Teaching: Is it an art, or is it a science?
I think that teaching requires both art and science. They both play a role on each other, because if a teacher only demonstrates one of these types of teaching, their classroom will most likely be very boring.
Teaching as an art demonstrates ways in which the teacher may use creative ways to present the material so it is fun and interesting for his or her students. Some examples are games, “hands-on” activities, and/ or movies relating to the topics being covered. In The First Year, Genevieve DeBose gave disposable cameras to her students for a”getting to know each other” activity. The point of this activity was for her students to be creative and learn about their peers. During this activity Genevieve also learned about her students, like their attitudes toward participating and some of their social skills. She could use what she learned from this activity to help plan her lessons. I agree with Gilbert Highet, who argues that in “The Art of Teaching that successful teaching must be considered an art because it involves two things that cannot be objectively and systematically manipulated: emotions and values.” (Pg 11) I feel emotions play a main role in teaching because the emotion that is being expressed by the teacher will be reflected on his or her students. Although emotions are some main roles, you must also make sure you are
teaching the correct values. In order to be a good teacher you must also be flexible. “Flexibility, which can be thought of as a “feel” for doing the right thing at the right time.” (Pg11) An example of this is choosing to use a lecture or a more involved type of activity to present the material.
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Student Teaching Graduate Paper Spring 2004 As the time approached, my attitude toward student-teaching was one of confidence and in some ways overconfidence. I believed that I was equipped with all of the tools necessary to be a superior teacher. Little did I know what truly goes on behind the scenes of a teacher. Between grading papers, attending meetings, and preparing lessons, I would often ...
Teaching as a science demonstrates ways in which the teacher may use a more logical approach to present the material to the students. I feel this is the more traditional way in which teachers teach their class. An example of this could be a teacher lecturing their class about the topic being discussed. I personally feel this type of teaching tends to get boring and the teacher has a harder time keeping the student’s attention. I think any type of teaching need a scientific background or base. By saying this I am agreeing with Robert Slavin who argues “working from a scientific basis helps teachers avoid the pitfall of subscribing to the latest fad.” (Pg 14) Even though a teacher may use an artistic approach, they still must research their material and know it themselves before they can teach it.
A good teacher can balance both art and science in their classroom. “The teacher who ignores scientific knowledge about teaching and learning and makes arbitrary decisions runs the risk of using methods and principles of teaching that are ineffective.” (Pg 15) If a teacher balances both art and science, it will make it easier for the students to learn and absorb the information while keeping their attention span. Although depending on the grade level in which the material is being presented one of the types of teaching may need to be more stressed then the other. For example, if you are teaching a grade level between k-3 you may want to use more of an artistic way of teaching than scientific because the student’s attention spans are shorter and you will need to keep them focused by using something interesting to teach. Or if you were teaching a college level class you may want to use the more scientific way of teaching over the artistic
because the students may find the class to be easy or fun. Deciding on whether or not to teach as an art or as a science depends on the behavior of your students and their learning styles. From watching The First Year, I will spend some extra time learning about my students and how they learn and use ideas from the teachers in this video on how to do that. Depending on how well I examine my students will result in how I will teach the class and how good of a teacher I will be because I will know what my students need and I will be at their benefit.
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APA Critical Analysis: Teaching Students How to Learn Vol. 31, No. 6, June 2000 In? Teaching Students How to Learn? it showed the correlation between high-achieving students and their self monitoring in classes. The article goes on to say that unlike high school, college students do not have the regulation in their classes. A lot of the students do not know how to learn and set goals for ...
