An Essay on the Art and Science of Teaching

Dennis L. Weisman

The American Economist, 2012, vol. 57, issue 1, 111-125

Abstract: The primary purpose of this essay is to identify instructional practices that can serve to enhance teaching effectiveness. There is both an art and a science dimension to effective teaching. The science dimension entails a comprehensive knowledge of the discipline, both historical foundations and research on the frontiers. The art dimension, which is likely to be the more elusive of the two, involves presenting complex material to students in terms that are readily understandable. Organized around twelve principles, this essay delineates various techniques that may be employed to enhance overall teaching effectiveness, even among those individuals who may not be “natural teachers.†Selected lessons from Charles Franklin Kettering, one of America's most prolific inventors, are integrated throughout the essay to bring these teaching principles to life. A secondary purpose of this essay is to offer a critical, albeit constructive, assessment of the teaching profession at the university level.

Keywords: teaching; principles; classroom; instruction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:amerec:v:57:y:2012:i:1:p:111-125

DOI: 10.1177/056943451205700109

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