Question:

Is exceptional teaching a science or art?

Answer:

Exceptional teaching is the delicate balance of both art and science.

The best practices, understanding child development, knowing and applying district and state standards, and of course, understanding and maintaining your own professional standards comprise the science of teaching. The science of teaching also consists of content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as one's skillfulness with technology in the classroom and knowing where to locate essential resources.

However, exceptional teaching is also an art. Teaching is a dynamic decision making process that demands subjective decisions based on emotions, intuition and values.  The teacher's personal style, creativity, the ability to balance the various needs of numerous individuals simultaneously, the skill of making abstract concepts more concrete to his/her students, and the aptitude to integrate his/her lessons across the curriculum so that the learning outcomes are enforced and reinforced--are all a form of art. Last, but not least, the art of teaching includes the teacher's emotional intelligence and his/her strategies for handling diversity issues and knowing how to set high, but not unattainable expectations for your different students while respecting their individual abilities to learn.

Exceptional teaching is when one possesses the skill that allows them to ask questions in a way that does not harbor the answer, but genuinely requires the student to think and reflect upon the answer. Additionally, exceptional teaching requires that a teacher can recognize when a lesson or activity is not reaching his/her students and how to regroup and probe their thinking when this occurs. Being a teacher requires intellect, creativity, and passion. Exceptional teaching is understanding the importance of and knowing how to balance both the science and art aspects of teaching according to the situation at hand.