Concept and Meaning of Teaching—Teaching is more than just giving lessons; it’s about helping students grow in many ways—like helping them learn, feel, and get along with others. Teaching is both an art and a science, where you help others learn new things, build skills, and develop values that help them in life. A good teacher doesn’t just share facts but makes learning exciting, encourages questions, and creates a space where students feel curious and interested.
Teaching connects what students already know with what they need to learn, and it helps them discover their own abilities and confidence. It’s a meaningful job because it changes lives, shapes character, and helps build a better future. In the end, teaching is not just about passing on knowledge—it’s about helping people grow wise, creative, and kind.
Teaching in professional setting
In a professional sense, teaching is a planned and focused way of helping learners gain knowledge, build skills, and develop values that support their overall growth. It goes beyond just passing on information; it also involves encouraging people to think deeply, come up with new ideas, and become active, valuable members of society.
Concept and Meaning of teaching- The great philosopher John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself,” which shows that teaching is a key part of how we experience life. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan also said that teaching is a noble job, and he reminded us that “the true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves.” In a job setting, teaching needs both knowledge in a subject and the skills to teach well, along with understanding and caring for students. As Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” So, teaching is not just about learning facts—it’s also about building character, and it aims to help students become thoughtful, caring, and skilled people.
Narrow meaning of teaching
(Concept and Meaning of teaching)
Does the narrower meaning depict the “not good enough” meaning of teaching? In a narrower sense, teaching means the organized process of giving students specific knowledge and skills in a structured setting like a classroom. It includes clear goals, planned lessons, and ways to measure how well students are learning. The teacher acts as a guide and helper, focusing on the relationship between teacher and student to reach set learning goals.
N.L. Gage stated that “teaching is a form of interpersonal influence aimed at changing the behavior of another person.” Likewise, B.O. Smith described teaching as “a system of activities intended to induce learning.”
Therefore, the more specific definition of teaching emphasizes its instructional and goal-driven nature, concentrating on the delivery of subject matter and the accomplishment of learning outcomes, rather than encompassing broader developmental or inspirational functions.
Broader meaning of teaching
In a broader sense, teaching is more than just being in a classroom or giving lessons on subjects. It’s a long-term way of helping people grow, learn, and become better. It’s about guiding them, encouraging them, and helping shape their character, beliefs, and actions. Teaching isn’t just about books or tests; it’s also about teaching morals, how to think, be creative, solve problems, and deal with life’s difficulties. In this way, teaching is a kind and caring job where the teacher acts as a guide, an inspiration, and a good example to follow.
- Rabindranath Tagore: “The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”
- Jean Piaget: “The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.”
- Maria Montessori: “The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’”
- Swami Vivekananda: “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.”
- Albert Einstein: “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
- Confucius: “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”
- Definition of teaching
Difference Between Narrower and Broader Senses of Teaching
| Aspect | Narrower Sense of Teaching | Broader Sense of Teaching |
| Meaning | Teaching is limited to classroom instruction, delivery of subject matter, and achievement of specific objectives. | Teaching goes beyond classrooms; it is a lifelong process of guiding, inspiring, and shaping personality, values, and behavior. |
| Focus | Transfer of knowledge, skills, and information from teacher to learner. | All-round development of learners—intellectual, moral, emotional, and social growth. |
| Teacher’s Role | Instructor, authority, knowledge-transmitter. | Mentor, guide, role model, motivator, and facilitator of holistic growth. |
| Learner’s Role | Passive receiver of knowledge, dependent on teacher. | Active participant, explorer, problem-solver, and independent thinker. |
| Approach | Exam-oriented, subject-centered, and result-focused. | Life-oriented, learner-centered, and experience-focused. |
| Outcome | Achievement of specific learning outcomes, grades, and measurable knowledge. | Development of values, creativity, critical thinking, responsibility, and lifelong learning habits. |
| Illustrative Quote | B.O. Smith: “Teaching is a system of actions intended to induce learning.” | John Dewey: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” |
| Example | Teaching a formula in mathematics and ensuring students can solve sums correctly. | Teaching how to apply mathematical thinking in real-life situations like budgeting, planning, or problem-solving. |
Definition of teaching
N.L. Gage
“Teaching is a form of interpersonal influence aimed at changing the behavior of another person.”
Explanation: According to Gage, teaching is fundamentally about influencing learners in a manner that leads to a meaningful change in their knowledge, skills, attitudes, or behavior. This perspective highlights the interactive and social nature of teaching, where the teacher takes on a guiding role in the learner’s development.
B.O. Smith)
“Teaching is a system of actions intended to induce learning.” Explanation: Smith emphasizes that teaching is intentional and structured. It involves a carefully planned series of activities aimed at facilitating learning. This definition focuses on the deliberate efforts of the teacher to ensure that learning takes place
John Brubacher
“Teaching is an arrangement and manipulation of a situation in which there are gaps or obstructions that an individual will seek to overcome and from which he will learn in the course of doing so.”
Explanation: Brubacher focuses on problem-solving as the essence of teaching. The teacher creates situations where learners face challenges, and by working to overcome them, students gain knowledge and skills. This reflects the constructivist philosophy that learners learn best by actively engaging with problems.