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Brainstorming:

This is teaching style which allows for the students to participate in a whole class group discussion on topics addressed in the course. 

Strengths: 

This instructional style allows for the students to hear other perspectives of the topics from their peers as well as their teacher. Brainstorming is a good activity to introduce new topics and gauge how much the students know about it and how inclined they are towards the topic at hand. This form of teaching also allows for students to have more ideas present to them when it comes to assignments; more ideas of what to write about, or even a new idea that could cause them to research a part of the topic that interests them that became apparent to them during the brainstorm.  New ideas will be presented to all of the students at once in this form of instruction as well as allows for them to have a part in what they are learning as the brainstorm is built off of their own individual ideas coming together.  

Weaknesses: 

Weaknesses present themselves in brainstorming the same way as in any large group discussions. Students may have limited participation in the brainstorm due to the amount of students in the class and the time limit that may be permitted by the length of the class time.  Introverted students may be less inclined to participate in the activity due to shyness. As well, a group mentality may form among some students where a ‘group think’ may happen and thus some students may all conform to one opinion or idea causing others to become hesitant to speak against that idea out of fear of straying from the group.

Scaffolding:

Scaffolding is an instructional method in which students are provided assistance to complete tasks. After periods of time the assistance is slowly reduced as the students improve and understand the outcome being taught until it is removed when the student is capable of completing the tasks alone. 

Strengths: 

This style of instruction enables students to learn at their own pace and allows for them to be less frustrated as they are never over challenged by a task. This also allows them to have independence in their learning and builds a constructive classroom as students are encouraged to complete their assignments without the frustration that may have interfered otherwise.  Students are not overwhelmed by their tasks or assignments as they have the guidance to assist them and thus builds their confidence in the material they are learning. The students are very engaged in their learning as it builds off of what they already know and is never too hard or too easy for them, thus keeping them active in their learning. This type of instruction is very motivational towards the students and only challenges students’ knowledge as much as they can handle at a time.

Weaknesses: 

The major weakness with this method is that it is time consuming and very individualized to each student. Each student will learn at their own pace which makes it hard for teachers to have scheduled lesson plans that they can commit to; some outcomes can take longer than others for the students to master. If their time to learn the material is cut short students may become frustrated by this as they feel they do not have the time to master the task through the scaffolding method.This could also lead to the class falling behind in completing the outcomes which is a problem that must be avoided as all the learning outcomes must be covered and taught to the students.  

Direct instruction:

Strengths: 

This form of instruction allows for teachers to be able to easily alter their style to best fit their students needs and is a very efficient approach to teaching. Teachers using this common method can deliver detailed instruction and provide the learners with constant, timely feedback and answers to questions. This form of instruction is easier for most students than independent studies and self teaching. All students are able to learn by direct instruction regardless of their background. 

Weaknesses: 

This form of instruction will have reduced student interaction with the instruction being delivered to them. Furthermore, students may not always remain engaged with the lesson and not pay attention. As well, this form of instruction may limit how in depth and academically challenging the material being taught is. Thus the lesson may not be stimulating for the whole spectrum of learners in the classroom. Another weakness is that not all teachers necessarily have mastery of the subject they are teaching which limits the passion of the teacher presenting the material and possibly the extent of their knowledge on the material.