task themselves, in an effort to learn by doing. Using their hands to attempt the task would represent the ultimate learning opportunity.  

These strategies are said to be the most productive for learners with a kinesthetic preference: 

• Encouraging learners to handle objects, tools and machinery that they’re studying  
• Using manipulatives (study tools that learners can move around with their hands)  
• Creating flash cards, pictorial cards or index cards that can be shuffled, spread out or stacked 
• Creating charts, diagrams or models that can be cut apart, and then put back together  
• Using exaggerated hand movements  
• Using role play  
• Using a computer or any other type of device that uses muscle memory  
• Encouraging learners to walk as they recite information  
• Working with a chalkboard, flip chart or poster  
• Encouraging learners to stand up and work  
• Creating activities that require creative movement  
• Creating action games 

Universal design for learning

Unlike the visual, auditory, reading and writing and kinesthetic learning and teaching styles, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a scientifically based framework. The UDL is a framework that aims to improve and optimise teaching and learning in a diverse, inclusive way. The framework is based on scientific insights into how humans learn and aims to help teachers improve how they present information, engage students and create inclusive assessments and evaluations.  

UDL principles can be applied to a course overall or to specific instructional materials, such as lessons; lectures; or group-based activities, such as group work or discussions.  

Ultimately, UDL provides learners with multiple ways to view, listen to and absorb information, so every student has the best chance of succeeding. Unlike the four learning styles, which assume we need to teach to individual learners, UDL provides a way for teachers to provide rich and diverse learning experiences for students that are also suited to the content being taught. 

Guiding principles for UDL

Three guiding principles underpin UDL to make it diverse, inclusive and effective.  

1. Representation

To cater to all learners, UDL recommends that teachers offer learners information in multiple ways. For example, information should be presented orally, but also in written form.  

To increase representation, teachers should do the following:  

• Provide options for enhanced learner perception.  

Perception is important. If information is imperceptible to learners, they’ll require more assistance to understand it.     Teachers can help enhance perception by presenting information in different modalities (for example, in a visual, auditory or kinesthetic way), as well as by providing information in different formats (for example, with text that can be enlarged or sounds that can be amplified).  

• Provide options for language, mathematical expressions and symbols.  

Teachers can help enhance learning by clarifying elements and by providing decoding material for mathematical concepts or symbols used.    

• Provide comprehension options.  

Learners vary in their vocabulary and in their understanding of mathematical concepts and symbols. For example, a graph that shows a relationship between two variables may be helpful to one student, but baffling to another. For this reason, variation in this area is important.     To learn, individuals must do more than understand information: They must transform it into usable knowledge that helps them make decisions and take action. To do this, they must be able to comprehend and process what they’re learning, making comprehension options essential.     To provide comprehension options, teachers should supply (or activate) background knowledge; highlight patterns, features and big ideas; and guide information transfer and processing. 

2. Action and expression

Just like teachers should present information in different ways, the UDL framework encourages learners to interact with the information they’ve been given in more than one way.  

The teacher can aid this process. For example, they can present information, and then allow students to discuss it in a group setting and present it to their peers. A practical multiple-choice and essay-based assessment would follow.  

To increase action and expression, teachers should do the following: 

• Provide options for action.  

Textbook or workbook materials offer little opportunity to take action on information. To increase opportunities for action (and physical interaction with learning materials), teachers should provide access to online materials, online resources and in-person activities. 

• Provide options for expression.   

Some learners may excel at storytelling on paper, whereas others may enjoy conversation. To help students express themselves and communicate in a way that they’re most comfortable with, teachers should use different media when teaching, such as texts, illustrations and videos. They can also provide support for different types of practice and performance in the classroom. 

• Provide options for executive function.  

The highest level of human capabilities are called executive functions. These are associated with the ability to plan, strategise and set long-term goals rather than simply react to the environment. To help students to activate their executive functions in the classroom, teachers should guide appropriate goal setting, support planning and strategy development and provide ample feedback to learners throughout every stage of the learning process. 

3. Engagement

UDL recognises that classroom learners have vastly different motivations and abilities and encourages teachers to look for multiple ways to inspire learners. For example, it recognises that some learners are motivated by achieving goals, whereas others are motivated by social interaction in the classroom.  

To increase engagement in the classroom, teachers should do the following:  

• Provide options for ensuring interest in materials.  

Information that’s not interesting to learners often goes unnoticed and stays unprocessed. To ensure learners are interested and engaged with the presented material, teachers should give learners as much choice and autonomy as possible and endeavour to always show why information is relevant and valuable.    

• Provide options for encouraging persistence.  

Teachers need to remember that learning new skills or information often requires persistence and hard work. Learners need to be able to regulate their attention to sustain effort and concentration while learning.   To help learners do this, teachers should encourage learners to create their own goals, differentiate the difficulty of tasks and activities (start easy, and then increase the level of difficulty) and encourage collaboration and communication in the learning process.  

• Provide options for self-regulation.  

Teachers can design environments that are conducive to teaching, but they also need to tap into learners’ ability to regulate their own emotions and motivation. Being able to self-regulate is an important skill in learners (and in life), as it assists in developing the ability to learn by trial and error.    To encourage the development of this skill, teachers should facilitate personal coping skills and strategies and develop self-assessment and reflection.  

Five UDL teaching strategies

With so many options for teachers in applying the Universal Design for Learning teaching style in the classroom, understanding which teaching strategies will work best can feel overwhelming.  

So which works for you? Here are five important strategies.  

1. Create lesson goals

A key UDL principle is that each and every learner must be motivated. A great way to assist learners with this is by creating lesson goals and sharing them with students, so they know what they’re working towards.  

You should also chart progress towards these goals throughout the lesson.  

2. Provide assessment options

Even if students intrinsically understand a concept, they may only be able to show or share their knowledge in certain ways. For this reason, you should endeavour to provide a variety of assessment options.  

When demonstrating understanding of a topic, students may be able to show their knowledge through a written essay or by creating a podcast or video that would still meet the assessment requirements.  

3. Create flexible learning spaces

To cater for the different ways students prefer to learn, classrooms should be set up to include spaces for quiet individual work, group work and also group instruction.  

Learners should also be given the option to wear headphones if they want to work quietly.   This strategy should also be applied to virtual learning. Where possible, incorporate different ways for learners to engage, such as online group forums, one-on-one sessions and group discussions. 

4. Provide ongoing feedback

Learners learn through others, so feedback is essential in UDL. Feedback should be regular (if possible, make it every day) and should encourage learners to reflect on their choices and what they could do better if they didn’t meet their goals.  

5. Provide materials in various formats

UDL recognises that if students can’t understand information, they can’t learn it. That means a key idea behind UDL is to provide materials and information in various formats, for example, print, digital, video and other interactive formats.  

Education for the future

A century ago, education meant sitting in a classroom and learning information by rote. Now, our understanding of learning and teaching styles has progressed by leaps and bounds, and students expect a positive learning experience that supports them. 

This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for teachers everywhere. To rise to the occasion, the UTS online Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) can help professionals build up research-informed skills for success in the new frontiers of learning and teaching. Find out how a Master of Education can give you expertise in the latest learning innovations. 

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The Complete List of Teaching Methods

Teaching Methods: Not as Simple as ABC

Teaching methods [teacher-centered], teaching methods [student-centered], what about blended learning and udl, teaching methods: a to z, for the love of teaching.

Whether you’re a longtime educator, preparing to start your first teaching job or mapping out your dream of a career in the classroom, the topic of teaching methods is one that means many different things to different people.

Your individual approaches and strategies to imparting knowledge to your students and inspiring them to learn are probably built on your academic education as well as your instincts and intuition.

Whether you come by your preferred teaching methods organically or by actively studying educational theory and pedagogy, it can be helpful to have a comprehensive working knowledge of the various teaching methods at your disposal.

[Download] Get the Complete List of Teaching Methods PDF Now >>

The teacher-centered approach vs. the student-centered approach. High-tech vs. low-tech approaches to learning. Flipped classrooms, differentiated instruction, inquiry-based learning, personalized learning and more.

Not only are there dozens of teaching methods to explore, it is also important to have a sense for how they often overlap or interrelate. One extremely helpful look at this question is offered by the teacher-focused education website Teach.com.

“Teaching theories can be organized into four categories based on two major parameters: a teacher-centered approach versus a student-centered approach, and high-tech material use versus low-tech material use,” according to the informative Teach.com article , which breaks down a variety of influential teaching methods as follows:

Teacher-Centered Approach to Learning Teachers serve as instructor/authority figures who deliver knowledge to their students through lectures and direct instruction, and aim to measure the results through testing and assessment. This method is sometimes referred to as “sage on the stage.”

Student-Centered Approach to Learning Teachers still serve as an authority figure, but may function more as a facilitator or “guide on the side,” as students assume a much more active role in the learning process. In this method, students learn from and are continually assessed on such activities as group projects, student portfolios and class participation.

