Matching learning and teaching style

To reduce teacher-student style conflicts, it is advocated that teaching and learning styles be matched. It is when students’ learning styles are matched with appropriate approach in teaching that their motivation, performances, and achievements will be increased and be enhanced. (Brown, 1996)

Effective matching between teaching style and learning style can only be achieved when teachers are, first of all, aware of their learner’s needs, capacities, potential and learning style preferences in meeting these needs. Teachers must use assessment instruments to know the differences in learning style within his or her class in order to serve the students to their best interest as well as to facilitate optimum learning. Matching scheme is done through the following categories:

1. Diagnosing learning style and developing self-aware learner

Before diagnosis is administered, the teacher should engage the student to a dialogue or interview to:

a. Establish interest by finding out the learning style
b. Define general terms to make the student understand your plan
c. Discuss how learning styles are determined and used by students and teacher
d. Explain how to use the result of the diagnostic



2. Altering the teaching style to create teacher-student style matching

In all academic classrooms, no matter what the subject matter, there will be subjects with multiple learning styles and students with a variety of major, minor or negative learning styles. An effective means of accommodating these learning styles is for teachers to change their own styles and strategies and provide a variety of activities to meet the needs of different learning styles.

However, the prospect of altering language instruction to somehow accommodate different learning style might seem forbidding to teachers. This reaction is understandable. Teaching styles are made up of methods and approaches with which teachers feel most comfortable; if they try to change to completely different approach, they would be forced to work entirely with unfamiliar, awkward and uncomfortable method. Fortunately, teachers who wish to address a wide variety of learning styles need not make drastic changes in their instructional approach.

3. Encouraging changes in student’s behavior and fostering guided style-stretching

Learning style is a consistent way of functioning which reflects cultural behavior patterns, and like other behaviors influenced by cultural experiences, may be revised as a result of training or changes in learning experiences. Learning styles are thus “moderately strong habits rather than intractable biological attributes”. With a moderate training, subconscious styles can become conscious learning strategies. However, all these should be best done in an international way with guidance from the teacher. For example, an important aspect of instructional style for Koreans might involve weaning from rote repetition by slowly guiding them into a real communication in authentic language situation.

4. Providing activities with different groups

In a class made up of students with various learning styles and strategies, it is always helpful for the teacher to divide the students into groups by learning style and give them activities based on their learning style. This should appeal to them because they will enjoy them and be successful. For example, the group made up of the extroverted may need the chance to express some ideas orally in the presence of one or many class members. On the other hand, the group made up of the introverted may need some encouragement to share ideas aloud and may want the safety of jotting down a few notes first and perhaps sharing with one other person before being invited or expected to participate in a group discussion.

In addition to trying style-alike groups for greatest efficiency, the teacher can also use style-varied groups for generating greatest flexibility of styles and behaviors. Teacher should avoid grouping introverts with each other all the time. It is often helpful to include open students and closure-oriented students in the same group; the former will make learning livelier and more fun, while the latter will ensure that the task is done on time and in good order. But before students are divided into groups, they should be aware of the divisions and understand what they are doing and why they are doing it.