Teaching Principles and Methodology

Author: Ke Fang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: Teaching is an art, which is determined by the close relationship between teaching and art. The term "art" generally has three levels of meaning:
(1) Broadly speaking, art refers to skills and craftsmanship, which is the original meaning of the word "art." For example, the English word "art" carries the connotation of craftsmanship;
(2) It refers to creative activities carried out according to the laws of beauty, including various creative methods and approaches, such as the art of conversation, the art of leadership, and the art of management;
(3) It refers to artistic creation in the realm of spiritual civilization, which is "a social ideology that uses different means such as language, actions, lines, colors, and sounds to construct images to reflect social life and express the thoughts and emotions of writers and artists."① For example, film, drama, music, dance, painting, sculpture, and literature are all different forms of art.
Against the three meanings of art, it can be confidently stated that teaching has the connotation of art: it requires teachers to possess certain, refined skills and techniques for teaching and nurturing students, master creative methods and approaches, and pay attention to using visual means such as language, actions, sounds, and images to express specific teaching content and the teachers' own thoughts and emotions.
For this reason, we can give a clear definition of teaching art: teaching art refers to the original and creative teaching practice carried out by teachers in accordance with the laws of beauty, skillfully applying comprehensive teaching skills and techniques.