Of course, the fallacy of creating a dilemma is that teaching is not an "either-or," but a "both."
Teaching is both a science and and art. And, teaching is a "whole lot more," too.
If teaching is more than a science and an art, what is it? Teaching can be labeled as a/ an…
- Baby Sitting
- Banker
- Cafeteria Monitor
- Chaperone
- Coach
- Computer Trainer/ Technician
- Consultant
- Crowd Control (Playground Duty, Bus Duty, Hall Duty
- Counselor
- Executive
- Information Marketer
- Knowledge Worker
- Law Enforcement and ParaLegal
- Librarian and Media Specialist
- Maid/ Custodian
- Manager
- Mediator/ Negotiator
- Party Planner
- Planning and Project Manager
- Producer/ Director
- Public Relations
- Referee
- Sales Person
- Secretary
- Software Trainer
- Zoo Keeper
Not a Great Debate
As debates go, the "science or art" debate is pretty ho-hum, dull.
Besides not caring about the debate because they are too busy, teachers have opinions based upon their personality and their indoctrination.
Sidebar
It still holds true that teachers tend to teach the way that they were taught. This speaks volumes about the effect of modeling upon learning.
It is also true that a "preponderance" of teachers are first born and only children, so maybe early learning affects later roles in life to a large extent.
But, younger siblings are apt to become artists.
But, there is a Science to the Art
The basic focus of science is the "Scientific Method."
And, it is the scientific method that sets Master Teachers apart from their "Run of the Mill" colleagues.
This does not mean that Master Teachers are smarter than their colleagues. It also does not mean that they possess "Teaching Intelligence" and their colleagues don't.
It does mean that if their colleagues went about practicing the science of teaching, they could learn to be Master Teachers, too.
What is the Key?
The key to the science of teaching is observation.
But, this is not a "just watch what happens" kind of watching. This is a make a prediction (a hypothesis) about what you are seeing, hearing, sensing in the observation and communication with your students.
This is about making predictions about the way your students think and behave, about how your students learn and remember, about how your students process and perform.
Then, this is about performing an experiment to determine if your guesses, hunches, intuitions were accurate.
It is the testing out of your guesses to find out if you were correct that turns a teacher into a Master Teacher.
This " guess/ test out/ guess again/ test again process" forms the basis for teachers to zero in on the crucial elements to develop flexible habits of successful teaching…
- Acting on vision (AoV)
- Plan into Action (PiA)
- Executing with Elegance(EwE)
- Activities and Instructional Deliver Skills (AnIDS)
- Application and Performance (AnP)
Driving Instruction with Creativity, Emotion, Intuition and Energy
Some folks believe that these are the basic skills for the art of teaching.
But, this could be a "Shining Star" performer, a "center of social attention" and a less than effective teacher.
But, all the person of Creativity, Emotion, Intuition and Energy has to do to become effective is to adopt the Scientific Method, create "guesses" about what is happening in the minds of students and observe what is happening during student interactions with each other.
The important indicator is whether the teacher relinquishes the spotlight and steps off of stage center.
Driving Instruction in a Lab Coat
Of course, the opposite of effective can happen with too scientific an presence in the classroom.
A teacher that creates a "test-tube" environment where sterile, aloof, void of tenderness, feeling or heart can kill interaction.
Observer with out a personal presence is neither science or art, but incompetence in disguise as a human.
Authentic Human Interaction
In the end, the Science or Art debate is just silly.
But, one thing that teachers without theory is authentic human interaction.
For years, the idea of "authentic assessment" has floated with the "Tides of Fad and Foolishness," and the great idea (which fits into the science and the art models) has languished.
But, even more important is the idea that the teacher acts, expresses, and communicates as an authentic person.
The full expression of this would probably be called the Science and the Art of being and communicating as a fully human person.
Whether it takes a science or an art to be yourself, might set off a even more serious debate.
One thing is sure, if being authentic is all it takes to become a successful teacher, then there will probably be a passel of politicians and a Supreme Court ruling that outlaws the practice.
