The Art of Teaching and the Science of Learning

One thing the fortunate people in the world have in common is that we have all spent various amounts of time in a classroom gaining an education. For some, it is where they come to flourish, for others; it is where they count the minutes until lunch. At times, the difference between the two, can be the teacher at the front of the room. In my current and previous roles, I have had the joy of watching teachers weave their magic. To watch an educator capture their audience’s attention, inspire through the delivery of new ideas and tease the philosophical questions just enough to ensure curiosity kicks in; is frankly; and art form. 

This Art of Teaching is not something that happens overnight, it is part of a craft that is honed over years of finessing, hours of professional learning and the knowledge to make a split second decision thousands of times a day. So, when it comes to teacher professional learning, mastering the Art of Teaching has been our focus. 

But this year, we are doing something different. Because with every Yin, there is a Yang. Because with the Art of Teaching, there is the Science of Learning. 

Our professional learning this year has taken the emphasis from what we as teachers do, and shifted the focus to how our students learn. This notion of the Science of Learning involves looking into the neuroscience of the brain, its developmental phases and its impact on learning. 

In order to learn more, we engaged Dr Jared Coney-Horvath (PhD, MEd). Dr Coney-Horvath is a neuroscientist, educator, and author of the best-selling book Stop Talking, Start Influencing: 12 Insights from Brain Science to Make Your Message Stick. He has conducted research and lectured at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and the University of Melbourne. During our staff professional learning days in January, Dr Coney-Horvath spoke to staff about how the brain processes information and how this knowledge can inform our educational practice. This relationship between Dr Coney-Horvath and St Hilda’s will continue in the coming year as we continue to prioritise best practice which in turn leads to improved student outcomes.

Inspired by new neuroscience learnings, staff identified one of the key Science of Learning strategies from; having active learning environments, harnessing repetition and timed spacing, engaging prior knowledge and engaging with ongoing feedback, as an area of focus in their teaching. Within departments, staff are sharing their own findings of the impact of these strategies in their classrooms. These learnings will then be shared amongst the staff in future professional learning days.

With teaching and learning being an interconnected process, our goal is to seamlessly blend the Art of Teaching with the Science of Learning to create a teaching and learning process that is engaging, effective and conducive to student success.