The Art of Teaching

David Warlick speaks to the art of teaching in a recent blog when he asks:

Thinking of those great teachers that you had who truly influenced who you are
today. What percentage of what those teachers did do you think might be
effectively measured by scientific research, and what percent do you think is
not measurable?

When I last checked, the responses overwhelmingly indicated that the influence of those great teachers was largely immeasurable....and I wholeheartedly agree. The first people who popped into my mind? Mr. Mark - choir director I had for less than one year before his life was tragically ended in a car accident; Mr. Dieckhoff - PE and health teacher who help me have confidence and encouraged me to become a Jr/Sr Leader and thus led me to my first foray into "teaching"; Mr. Dionesotes - photography teacher who inspired a lifelong shutterbug; Mr. White - English teacher who made me think about every word I wrote- "Diction, diction, diction"; Mr. Hicks - physics teacher, a gentle man who made physics more real, fun and understandable than I would have thought possible. Not a lot of "measurablility" there in my descriptions, huh? Yes, I did well on standardized tests. Yes, I was in on the hyper-college-prep race track. But what stuck with me? Photography, kindness, the art of writing (perhaps not evidenced here but it's still in there somewhere) and fun.

I hear people comment about the "art" rather than the science of teaching. So many people seem to think that technology interferes with the art of teaching. I have to admit I have fallen in that trap in the past, too. I struggle at times with the intensity with which I work with technology. I'm really "low-tech Lisa"; I always say I should have grown up in the 40's listening to Glenn Miller sipping a soda at the fountain. But, I'm here in the 21st century and I love teaching. And I love teaching people who teach. And I truly see how the tools we have at GBS can allow teachers to better implement so many fundamentally sound instructional practices that it is ridiculous to think that the tools interfere with the art. But, the secret is choosing the tool. A sculptor doesn't use watercolors and a painter doesn't use a chisel. Likewise, not every technology tool is a good fit for every teacher. I think we make a mistake when we say "you must use this tool..." I do however believe that it behooves every teacher to investigate tools to see which ones are a good fit, will enhance or enliven curriculum, will help their students, etc.

Technology tools don't diminish the art of teaching; the refusal to investigate them might...