A few years ago Senator Begich invited me to attend a small meeting to share ideas on how best to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Much of the attendees’ comments focused on the negative impact of NCLB and predictably bemoaned the Act’s narrowing of the curriculum and the shaming of schools to do better. While I agree with the negative effect of NCLB, I offered that in many ways, the act was positive for schools. I am convinced that it forced administrators and teachers to be more scientific about schooling and hence, far more analytical about how and where to expend improvement energy. In many ways, the discussion mirrors the recurring conversation that we have at the building level on how to balance the art with the science of teaching.
At KPBSD we are working to obtain this balance by insisting that the science of teaching is a driving force in the preparation of instruction while encouraging the art of teaching to be the driving force behind instructional delivery. I don’t feel that our teachers can have success with our students without this balance. When thinking about our favorite teachers I suspect that we inevitably think about the art of their approach toward teaching. What we may not see or been aware of however, is that these good teachers constantly use science to refine their art.
Balancing the Art with the Science of Teaching
A few years ago Senator Begich invited me to attend a small meeting to share ideas on how best to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Much of the attendees’ comments focused on the negative impact of NCLB and predictably bemoaned the Act’s narrowing of the curriculum and the shaming of schools to do better. While I agree with the negative effect of NCLB, I offered that in many ways, the act was positive for schools. I am convinced that it forced administrators and teachers to be more scientific about schooling and hence, far more analytical about how and where to expend improvement energy. In many ways, the discussion mirrors the recurring conversation that we have at the building level on how to balance the art with the science of teaching.
At KPBSD we are working to obtain this balance by insisting that the science of teaching is a driving force in the preparation of instruction while encouraging the art of teaching to be the driving force behind instructional delivery. I don’t feel that our teachers can have success with our students without this balance. When thinking about our favorite teachers I suspect that we inevitably think about the art of their approach toward teaching. What we may not see or been aware of however, is that these good teachers constantly use science to refine their art.