A level PE Teaching Styles Essay

Teaching Styles Essay Sample 1

Discuss how an individual's style of teaching can change according to the type of activity, group dynamics and environment.

Command, reciprocal and problem based are three different teaching methods, which can be adopted to efficiently teach a class.

Primary school teachers often adopt a command style, whereby the teacher makes all the decisions and the students perform the same task at the same pace, although pupils should be given different amounts of freedom to respond depending on learning objectives and variances in ability levels. The teacher explains and demonstrates to the class. Examples of this style can be observed in classes of dance, gymnastics and aerobics. Command style is efficient for primary school children as they have a short concentration span and they need to be kept occupied and ‘with its ability to elicit a high degree of uniformity, conformity and efficiency in time use, is often adopted if the objective is to teach a specific skill within a relatively short period of time; (Toole & Arink, 1982). The teachers could use reciprocal style of teaching when the task is simple and does not require much responsibility from the children. I observed a class where the task was throwing a ball to one another in pairs. The children adapted well to the task as they found it fun and the teacher still had control over the class. I do not think a complex task would work as the children would lose interest and focus on something else. Particular skills could be taught in whole method such as a lay-up so the children can perform the skill fluently. A lay-up consists of a dribble, approach, takeoff and shot, I observed children being taught this in part method and noticed that they found it hard linking the separate skills together, they also lost interest and just started shooting. Lesson times are short and so teaching in part method would require more lesson time and could result in the children losing interest.

By teaching children command style, the teacher has more control over the class and of the situation. If the teacher were to adopt a problem based style it would be completely ineffective as the children would have too much responsibility and they would not know how to respond to it.

Secondary schools tend to use a varied range of teaching method. ‘The major difference between command reciprocal teaching is that the students assume more responsibility for observing the performance of their peers and providing feedback on each attempt.’ (Mosston & Ashworth, 1986) Classes have a varied range of ability and teachers need to adopt teaching methods that benefit everyone. Reciprocal teaching tends to be favoured by the teachers I have studied. They tend to begin in a command style to reinforce discipline to the group and then the teacher changes to reciprocal style. This allows the group to be motivated and interested. If the class were taught in command style, students would tend to lose concentration and enthusiasm. This response is different when the class is taught using reciprocal style, where the students are given more responsibility for their learning. The teacher demonstrates the skills and then the students will perform the skills in partners, whilst the teacher moves among the students, helping to clarify the task, and giving additional assistance if necessary. This style is effective but with a big class, the teacher may not be able to spend a lot of time with each pair especially if students are incorrectly performing the skill and the teacher is unable to rectify the problem. I was observing a class with thirty pupils in and the skill they were performing was an Indian dribble. I noticed that one particular person had great problems with this. Throughout the lesson the teacher was always occupied with helping other pupils and by the end of the lesson the teacher was unable to speak to the person and the problem was not rectified.

When the objective was to develop social skills then reciprocal style was most appropriate’(Goldberger, 1992) Reciprocal style requires a good communication between the partners and it allows the teacher to differentiate between less able and advanced performers. The less able performers are able to observe the advanced performers to improve their own skills. 'It can enhance the self-image of the learners’ (Dougherty & Bonanno, 1987) The image of being an instructor and assisting in the learning process can be a rewarding experience for a learner. ‘Reciprocal learners have also been found to provide more feedback, express more empathy, offer more praise and encouragement to each other, and request more feedback from one another.’ (Goldberger,1992) Although this may be beneficial, using reciprocal style does have drawbacks, such as, if there are disruptive pupils in the class, the teacher would not trust them and would have to supervise them. This would be a disadvantage to the rest of the class and therefore the teacher would have to teach in a command style to the whole class.

Weather conditions can affect student’s performances outside. I studied a class when the weather was freezing. Everyone stood still, there was no motivation and the feedback to the teacher negative. The teacher had to tell the pupils exactly what to do, whilst making the lesson contain plenty of activity. Therefore I came to the conclusion that using reciprocal and problem based styles are ineffective in this condition and a command style approach is required.

To give students even more responsibility, teachers use a problem based style of teaching where the students are given an open task, such as finding how many basketball tricks they can do, like putting the ball between your legs at different speeds. The teacher would give them no prompts on specific skills and would allow the students to work without constant supervision, although the teacher would keep an eye on them to ensure they are completing the task. If the students were not responding to the task then the teacher would see what they have achieved and give them a few prompts. This style is aimed at the more advanced students or where communication and solid skills are the focus, so the teacher could work more closely with the less able performers where they would be working in a reciprocal way.

All of the teaching styles have their advantages and disadvantages and no one style should be used exclusively. Dougherty & Bonanno (1987) suggested using different styles to suit the needs of the learners and the situation.