How can you help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style?
As a mentor, you want to help diverse teachers grow and thrive in their profession. But how can you support them to develop their own teaching style that reflects their identity, values, and goals? In this article, you will learn some strategies to guide diverse teachers in finding and refining their unique voice and approach in the classroom.
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Dr. Aikyna Finch, PCC, CAISDirector of DEIB and Certified Coach and AI Specialist | Author, Contributor, Educator, Podcaster, TEDx Speaker, DEIB…
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Hussnain ShahEducator | Mental Health Counsellor | Writer & Editor
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Akbar AliHead of English Department at Chittagong Grammar School, Dhaka. An IGCSE English Language Teacher, Teachers' Trainer &…
The first step to help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style is to understand their context. This means learning about their background, culture, strengths, challenges, aspirations, and motivations. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, listening actively, and showing empathy and respect. By understanding their context, you can tailor your feedback, suggestions, and resources to their specific needs and interests.
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OK, I do want to comment on this matter. I don't like the phrase "diverse teacher." We get into all sorts of problems and questions. The Education Establishment has a genius for keeping everybody distracted. There is too much attention given to subordinate and secondary matters. What we want is skilled teachers. This requires two things: one, an ample knowledge of the subject you are teaching; and two, a warm enthusiasm for school in general, for your subject, and for your students. That's it. Here is Price's Pedagogy Rule #1. Make a list of 10 or 20 things that you want every student to know at the end of the year. Start off teaching the easiest and most fun items on the lists. Build up momentum.
The second step to help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style is to encourage self-reflection. This involves helping them to assess their beliefs, assumptions, values, and goals as educators. You can do this by providing reflective prompts such as what their core beliefs are about teaching and learning, how they express their identity and culture in their teaching, what their strengths and areas for improvement are, what their short-term and long-term goals are, and how they measure their impact and effectiveness. Through this process of self-reflection, teachers can articulate and clarify their teaching philosophy and vision.
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As a professor, self-reflection is powerful. When I am teaching a class, I pay attention to every interaction and see if I see patterns or things that stand out. From self-reflection, I learned that I am a student-focused teacher who crafts my lessons with storytelling and practical examples to resonate with the students in the class. So, the content may be the same, but I will tailor how I deliver it for understanding. Once I was aware of this I then worked to perfect my delivery and style.
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This is an important piece of background information. 30 years ago Rita Kramer wrote her book titled Ed School Follies. Her thesis was that ed schools were a big part of our problem. In other words, that's where the dumbing down started. Lots of Mickey Mouse that no adult should bother with. Lots of tinkering with the obvious. So just because somebody learned an idea in ed school does not mean it's a good idea. I finally confirmed that Rita Kramer died several months ago. Now I can write an article about her book and her thoughts as she interviewed her way around the country. A charming woman from what I can tell, and very smart. .....to be continued
Exposing diverse teachers to diverse models is the third step to help them develop their own teaching style. This could involve introducing them to effective and innovative teaching practices from various sources, such as other teachers in your school or network, online platforms, books, articles, or research. Through this exposure, they can explore and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies and techniques. For example, they can learn from blogs, podcasts, or videos that showcase diverse teachers and their teaching styles. Ultimately, this will help them to create a style that works for them.
The fourth step to help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style is to support them to experiment. This means giving them the opportunity and freedom to try out new ideas, methods, or tools in their teaching. To do this, create a safe and supportive environment where they can take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. Additionally, provide constructive and specific feedback that highlights what worked well and what could be improved. Celebrate their successes and achievements and acknowledge their efforts and growth - this will help them discover and refine what works best for them and their students.
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A lot of notes here suggest that you can keep adding on techniques and methods. An all old rock n roll song kept coming into my mind: working my way back to you, babe. I think that you want to get rid of the fluff, and cling ever more desperately to the essentials. I think the fundamental trick, if you want to call it that, is to keep focused on the wonderful information and knowledge contained in the course, and make sure that your students will never forget it. No teacher, diverse or otherwise, should feel that tinkering is what it's all about.
The fifth step to help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style is to foster their autonomy. You can empower them to make their own decisions, choices, and plans for their teaching by asking them what they want to learn, improve, or change in their teaching. Invite them to set their own goals, action steps, and indicators of success and encourage them to seek out resources, mentors, or peers that can support their learning and development. By fostering autonomy, you can help them take ownership and responsibility for their teaching style.
The sixth step to help diverse teachers develop their own teaching style is to review and revise. This means helping them to monitor and evaluate their progress and impact as teachers. To do this, ask them to collect and analyze evidence of their teaching practice, such as student work, feedback, observations, or assessments. Additionally, engage them in regular and meaningful conversations about their teaching style, such as what they learned, what they enjoyed, what they struggled with, and what they want to change. Furthermore, encourage them to update and adjust their teaching philosophy, vision, and goals based on their reflections and feedback. By reviewing and revising in this way, you can help them to continuously improve and refine their teaching style.
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