High-Tech Approach to Learning From devices like laptops and tablets to using the internet to connect students with information and people from around the world, technology plays an ever-greater role in many of today’s classrooms. In the high-tech approach to learning, teachers utilize many different types of technology to aid students in their classroom learning.

Low-Tech Approach to Learning Technology obviously comes with pros and cons, and many teachers believe that a low-tech approach better enables them to tailor the educational experience to different types of learners. Additionally, while computer skills are undeniably necessary today, this must be balanced against potential downsides; for example, some would argue that over-reliance on spell check and autocorrect features can inhibit rather than strengthen student spelling and writing skills.

Diving further into the overlap between different types of teaching methods, here is a closer look at three teacher-centered methods of instruction and five popular student-centered approaches.

Direct Instruction (Low Tech) Under the direct instruction model — sometimes described as the “traditional” approach to teaching — teachers convey knowledge to their students primarily through lectures and scripted lesson plans, without factoring in student preferences or opportunities for hands-on or other types of learning. This method is also customarily low-tech since it relies on texts and workbooks rather than computers or mobile devices.

Flipped Classrooms (High Tech) What if students did the “classroom” portion of their learning at home and their “homework” in the classroom? That’s an oversimplified description of the flipped classroom approach, in which students watch or read their lessons on computers at home and then complete assignments and do problem-solving exercises in class.

Kinesthetic Learning (Low Tech) In the kinesthetic learning model, students perform hands-on physical activities rather than listening to lectures or watching demonstrations. Kinesthetic learning, which values movement and creativity over technological skills, is most commonly used to augment traditional types of instruction — the theory being that requiring students to do, make or create something exercises different learning muscles.

Differentiated Instruction (Low Tech) Inspired by the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted to ensure equal access to public education for all children, differentiated instruction is the practice of developing an understanding of how each student learns best, and then tailoring instruction to meet students’ individual needs.

In some instances, this means Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with special needs, but today teachers use differentiated instruction to connect with all types of learners by offering options on how students access content, the types of activities they do to master a concept, how student learning is assessed and even how the classroom is set up.

Inquiry-Based Learning (High Tech) Rather than function as a sole authority figure, in inquiry-based learning teachers offer support and guidance as students work on projects that depend on them taking on a more active and participatory role in their own learning. Different students might participate in different projects, developing their own questions and then conducting research — often using online resources — and then demonstrate the results of their work through self-made videos, web pages or formal presentations.

Expeditionary Learning (Low Tech) Expeditionary learning is based on the idea that there is considerable educational value in getting students out of the classroom and into the real world. Examples include trips to City Hall or Washington, D.C., to learn about the workings of government, or out into nature to engage in specific study related to the environment. Technology can be used to augment such expeditions, but the primary focus is on getting out into the community for real-world learning experiences.

Personalized Learning (High Tech) In personalized learning, teachers encourage students to follow personalized, self-directed learning plans that are inspired by their specific interests and skills. Since assessment is also tailored to the individual, students can advance at their own pace, moving forward or spending extra time as needed. Teachers offer some traditional instruction as well as online material, while also continually reviewing student progress and meeting with students to make any needed changes to their learning plans.

Game-Based Learning (High Tech) Students love games, and considerable progress has been made in the field of game-based learning, which requires students to be problem solvers as they work on quests to accomplish a specific goal. For students, this approach blends targeted learning objectives with the fun of earning points or badges, much like they would in a video game. For teachers, planning this type of activity requires additional time and effort, so many rely on software like Classcraft or 3DGameLab to help students maximize the educational value they receive from within the gamified learning environment.

Blended Learning Blended learning  is another strategy for teachers looking to introduce flexibility into their classroom. This method relies heavily on technology, with part of the instruction taking place online and part in the classroom via a more traditional approach, often leveraging elements of the flipped classroom approach detailed above. At the heart of blended learning is a philosophy of taking the time to understand each student’s learning style and develop strategies to teach to every learner, by building flexibility and choice into your curriculum.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) UDL incorporates both student-centered learning and the “multiple intelligences theory,” which holds that different learners are wired to learn most effectively in different ways (examples of these “intelligences” include visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, musical, etc.). In practice, this could mean that some students might be working on a writing project while others would be more engaged if they created a play or a movie. UDL emphasizes the idea of teaching to every student, special needs students included, in the general education classroom, creating community and building knowledge through multiple means.

In addition to the many philosophical and pedagogical approaches to teaching, classroom educators today employ diverse and sometimes highly creative methods involving specific strategies, prompts and tools that require little explanation. These include:

• Appointments with students
• Art-based projects
• Audio tutorials
• Author’s chair
• Book reports
• Bulletin boards
• Brainstorming
• Case studies
• Chalkboard instruction
• Class projects
• Classroom discussion
• Classroom video diary
• Collaborative learning spaces
• Creating murals and montages
• Current events quizzes
• Designated quiet space
• Discussion groups
• DIY activities
• Dramatization (plays, skits, etc.)
• Educational games
• Educational podcasts
• Essays (Descriptive)
• Essays (Expository)
• Essays (Narrative)
• Essays (Persuasive)
• Exhibits and displays
• Explore different cultures
• Field trips
• Flash cards
• Flexible seating
• Gamified learning plans
• Genius hour
• Group discussion
• Guest speakers
• Hands-on activities
• Individual projects
• Interviewing
• Laboratory experiments
• Learning contracts
• Learning stations
• Literature circles
• Making posters
• Mock conventions
• Motivational posters
• Music from other countries/cultures
• Oral reports
• Panel discussions
• Peer partner learning
• Photography
• Problem solving activities
• Reading aloud
• Readers’ theater
• Reflective discussion
• Research projects
• Rewards & recognition
• Role playing
• School newspapers
• Science fairs
• Sister city programs
• Spelling bees
• Storytelling
• Student podcasts
• Student portfolios
• Student presentations
• Student-conceived projects
• Supplemental reading assignments
• Team-building exercises
• Term papers
• Textbook assignments
• Think-tac-toe
• Time capsules
• Use of community or local resources
• Video creation
• Video lessons
• Vocabulary lists

So, is the teacher the center of the educational universe or the student? Does strong reliance on the wonders of technology offer a more productive educational experience or is a more traditional, lower-tech approach the best way to help students thrive?

Questions such as these are food for thought for educators everywhere, in part because they inspire ongoing reflection on how to make a meaningful difference in the lives of one’s students.

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Related Posts

The 5 Most Commonly Taught Writing Styles

Writing is critical to every single subject. Even mathematics often calls for argumentation in written form , especially in disciplines such as statistics.

By placing a significantly higher emphasis on a variety of writing types, we can help address the challenges regarding student writing proficiency . This is especially important in the middle school years, when students are transitioning from the foundational skills they learned in elementary school to the deeper levels of thinking required in high school and beyond.

If you have a teaching degree, it’s likely you’ve already learned about or taught many of the following types of writing styles. Whether you’re familiar with all of them or need to brush up on several, there are guaranteed to be new approaches with which you’re not yet familiar. That’s the goal of this post: to give you the tools you need to maximize your students’ learning experience, writing skills and persuasive power.

A little time taken today can substantially improve the value of your writing exercises tomorrow, so read on!

The Most Common Types of Writing Styles

The most common types of writing styles differ from their intended purpose to their structure to the level of emotional appeal for which they call. Understanding how each of these categories contributes to each type of writing will help you teach students to express themselves more proficiently, as well as reach higher levels of proficiency on state and national tests.

Here are the five most common types of writing styles, a quick exploration of each and some new strategies for teaching them.

• NARRATIVE WRITING

We Are Teachers defines narrative writing as “writing that is characterized by a main character in a setting who engages with a problem or event in a significant way. As writing instruction goes, narrative writing encompasses a lot: author’s purpose, tone, voice, structure, in addition to teaching sentence structure, organization, and word choice.”

You can assign students a wide variety of narrative writing assignments, from personal narrative to fiction to “fan fiction,” or stories that use main characters from books students love. For instance, a student could write a short story about one of Harry Potter’s untold side adventures.

As the above definition indicates, there are a number of elements required in good narrative writing. To weave together a compelling story, students must choose:

• A theme, or the main “human” idea that they want to convey
• A main character with a minimum number of well-defined personality traits
• Side characters, if the length and complexity of the story allows (for instance, a narrative capstone project might have 2-3 secondary characters)
• A setting or multiple settings in which the story takes place
• A particular structure – the style in which they will tell their story – with the various narrative elements represented: dialogue, description, action
• Literary elements, such as symbolism, simile and metaphor
• Vocabulary words, depending on your desires and requirements as a teacher

Teaching students to weave all of these elements together will take time, which is why each lesson should cover no more than one of the above. As students check off each item, they can incorporate it with the ones above. Eventually, the result will be a well-fleshed-out story they can be proud to share with the class and their family.

• ANALYTICAL WRITING

Bloom’s Taxonomy , a friend to all teachers and critical pedagogical guide, lists analysis in the top half of the pyramid. That’s because the ability to look at a statement, argument, character or theme and decide whether or not it has merit – and why it does or does not – is a necessary skill in secondary school, college and career.

