Why would teaching styles affect how a student learns? There are many different teaching styles but two of them are the most common nowadays. These styles are lectures and independent work. The lecture is when the teacher just talks about a topic, and the independent work is when the teacher gives students work to figure out and learn the topic on their own. In many studies, it was shown that students enjoy the lecture method better than the independent method. Thus, a proves lecture method helps students understand a topic better, compared to the independent method.

Do students understand a topic more if a topic more if a teacher lectures them about it or if the students are left to learn about it themselves? According to the hypothesis, some students would be struggling while others succeed. While walking around Brooklawn Middle School, many observations were made. In many classes, students were working independently on schoolwork. It was noticed that in almost all the classes, a teacher was helping one of the students. This revealed that the students were confused or needed help. It had also been observed that many students were off-topic when the teacher walked away to help another student. This evidence makes clear that the hypothesis was correct. Many students were succeeding with school work, but others were struggling.

Students have a hard time learning with some strategies. In the article, “Lessons in Learning,” it is stated that “...though students felt as if they learned more through traditional lectures…” (Reuell). This fact reveals that students feel like they understand a topic through lectures more. Another piece from the article expressed “But many students and faculty remained hesitant to switch to it [independent learning]” (Reuell). This indicates that students and teachers are cautious about switching to and using the independent learning strategy. According to the “Guided vs Independent Practice” article “Students may participate in guided learning… then shift to independent practice” (Cox). This has become a common strategy and it has a positive effect on students. This source makes it clear that educators should try this strategy because it gives students a chance to learn the topic and practice alone on it. All of this evidence adds up to show that students have a hard time learning because of certain strategies. 

Teaching style can affect the way a student learns in many ways. It was made evident that many students prefer when a teacher lectures about a subject rather than when they let the students go and do work independently on it. Many educators are using both methods now to test and see which helps students learn better. In conclusion, teaching styles play an important part in understanding and learning, causing educators to use many strategies.

Works Cites

Harvard. 4 Sept. 2019, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.

TeachHub. 21 Aug. 2020, www.teachhub.com/professional-development/2020/08/guided-vs-independent-practice/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2023.