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How to Explain Teaching Styles for First Grade Teachers

First grade teachers have the opportunity to set the tone for a child's entire educational journey. Current educational literature and educational studies highlight competing theories of teaching styles, from teacher-centered to student-centered approaches. There are many elements within an individual teaching style, including psychological approaches, classroom management techniques and professional characteristics. The main element, though, is how the teacher imparts knowledge to the students. One way to explain the different styles to first grade teachers is to demonstrate each of them.

Instructions

    • 1

      Decide on a topic to use to illustrate the different teaching styles. Pick something that first grade teachers teach to their students, such as information about insects as part of the science curriculum, or safety rules and their purpose. Write down, in note form, all the points that you want to cover.

    • 2

      Present your information in a lecture format. This is the didactic teaching style. Aim for a five minute lecture. Start with an introduction to the subject and raise each of your points in turn. Face the audience when you talk and use PowerPoint slides as illustration if you want. Don't stop talking and don't ask for questions -- just keep on going. At the end of the lecture, ask the teachers how they felt about listening for that length of time. Ask them to behave as their first grade students would, and repeat the lecture. Discuss if there are any circumstances in which this would be a good teaching style for six-year-olds.

    • 3

      Start the Socratic method of teaching by saying "good morning' to the group and asking them how they are. Ask if they have any questions about your subject matter. Answer the questions as they arise but also ask the other teachers if they know the answers or have anything to contribute to the discussion. Ask questions of your own about the subject matter that the first grade teachers are able to answer. Discuss how to encourage first graders to participate in this Socratic question-and-answer method of teaching, and whether six-year-old children can stay focused throughout the process.

    • 4

      Develop a case study regarding your subject matter to illustrate the problem-based teaching style. Write this down in the form of a problem -- an insect is hungry and has to collect food, or a first grader needs to cross the road. Indicate what results the class needs to achieve in solving this particular problem. Hand out the case-study sheets and state that the group will work through this together. Ask them to identify the different elements of the problem and to suggest solutions. Prompt them along with way with questions of your own to introduce elements and analysis that they do not come up with. Discuss whether this method is suitable for first graders who are just learning to read. Are there other ways to present the problem? Do they have enough information about the topic to suggest solutions?

    • 5

      Use the same case study to illustrate the kinesthetic teaching style. Greet the group, introduce the topic and explain why it's important. State that some teachers within the group are going to role play the situation -- an insect finding food or a child needing to cross the road -- and the rest will offer suggestions for the actors to try. Ask for volunteers to act the scene. Offer suggestions as needed to the actors and invite them to try particular solutions to the problem. Ensure that the teachers who are playing the roles of the students respond in appropriate ways. Encourage discussion at the end as to the suitability of this method for first grade students. How will the teachers balance encouraging the children to participate and keeping order? What about children that do not want to participate? Does this foster a team environment or will there be "stars" who do all the acting? Does this matter?

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