This ability requires first identifying and then dissecting the subject at hand, after which the student can offer an argument about its meaning and merit.That’s where analytical writing comes in.

As the Educational Testing Service explains about the GRE,

“The Analytical Writing measure tests your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, construct and evaluate arguments, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge.”

While one might assume that postgraduates taking entrance exams are at a significantly different learning point than middle schoolers (which they are), the similarities between the skills needed then and needed in 7th grade are nearly identical. In fact, having those skills in later life is largely dependent on middle school teachers developing them now.

Note, however, that analytical writing is not pure explanation or description (as we will encounter in the next writing style). Instead, it requires that students read and comprehend either fiction or nonfiction, explain what is happening, and then analyze a particular facet of what they’ve read.

Analytical writing requires developing a thesis that supports their main claim, backing it up with proof from the text, and concluding with a summary that wraps the two together.

As with all forms of writing, it’s important to teach this skill slowly, starting with reading critically, identifying a thesis, finding evidence and tying it together in a paper – as well as peer examination of others’ analytical writing. It is also helpful to give examples of analytical theses, such as:

• Mockingjays from The Hunger Games are symbols of freedom, because they are genetically engineered species that have broken free from the Capitol, just as Katniss has
• The main theme of To Build a Fire is that nature is merciless and unforgiving
• Anne Frank’s arguments against war are so powerful because she herself is devoid of hatred

Help students understand that while the analysis can be opinion-based, students do need to back up everything they say with passages from the reading.

• EXPOSITORY WRITING

Expository writing, as the title suggests, is predicated on exposition, or the description and explanation of a particular idea. Topics cover pretty much the entire gamut of human experience, from inventions to nature, emotions to politics, family to hobbies and more.

Teachers can challenge students to pick their own subjects or can give them categories from which to choose or assign specific subjects. Each of these options helps develop a different skill set in kids.

There exist a number of good ways to develop expository writing skills, suggests The New York Times .

For one thing, it’s time to ditch the tired five-paragraph essay and write from a more “authentic” place. That means placing primary emphasis not on an introduction, three-body exposition and conclusion, but rather on what the piece calls for. Encourage students to take as many paragraphs as they need to express their idea well, and to be creative in their intros and conclusions.

In teaching your students, ask them questions such as:

• What’s the “newsworthy” piece of this paper?
• How can you introduce your piece other than giving away that newsworthy element upfront?
• How can you conclude it without simply rehashing the above information?
• What techniques can you use to vary sentence structure and make for a more interesting read?
• How can you incorporate supporting material in an engaging way?

While some of the techniques may feel a little advanced at first, almost all of them can be broken down into simple directions that middle school students can make use of.

• PERSUASIVE WRITING

“Persuasive writing is a form of nonfiction writing that encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a cohesive summary,” as Reading Rocket explains. Note that there are two main components of persuasive writing: logic and emotional appeal.

Logic comes first in persuasive writing. In order to have any chance of convincing people, students have to develop a sound premise. That means choosing a topic and backing it up with good logic.

Give them examples, such as: Everyone should keep their cats indoors, because there are many dangers to cats outside . They can then expand on these dangers (coyotes, racoons, rabies) to convince people.

Help students understand that this topic should have an opposing stance. Simply stating that ‘we shouldn’t do wrong things’ isn’t a good stance, because it’s too vague and no one would argue against it.

Next, it’s time to work in sympathy. Persuading people relies heavily on reaching them emotionally. Not only must your point make sense, but you need to make them feel what you’re saying in their hearts as well as their minds.

For this reason, students should choose a topic or stance about which they feel passionate. They can save more formal academic positions for argumentative writing.

Speaking of which: Argumentative writing is the close cousin of persuasive writing, though as we shall soon see, it is not the same thing.

• ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

At first blush, many people confuse persuasive and argumentative writing. This is common among teachers as well as laypeople, so if you’re scratching your head, don’t feel bad.

The main difference between persuasive and argumentative writing, as Empowering Writers explains, is that:

“While persuasive writing can get by with a heartfelt emotional appeal or a well-defended opinion, argumentative writing must cite scientific studies, statistics and quotes from experts. It also highlights evidence that the author has generated with his/her own surveys and questionnaires.”

The good news is that, in teaching persuasive writing, you can simultaneously teach kids the scientific method and statistical analysis by having them design and examine the results of questionnaires. Adds the above source, “You’ll find that writing those questionnaires or surveys and collecting responses from their classmates is not only fun for kids, but it encourages active learning and positive social interaction.”

Argumentative writing, calls for several elements:

• A formal writing style, typically in the third person
• Well-researched facts from reliable sources (this, by the way, is a good time to discuss why sites like Wikipedia are good as a starting point but not as final sources)
• Argumentation predicated on those facts
• An overall claim of which the writer is trying to convince the reader

When designing argumentative writing curricula and lessons, introduce students to the structure slowly. Their instinct is typically toward arguing for what they believe based on emotional appeal, but you can point out that they’ll have a chance to do this with persuasive writing. Instead, lead them through the process with the following steps:

• Research an interest area
• Choose a position or argument based on the results of that research
• Collect sources (assign a specific number, usually around 3-5) from which to draw facts
• Craft the flow of the argument, from initial statement of position through supporting facts (one per paragraph is a good approach) to conclusion
• Conclude by both restating the argument and leaving the reader with a good reason to think about it, such as a story or quote

The Writing Way: Implement These Strategies Today

So why wait any longer to implement smart and relatively simple new strategies into your writing time? By selecting and teaching the above skills a little more often – not to mention weaving them into other subjects more often – you can substantially improve your students’ writing abilities.

One caveat, though: Don’t attempt to incorporate all of these strategies at once. You’re a teacher; you have a long career and many moldable minds ahead of you.

Take your time to deepen your familiarity with each type of writing one by one. Incorporate one new strategy per lesson plan, and no more. You can even work to develop your teaching approach to one style of writing per year to avoid teacher burnout .

And lastly, take heart. There is something you can do to help improve the state of the American education system, one lesson at a time, one paper at a time, one child at a time. Keep these tips in mind and do your best, and you’ll do just fine.

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We reserve the right to withdraw or amend this Website, and any service or material we provide on the Website, in our sole discretion without notice. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, to users, including registered users.

You are responsible for (i) making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Website, and (ii) ensuring that all persons who access the Website through your internet connection are aware of these Terms of Use and comply with them.

To access the Website or some of the resources it offers, you may be asked to provide certain registration details or other information. It is a condition of your use of the Website that all the information you provide on the Website is correct, current, and complete. You agree that all information you provide to register with this Website or otherwise, including but not limited to through the use of any interactive features on the Website, is governed by our Marco Learning Privacy Policy , and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Policy.

If you choose, or are provided with, a user name, password, or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to this Website or portions of it using your user name, password, or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your user name or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.

We have the right to disable any user name, password, or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use.

Intellectual Property Rights

The Website and its entire contents, features, and functionality (including but not limited to all information, software, text, displays, images, graphics, video, other visuals, and audio, and the design, selection, and arrangement thereof) are owned by the Company, its licensors, or other providers of such material and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws. Your use of the Website does not grant to you ownership of any content, software, code, date or materials you may access on the Website.

These Terms of Use permit you to use the Website for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any of the material on our Website, except as follows:

• Your computer may temporarily store copies of such materials in RAM incidental to your accessing and viewing those materials.
• You may store files that are automatically cached by your Web browser for display enhancement purposes.
• You may print or download one copy of a reasonable number of pages of the Website for your own personal, non-commercial use and not for further reproduction, publication, or distribution.
• If we provide desktop, mobile, or other applications for download, you may download a single copy to your computer or mobile device solely for your own personal, non-commercial use, provided you agree to be bound by our end user license agreement for such applications.
• If we provide social media features with certain content, you may take such actions as are enabled by such features.

You must not:

• Modify copies of any materials from this site.
• Use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences, or any graphics separately from the accompanying text.
• Delete or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights notices from copies of materials from this site.

You must not access or use for any commercial purposes any part of the Website or any services or materials available through the Website.

If you wish to make any use of material on the Website other than that set out in this section, please contact us

If you print, copy, modify, download, or otherwise use or provide any other person with access to any part of the Website in breach of the Terms of Use, your right to use the Website will stop immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made. No right, title, or interest in or to the Website or any content on the Website is transferred to you, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by the Company. Any use of the Website not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of these Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws.

Trademarks, logos, service marks, trade names, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of the Company or its affiliates or licensors (collectively, the “ Trademarks ”). You must not use such Trademarks without the prior written permission of the Company. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on this Website are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Prohibited Uses

You may use the Website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use. You agree not to use the Website:

• In any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local, or international law or regulation (including, without limitation, any laws regarding the export of data or software to and from the US or other countries).
• For the purpose of exploiting, harming, or attempting to exploit or harm minors in any way by exposing them to inappropriate content, asking for personally identifiable information, or otherwise.
• To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use, or re-use any material that does not comply with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.
• To transmit, or procure the sending of, any advertising or promotional material, including any “junk mail”, “chain letter”, “spam”, or any other similar solicitation.
• To impersonate or attempt to impersonate the Company, a Company employee, another user, or any other person or entity (including, without limitation, by using email addresses or screen names associated with any of the foregoing).
• To engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Website, or which, as determined by us, may harm the Company or users of the Website or expose them to liability.

