The Elements of Teaching [Hardcover]

James M. Banner Jr. (Author), Professor Harold C. Cannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 1997

What are the characteristics of a great teacher? What qualities of mind and spirit are necessary to help others acquire the knowledge through which they can understand and live a good life? In this text the authors draw on their experience as teachers to set forth the intellectual, moral and emotional capacities that they believe the best teachers must possess. Their aim is to provide a guide to current and future schoolteachers and to college and university professors. Arguing that teaching is art, Banner and Cannon aim to help teachers understand its components. They analyze the specific qualities of successful teachers and the ways in which these qualities promote learning and understanding. Throughout, they illustrate their discussion with portraits of fictional teachers who exemplify - or fail to exemplify - a particular quality. This book assesses what it takes to teach and should encourage teachers to consider how they might strengthen their own level of professional performance.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Augmenting and reprising their earlier Elements of Teaching, Banner (formerly Princeton Univ.) and Cannon (formerly Manhanttanville Coll.) outline the 12 qualities students should possess to get the most out of their educational experience (Part 1) and the who's, what's, and how's of learning (Part 2). Throughout, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning; the short, coherent chapters close with suggestions for putting the concepts into practice. The chapters can be read in any order, and some can be postponed until need dictates. Intended for high schoolers, college students, and mature learners (people over 25 years old returning to school), this thoughtful and reassuring text offers kindly advice to a new generation. A good supplemental course text or library resource for units on study methods; for academic libraries.AScott R. Johnson, Whittemore Park Middle Sch., Conway, SC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Considering teaching a calling, not merely a vocation, Banner and Cannon posit the essential qualities of a teacher as they've observed them from lifetimes in the field. For teachers either worn out or full of energy, Banner and Cannon's exhortations and admonishments ought to be inspiring, for their regard for teaching as a noble endeavor permeates this short tract. They're not just strokers of self-esteem, however; a certain degree of committed self-denial, they argue, is the mark of great teachers. Much as teachers might like individual students, they must be scrupulously evenhanded. If bored by slow learners, they must also be imaginative enough to break through to them. The authors arrange such axioms under value-laden headings such as "Authority," "Ethics," and "Compassion," followed by composite sketches of a teacher embodying or sloughing off their principles. The authors hope their observations will serve as a catalyst for teachers to discuss excellence among themselves and cause those considering the career to assess their own suitability. An effective, reflective guide. Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (March 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300069294
• ISBN-13: 978-0300069297
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,602,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joyous and realistic celebration of the art of teaching., July 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Elements of Teaching (Hardcover)

The authors of this joyous book about teaching do not confront the issues in education today but, instead, identify the qualities that make for great teaching. By visiting classrooms and observing real teachers in action, the authors go to the core of what separates the great teachers from the merely competent. Not surprisingly, they find that hard work, dedication, a love of learning, and a willingness to sacrifice are key personal qualities necessary for teaching. In addition, they note the academic preparation and personal effort necessary to stay current with in a teacher's specialty. The book should appeal to both parents and professionals. Parents will want to be able to identify these characteristics in their students' teachers. Administrators will find it equally useful. Teachers will see themselves in the vignettes that add to this wonderful work and they will also, (hopefully) be inspired to reach for the kind of greatness of spirit and action pictured here. ! ! For me, as a teacher, I found a great deal to celebrate and a great deal to ponder.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "livre de chevet", February 2, 2004

By 

Fabrizio C. Celentano "Fabrizio Celentano" (Milano, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Elements of Teaching (Paperback)

This is a golden little book that all teachers should read. It would be very useful also for those administrators who look at teachers as no more than talking machines, only needed to cover as many classes as possible.
The Authors are both educators and administrators. They know wery well what they are talking about, and, under an apparently old fashioned way of writing, they offer a very modern way to look at teaching, a mission as old as the human species, that evolved and continously evolves according to the social development.
The list of the basic elements-authority, ethics, imagination, patience, ...-is long, and all of the entries are analyzed in depth, using appropriate examples. Anyhow, the volume is no cookbook. Although it gives prescriptions and examples, these are intended to be internalized, not to be used as such. They are just a starting point for a personal elaboration.
When the book is finished, the reader is forced to reappraise his teaching methodology, and I imagine that he will also enjoy reading the companion book by the same Authors: The Elements of Learning.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Timeless Art of Teaching, April 18, 2000

By 

James L. Smith (Las Cruces, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Elements of Teaching (Paperback)

In THE ELEMENTS OF TEACHING, James M. Banner and Harold C. Cannon have identified something profound and timeless about the art of teaching; in the process they have also provided an inspirational portrait of good teaching that will rejuvenate teachers at all levels of experience. Whether teachers are just entering the profession or are hardened by years of classroom experience, they will find in THE ELEMENTS OF TEACHING a splendid antidote to the frustrations accompanying all honest attempts to convince students of the intrinsic value of learning for the sake of learning. Not only does the book ask teachers to explore the effectiveness of their approach to education, it also reminds teachers of the nobility of their profession and the age-old responsibility of guiding our children, and thus our society, toward knowledge and wisdom. Although the book is at times sobering in its realistic description of the responsibilities and hard work facing teachers, it nevertheless prompts all teachers to enter the classroom with renewed energy and a sharper focus on what it takes to give every student the desire to learn.