is teaching art or
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7/28/2019 Is Teaching Art Or
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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.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Teaching-Gilbert-Highet/dp/0679723145/ref=cm_cmu_pg_thttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Teaching-Gilbert-Highet/dp/0679723145/ref=cm_cmu_pg_thttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Teaching-Gilbert-Highet/dp/0679723145/ref=cm_cmu_pg_thttp://www.amazon.com/Parker-J.-Palmer/e/B000APPDAM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1http://www.amazon.com/Parker-J.-Palmer/e/B000APPDAM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1http://www.amazon.com/Parker-J.-Palmer/e/B000APPDAM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1http://www.amazon.com/Art-Teaching-Gilbert-Highet/dp/0679723145/ref=cm_cmu_pg_t