Coach and Performer

Teaching Styles

A ‘teaching style’ is the method a teacher uses to instruct a person or group. Better teachers and coaches can use a variety of styles; they will not rely on one teaching style alone. Instead they will change their approach depending on the situation and the members of the group. Before a selecting a particular teaching style the coach must consider a number of factors that will determine the effectiveness of the teaching style. These factors are categorised into learner characteristics, situational characteristics, task characteristics and teacher characteristics.

Spectrum of Teaching Styles (Mosston & Ashworth, 1986, 2002).

Mosston and Ashworth designed a continuum or ‘spectrum’ that categorised different teaching styles. Each style is represented by a letter on the model. The teaching style at A is the command style, whilst K is self-teaching. The spectrum that they developed clearly shows the proportion of input from the teacher and the learners in each teaching style. You can see that at A the teacher makes all decisions whereas K is learner led. For example if you chose to learn how to play an instrument or how to speak a foreign language from books in your own time with no help from anyone then this is self teaching. Not all styles are assessed on the A level PE syllabuses but the ones you need to know are included on this site.

Command Style

The command style (point A) of teaching is sometimes called the didactic method. An aerobics or similar fitness instructor will usually use this method when leading a class. Using this teaching style means the teacher is in total control as they make all the decisions, with little or no input from the learners. This style is very similar to the authoritarian leader. The command style is an effective way of teaching a new skill, particularly when the group are beginners. The teacher presents clear information on skills and these are then learnt correctly. In situations where there are time constraints for example a football manager needs to give a team talk before the team plays extra time after drawing a match so the command style is used so tactics can be quickly communicated to the team. This style is also good in dangerous situations, such as rock climbing, as it is important that the coach/teacher monitors the group and controls behaviour to ensure safety. When working with large groups the command style is also preferred as behaviour is controlled and directed.

Guided Discovery Style

In the guided discovery style of teaching (point F) the teacher acts a as facilitator and gives prompts to help a learner find the best solution to a problem. For example in a baseball or softball lesson on hitting a coach may ask a novice group to work out what the best technique is to hit the ball. He/she may instruct the group to try different grips, for example both hands together or hands apart, he/she may also tell them to try different stances (e.g. wide stance or feet closer together). The students will hopefully work out the best solution with these initial prompts from the teacher. Another example could be how to score in 3 v 2 situations in hockey. Advantages of the discovery style is that it allows more than one solution to the problem and the variety of approaches to be developed encourage creativity in the learners. This in turn develops the learner’s decision making skills and the use of cognitive skills allows learners to think for themselves, encouraging independence and taking responsibility for their learning. The understanding of the task is increased and skills are easier to remember, the learners are able to work at one’s own pace and this increases motivation, and their sense of achievement. The nature of the tasks in discovery learning is often more interesting and improves confidence and communication skills, group interaction and team work.

Problem Solving Style

The problem solving style of teaching followed guided discovery on the first spectrum in, however, it was removed from later versions. In this style the teacher sets an activity or open-ended questions that allow the performer to produce their own interpretation of the task. Dance is a suitable medium for this approach, where a performer is asked to respond to a theme, with the capability of selecting their own music to support their interpretation of the theme.

An advantage of the problem solving style is that it increases the learner’s understanding of the skill and task, as the performer learns to make their own decisions it presents a more challenging and interesting learning environment. This style presents the learner with a variety of approaches and it can be exciting for them to have independence over the task and ultimate self-satisfaction when the task is successfully completed. Disadvantages of the problem solving style are that it requires learners to have confidence and the ability to express themselves. Learners need to have a broad knowledge of the topic in question and without this the process can be time consuming and learning is slower, ultimately the individual may find it difficult to know what has been learnt and could learn incorrectly.