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Is Teaching Art or Science?

20JUL

- Eak Prasad Duwadi

Is teaching an art? Well, I think teaching is a complicated network of acts, a verity to which

anyone who stands in front of learners can readily verify. In his renowned book, The Art ofTeaching, Highet (1989) argues teaching is an art, not a science. He also claims teaching is

like painting a picture and that it cannot be thoroughly evaluated.

One distinguished teacher takes the neutral stance. He believes the systematic study of

teaching over the years supports the notion that good teaching is as much a science as an

art. However, many people still regard knowledge of the subject matter as the major

prerequisite to effective teaching. On the other hand, various researches report about

faculty members becoming more aware that successful teachers are knowledgeable in their

subject matter, teaching strategies, and learning theories and are committed to individual

learning.

There is no consensus on what good teaching is, and how to best evaluate the goodness of

it. Probably there never will. For instance, In Nepal, especially in private schools, onescapability to maintain absolute silence in the classroom is regarded as the mark of his

success as a teacher. This is to say, the notion of effective teaching is expected to involve

more than a teachers command of the subject matter. But one eminent educator opines

that teaching requires as much the knowledge of content as the awareness of general

pedagogy, core curriculum, learner characteristics, educational contexts, and educational

ends and values. In fact, the general practice of maintaining classroom silence does not

feature anywhere in the literature of effective teaching.

Good teaching is the ability to make particular concepts of a discipline/subject perceptible

to a group of learners. A common argument is that good teaching should be defined in

terms of student learning. And there are cautionary remarks as well, such that the teachers

role must not be minimized. However, the most teachers assert that effectiveness should bebased on learning-centered evaluation, where teaching is evaluated in the context of the

learning goals of a specific course. This focuses on the relationship between teaching

objectives, actual teaching practices, and the actual learning outcomes.

In his bookThe Courage to Teach, Palmer (1997) suggested thatgood teaching cannot be

reduced to technique: good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.

Identity and integrity will develop when teachers attempt to eliminate academic debates

and speak about who they are as teachers. Only at this point will an emphasis on good

teaching become part of a departmental culture. One way to engage faculty members in

discussions ofwho they are as teachers, are course portfolios.

One thing most teachers all over the world agree is thatgood teaching is a matter of hard

work, discipline, determination, and the intense moments or hours ofglee.References

Highet, G. (1989).The art of teaching. London: Vintage.

Palmer, P. J. (1997). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teachers

life. Toronto: Jossey-Bass.

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