Additionally, you agree not to:

• Use the Website in any manner that could disable, overburden, damage, or impair the site or interfere with any other party’s use of the Website, including their ability to engage in real time activities through the Website.
• Use any robot, spider, or other automatic device, process, or means to access the Website for any purpose, including monitoring or copying any of the material on the Website.
• Use any manual process to monitor or copy any of the material on the Website or for any other unauthorized purpose without our prior written consent.
• Use any device, software, or routine that interferes with the proper working of the Website.
• Introduce any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, logic bombs, or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage, or disrupt any parts of the Website, the server on which the Website is stored, or any server, computer, or database connected to the Website.
• Attack the Website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack.
• Otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Website.

If you use, or assist another person in using the Website in any unauthorized way, you agree that you will pay us an additional $50 per hour for any time we spend to investigate and correct such use, plus any third party costs of investigation we incur (with a minimum $300 charge). You agree that we may charge any credit card number provided for your account for such amounts. You further agree that you will not dispute such a charge and that we retain the right to collect any additional actual costs.

User Contributions

The Website may contain message boards, chat rooms, personal web pages or profiles, forums, bulletin boards, and other interactive features (collectively, “ Interactive Services “) that allow users to post, submit, publish, display, or transmit to other users or other persons (hereinafter, “ post “) content or materials (collectively, “ User Contributions “) on or through the Website.

All User Contributions must comply with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.

Any User Contribution you post to the site will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary. By providing any User Contribution on the Website, you grant us and our affiliates and service providers, and each of their and our respective licensees, successors, and assigns the right to use, reproduce, modify, perform, display, distribute, and otherwise disclose to third parties any such material for any purpose.

You represent and warrant that:

• You own or control all rights in and to the User Contributions and have the right to grant the license granted above to us and our affiliates and service providers, and each of their and our respective licensees, successors, and assigns.
• All of your User Contributions do and will comply with these Terms of Use.

You understand and acknowledge that you are responsible for any User Contributions you submit or contribute, and you, not the Company, have full responsibility for such content, including its legality, reliability, accuracy, and appropriateness.

For any academic source materials such as textbooks and workbooks which you submit to us in connection with our online tutoring services, you represent and warrant that you are entitled to upload such materials under the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law. In addition, if you request that our system display a representation of a page or problem from a textbook or workbook, you represent and warrant that you are in proper legal possession of such textbook or workbook and that your instruction to our system to display a page or problem from your textbook or workbook is made for the sole purpose of facilitating your tutoring session, as “fair use” under copyright law.

You agree that we may record all or any part of any live online classes and tutoring sessions (including voice chat communications) for quality control and other purposes. You agree that we own all transcripts and recordings of such sessions and that these Terms of Use will be deemed an irrevocable assignment of rights in all such transcripts and recordings to us.

We are not responsible or liable to any third party for the content or accuracy of any User Contributions posted by you or any other user of the Website.

Monitoring and Enforcement: Termination

We have the right to:

• Remove or refuse to post any User Contributions for any or no reason in our sole discretion.
• Take any action with respect to any User Contribution that we deem necessary or appropriate in our sole discretion, including if we believe that such User Contribution violates the Terms of Use, including the Content Standards, infringes any intellectual property right or other right of any person or entity, threatens the personal safety of users of the Website or the public, or could create liability for the Company.
• Disclose your identity or other information about you to any third party who claims that material posted by you violates their rights, including their intellectual property rights or their right to privacy.
• Take appropriate legal action, including without limitation, referral to law enforcement, for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Website.
• Terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Website for any or no reason, including without limitation, any violation of these Terms of Use.

Without limiting the foregoing, we have the right to cooperate fully with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity or other information of anyone posting any materials on or through the Website. YOU WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE COMPANY AND ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSEES, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS FROM ANY CLAIMS RESULTING FROM ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANY OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES DURING, OR TAKEN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF, INVESTIGATIONS BY EITHER SUCH PARTIES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.

However, we do not undertake to review material before it is posted on the Website, and cannot ensure prompt removal of objectionable material after it has been posted. Accordingly, we assume no liability for any action or inaction regarding transmissions, communications, or content provided by any user or third party. We have no liability or responsibility to anyone for performance or nonperformance of the activities described in this section.

Content Standards

These content standards apply to any and all User Contributions and use of Interactive Services. User Contributions must in their entirety comply with all applicable federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations. Without limiting the foregoing, User Contributions must not:

• Contain any material that is defamatory, obscene, indecent, abusive, offensive, harassing, violent, hateful, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable.
• Promote sexually explicit or pornographic material, violence, or discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
• Infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other intellectual property or other rights of any other person.
• Violate the legal rights (including the rights of publicity and privacy) of others or contain any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable laws or regulations or that otherwise may be in conflict with these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy .
• Be likely to deceive any person.
• Promote any illegal activity, or advocate, promote, or assist any unlawful act.
• Cause annoyance, inconvenience, or needless anxiety or be likely to upset, embarrass, alarm, or annoy any other person.
• Impersonate any person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or organization.
• Involve commercial activities or sales, such as contests, sweepstakes, and other sales promotions, barter, or advertising.
• Give the impression that they emanate from or are endorsed by us or any other person or entity, if this is not the case.

(collectively, the “ Content Standards ”)

Copyright Infringement

If you believe that any User Contributions violate your copyright, please contact us  and provide the following information:

• An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
• A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
• A description of where the material you claim is infringing is located on the website (and such description must reasonably sufficient to enable us to find the alleged infringing material);
• Your address, telephone number and email address;
• A written statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
• A statement by you, made under the penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.

We may terminate the accounts of any infringers.

Reliance on Information Posted

From time to time, we may make third party opinions, advice, statements, offers, or other third party information or content available on the Website or from tutors under tutoring services (collectively, “Third Party Content”). All Third Party Content is the responsibility of the respective authors thereof and should not necessarily be relied upon. Such third party authors are solely responsible for such content. WE DO NOT (I) GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR USEFULNESS OF ANY THIRD PARTY CONTENT ON THE SITE OR ANY VERIFICATION SERVICES DONE ON OUR TUTORS OR INSTRUCTORS, OR (II) ADOPT, ENDORSE OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY OPINION, ADVICE, OR STATEMENT MADE BY ANY TUTOR OR INSTRUCTOR OR ANY PARTY THAT APPEARS ON THE WEBSITE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE BE RESPONSBILE OR LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM YOUR RELIANCE ON INFORMATION OR OTHER CONENT POSTED ON OR AVAILBLE FROM THE WEBSITE.

Changes to the Website

We may update the content on this Website from time to time, but its content is not necessarily complete or up-to-date. Any of the material on the Website may be out of date at any given time, and we are under no obligation to update such material.

Information About You and Your Visits to the Website

All information we collect on this Website is subject to our Privacy Policy . By using the Website, you consent to all actions taken by us with respect to your information in compliance with the Privacy Policy.

Online Purchases and Other Terms and Conditions

All purchases through our site or other transactions for the sale of services and information formed through the Website or resulting from visits made by you are governed by our Terms of Sale, which are hereby incorporated into these Terms of Use.

Additional terms and conditions may also apply to specific portions, services, or features of the Website. All such additional terms and conditions are hereby incorporated by this reference into these Terms of Use.

Linking to the Website and Social Media Features

You may link to our homepage, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval, or endorsement on our part without our express written consent.

This Website may provide certain social media features that enable you to:

• Link from your own or certain third-party websites to certain content on this Website.
• Send emails or other communications with certain content, or links to certain content, on this Website.
• Cause limited portions of content on this Website to be displayed or appear to be displayed on your own or certain third-party websites.

You may use these features solely as they are provided by us, and solely with respect to the content they are displayed with and otherwise in accordance with any additional terms and conditions we provide with respect to such features. Subject to the foregoing, you must not:

• Establish a link from any website that is not owned by you.
• Cause the Website or portions of it to be displayed on, or appear to be displayed by, any other site, for example, framing, deep linking, or in-line linking.
• Link to any part of the Website other than the homepage.
• Otherwise take any action with respect to the materials on this Website that is inconsistent with any other provision of these Terms of Use.

The website from which you are linking, or on which you make certain content accessible, must comply in all respects with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.

You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking immediately to stop. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

We may disable all or any social media features and any links at any time without notice in our discretion.

Links from the Website

If the Website contains links to other sites and resources provided by third parties (“ Linked Sites ”), these links are provided for your convenience only. This includes links contained in advertisements, including banner advertisements and sponsored links. You acknowledge and agree that we have no control over the contents, products, services, advertising or other materials which may be provided by or through those Linked sites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to this Website, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites.

