The Spectrum of Teaching Styles: From Command to Discovery

This book helps practicing and prospective teachers to: (1) identify the decision patterns that define teaching styles and are common to the teacher-learner situation; (2) identify the specific decisions in each pattern; and (3) define the relationships among the various patterns and understand how to use them in classroom situations. The fundamental position of the book is that teaching is governed by a single, unifying process of decision making, and that every act of teaching is the consequence of a prior decision. Decision making is the central behavior that governs how students and subject matter are organized, as well as time, space, and equipment; and how teachers interact with students, choose their verbal behavior, construct the climate in the classroom, and create and conduct the cognitive connections with learners.