The Art And Science Of Teaching

4 Pages 994 Words

The Art and Science of Teaching Paper

Good teaching is both good science and fine art. Its beginning is not with the learner but with a philosophical encounter with the self. Who am I? Who ought I to be? Who ought I to be as a teacher? The ongoing reflections that one weaves regarding these questions create the tapestry and landscape of teaching as a science and art. Thus, who I am greatly affects and reflects the quality and outcomes of one’s teaching.

Each individual student is different. Each class of students is different. Each course is different. Each teacher is different. Each teacher-student encounter is different. The good teacher acknowledges and accepts these differences while, at the same time, sees commonalities, a respect for students and for self, and openness to teachable moments. Good teaching, that which exemplifies the scholarship of teaching is both good science and fine art.
The art and science of teaching is knowing different ways of teaching a skill or new knowledge. Not only is it important to know different strategies (e.g., children working in groups of mixed ability or in pairs) but also when it is appropriate to use them. Another part of the art and science of teaching is being able to use new technologies (e.g., the internet) competently.
Because students learn in different ways, they can benefit from drawing

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pictures, writing mnemonics (memory aids), (one common sort is rhyming poems,
stories or songs), writing new knowledge down or showing a student how to do something.
Whether a teacher views one entity as art or science depends on the qualities that the teacher perceives that it contains. The art of teaching is centered in the individual experience and practice of the teacher.


The art and science of teaching can be described as the interconnected workings of the personal nature and the professional nature of the teacher. There are numerous distinctions between these two ...