Is teaching an art or a science?
This series explores that question.
Art Informed by Science
Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., and Gisela Ernst-Slavit, Ph.D., have exemplified teaching as a scientifically informed art in their decades as teacher educators. They have most recently collaborated in writing Academic Languaging: Engaging Multilingual Students in Content Area Learning (2026, Corwin) and can be reached at margogottlieb@gmail.com and gernst@wsu.edu:
We would say that teaching is an art constantly being informed and refined by science. As teachers, it is our professional responsibility to stay attuned to current theory and related research and to transform those findings into best practices, useful instructional strategies, and advocacy for our students and their families.
For example, research has shown strong evidence of the cognitive, social-emotional, academic, and economic benefits of multilingualism. With this knowledge, teachers can capitalize on multilingual learners’ strengths throughout the instructional cycle to optimize their engagement and support their successes.
We also understand the importance of sociocultural theory in shaping learning contexts, student development, identity, and sense of belonging. Without sound research, our artistry as teachers—in designing and delivering effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment—would be diminished.
In applying science to the art of teaching, educators must be sensitive to their students’ personal portraits as both a starting point and a backdrop for learning. Every learner comes with unique experiences, backgrounds, and strengths, and effective teaching starts by building on those.
When lessons connect to what students bring from home and their communities, learning becomes more personalized and meaningful. Students thrive when they’re encouraged to talk with peers, explore new ideas, and choose different ways to show what they’ve learned—whether through speaking, writing, drawing, or using technology.
The research backs this up, but it’s the ingenuity and artistry of teachers that make it come alive, creating spaces for students’ curiosity, collaboration, and creativity.
This same balance of art and science applies to assessment. Instead of seeing assessment as something done to students, teachers can use it as something students do with us and for themselves. That might mean letting students help set criteria for success, keeping e-portfolios of their work, or reflecting on their own progress. These practices turn assessment into tools for showing growth and helping students take real ownership of their learning.
One of the best examples of this art–science connection is how we now think about academic language. It’s no longer just a list of vocabulary words. Instead, it’s now understood through research as action-focused languaging—a dynamic, purposeful use of language to communicate, reason, and learn. For multilingual learners, this shift is powerful as it allows them to draw on all their languages and cultural knowledge, supporting both deeper learning and a stronger sense of identity. Teachers play an important role in creating opportunities for students to engage in authentic language use, while research shows that doing so leads to lasting understanding.
In practice, that might look like students talking through math problems, distinguishing between everyday and technical meanings of words, or using discipline-specific language in discussions and projects. By making these language demands clear and giving students space to practice, teachers not only help students access challenging content but also affirm their voices as capable and valuable. That’s where science and art meet—research guides us, but it’s the teacher’s craft that makes learning both powerful and personal.
Ultimately, teaching is most effective when art and science are intertwined. Science offers us theory, evidence, and tested strategies; art allows us to adapt, interpret, and humanize those insights for the diverse learners in our classrooms. For multilingual learners, in particular, this interplay ensures that academic languaging becomes both a pathway to student success and a reflection of the rich linguistic resources of school, home, and community.
Both Are Important
Debbie Silver, Ed.D., is an award-winning veteran teacher, author, humorist, and speaker. She has written four best-selling books and numerous articles on the art and heart of teaching:
I learned to teach by listening to my students, by watching them grapple with learning challenges, and by seeing them as the unique little individuals who learned in distinctive ways on their own timetables. For my first few years, I taught real kids by day, then commuted to university night courses to try and grasp the science behind what I was supposed to be doing. Sometimes, what I was taught from “on high” at the university did not mesh with the reality of my teaching in a poor, rural school of students from families who were overwhelmed by their circumstances and sometimes estranged from the school system.
I found more value in closely observing what was happening in my classroom, building relationships with my students, and endeavoring to figure out how to engage my learners. One of my heroes, Leonardo da Vinci, emphasized the continuous nature of learning and the importance of challenging oneself. And I had more than enough challenges in my own learning to keep me busy . . . for a while.
As I grew more confident as an educator, I began to question whether some of the tried-and-true policies, procedures, and even curriculum were in the best interest of students. To argue my points, I needed more information, research, and data to validate my feelings. When I began work on my master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, I was excited to find journal articles, books, and even lectures on deeper issues and topics I had never explored. I devoured the knowledge that was already available and began to try things I had never thought of. I became a much better teacher and advocate for my kids. It was like turning on a faucet that has never ceased to flow.
I have found that the most effective educators understand the importance of both the science and the art of teaching. They stay informed about research-based instructional strategies and use data to guide their decisions. They also tap their creativity, intuition, and interpersonal skills to connect students to essential ideas. They help students develop self-efficacy along with important academic and SEL skills.
As it turns out, da Vinci also believed deeply in the study of science. He theorized the interconnectedness between art and science is the quintessence of true understanding. A blended approach allows educators to utilize evidence-backed techniques and adapt them creatively to meet the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in the classroom. After decades in the classroom, I can unequivocally state that it takes both art and science to foster student success both academically and personally.
‘The Classroom Is a Place of Both Precision and Possibility’
Lizzie Hetzer is a Brooklyn-based literacy consultant and curriculum writer, co-founder of Daffodil Hill Press and its Literacy Learning Collaborative, and the author of an upcoming book with Stenhouse about her personal journey shifting her teaching in light of the science of reading movement. You can connect with her at www.lizziehetzer.com and www.daffodilhillpress.com:
The reason I love teaching and thinking and talking about teaching is because it’s both a science and an art—in so many different ways.
As a literacy-focused educator, I know (even if I didn’t always know it as deeply as I wish I did) that we have decades of research about how kids learn to read and write. That body of research continues to grow, revealing more insights—and sometimes challenging conventional thinking and tradition. We get to learn and grow as this body of research grows. This opportunity for continuous learning makes teaching both interesting and challenging.
Teachers also get to be scientists, too. We gather data from student work, conversations, assessment, and observations. Those data become a flashlight, helping us see next steps more clearly. In this way and others, educators are researchers—constantly observing, experimenting, and refining.
Even though the evidence base often gives us information about what is important and why, it doesn’t always tell us how to make it work in a classroom. That’s where the art comes in. We make decisions—what to do, when to do it, and with whom. The best teachers bring themselves to the work of applying best practice. The best teachers don’t just collect data, they make meaning from it.
Teaching is also deeply creative work. We invent and refine routines. We develop visuals, traditions, and lessons that stick. We tell stories and build analogies that bring complex or new ideas to life. We craft questions that don’t just check for understanding but also spark debate, dialogue, and deeper thinking. We use curiosity, surprise, humor, and imagination as tools.
In the end, the classroom is a place of both precision and possibility. A place where the science of teaching and the art of it meet.
Thanks to Margo, Gisela, Debbie, and Lizzie for contributing their thoughts.
Responses today answered this question:
What is your perspective on the question “Is teaching an art or a science?”
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