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Re: [Phys-l] art of teaching

Corine Coniglio (2008), in her POD post titled "art of teaching," wrote:
"I am working on a project related to the "art of teaching," or "teaching as an art," and I welcome your suggestions for sources related to this topic. . . . . How does the art of teaching mesh with the science of teaching?. . . . "

In parts I and II of "Can Scientific Research Enhance the Art of Teaching?" [Hake (2007)] I surveyed some opinions on "teaching as an art" vs "teaching as a science" [bracketed by lines "HHHH. . . ."]:

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I. PROPONENTS OF THE "ART OF TEACHING" - 1899 TO 1983
"Psychology is a science, and teaching is a art; and sciences never generate arts directly out of themselves. An intermediary inventive mind must make the application, by using its originality."
William James (1899)

"Teaching, I say, is an art, and not a science. . . in no sense can teaching be said to be a science."
Floyd Richtmyer (1933) [referenced in Hestenes (1979)]

"This book is called 'The Art of Teaching' because I believe that teaching is an art, not a science."
Gilbert Highet (1950) [referenced in Hestenes (1979)]

"After more than two-score years [Richtmyer's statement] has not been proven wrong."
Ralph Goodwin (1978) [referenced in Hestenes (1979)]

"Teachers are more like orchestra conductors than technicians. They need rules of thumb and educational imagination, not scientific prescriptions."
Elliot Eisner (1983)

II. TEACHING IS BOTH AN ART AND A SCIENCE
"Let us agree at the outset that good teaching is an art, fully deserving our respect and admiration. It does not follow, however, as Goodwin seems to think, that there cannot also be a science of teaching. . . . . . Medical practice is widely acknowledged to be an art, but who doubts the possibility of medical science? Is teaching so different because it ministers to the mind?"
David Hestenes (1979)
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I shall forego details of the remaining parts of "Can Scientific Research Enhance the Art of Teaching?":

III. Can Science Improve Teaching Effectiveness?

IV. Development of Multiple-Choice Tests of Higher-Level Learning

V. University Leaders Bemoan the Inertia of Higher Education: Why Is It So Slow To Recognize the Value of Interactive Engagement Methods in Promoting Higher-Level Learning?

VI. Why Should We Be Concerned with Student Learning?

VII. Epilogue: Form the BIG BANG to the Possible Life on Planet Earth Bust.

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands.
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/>

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
H. G. Wells (1920)

REFERENCES [Tiny URL's courtesy <http://tinyurl.com/create.php>.]
Coniglio, C. 2008. "art of teaching," POD post of 8 Sep 2008 15:08:07-0400; online at <http://tinyurl.com/5tjg2a>.

Eisner, E. 1983. "The Art and Craft of Teaching," Educational Leadership 40(4): 4-13; online at
<http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198301_eisner.pdf> (2 MB).

Goodwin, R.A. 1978. "Chalk and Chalk," Phys. Teach. 16(6):, 367-372 (1978); online to subscribers at <http://tinyurl.com/2zu8wc>.

Hake, R.R. 2007. "Can Scientific Research Enhance the Art of Teaching?" invited talk, AAPT Greensboro meeting, 31 July, online at <http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/Sci&Art3.pdf> (1.2 MB).

Hestenes, D. 1979. "Wherefore a science of teaching?" The Physics Teacher 17(4): 235-242; online at <http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Wherefore_SciOfTeaching.PDF> (56 kB).

Highet, G. 1950. "The Art of Teaching" Alfred A. Knopf. Now available in a 1989 Vintage edition; Amazon.com information at <http://tinyurl.com/2eom35>.

James, W. 1899. "Talks to Teachers On Psychology and To Students on Some of Life's Ideals." Henry Holt & Co, esp. Chapter 1 "Psychology and the Teaching Art," online at <http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/tt1.html>.

Richtmyer, F.K. 1933. "Physics is Physics," Am. J. Phys. 1(1): 2-5; online to subscribers at <http://tinyurl.com/364ns6>.

Wells, H.G. 1920. "The Outline of History." For an interesting history of this treatise see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outline_of_History>. For Amazon.com information on a two volume set published in 1974 by Scholarly Press see <http://tinyurl.com/yjs83d>.