Friday, May 13, 2011

Teaching - Art or Science?

I think I am going to have to cheat and say that on some level I believe teaching to be both an art and a science.  We have certainly seen how the study of different learning theories and the ways in which individuals learn and understand can definitely be grasped on a scientific level.  But once that process is understood, the real art of the practice of teaching takes over.  Understanding the tools at hand, the instructor must now develop the course work on top of the over-arching principles.  The science provides the foundation, but the art is the source of the rest of the structure.

2 comments:

  1. I don't think it's cheating to say that teaching is both an art and a science. Just as the options are different depending on the instructor and student, so are there differences depending on the discipline or topic. The possible combinations are endless.

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  2. Rich, thanks for all of your thoughtful posts on this blog (and for being such a great module evaluation partner!). Really thought provoking stuff here. Happy SLIS trails to you!

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