Book Review: The Elements of Teaching

Abstract

Banner and Cannon's (2017) The Elements of Teaching has a universal and enduring appeal. The first edition of this concise volume was published in 1997 and consistently attracted readers for over two decades, and the second edition has continued to garner the same level of attention. In addition to teachers and other staff in the field of education, this book targets a broader audience that includes educators, trainers in various industries, parents, and any individuals who teach others. In this book, Banner and Cannon dissect ten qualities that an effective and successful teacher possesses: learning, authority, ethics, order, imagination, compassion, patience, tenacity, character, and pleasure. Each chapter fully elaborates on one quality and concludes with a concrete illustration through a fictional case that exemplifies a teacher who does or does not possess the corresponding teaching element of the chapter. While methodological instruction is rarely explicitly addressed, pedagogy is thoroughly discussed; therefore, this book can yield immense rewards for veteran educators if they deliberate over the qualities to reappraise their teaching journey. For novice teachers and any person pursuing teaching as a future career, this book insightfully depicts the professionalism of teaching, which seems obvious but has scarcely been articulated based on Author 1's 10-year teaching and learning experience in China and Canada.In the opening sentence, Banner and Cannon arrive straight to the point by declaring that teaching is an art. This statement manifests the keynote of the book: to explore the beauty of education rather than analytical approaches or techniques, such as how different teaching methodologies accommodate diverse groups of students. It is undisputed