麻豆传媒

Science

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity that generates and mobilises evidence to help schools and colleges break the link between family income and educational attainment. Kathryn Davies is 16-19 lead at the EEF, flying the flag for an evidence-informed approach to teaching in the FE and skills sector.

鈥淭eachers are not disempowered by science and evidence,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is a way of strengthening professional judgement and teachers welcome this opportunity to enhance their practice. In FE and skills, industry expertise is invaluable, but you still need a good pedagogical approach and the evidence base for that is still developing.鈥�

The EEF does randomised controlled trials in many FE and skills settings across the regions. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 ever dictate 鈥榳hat works鈥� but we do offer 鈥榖est bets鈥�-based evidence, which gives teachers a basis for developing their own practice in their context,鈥� Davies explains.

For the EEF, the scientific approach to teaching in FE and skills offers additional insights to help the teaching process, not to replace the input of teachers. 鈥淎 science perspective on teaching and learning is a combination of factors. There is no silver bullet,鈥� Davies says. 鈥淭eachers still need to think about the results of a trial and how to apply it in their specific circumstances with their learners. We are talking about an evidence base for FE and skills and that feels very positive. We are keen for the whole sector to get involved.鈥�

David Russell MSET, senior director of UK public policy at Pearson, suggests that a craft model may be a better 鈥榖est fit鈥� description of teaching, while acknowledging that science can provide a theory for understanding why things happen as they do. 鈥淚f teaching is a science, then obviously it鈥檚 an applied science,鈥� he says. 鈥淭eachers might say: 鈥榃hat does the science tell me will happen if I do this? What will the outcome be if I do that?鈥欌��

For Russell, teaching is uncontroversially a science in part. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a science that we haven鈥檛 got to the bottom of yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淭eaching is about human interactions and they are so incredibly complex that science is only ever going to be approximate. It鈥檚 like a fractal geometry picture where you see the pattern, but then zoom in on it and the pattern becomes more complex. The science of teaching can give you an overall pattern when you zoom right out. But the more you zoom into the detail, the more complex it gets. You can never zoom into a level of granularity where it resolves and stops becoming more complex.鈥�

Artistry

Maggie Gregson, professor of vocational education at the University of Sunderland, points out that the whole of education is a classroom experiment. 鈥淭eachers are always trying to create the best educational opportunities they can for their learners in the light of experience and evidence from their practice,鈥� she says.

鈥淭he idea of 鈥榳hat works鈥� is problematic because it underestimates the importance of context, and closes down spaces in which the teacher can operate as researcher and artist. Creative curriculum design and good educational practice are not detached or mechanistic activities but artistic endeavours involving systematic and context-attuned research.鈥�

Imran Mir FSET QTLS, campus head and programme lead at Apex College Leicester, considers the scientific perspective to be vital, but cautions about allowing teaching to become overly mechanistic. 鈥淒ata can guide us, but it cannot replace the human side of education,鈥� he says.

This view is shared by Jade Clay, apprenticeship industry trainer and advanced teaching practitioner. 鈥淯sing evidence and research helps us improve outcomes and make informed choices,鈥� she explains. 鈥淏ut teaching isn鈥檛 just data; it鈥檚 also about relationships, motivation and context. A purely scientific approach can miss the human side. We need to use evidence wisely, without losing the richness of interaction.鈥�

For Ruth Kendrick MSET, group director of teaching and learning at New City College in London, really good teachers are creative, empathetic, responsive and flexible. 鈥淭hey are all incredibly important aspects in teaching,鈥� she says.

Similarly, Russell emphasises that teaching is a human interaction, but learning doesn鈥檛 have to be. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about the scientific lens and the scientific method, which is deliberately unhuman or dehumanised, and that鈥檚 part of its strength and its power,鈥� he suggests.

Craft

The contrast between teaching as a craft and as an art offers some wisdom for the sector, believes Russell. 鈥淚 think art eschews consistency for creativity,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檇 say consistency is almost the defining characteristic of a craft and I would reject any suggestion that only science brings consistency.