You agree that if you include a link from any other website to the Website, such link will open in a new browser window and will link to the full version of an HTML formatted page of this Website. You are not permitted to link directly to any image hosted on the Website or our products or services, such as using an “in-line” linking method to cause the image hosted by us to be displayed on another website. You agree not to download or use images hosted on this Website or another website, for any purpose, including, without limitation, posting such images on another website. You agree not to link from any other website to this Website in any manner such that the Website, or any page of the Website, is “framed,” surrounded or obfuscated by any third party content, materials or branding. We reserve all of our rights under the law to insist that any link to the Website be discontinued, and to revoke your right to link to the Website from any other website at any time upon written notice to you.

Geographic Restrictions

The owner of the Website is based in the state of New Jersey in the United States. We provide this Website for use only by persons located in the United States. We make no claims that the Website or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Website may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Website from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

Disclaimer of Warranties

You understand that we cannot and do not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading from the internet or the Website will be free of viruses or other destructive code. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for anti-virus protection and accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to our site for any reconstruction of any lost data. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, DATA, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY MATERIAL DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR TO YOUR DOWNLOADING OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON IT, OR ON ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO IT.

YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE WEBSITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, ERROR-FREE, OR UNINTERRUPTED, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, THAT OUR SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, THE COMPANY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

Limitation on Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS, OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT, ANY CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, AND WHETHER CAUSED BY TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE.

THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the Website, including, but not limited to, your User Contributions, any use of the Website’s content, services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use or your use of any information obtained from the Website.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

All matters relating to the Website and these Terms of Use and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto (in each case, including non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New Jersey without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New Jersey or any other jurisdiction).

Any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms of Use or the Website shall be instituted exclusively in the federal courts of the United States or the courts of the State of New Jersey in each case located in the County of Monmouth although we retain the right to bring any suit, action, or proceeding against you for breach of these Terms of Use in your country of residence or any other relevant country. You waive any and all objections to the exercise of jurisdiction over you by such courts and to venue in such courts. You may not under any circumstances commence or maintain against us any class action, class arbitration, or other representative action or proceeding.

Arbitration

By using this Website, you agree, at Company’s sole discretion, that it may require you to submit any disputes arising from the use of these Terms of Use or the Website, including disputes arising from or concerning their interpretation, violation, invalidity, non-performance, or termination, to final and binding arbitration under the Rules of Arbitration of the American Arbitration Association applying New Jersey law. In doing so, YOU GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT to assert or defend any claims between you and us. YOU ALSO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION OR OTHER CLASS PROCEEDING. Your rights may be determined by a NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR, NOT A JUDGE OR JURY. You are entitled to a fair hearing before the arbitrator. The arbitrator can grant any relief that a court can, but you should note that arbitration proceedings are usually simpler and more streamlined than trials and other judicial proceedings. Decisions by the arbitrator are enforceable in court and may be overturned by a court only for very limited reasons.

Any proceeding to enforce this arbitration provision, including any proceeding to confirm, modify, or vacate an arbitration award, may be commenced in any court of competent jurisdiction. In the event that this arbitration provision is for any reason held to be unenforceable, any litigation against Company must be commenced only in the federal or state courts located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. You hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of those courts for such purposes.

Limitation on Time to File Claims

ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE WEBSITE MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES, OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

Waiver and Severability

No waiver by the Company of any term or condition set out in these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of the Company to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

If any provision of these Terms of Use is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use will continue in full force and effect.

Entire Agreement

The Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Sale constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and Marco Learning LLC regarding the Website and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the Website.

Communications and Miscellaneous

If you provide us your email address, you agree and consent to receive email messages from us. These emails may be transaction or relationship communications relating to the products or services we offer, such as administrative notices and service announcements or changes, or emails containing commercial offers, promotions or special offers from us.

Your Comments and Concerns

This website is operated by Marco Learning LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company with an address of 113 Monmouth Road, Suite 1, Wrightstown, New Jersey 08562.

Please contact us   for all other feedback, comments, requests for technical support, and other communications relating to the Website.

10 Types of Learning and How to Teach Them: A Complete Guide to Learning Styles

If you have been a part of the education sector, you probably already know how different each child is. Every student has their own set of strengths and weaknesses which make them unique. Similarly, every student has a preferred way of learning and retaining the material. These preferences are called “learning styles”. 

Each learning style describes how a learner best receives information, interprets it, organizes it, and stores it. A majority of the learners today even have multiple or overlapping learning styles, also called multimodal learning . As an educator, it is extremely important to know the different types of learning – since this will help your students build on their strengths and retain information better. The original model of VARK only describes four of these - visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. However, in this article we explore 10 types of learning and how to teach them. 

Another factor that contributes to learning and retaining information is the subject of the information. It is a well known fact that some people excel better in creative fields like design, fine arts, photography, while others might excel in practical or calculative fields like mathematics, engineering, science, and so on.

Thus, different people have different interests and these interests contribute to different learning areas or subjects as well. 

1. Physical (Kinesthetic) Learning

Physical or kinesthetic learners prefer a hands-on experience rather than listening to lectures or sitting in a class. They like interacting physically with things that are tangible in nature. These learners could see the idea of studying for hours as a daunting experience but are better with actually doing things themselves. They possess qualities like being restless, preferring to get their hands “dirty”, outgoing and energetic.

Ways to engage physical learners:

• Encourage movement within lessons. Example: role play
• Give them well-spaced breaks between lessons to move around
• Use props and interactive models
• Declutter desks to promote better focus

2. Visual (Spatial) Learning

Visual or spatial learners learn best with the help of visual cues like charts, images, diagrams, graphs, etc. These learners respond best to colours and mind maps . They use their visual memory to retain information for longer periods of time. Many visual learners possess characteristics like frequent planning and doodling, they have a good attention span and are extremely observant, and they prefer visual directions.

Ways to engage visual learners:

• Use maps, diagrams, imagery
• Include technology like projectors
• Use colour coding techniques
• Encourage mind maps and flowcharts

3. Auditory Learning

People who tend to understand and retain information by hearing it or saying it out loud (oral) are called auditory learners. These types of learners can quickly notice the change in someone’s pitch, tone, and other voice qualities. They usually prefer discussing topics, participating in debates, and conversing about things to remember them. Most auditory learners are easy to distract and might even hum, sing, or talk to self frequently.

Ways to engage auditory learners:

• Try using different pitches and tones while reading the material
• Record voice lessons
• Encourage class presentations, group discussions, debates
• Ask them to teach others verbally

4. Verbal (Read/Write) Learning

These types of learners prefer traditional methods like using multiple written resources for learning. Verbal learners learn best through written material or by writing the material themselves. They usually possess a broad vocabulary and might even like using tools like acronyms, rhymes, tongue twisters, among others. Verbal learners are known to be bookworms.

Ways to engage verbal learners:

• Make use of mnemonics while teaching (song, rhyme, acronym, phrase)
• Inculcate scripts
• Encourage students to jot down and voice their ideas
• Include word games like crossword

5. Logical (Mathematical) Learning

Logical or mathematical learners tend to categorize information into groups to learn them better. They have a knack for quickly recognizing patterns and sequences; and understand equations, numbers, and relationships easily. These learners love structure and logic to things. Naturally, mathematics comes easy to them.

Ways to engage logical learners:

• Create an easy to navigate system to your lessons
• Try and inculcate statistics to subjects other than mathematics
• Classify concepts into groups or categories
• Generate cause-effect relationships between variables throughout all subject areas

6. Musical Learning

Where music or background noise is a distraction to most of us, musical learners prefer them. They tend to learn better with music, beats, and rhythm. Like logical learners, they too find patterns and relationships, but between different sounds. Some sources say they even think in sounds and rhythms instead of words and pictures.

Clearly, these learners often grow up to be musicians or instrumentalists. More often than never, some people are a combination of auditory and musical learners. This is why strategies to engage these two kinds aren’t too different.

Ways to engage musical learners:

• Encourage listening to soft background music
• Promote podcasts

7. Naturalist Learners

Naturalist learners learn best through experimentation and practical experiences. They like making observations of the world around them. Just like the name suggests, naturalistic learners are also said to be one with nature. They retain information best when they are outdoors, around plants, animals, among others. 

These types can also be somewhat related to kinesthetic learners since they appreciate tactile sensations. All-in-all, they apply scientific reasoning to the world around them and are highly interested in nature, as well as the things created by man.

Ways to engage naturalistic learners:

• Take students out for a field trip 
• Give lessons in outdoor spaces 
• Promote journaling, drawing, sketching, photographing or natural phenomena
• Encourage work that involves getting into nature (especially in subjects like biology)

8. Linguistic Learners 

Linguistic learners are the combination of auditory and verbal learners. They absorb knowledge best by writing, reading, and sounding the material out. These learners can use the traditional methods of learning just like verbal learners and also prefer listening to the information. Linguistic learners also make their own notes while studying. 

