Teaching As a Performing Art

This work probes the topic of teaching as a performing art, focusing on the role of teachers in galvanizing an audience - their students. It argues that teachers will better engage learners if they are prepared in the "artistry" of doing so. The author sees teachers as actors and thus uses the traditions of stage performance to inspire ways to foster connections between teachers and students. Sarason elucidates how the rehearsal processes actors undergo and the direction they receive, for example, would be similarly beneficial for educators. Recognizing that implementing his ideas would require a profound rethinking of teacher training programmes, Sarason urges why they are crucial to excellence in education.