Teaching Styles: Guide on the Side or Wise on the Stage?

In the early 1990s, California teachers were being released in record numbers. There was a huge budget crisis, districts were increasing class sizes and cutting classrooms, which meant a lot of us had to go. I was a sophomore teacher, not tenured. I received my layoff notice in March and then scrambled to find another position.

I found myself interviewing in the growing community of Moreno Valley. I felt like I was ready for anything, but I’ll never forget the interviewer asking me about my teaching style. He asked, “Would you consider yourself a sage on stage or a guide on the side?”

What a great question. Simply asking the question implies a lot. If I say that I am a stage sage, I could immediately be considered a micromanager. A power-hungry control freak teacher who needs his students to act only when ordered. Or even worse, he could be seen as a braggart whose main goal in teaching is to listen to his own voice.

As I was sitting in the interview room, it seemed like the most politically correct answer would be Guide on the side. “Guide” doesn’t seem like such a loaded word as “Wise”. A guide leads the way. A guide points out the facts. The guides know what traps to avoid.

I had to make a quick answer. Almost two decades have passed, and I still think about my answer. I was hoping that over time, you would make revisions to my answer. Surprisingly, I still feel good about the answer I gave.

Basically, I think there are times when a teacher should be the Wise One on Stage and times when the teacher should step out of the way and be an additional guide. Also, I have seen very effective teachers who can work in a class, create amazing discussions, and help students build learning from the front of the class. Conversely, I have seen other teachers spend very little time in front of a class and choose to do most of their teaching in groups. Therefore, the situation and the personality of the teacher play a big role in the debate: Sage on the stage or Guide on the side.

Reflecting on the question “Sage” or “Guide” is not a bad idea. My philosophy in teaching, as well as in life, has always been balance and moderation. There have been times where I’ve been stuck on the Sage or Guide roll for longer than necessary. Just asking yourself the question could lead to significant soul-searching and a deeper understanding of yourself as a person and as a teacher.

The merits and demerits of the sage on stage

There are definite merits to the Sage on the Stage approach. The teacher on your stage, managing the flow of information is definitely faster than the Guide on the side. I have tried to incorporate “extra guidance” strategies into my grammar lessons, but have found that direct instruction works best when initial concepts are introduced. I can use “guide” strategies to help me master information. However, there are dozens of grammar and punctuation skills students must learn in ten months that don’t lend themselves to the Guide on the Side philosophy.

This benefit is also the biggest argument against Sage’s approach. As more and more demands are placed on teachers, it is easier to complete the curriculum using this method. However, in addition to being on stage all day exhausting for the teacher, students require time to digest and process the information. Wise techniques like reading and group discussion tend to favor quick thinkers. These students do most of the critical thinking for the class. Consequently, most of the class misses out on this important skill.

The merits and demerits of the guide on the side

I recently started a sixth grade unit on the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt like this:

Imagining that you were a guest in someone’s house. After a few weeks, you realized that you were doing all the chores around the house, your mom cooked all the meals, and your dad started paying all the bills. You were once a guest in this house. Now what have you become?

The students had to read the material from their social studies books and explain how the Hebrews were like their family in history. The connections they found were excellent. The follow-up discussion continued to bear fruit, as group after group pointed out new ways of looking at the analogy. I was a guide on the side, interspersing clues along the way.

The follow up to this was that the students had to create the second part of my “guest” analogy. They read about Moses and Exodus and had to create an analogy for how they were able to get out of the house where they had become slaves.

The lesson took a long time, but it was very effective. As effective as it was, I noticed that there were still things that I needed to teach students directly. Many students, who had no previous knowledge on the subject, needed me to put this moment in history in context. Once again, I was once again the sage on stage.

final thoughts

The moral of this story is that the art of teaching is knowing when to be the “guide” and when to be the “wise.” Once again I return to my original point: simply asking you the question “What kind of teacher am I?” it’s enough to help you be a better teacher. Always being aware of the balance between the two provides the opportunity for self-reflection that we all need.