Ways to engage linguistic learners:

• Read out to them and have them read it back to you
• Include written projects and assignments
• Avoid using too many diagrams; use verbal methods of engaging them 
• Avoid using a monotonous voice; use different pitches, voices, and characters

9. Interpersonal (Social) Learners

Social or interpersonal learners learn best while working in groups or with other people. They often make good leaders and others even come for advice to them. Social learners learn by relating their ideas and thoughts to the lives of other people. These learners are usually empaths and possess qualities like sensitivity to others, excellent communication, leadership skills, and  problem-solving skills. This type of learning can fall adjacent to one or more types mentioned above. 

Ways to engage social learners:

• Figure out their adjacent learning style and inculcate those strategies 
• Encourage role-playing
• Assign group activities and projects

10. Intrapersonal (Solitary) Learners

In a complete contrast to interpersonal or social learners, intrapersonal or solitary learners prefer solitude while studying. They are more independent and introspective by nature and prefer to be with their own thoughts and ideas without too much external interference. Usually, you can find these types sitting at the back of the class or you might refer to them as the “quiet kid” but they may end up acing the exam. Solitary learning too can fall adjacent with other learning styles. 

Ways to engage solitary learners:

• Designate a quiet area
• Check in with them every once in a while 
• Define a specific time for collaboration so they feel prepared enough

To summarize, remember to not put your students in a box. It is not necessary and probably unlikely that a student is only one type of learner. There can exist multiple variations and combinations between their learning styles. This is also called a multimodal approach. According to statistics, more than 60% of people are multimodal learners. 

Acknowledge that each child is different and you might have the need to find varying ways to approach their education. Again, these differences can also exist with regards to the subject area. Certain people are simply better suited and more interested in some, while others might have completely opposing interests. These learning styles only provide you with a framework to follow. 

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44 Powerful Instructional Strategies Examples for Every Classroom

So many ways to help students learn!

Looking for some new ways to teach and learn in your classroom? This roundup of instructional strategies examples includes methods that will appeal to all learners and work for any teacher.

What are instructional strategies?

In the simplest of terms, instructional strategies are the methods teachers use to achieve learning objectives. In other words, pretty much every learning activity you can think of is an example of an instructional strategy. They’re also known as teaching strategies and learning strategies.

The more instructional strategies a teacher has in their tool kit, the more they’re able to reach all of their students. Different types of learners respond better to various strategies, and some topics are best taught with one strategy over another. Usually, teachers use a wide array of strategies across a single lesson. This gives all students a chance to play to their strengths and ensures they have a deeper connection to the material.

There are a lot of different ways of looking at instructional strategies. One of the most common breaks them into five basic types. It’s important to remember that many learning activities fall into more than one of these categories, and teachers rarely use one type of strategy alone. The key is to know when a strategy can be most effective, for the learners or for the learning objective. Here’s a closer look at the five basic types, with instructional strategies examples for each.

Direct Instruction Instructional Strategies Examples

Direct instruction can also be called “teacher-led instruction,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. The teacher provides the information, while the students watch, listen, and learn. Students may participate by answering questions asked by the teacher or practicing a skill under their supervision. This is a very traditional form of teaching, and one that can be highly effective when you need to provide information or teach specific skills.

This method gets a lot of flack these days for being “boring” or “old-fashioned.” It’s true that you don’t want it to be your only instructional strategy, but short lectures are still very effective learning tools. This type of direct instruction is perfect for imparting specific detailed information or teaching a step-by-step process. And lectures don’t have to be boring—just look at the success of TED Talks .

Didactic Questioning

These are often paired with other direct instruction methods like lecturing. The teacher asks questions to determine student understanding of the material. They’re often questions that start with “who,” “what,” “where,” and “when.”

Demonstration

In this direct instruction method, students watch as a teacher demonstrates an action or skill. This might be seeing a teacher solving a math problem step-by-step, or watching them demonstrate proper handwriting on the whiteboard. Usually, this is followed by having students do hands-on practice or activities in a similar manner.

Drill & Practice

If you’ve ever used flash cards to help kids practice math facts or had your whole class chant the spelling of a word out loud, you’ve used drill & practice. It’s another one of those traditional instructional strategies examples. When kids need to memorize specific information or master a step-by-step skill, drill & practice really works.

Indirect Instruction Instructional Strategies Examples

This form of instruction is learner-led and helps develop higher-order thinking skills. Teachers guide and support, but students drive the learning through reading, research, asking questions, formulating ideas and opinions, and more. This method isn’t ideal when you need to teach detailed information or a step-by-step process. Instead, use it to develop critical thinking skills , especially when more than one solution or opinion is valid. ADVERTISEMENT

Problem-Solving

In this indirect learning method, students work their way through a problem to find a solution. Along the way, they must develop the knowledge to understand the problem and use creative thinking to solve it. STEM challenges are terrific examples of problem-solving instructional strategies.

Project-Based Learning

When kids participate in true project-based learning, they’re learning through indirect and experiential strategies. As they work to find solutions to a real-world problem, they develop critical thinking skills and learn by research, trial and error, collaboration, and other experiences.

Learn more: What Is Project-Based Learning?

Concept Mapping

Students use concept maps to break down a subject into its main points and draw connections between these points. They brainstorm the big-picture ideas, then draw lines to connect terms, details, and more to help them visualize the topic.

Case Studies

When you think of case studies, law school is probably the first thing that jumps to mind. But this method works at any age, for a variety of topics. This indirect learning method teaches students to use material to draw conclusions, make connections, and advance their existing knowledge.

Reading for Meaning

This is different than learning to read. Instead, it’s when students use texts (print or digital) to learn about a topic. This traditional strategy works best when students already have strong reading comprehension skills. Try our free reading comprehension bundle to give students the ability to get the most out of reading for meaning.

Flipped Classroom

In a flipped classroom, students read texts or watch prerecorded lectures at home. Classroom time is used for deeper learning activities, like discussions, labs, and one-on-one time for teachers and students.

Learn more: What Is a Flipped Classroom?

Experiential Learning Instructional Strategies Examples

In experiential learning, students learn by doing. Rather than following a set of instructions or listening to a lecture, they dive right into an activity or experience. Once again, the teacher is a guide, there to answer questions and gently keep learning on track if necessary. At the end, and often throughout, the learners reflect on their experience, drawing conclusions about the skills and knowledge they’ve gained. Experiential learning values the process over the product.

Science Experiments

This is experiential learning at its best. Hands-on experiments let kids learn to establish expectations, create sound methodology, draw conclusions, and more.

Learn more: Hundreds of science experiment ideas for kids and teens

Field Trips

Heading out into the real world gives kids a chance to learn indirectly, through experiences. They may see concepts they already know put into practice or learn new information or skills from the world around them.

Learn more: The Big List of PreK-12 Field Trip Ideas

Games and Gamification

Teachers have long known that playing games is a fun (and sometimes sneaky) way to get kids to learn. You can use specially designed educational games for any subject. Plus, regular board games often involve a lot of indirect learning about math, reading, critical thinking, and more.

Learn more: Classic Classroom Games and Best Online Educational Games

Service Learning

This is another instructional strategies example that takes students out into the real world. It often involves problem-solving skills and gives kids the opportunity for meaningful social-emotional learning.

Learn more: What Is Service Learning?

Interactive Instruction Instructional Strategies Examples

As you might guess, this strategy is all about interaction between the learners and often the teacher. The focus is on discussion and sharing. Students hear other viewpoints, talk things out, and help each other learn and understand the material. Teachers can be a part of these discussions, or they can oversee smaller groups or pairings and help guide the interactions as needed. Interactive instruction helps students develop interpersonal skills like listening and observation.

Peer Instruction

It’s often said the best way to learn something is to teach it to others. Studies into the so-called “ protégé effect ” seem to prove it too. In order to teach, you first must understand the information yourself. Then, you have to find ways to share it with others—sometimes more than one way. This deepens your connection to the material, and it sticks with you much longer. Try having peers instruct one another in your classroom, and see the magic in action.

Reciprocal Teaching

This method is specifically used in reading instruction, as a cooperative learning strategy. Groups of students take turns acting as the teacher, helping students predict, clarify, question, and summarize. Teachers model the process initially, then observe and guide only as needed.

Some teachers shy away from debate in the classroom, afraid it will become too adversarial. But learning to discuss and defend various points of view is an important life skill. Debates teach students to research their topic, make informed choices, and argue effectively using facts instead of emotion.

Learn more: High School Debate Topics To Challenge Every Student

Class or Small-Group Discussion

Class, small-group, and pair discussions are all excellent interactive instructional strategies examples. As students discuss a topic, they clarify their own thinking and learn from the experiences and opinions of others. Of course, in addition to learning about the topic itself, they’re also developing valuable active listening and collaboration skills.

Learn more: Strategies To Improve Classroom Discussions

Socratic Seminar and Fishbowl

Take your classroom discussions one step further with the fishbowl method. A small group of students sits in the middle of the class. They discuss and debate a topic, while their classmates listen silently and make notes. Eventually, the teacher opens the discussion to the whole class, who offer feedback and present their own assertions and challenges.

