AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
emphasised, as it is also claimed by the above authors, that
teachers´ reflected pedagogical experience is more
beneficial than the un-reflected, or accumulated,
experience.
Pedagogical knowledge, skills and experience that, to a
certain extent, overlap with the preceding layer and are
most influenceable.
Taking into account the above definitions of teaching style by
several authors, it is important to draw attention to the factors, or
determinants, which may significantly influence it. In recent
years, there have been more frequent discussions concerning
teaching profession, especially as regards the changing, as well
as increasing, conditions for
this work. J. Průcha et al. (2009)
claim that for the performance of teaching professions, two-level
working conditions have been created within the school system.
In case of the first level, it is possible to speak about the
conditions given by social factors, legislative norms and higher
interventions, that is, conditions from the “outside”, or, in other
words, out of school. The external conditions of work, as factors
influencing the teacher´s work as well as, naturally, his/her
teaching style, may include legislative norms, the status of
teaching profession, teachers´ career possibilities, measure of
school´s or teacher´s competences, financial reward, and many
others. External conditions for teachers work determine not only
attractivity of the profession, but a personal stability of teaching
staff or schools educational effects. Internal conditions of
teachers work, partially created by the school, include conditions
of personal nature (teaching staff qualification, quality of
pupils), conditions related to technical parameters (number of
pupils in a classroom, material equipment) as well as social
conditions (school climate, relations among teachers, relations
with parents or with the public), and so on
(Průcha, J. et al.,
2009). According to M. Sirotová (2000, p. 118), teaching style
may be determined by the following factors:
1.
social-historical conditions (the impact of changing social
orders, economic and political conditions in individual
periods was changing and shaping dominant styles),
2.
teachers personal experience and qualities (every teacher´s
pedagogical impact is affected by his/her own experience,
but also his/her personal qualities, education and
pedagogical practice),
3.
qualities and experience of pupils (e.g. behaviours of
pupils at lessons).
There is no doubt that many of the mentioned factors have direct
impact also on teaching style itself. Having to take into account a
great number of factors found in both domestic and foreign
literature, we propose to classify them into five groups, not
considering their number within the proposed groups to be final.
We primarily draw on the research of C. A. Evans (2003), and
propose to classify them to the following five groups based on
certain signs:
factors related to teacher´s pedagogical and personal
history,
factors related to teacher´s individual qualities and
characteristics,
factors related to pupils´ individual qualities and
characteristics,
factors related to school, or educational environment,
other significant factors related to teaching profession.
The paper is focused on a group of factors related to the
teacher´s pedagogical and personal history. The identification
of a measure of influence of individual selected factors on
teachers´ teaching styles is the subject of the research to which
closer attention is paid in the empirical part of the paper. The
following factors are included into the given group:
style of family upbringing,
teachers´ own teaching experience (their teaching style),
knowledge and skills in a given field (acquired during the
professional training, theoretical as well practical),
experience acquired in the position of a beginner teacher,
success teachers experienced as pupils/students, or as
learners,
knowledge from individual subjects at primary educational
level,
previous participation in further education and self-study
as forms of self-education,
preferred way of learning, i.e. learning style.
L. Fenyvesiová (2013) has pointed out that knowing one´s own
prevailing style is a precondition of effective self-reflection and
consequent self-improvement. It is possible to state that
consequently also the targeted analysis itself, or self-diagnostics
of factors influencing teaching style, may be equally effective
means of self-reflection.
2.1 Classification of teaching styles
Teachers differ from one another by a set of personality as well
as professional traits. It means that they are reflected in a
teacher´s teaching style. Nowadays there are several
classifications of teaching styles, defined by the authors on the
basis of their various criteria. They may include, for example:
classification of teaching styles according to teachers
impact on pupils (Flanders, N. A., 1970),
classification of teaching styles according to methods
applied in teaching as well as type of interaction between
teachers and pupils and pupils themselves (Grasha, A. F.,
1996),
classification of teaching styles according to a
philosophical and psychological conception (based on the
idea of ideal teaching procedure) (Fenstermacher, G. D.,
Soltis, J. F., 2008),
classification of teaching styles according to the way of its
management, relation to pupils and a classroom climate
(Turek, I., 2014), etc.
This paper draws on the classification of teaching styles by A. F.
Grasha (1996) who describes five types of teaching styles:
The Expert (so-called information carrier) – having knowledge,
skills and expertise needed by pupils. To preserve their expert
status among pupils, teachers show detailed knowledge and
invite pupils to increase their abilities and competences. They
are concerned with the mediation of information, which is to
ensure that pupils are well prepared.
Formal authority. Teachers with this teaching style determine
criteria and define acceptable ways of work. It is a teacher-
centred approach, meaning that teachers feel responsibility for
providing as well as control of certain contents expected to be
accepted and assimilated by pupils. This teaching style is
characteristic by a lack of interest in the creation of a personal
attitude to pupils, because what is important is the building of
relationships among pupils.
Personal model is a teaching style characteristic by teaching
through illustrations and direct example. Like in teacher-centred
approach – teachers here demonstrate and model what is
expected (skills and processes) and act as trainers or guides,
assisting pupils in applying the acquired knowledge. The
teachers who prefer a personal model teaching style encourage
pupils´ participation in and use of variable teaching styles. This
style´s advantage is its emphasis on direct observation following
personal example. A disadvantage of this style is teachers´ belief
that their approach is the best way to lead pupils to feeling
incapable if they fail to fulfil required expectations and
standards.
The Facilitator is a teaching style characteristic by its leading
and directing pupils though questions, discovering possibilities,
proposing alternatives. It is a pupil-centred approach, i.e.
teachers facilitate and their attention is focused on activities.
What is interesting in this teaching style is that teachers lead
pupils to the responsibility to take over the initiative and thus
achieve results in various tasks. Independent, active and
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