A greater awareness of learning preferences in general, and of their own in particular, can help teachers to be more aware of their own personal teaching ‘style’

Learning more about their own teaching style does not necessarily mean that teachers should be encouraged to change their style

Teachers tend to be most effective when they teach to their own preferred style, but do so in a way that takes account of and respects different learning preferences

An awareness of different learning styles can help teachers to sustain motivation by encouraging and facilitating pupils’ use of preferred styles but also providing support when using alternative approaches.

Effective teaching involves effective organisation and management, but no single style or approach to class organisation is best

Pupils appreciate teachers who value and appreciate them as individuals

Good discipline is important, but pupils need to understand/recognise the need for it

Pupils look for consistency of approach from a teacher

Showing genuine interest in pupils’ lives is important, as is sharing aspects of your own life

Pupils respond to teachers who genuinely care about them and want them to succeed

Pupils react positively when the teacher listens and responds to their ideas rather than just assessing or judging - this will involve being prepared to deviate from the lesson plan

Pupils need to feel that the teacher is on the ball and aware of what is going on in the class

Pupils respond well to teachers who show personal enthusiasm for what they are teaching

Be aware of differences among learners e.g. preferred learning styles (see Toolkit sections on Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences). Teaching styles should accommodate all learning styles by providing opportunities to see the written word, to respond physically etc.

Be aware that pupils learn at different speeds, some pupils will require much greater support and/or time in completing tasks.

Develop a sense of when it is appropriate to move on to the next phase of teaching, when to stop and go back over things, when to pause for consolidation, when to accelerate the pace of learning.

Allow time for pupils to be actively involved in their learning, to rehearse new learning, to reflect, to do something with their new learning, to make concrete links between new and prior learning

Pay particular attention to opening and closing sessions: use established but varying routines

Pull the class together at the start to motivate, enthuse, clarify, focus

Make specific links between what has gone before and how that fits into the ‘big picture’ - be clear on the overall aims of the study

Allocate some time at the close to ‘pull’ things together, reiterating what has been learned, praising pupil effort and achievement

Use peripherals and archetypes. Visual display of the subject material around the classroom improves the long-term learning by 90%. Archetypes are positive role models

Memory maps for note taking. Use colour, bold images and space on the page to enable learners to build up their own unique way of making sense of the material.

Be clear about the appropriateness of group work: the learning outcomes should determine the method of working and will include direct interactive teaching, whole class, group and individual work

Pupils should be encouraged to work collaboratively and independently.

Use a variety of questions

Offering alternative answers gives additional listening input to the learners, gives time for reflection and is useful in developing problem-solving skills

Use open questions

Phrase ideas in straightforward language appropriate to the level of the class

Ensure careful listening to the answers given

Allow adequate thinking and answering time.

Ensure that you are available to interact with pupils as they undertake their tasks e.g. observing and listening, evaluating individual responses, intervening to support and/or inject a degree of unpredictability into the conversation

When possible, differentiate material by providing open-ended, problem-solving activities with a holistic approach to a topic

Provide opportunities to demonstrate the new knowledge

Circulate among the pupils to ensure that they remain on-task and to provide support and assistance when needed

Build in fun.   If we can build in open-mindedness, receptivity and sense of exploration to learning then outcomes will be achieved more quickly.