Learn more: How I Use Fishbowl Discussions To Engage Every Student

Brainstorming

Rather than having a teacher provide examples to explain a topic or solve a problem, students do the work themselves. Remember the one rule of brainstorming: Every idea is welcome. Ensure everyone gets a chance to participate, and form diverse groups to generate lots of unique ideas.

Role-Playing

Role-playing is sort of like a simulation but less intense. It’s perfect for practicing soft skills and focusing on social-emotional learning . Put a twist on this strategy by having students model bad interactions as well as good ones and then discussing the difference.

Think-Pair-Share

This structured discussion technique is simple: First, students think about a question posed by the teacher. Pair students up, and let them talk about their answer. Finally open it up to whole-class discussion. This helps kids participate in discussions in a low-key way and gives them a chance to “practice” before they talk in front of the whole class.

Learn more: Think-Pair-Share and Fun Alternatives

Independent Learning Instructional Strategies Examples

Also called independent study, this form of learning is almost entirely student-led. Teachers take a backseat role, providing materials, answering questions, and guiding or supervising. It’s an excellent way to allow students to dive deep into topics that really interest them, or to encourage learning at a pace that’s comfortable for each student.

Learning Centers

Foster independent learning strategies with centers just for math, writing, reading, and more. Provide a variety of activities, and let kids choose how they spend their time. They often learn better from activities they enjoy.

Learn more: The Big List of K-2 Literacy Centers

Computer-Based Instruction

Once a rarity, now a daily fact of life, computer-based instruction lets students work independently. They can go at their own pace, repeating sections without feeling like they’re holding up the class. Teach students good computer skills at a young age so you’ll feel comfortable knowing they’re focusing on the work and doing it safely.

Writing an essay encourages kids to clarify and organize their thinking. Written communication has become more important in recent years, so being able to write clearly and concisely is a skill every kid needs. This independent instructional strategy has stood the test of time for good reason.

Learn more: The Big List of Essay Topics for High School

Research Projects

Here’s another oldie-but-goodie! When kids work independently to research and present on a topic, their learning is all up to them. They set the pace, choose a focus, and learn how to plan and meet deadlines. This is often a chance for them to show off their creativity and personality too.

Personal journals give kids a chance to reflect and think critically on topics. Whether responding to teacher prompts or simply recording their daily thoughts and experiences, this independent learning method strengthens writing and intrapersonal skills.

Learn more: The Benefits of Journaling in the Classroom

Play-Based Learning

In play-based learning programs, children learn by exploring their own interests. Teachers identify and help students pursue their interests by asking questions, creating play opportunities, and encouraging students to expand their play.

Learn more: What Is Play-Based Learning?

More Instructional Strategies Examples

Don’t be afraid to try new strategies from time to time—you just might find a new favorite! Here are some of the most common instructional strategies examples.

Simulations

This strategy combines experiential, interactive, and indirect learning all in one. The teacher sets up a simulation of a real-world activity or experience. Students take on roles and participate in the exercise, using existing skills and knowledge or developing new ones along the way. At the end, the class reflects separately and together on what happened and what they learned.

Storytelling

Ever since Aesop’s fables, we’ve been using storytelling as a way to teach. Stories grab students’ attention right from the start and keep them engaged throughout the learning process. Real-life stories and fiction both work equally well, depending on the situation.

Learn more: Teaching as Storytelling

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is defined as breaking learning into bite-sized chunks so students can more easily tackle complex material. It builds on old ideas and connects them to new ones. An educator models or demonstrates how to solve a problem, then steps back and encourages the students to solve the problem independently. Scaffolding teaching gives students the support they need by breaking learning into achievable sizes while they progress toward understanding and independence.

Learn more: What Is Scaffolding in Education?

Spaced Repetition

Often paired with direct or independent instruction, spaced repetition is a method where students are asked to recall certain information or skills at increasingly longer intervals. For instance, the day after discussing the causes of the American Civil War in class, the teacher might return to the topic and ask students to list the causes. The following week, the teacher asks them once again, and then a few weeks after that. Spaced repetition helps make knowledge stick, and it is especially useful when it’s not something students practice each day but will need to know in the long term (such as for a final exam).

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are a way of organizing information visually to help students understand and remember it. A good organizer simplifies complex information and lays it out in a way that makes it easier for a learner to digest. Graphic organizers may include text and images, and they help students make connections in a meaningful way.

Learn more: Graphic Organizers 101: Why and How To Use Them

Jigsaw combines group learning with peer teaching. Students are assigned to “home groups.” Within that group, each student is given a specialized topic to learn about. They join up with other students who were given the same topic, then research, discuss, and become experts. Finally, students return to their home group and teach the other members about the topic they specialized in.

Multidisciplinary Instruction

As the name implies, this instructional strategy approaches a topic using techniques and aspects from multiple disciplines, helping students explore it more thoroughly from a variety of viewpoints. For instance, to learn more about a solar eclipse, students might explore scientific explanations, research the history of eclipses, read literature related to the topic, and calculate angles, temperatures, and more.

Interdisciplinary Instruction

This instructional strategy takes multidisciplinary instruction a step further, using it to synthesize information and viewpoints from a variety of disciplines to tackle issues and problems. Imagine a group of students who want to come up with ways to improve multicultural relations at their school. They might approach the topic by researching statistical information about the school population, learning more about the various cultures and their history, and talking with students, teachers, and more. Then, they use the information they’ve uncovered to present possible solutions.

Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction means tailoring your teaching so all students, regardless of their ability, can learn the classroom material. Teachers can customize the content, process, product, and learning environment to help all students succeed. There are lots of differentiated instructional strategies to help educators accommodate various learning styles, backgrounds, and more.

Learn more: What Is Differentiated Instruction?

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally responsive teaching is based on the understanding that we learn best when we can connect with the material. For culturally responsive teachers, that means weaving their students’ various experiences, customs, communication styles, and perspectives throughout the learning process.

Learn more: What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

Response to Intervention

Response to Intervention, or RTI, is a way to identify and support students who need extra academic or behavioral help to succeed in school. It’s a tiered approach with various “levels” students move through depending on how much support they need.

Learn more: What Is Response to Intervention?

Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning means tailoring your curriculum to what your students are interested in rather than having a set agenda that you can’t veer from—it means letting children’s curiosity take the lead and then guiding that interest to explore, research, and reflect upon their own learning.

Learn more: What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is key for learners. They must be open to new ideas and processes and believe they can learn anything with enough effort. It sounds simplistic, but when students really embrace the concept, it can be a real game-changer. Teachers can encourage a growth mindset by using instructional strategies that allow students to learn from their mistakes, rather than punishing them for those mistakes.

Learn more: Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset and 25 Growth Mindset Activities

Blended Learning

This strategy combines face-to-face classroom learning with online learning, in a mix of self-paced independent learning and direct instruction. It’s incredibly common in today’s schools, where most students spend at least part of their day completing self-paced lessons and activities via online technology. Students may also complete their online instructional time at home.

Asynchronous (Self-Paced) Learning

This fancy term really just describes strategies that allow each student to work at their own pace using a flexible schedule. This method became a necessity during the days of COVID lockdowns, as families did their best to let multiple children share one device. All students in an asynchronous class setting learn the same material using the same activities, but do so on their own timetable.

Learn more: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning

Essential Questions

Essential questions are the big-picture questions that inspire inquiry and discussion. Teachers give students a list of several essential questions to consider as they begin a unit or topic. As they dive deeper into the information, teachers ask more specific essential questions to help kids make connections to the “essential” points of a text or subject.

Learn more: Questions That Set a Purpose for Reading

How do I choose the right instructional strategies for my classroom?

When it comes to choosing instructional strategies, there are several things to consider:

• Learning objectives: What will students be able to do as a result of this lesson or activity? If you are teaching specific skills or detailed information, a direct approach may be best. When you want students to develop their own methods of understanding, consider experiential learning. To encourage critical thinking skills, try indirect or interactive instruction.
• Assessments : How will you be measuring whether students have met the learning objectives? The strategies you use should prepare them to succeed. For instance, if you’re teaching spelling, direct instruction is often the best method, since drill-and-practice simulates the experience of taking a spelling test.
• Learning styles : What types of learners do you need to accommodate? Most classrooms (and most students) respond best to a mix of instructional strategies. Those who have difficulty speaking in class might not benefit as much from interactive learning, and students who have trouble staying on task might struggle with independent learning.
• Learning environment: Every classroom looks different, and the environment can vary day by day. Perhaps it’s testing week for other grades in your school, so you need to keep things quieter in your classroom. This probably isn’t the time for experiments or lots of loud discussions. Some activities simply aren’t practical indoors, and the weather might not allow you to take learning outside.

Come discuss instructional strategies and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, check out the things the best instructional coaches do, according to teachers ..

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/essay-types/

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Other students also liked, how to write an argumentative essay | examples & tips, how to write an expository essay, how to write an essay outline | guidelines & examples, what is your plagiarism score.

