Different ways of teaching, different pedagogical approaches

Every teacher develops his/her own way of teaching, he/she uses a personal pedagogy. This is often
defined as the way teachers teach their pupils. According to the literature, there are different kinds of
pedagogies. The pedagogies I find interesting, are:
- Learning by listening
- Discovery learning
- Learning by doing
- Learning through discussion and debate
- Blended learning
These pedagogical constructs are used in varying degrees and in different ways in different disciplines
and in varying amounts. Ill describe every kind of pedagogy and the way it can be implemented in a
digital environment, like Blackboard.
Learning by listening
This kind of pedagogy is also called the learning by being told model (Bourne et al, 1997). Its a very
traditional form with lectures as the main activity. This way of teaching is economical for the lecturer but
rarely useful for the learner. It only succeeds when the instruction is very dynamic, but often the learners
think that the lectures are dull. When the traditional lecture is recorded, it can be put on a digital
environment so the students can view it online. It can be viewed by a lot of students and you only need
one lecturer. However, people who view these on-line lectures think that the lectures in this format are not
very useful (Bourne et al, 1997). There is no interaction with the instructor, so little learning takes place.
Although it isnt effective for the learning outcomes, it has the possibility to replay the lectures. This isnt
possible in a traditional face-to-face setting.
Discovery learning
This kind of learning used to be associated with searching for information in a library. Students came to
the library, searched for literature and discovered solutions to solve an authentic problem. Nowadays, with
the use of the Internet, a lot of searching is done on the Web. According to the literature of Bourne et al
(1997), Web searches are often much better than traditional library searching.
Discovery learning is also defined as a highly self-directed and constructivistic form of learning (de Jong &
van Joolingen, 1998). A constructivistic form of learning calls for a multiplicity of perspectives so that
learners have a full range of options from which to construct their own knowledge. The instructor provides
coaching or scaffolding to assist students in their discovery, but he/she would not overly direct the
learning process (Reeves, 1994). This also relates to the choices that the learners make with regards to
their learning routes as well as their place and pace of learning. The learners often use a self-study way
in combination with discovery learning. This type of learning is mostly designed for individual students and
focuses on reading. Assessment can be self-organized via Web-based tests and communication with
other students and/or instructors in limited (de Boer, 2004).
Learning by doing
Learning by doing is a kind of a hands-on experience, so its a very practical form of learning. This kind
of learning is often adopted in science studies where students gain their knowledge in laboratories. They
practice their skills and test their knowledge in a very practical setting. With the use of the Web, the
practical settings are also offered in online-learning environments. The students can do the simulations in
the online environment and write their knowledge, questions and critique and can get feedback from a lot
of people. But practicing things on a screen isnt practical enough. The learning by doing pedagogy is the
most effective in a traditional setting where students can create their own things. The writing and critiquing
part, is of course very effective in an online-learning setting because a lot of students and experts have
access to give and get feedback.
Learning through discussion and debate
The effectiveness of this kind of learning depends most on the context factors, like the group size and the
role of the instructor. In the past, discussions and debates were organized in real settings with real
people. The most effective learning outcomes were gained in a small class with an effective instructor.

Nowadays, the discussions and debates are very popular because they are used in online environments.
This kind of learning has become very effective because of using Web technology in educational settings.
Theres a lot of interaction involved in this kind of learning, and this is very effective. Students can use the
discussion part to chat with each other, but also to share documents. They can communicate and
collaborate with each other in a very flexible way.
Blended learning
It seems that a lot of social interactivity like body language, greeting, socializing and face-to-face contact
are very important in education. So the question rises whether the use of web technology is always the
best solution. To answer this question, blended learning comes up. This kind of learning is a new
development in technology based and/or supported learning. It can be defined as a way to design
courses that blends different kinds of delivery and learning methods that can be enabled and/or supported
by technology with traditional teaching methods (de Boer, 2004). The way blended learning is
implemented, can be associated with the stretching-the-mold approach. The traditional sort of lectures,
assignments and study expectation can be the basic elements within this approach. But what becomes
more flexible, or stretched, is the way in which students can carry out or participate in these. (de Boer,
2004)
A lot of pedagogies can be distinguished, but I think that a lot of teachers use some elements of all these
pedagogies. They can create their own pedagogical approach with their own important elements. The
blended learning approach is my favorite because it combines different teaching approaches and learning
styles. It is a rather flexible approach in which every teacher and every learner can regulate his/her own
way of teaching and learning.