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A 2006 research study sought to identify specific characteristics that make for outstanding studio instruction by recording, observing, and analyzing three renowned artist-teachers. Some of the practices of the observed teachers seemed to embody a "master-apprentice" or "teacher-centered" model of teaching, which is increasingly falling out of favor among modern pedagogues. This article identifies the specific elements from the study that were most indicative of a master-apprentice approach. It outlines potential problems with these practices and presents alternative approaches that are intended to reflect a more student-centered pedagogy.
INTRODUCTION
IN 2006, RESEARCHERS ROBERT A. DUKE AND AMY L. SlMMONS SOUght to identify specific characteristics that make for outstanding studio instruction. They selected three award-winning teachers-an oboist, a violist, and a pianist-and recorded, observed, and analyzed approximately twenty-five hours of their studio instruction. Looking for commonalities in their teaching, they published their results in a paper titled "The Nature of Expertise: Narrative Descriptions of 19 Common Elements Observed in the Lessons of Three Renowned Artist-Teachers."1
The study clearly made a mark As of this writing, it has been referenced and cited in more than 230 published works, according to Google Scholar. The paper represents the culmination of educational philosophies and practices that the three selected teachers had acquired over the length of their careers up to that point, reflecting the best of their past and present. Once these ideas were published, they undoubtedly impacted the future, as well, as they were implemented by teachers who carried them into the next generation of studio instruction.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, we can see which practices continue to be used and which may have fallen out of favor over the last eighteen years. We can also categorize certain practices as belonging to a particular instructional model or methodology. Specifically, some elements reflect a "master-apprentice" or "teacher-centered" model, which modern educators have been increasingly calling into question. This article will identify the specific elements from the-Duke and Simmons study that seem the most indicative of a master-apprentice approach. It will then outline potential problems with these practices and present alternative approaches that are intended to reflect a more student-centered pedagogy.
MASTER-APPRENTICE/TEACHER-CENTERED APPROACH
The focus of the Duke and Simmons study was intended to be on the...