Classroom Snapshot

1. How are the learners seated /standing in

the room?
2. What is happening? (e.g. “Teacher is
explaining something”)
3. Who is talking? Who is doing any other
things?
4. Describe:
– atmosphere
– levels of engagement in the room
When you picture “a teacher” in your
head, what images first come to your
mind?
blah ,blah
,blah,….
 Traditional Teaching
Spends a lot of class time using the board and
explaining things (transmitting knowledge) with
occasional questions to or from the learners

After explanations, Students

teacher has students Keeps control listen,
do some practice of the subject concentrate
exercises to test matter , and take
whether they have notes
understood
 Teacher

Learner

• Knowledge is poured from one receptacle

into an empty one.
• The teacher is the knower passing over
knowledge to the students.
• What is explained or demonstrated by the
teacher leads to students’ learning.
 TEACHING = LEARNING
• Teaching does not necessarily lead to
learning.
• Learning demands energy and attention
from the learner.

Is it possible for a teacher to be putting

great effort into his/her teaching and no
learning to be taking place?
 How useful are explanations?
• Language learning doesn’t benefit from
long explanations.
• Language learners need:
– to play with and communicate with the
language in safe ways
– to get feedback on their performance

Ability to use language is more of a skill you

learn by trying to do it = playing soccer, riding a
bicycle, etc.
The Experiential Learning Cycle
Teaching and the Experiential Learning Cycle

“Information, feedback, guidance and support from

other people may come in at any of the five steps of
the cycle, but the essential learning experience is in
doing the thing yourself.”
What makes the difference between
a room where people are defensive
and anxious, and a room where
people feel able to be honest and
take risks?

There is rapport between

teachers and students.
 Teacher’s characteristics that help to
create an effective learning
environment
respect empathy authenticity

listens to trusts people does not

his/her is fair
students complicate
things
unnecessarily

inspires confidence understands

students’ problems
 Three Kinds of Teacher

Subject Matter Methodology People

Explainer 
Involver  

Enabler   

It is important for the methodology students to know

that every teacher has elements of Underhill’s three
categories of teachers depending on the day, the
class, the aims of a lesson, and the nature of the
activities.
Designed as a companion for “Learning
Teaching” Methodology I by C. Moscoso
Office of Academic Research - ICPNA