鈥淥ne of the big differences between science and craft is not the absence or presence of consistency; it鈥檚 the absence or presence of theorisation. When you get consistency in a science, you understand why it鈥檚 consistent. The craftsperson may not fully understand why they get the results they get; they can just do it. Craft privileges practice over theory, but theory isn鈥檛 irrelevant. A craftsperson needs to have some understanding of what will help their practice, but it鈥檚 not the dominant thing.鈥�

Clay echoes these sentiments. She feels teaching as a craft values experience, judgement and hands-on knowledge 鈥� this is vital in FE, especially in vocational areas. 鈥淚t helps us make smart decisions in real time. But it can also risk sticking to 鈥榟ow things have always been done鈥�. To stay current, we need to combine craft with reflection, collaboration and openness to new ideas.鈥�

The craft model resonates strongly with Mir鈥檚 work in vocational and business programmes. 鈥淢uch of what I do involves mentoring staff and drawing on the tacit knowledge that comes only through experience,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲hen guiding students through concepts like balance sheets or cash flow, I often use real-world business examples; a practical craft-like approach that makes abstract ideas tangible.鈥�

Blended approach

The debate finds a conclusion in the belief that teaching in the FE and skills sector is a mix of science, art and craft and that this is core to professional identity. 鈥淲hichever way we view teaching 鈥� as an art, a craft or a science 鈥� in practice we use a synthesis of all three,鈥� Kendrick says. 鈥淪ome people think taking a science perspective makes you more mechanistic, but the science gives you an essential foundational knowledge as a basis for a blended approach to teaching. It is essentially a toolkit, but needs to be applied with knowledge of students and with finesse.鈥�

This view is shared by Russell, who feels that judicious application of science is key, while tempered with intuition built over a long time of craft. 鈥淚n the classroom,鈥� he says, 鈥淚 won鈥檛 use that as a rule book as if it was the guidance for mixing sodium hydroxide and calcium carbonate. I will apply it as a background rubric, which I then decide when to enforce, let go or emphasise. The craftsperson has informed practice rather than dictated practice.鈥� 

For Mir, different contexts within FE and skills call for different balances. 鈥淎pprenticeships often depend on the craft model,鈥� Mir explains. 鈥淎dult education thrives when teachers bring artistry and flexibility. Academic and vocational programmes benefit from a mix of craft and science. The most effective practitioners can shift fluidly between these approaches depending on the learners and the context.鈥�

鈥淓vidence-informed teaching is more prevalent in some curriculum areas,鈥� Kendrick adds. 鈥淥ur English and maths directorates have worked hard on incorporating an evidence base in their work and consequently have seen a rise in attainment. In construction, we are exploring ways of boosting learning through an evidence-based approach to support the art and craft style of delivery of the subject.鈥�

Gavin Lumsden MSET QTLS, teacher educator at Essential Teaching UK, agrees. 鈥淭eaching is an art, a craft and a science. A good teacher is the one who can blend all three. We need more storytelling, more creativity and more links to practice. That is the art form. It is teaching as artistry. You cannot be a successful teacher if all you have is theoretical knowledge.

鈥淗ow can we perform as teachers with presence and connection? That is an art. The skills are lesson plans, assessment, behaviour management, curriculum design and so on. These are all needed. But if you don鈥檛 have the artistry to turn theory into practice, your knowledge is wasted.鈥�

For Gregson, too, the teacher in FE and skills should be regarded as teacher, researcher or artist. 鈥淭eachers need to know how they have constructed their own epistemic architectures,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou need creativity to do that. It is a complex practice but so important for making sense of their subject. They know that others make sense of things differently, but human experience connects us.鈥�

鈥淭eaching is at its strongest when art, craft and science work together,鈥� Mir concludes. He feels that these three ways of conceptualising teaching also shape teacher identity. 鈥淎s artists, teachers value creativity and autonomy,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s craftspeople, they take pride in mastery and practical wisdom. As scientists, they commit to rigour and accountability. In my experience, effective professionalism comes from blending these perspectives, knowing when to improvise, draw on experience and lean on research and evidence.鈥�

Do you see teaching as an art, craft or a science, or a combination of these? Visit the  to vote now.

Elizabeth Holmes is a freelance journalist specialising in the education sector. Views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ETF.