The art of teaching and the science of education

Teaching happens everywhere. Many people are naturally quite good at teaching. They explain things clearly. They are patient. And they have the knack of explaining just enough, but not too much, so the learner gains a sense that they are gradually mastering something, albeit with a more knowledgeable person’s support. Parents are teachers. Friends are teachers. Sales, service and maintenance people are teachers. Co-workers are teachers. You can find the practice of teaching in action everywhere in everyday life. In fact, it is impossible to imagine everyday life without it. Teaching and learning are integral to our nature as humans.

Some people profess to be terrible teachers. They’d rather not have to explain to a novice how to do something. ‘It’s quicker and easier to do it myself,’ they say. Or, ‘I just don’t have the patience to explain things.’ Such people are rarely as bad at teaching as they think and say they are. Everyone has been a learner and has had direct experiences of having been taught. Such everyday teaching is more art than science, more instinctive than articulate, and something that is never far beyond the range of anyone’s capacities.