What kind of teacher are you?

Years ago, in an educational conference, we were posed one question: what kind of teacher are you? Before you rush to answer “a good one” – which is exactly what I felt tempted to say at that time – you might want to take some time to think about it.

One famous teaching style is the “traditional” one. It pretty much presupposes students seated in orderly rows, taking notes and doing exercises, teacher transmitting knowledge in solo explanations, and writing things on the board. Some have called it the “chalk and talk” method.

Another very well-known style is the “entertainer”. It describes the teacher who tells stories and jokes, talks galore while students are expected to passively absorb knowledge through laughter and entertainment.

Although these two styles are often described as opposite, they share one, if not more, essential characteristic: they are teacher-centred. The focus is on the teacher, whether…