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The different types of teachers essay sample, example.

As most know, preschool teachers focus on teaching very young children. This level of instruction is the first formal classrooms children visit. According to the website Teacher Certification, “Preschool teachers can work for school districts, but they can also run private organizations. As a preschool teacher, you’ll have a basic lesson plan that covers early learning. To be a preschool teacher, you should have a focus on early childhood education” (Types of Teachers). As you can see, being a preschool teacher is a flexible profession.

The next type of teacher in terms of grade level is an elementary school teacher. Elementary schools feature a wide range of grades, which is usually first to fifth grade. This means teachers in these institutions need to be comfortable instructing at many levels. According to Teach.com, “Elementary school teachers usually have one class and they teach their students several different subjects. The curriculum is usually structured around the fundamental subjects of mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, music, art and reading. The exact structure and pedagogy can vary from school to school, but for the most part, elementary school focuses on building the foundation for a well-rounded education overseen by teachers who follow students closely through their development” (“Elementary School Teacher”). So, in this sense, elementary school teachers aim at giving students a comprehensive education and vie for their academic development at each stage.

Naturally, the next grade level after elementary school is middle school. Teachers who teach at this standard focus on subjects and courses designed for the sixth through the eighth grade. According to Teacher.org, “Middle school teachers are often required to teach 4 to 7 classes daily with students at different levels of learning abilities. Some classes may contain special needs students, but all classes are typically at the same grade level. Though most middle school teachers teach only one subject area, some may choose to teach an extra elective class, monitor a club, or coach a sports team” (“Middle School Teacher”). Middle school students are notoriously difficult to deal with, but that is why these teachers are especially needed.

High school teachers are certified to work in high schools, where they develop students’ studies in middle school and gear them towards entering a college or university. As Teacher.org states, “Usually, high school teachers are responsible for teaching a single subject, like English or Math. Lessons are typically taught through classroom discussions, lectures, and other methods. Teachers tend to evaluate student progress through coursework, projects, and examinations” (“High School Teacher”). In addition, high school teachers are able to instruct in a way that is memorable and creative.

Private school teachers, on the other hand, do not need certification in order to teach in an educational institution. Most schools require background checks, an advanced degree in an appropriate field, and teaching experience. However, these teachers are rather flexible in terms of curriculum, teaching style, and certification.

Also more flexible are continuing education teachers. According to TeacherCertifcationDegress.com, “Teachers in adult and continuing education work in a variety of educational settings instructing adult students in a diverse assortment of courses such as art, music, math, language, technology, cooking, and health. These educators work with students seeking self-enrichment and recreation or those seeking academic or vocational instruction for career advancement” (“How to Become an Adult and Continuing Education Teacher: Career and Salary”). So, continuing education does not strive to achieve degrees, but rather a sharpening of one’s vocational skills.

Special education teachers focus on those who are disabled or impaired in some way educationally. Special education requires a specific certification, and focuses on improving upon a wide range of educational disabilities. These teachers can teach at any grade level, but commonly these instructors are needed the most in elementary schools and high schools.

Lastly, college teachers require a variety of certifications. If you want to teach in a community college, you may need only a master’s degree and ample experience in your chosen field. However, if you want to teach in a four-year college or university, you commonly need a PhD in your specialization. As we know, these teachers instruct in the largest variety of subjects of all the types of teachers.

This was a breakdown of the different types of official teachers. Each one requires its own certification and requirements. However, the common bond between of all of them is that they strive to achieve excellence in students’ studies.

Works Cited

Types of Teachers. Teacher Certfication, www.teachercertification.org/a/types-of-teachers.html.

“Elementary School Teacher.” Teach: Make a Difference, teach.com/become/where-can-i-teach/grade-levels/elementary/.

“Middle School Teacher.” Teacher.org, www.teacher.org/career/middle-school-teacher/.

“High School Teacher.” Teacher.org, www.teacher.org/career/high-school-teacher/.

“How to Become an Adult and Continuing Education Teacher: Career and Salary.” Teacher Certification Degrees, www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/careers/adult-continuing-education-teacher/.

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Exploring different types of essays: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive.

Welcome to the vibrant world of essays, a realm where words weave realities, narrate tales, invite debate, and enlighten minds. Whether you’re a student, an educator, or a curious learner, understanding the different types of essays is fundamental to mastering the art of written communication. This article delves into the heart of descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive essays, offering insights into their unique characteristics and tips on how to craft them effectively. So, let’s embark on this literary journey together, exploring the diverse landscape of essays.

Understanding Essays

At its core, an essay is a structured piece of writing that presents the author’s argument or perspective on a particular topic. Essays serve as a powerful tool in the arsenal of education and communication, bridging the gap between thought and expression. They encourage critical thinking, creativity, and the development of coherent arguments, making them indispensable in both academic and professional settings. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by the task at hand, wondering who can write my essay , you’re not alone. This sentiment is shared by many who aim to master the art of essay writing.

Types of Essays

The world of essays is rich and varied, with each type serving a distinct purpose and requiring a unique approach. There are many types of essays . Here, we explore the four main types: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive.

1) Descriptive Essays

Imagine painting with words; that’s what descriptive essays are about. They aim to bring a person, place, thing, or event to life through detailed observation and vivid language. The goal is not just to describe but to evoke the senses, enabling the reader to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the essence of the subject.

Features of Descriptive Essays

• Vivid Imagery: Use of metaphorical and descriptive language to create vivid images.
• Sensory Details: Inclusion of details that appeal to the five senses.
• Focused on Details: Emphasis on specific details to enhance the reader’s experience.

Descriptive Essay Tips

• Engage the Senses: Make extensive use of sensory details to immerse the reader in the scene.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use vivid descriptions to show the reader what you’re describing, rather than simply telling them.

2) Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are the storytelling giants of the essay world. They recount a real or imagined event in a way that captivates the reader, often weaving in personal experiences or insights. The narrative essay is not just about telling a story; it’s about crafting a journey that resonates emotionally with the audience.

Key Elements of Narrative Essays

• Plot: The sequence of events in the story.
• Characters: The individuals who play roles in the narrative.
• Setting: The time and place where the story unfolds.
• Point of View: The perspective from which the story is told.

Narrative Essay Tips

• Develop a Strong Narrative Arc: Ensure your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Include Dialogue: Dialogue can add depth to characters and enhance the storytelling.

3) Expository Essays

Expository essays are the informers. They explain, clarify, or instruct, shedding light on a topic in a clear, concise, and logical manner. Unlike descriptive or narrative essays, expository essays are grounded in facts and devoid of personal emotions or opinions.

Structure of Expository Essays

• Introduction: Presents the topic and thesis statement.
• Body: Contains paragraphs that explain the topic in detail.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the information and reinforces the thesis.

Expository Essay Tips

• Stay Objective: Keep your writing free from personal bias or opinion.
• Organize Logically: Present information in a logical order that’s easy for the reader to follow.

4) Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays are the debaters, designed to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint or argument. They require the author to take a stand on an issue, present evidence, and use logic and reason to persuade the reader to adopt their perspective.

Characteristics of Persuasive Essays

• Clear Position: Clearly states the author’s stance on the issue.
• Logical Argumentation: Uses logic and reason to support the position.
• Evidence: Incorporates facts, statistics, and examples as evidence.
• Writing Tips for Different Essays

Persuasive Essay Tips

• Know Your Audience: Tailor your argument to appeal to your audience’s values and beliefs.
• Use Rhetorical Devices: Employ ethos, pathos, and logos to strengthen your argument.

Comparing and Contrasting Essay Types

While each essay type serves a unique purpose, they all require clarity, coherence, and a structured approach. The key differences lie in their objectives and the techniques used to achieve them.

Choosing the Right Type of Essay

Selecting the appropriate type of essay depends on your objectives, audience, and the message you intend to convey. Whether you aim to describe, narrate, explain, or persuade will guide your choice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Essay Writing

To excel in essay writing, be wary of common pitfalls like straying off topic, neglecting the audience, or weak structuring.

The Role of Research in Essay Writing

Research underpins effective essay writing, providing the factual basis for expository and persuasive essays, and enriching descriptive and narrative ones.

Improving Your Essay Writing Skills

Practice is key to mastery. Engage in regular writing exercises, seek feedback, and utilize resources like writing workshops or online courses.

Exploring the nuances of different essay types enriches your writing repertoire, enabling you to articulate thoughts and stories more effectively. Embrace the diversity of essays and harness their unique strengths to communicate your ideas compellingly.

Teaching methods, learning styles essay - due today...

EF_Team2 1 / 1704   Dec 11, 2007   #2 Greetings! I'm sorry, but we can't guarantee help within five hours; we try to answer all posts within 24 hours if at all possible. However, reading through your essay, I think you have very little to worry about. Your essay is well-written, makes its points logically and well, and the punctuation is remarkably good. I feel sure you will earn an excellent grade! Best of luck in your studies! Thanks, Sarah, EssayForum.com