thankfully, must rely on their intuition, experience, and their knowledge of the preferences and abilities of the students in their class, to plan the lesson.
So is teaching a craft? Well, like a craft, teaching is certainly a skill, it requires imagination, and it can certainly be learned. But crafts usually involve making something from inanimate material by manipulating it into a pleasing or useful shape, which then remains a static piece of work. Students aren’t like that are they? So in what sense is
teaching an art? The main purpose of art, surely, is for artists to express themselves, and to create an aesthetically
affecting object or experience. The purpose of teaching is not usually to
aesthetically stimulate pupils, or to let teachers express
themselves. Normally teaching is more practical than that. Rather than evoke a craft, art, science debate, I would argue that teaching is largely a moral or ethical activity upon which our entire culture and species relies. Teachers may use the science of teaching as a tool; they may at times seem to be working at an art or a craft. But teachers have a very different purpose; they set their sights on improving the lives of their students. Teaching is an ethical act. Teachers may
• Popper, K. R. (1968). The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 3rd edn: Hutchinson.
• Robinson, V. et al. (2009). School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Best Evidence Synthesis.
• Timperley, H. et al. (2007). Teacher Professional Learning and Development:
make civilisation possible, but they do it by helping their students flourish. Daniel Pink wrote a most useful and
readable book, Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. It very persuasively summarises research on motivation, mainly in the context of work, and finds we are most motivated by: autonomy (being in control of our own working methods); mastery (the desire to get better at what we do) and purpose (the motivation of doing something that is meaningful and has value). Teachers want to improve (mastery), because teaching is a meaningful and valuable activity (purpose), and they will be most motivated if they’re given a good deal of control over the improvement process (autonomy). Teachers need to be trusted rather than controlled, and given the time and resources to manage their own improvement. They need to be inspired by the moral act of improving lives, and by improving our world through their work, and the work of their students. They should not try to be robots, aping the actions advocated by those in power. Neither are they engaged in an art-like activity that is so subjective it is hard to analyse or improve. And they are not potters, turning out students like identical pots on a wheel. Teachers are the people who can
make life for their students massively better, and they are members of a profession that makes human civilisation possible: making art, craft and science possible.
Geoff Petty is an expert on teaching methods and the author of Teaching Today and Evidence-Based Teaching. Visit his website at
geoffpetty.com This is an abridged version of Geoff’s article. A full version will be published at a later date.
THE BIG IDEA
By Dr Karl Aubrey
Education theory encompasses a range of categories of thought. But few thinkers transcend such categories to embrace wider-ranging philosophical issues. One is John Dewey (1859-1952). His impact on education is profound as he contested the traditional ideas of learning and teaching. For Dewey, the individual was the
centre of the learning process; the teacher adopting a learner-centred pedagogy. Learning is an active process based on the individual’s interests where challenges are faced and resolved – learning by doing and experimenting, rather than a passive experience. Dewey also emphasised the importance
of reflection. Teachers should look at learning as a cycle of experience where teaching is grounded in observation and reflection from their own and learners’ experiences. Democracy and education were connected; democracy in the classroom/workshop prepares learners to be active participants in society. A number of educational thinkers
have been influenced and inspired by Dewey, including Montessori, Vygotsky and Piaget. Learning being a cycle of experience, and the importance of reflection, echo in the concepts of Kolb and Schon. Dewey’s humanistic and democratic ideas are reflected in the thoughts of Rogers, Freire and AS Neil. Dewey’s ideas are insightful and stand the test of time. Their contribution to FE learning and teaching, due to its wide- ranging nature, is particularly valuable.
Dr Karl Aubrey is co-author, with Alison Riley, of Understanding and Using Educational Theories and Understanding and Using Challenging Educational Theories. Karl is senior lecturer on the Applied Studies in Education programmes at Bishop Grosseteste University and has previously worked in FE, running a range of initial teacher education and professional development programmes.
MEMBER OFFER Best Evidence Synthesis.
• Wiliam, D. (2009). Assessment for learning: Why, what and how? London: IoE.
• Wiliam, D. (2016). Leadership for Teacher Learning: Creating a culture where all teachers improve so that all students succeed.
SET members can claim 20 per cent off the RRP for both of the titles above (including the second edition of Understanding and Using Educational Theories) when ordered from
https://uk.sagepub.com Use code THEORIES19 when prompted.
inTUITION ISSUE 36 • SUMMER 2019 17
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