Introduction to Teaching Strategies

Strategies are the ways of achieving goals. Teaching Strategies provide guide lines for teaching in or
outside the classroom, and help the teacher in achieving the instructional objectives to the optimum.

Teaching is often describes as either teacher centered or learner centered. In teacher centered
approach, teacher plays a more direct, active and authoritarian role but in learner centered approach
the emphasis is on the learner and teacher’s role is shifted from autocracy to a guide, mentor or a
facilitator

Two types of strategies are being adopted on primary level in Pakistan

1. Expository Strategy
Didactic teaching

The present predominant strategy in our school may be called either didactic teaching or expository
teaching rather lecture-presentation

Lecturing by teachers comprise one-sixth to one-fourth of all classroom time but in Pakistan this time is
almost more than three-fourth. Lecturing remains a popular teaching strategy at elementary level in
Pakistan.

The disadvantages of this strategy are quite obvious: (1) many people don’t have the cognitive ability to
cope with the symbolic qualities of this mode. Therefore, the ability to understand and apply the
material is limited. (2) The students may not exert the cognitive energy to understand or apply the
learned material unless forced by the teacher via corporal punishment or extrinsic motivation, or test
etc. which have their own limitations. (3) As the information are coming from teacher side (one way
communication), the students show less interest to grasp or perceive the content.

2. Enabling Strategy
Discovery teaching, heuristic teaching, or enabling teaching. Role playing, simulation, brainstorming,
socio-drama, inquiry, laboratory activities, etc. are the examples of this type of strategy.

This strategy based on the idea that: (1) a person learns knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs meaningfully
when they are active member of the activity to be performed; (2) a person will act most probably, on
the generalizations those arise from some one’s own activity or from cooperative or collaborative
activity to whom he /she is the member; (3) the student can see the relationship between the variables
(ideas and activities) when he is mentally and physically involved; (4) the teacher’s role is as a guide,
facilitator, enable, challenge, advisor or stimulate the students to learn; (5) there is an intrinsic
motivation to learn, or to solve a problem, or to resolve a conflict
 Difference between Method and Teaching Strategy
Davis (1997) suggests that the design and selection of teaching methods must take into account not only
the nature of the subject matter but also how students learn (by hearing only, by audio-visual, through
activities, demonstration, etc.)

Teaching Method is “an Objective oriented activities and flow of information in order between teachers
and students”, while teaching strategy is “a carefully prepared plan involving a sequence of steps
designed to achieve the desired goals”.

The choice of selecting teaching method primarily depends on teacher’s educational philosophy,
classroom environment, subject area (s), class size, and school mission statement. Teaching strategies
are the broader, and their construction includes educational philosophy, teaching objectives, learning
principles, desired learning activities, feedback, and motivating tactics

Different Styles of Teaching

1. Autocratic Style
In autocratic style of teaching, the teachers have a formal authority and tend to focus on content. This
style is generally teacher-centered, where the teacher feels responsible for providing and controlling the
flow of the content and the student is expected to receive the content. That is, the teacher is active and
the learner is the passive listener.

Teachers with this teaching style are not as concerned with building interpersonal relationships with
their students nor is it as important that their students form relationships with other students. This type
of teacher’s style minimizes the participation of his students in the class or any learning situation. This
type of teacher only teaches the truth. We may call this model of teaching as "Sage on the stage" model.

The teacher’s role in this teaching style is of as a director who provides directions to his students, and
illuminates the content and materials so that the students can see the importance of the material and
appreciate the discipline.

Some teachers with this style either dictate or demonstrate in the setting (classroom, laboratory,
playground, etc.) and tend to run teacher-centered classes with an emphasis on demonstration and
modeling

This teaching style promotes learning through listening and following directions. Mostly, there is a one
way communication (from teacher to the students) and teacher communicates information to the
students via lecturing / presentation, assigned readings, audio/visual presentations, demonstrations,
role playing, and other means.

2. Permissive Style
In permissive or democratic style of teaching, the teachers have a less authority and tend to focus on the
students instead of content
Teachers typically design group activities which necessitate active learning, peer group learning, and
problem solving. This style promotes learning through empowerment

Barnes reports three different styles of teaching: (1) closed (a formal, didactic style with little or no
negotiation between teacher and the students); (2) framed (where an overall structure for a lesson was
given by the teacher but within that there was room for students’ own contributions); (3) negotiated
(where teacher and the students largely negotiated the content and learning activities between
themselves). There is no one best teaching style. Effective teachers use a variety of styles, and they
know how and when to choose the most appropriate one for the specific situation.