This paper examines the definition of teaching by drawing on scholarly sources, including the work of J.S. Atherton on experiential learning. It begins with Kolb's four-part learning model — concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation — and connects each dimension to a corresponding learner typology: activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist. The paper then considers institutional perspectives on teacher competencies from Kingston University London and Carnegie Mellon University, emphasizing the importance of understanding students' prior knowledge, motivational styles, and learning preferences. The author concludes that effective teaching requires adaptability, student awareness, and a commitment to guiding learners from where they are to where they need to be.
This paper offers a brief exploration of the definition of teaching, drawing on several scholarly references including the work of J.S. Atherton. The discussion also reflects on what teaching means personally in light of the research examined. While people hold many different views about teaching — and not all of them are positive — there is little question about how pivotal a role teaching plays in society. Scholars like Atherton understood that fully, and their frameworks provide a useful starting point for thinking carefully about what teaching is and what it requires.
Atherton's work points to the model put forth by Kolb — who was himself inspired by learning theorist Kurt Lewin — which holds that learning can be divided into four major realms: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. In other words, learning can take on several major forms, but it will typically fall under one of these broader categories. For example, one could learn about science by conducting an experiment (concrete experience), but learning can also occur through abstract reasoning and conceptual thought. The four dimensions obviously overlap and interface with one another in many ways (Atherton, 2015).
Atherton expands on this model by connecting each of the four learning dimensions to a corresponding typology of learner. Concrete experience lends itself to activist learners — people who learn by doing and experiencing. Reflective observation corresponds to reflectors, who prefer to observe and think carefully about what they have seen. Abstract conceptualization is where theorists fit, since they want to understand the underlying concepts, reasons, and relationships. Finally, active experimentation corresponds to pragmatists, who like to "have a go" to see whether things work as expected (Atherton, 2015).
Extending this to what it means to be a teacher, the implication is that people can — and do — prefer to learn in multiple ways, and that teachers should be adaptable based on the needs and strengths of those they teach. Some people learn by doing, while others prefer to approach things conceptually and from a theoretical standpoint. Put simply, some learners can read about something and absorb it effectively, while others need to get out and do it before understanding sets in.
Kingston University London asserts that teachers must meet several major competencies to be considered effective. These include knowledge and use of appropriate learning strategies, the ability to assess what pupils already know, a genuine regard for students, and an understanding of how to motivate them. In essence, teachers should know where their students currently stand, where they need to be, and how to guide them from one point to the other (KUL, 2015).
Carnegie Mellon University similarly states that "effective teaching involves acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom teaching" (Carnegie Mellon, 2015). This perspective reinforces the same core principle — that knowing one's students is foundational to effective teaching — while framing it in terms of deliberate course and instructional design. Both sources converge on the idea that teaching is not simply content delivery but a responsive, student-centered process.
If there is a central point to be drawn from the above, it is that teaching is all about knowing what is being taught, who is being taught, what is already known about the students, how material will be taught, and why it will be taught in that particular way. The strengths, weaknesses, and motivations of each student will inevitably vary. However, there is generally a focal point that, once identified, allows an effective teacher to engage the learner and place them on the right learning path. Learning is a lifelong process that should never cease, and teaching — much like learning itself — takes on many forms.
"Kingston and Carnegie Mellon on teacher standards"
KUL. (2015). School of Education — What is teaching? — Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Kingston University London and St. George's, University of London. Healthcare.ac.uk. Retrieved June 21, 2015, from
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