Introduction
The Christian
educator is not just teaching a person or ordinary education; they are making
their students more like Christ. Every class or seminar that is taught, the
content of the lesson should be focused heavenward to help the learner to be
better disciples. While preparing the lessons are important, it is important
that the student(s) will be prepared for the lesson that is being prepared. The
educator should have a good knowledge of his students and where they are in
their spiritual walk. This paper will discuss how to prepare lessons with the
student in mind.
Disciple Making
After giving the
disciples the command to “go” in the Great Commission, Jesus instructed them to
make disciples and, “Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you
(NKJV).” The Great Commission was the last command that was given to the disciples
from Jesus Christ. If the Lord thought that it was an important command, as one
of His last commands, to make disciples and to teach them what He taught them,
we should also take it serious. Teaching is an important device in making
disciples and making them stronger in the faith. However, there are elements
that educators should be aware of to prepare their students to learn. Preparing
students is known as “readiness”. Yount describes the Law of Readiness as, “Learning
proceeds best when learners are prepared to respond.”[1] Teaching would be in vein
if educators was not mindful of the Law of Readiness and preparing the
student(s).
Phases of Learning
Mitchell mentions
Gregory’s thought on the difference of teaching and training. He states,
“Training is the systematic development and cultivation of the powers of mind
and body. Teaching is a systematic inculcation of knowledge.”[2] Christian educators should
use the two together in preparing to teach and prepare their students to be
better disciples. There are three phases in teaching that should also be
considered; primary phase, secondary phase, and tertiary phase. The phases are
considered within human development and the knowledge that a person can take in
during each development stage. The primary phase (elementary) teaches basic
knowledge and “how” to learn. The secondary phase (high school through college)
builds on primary knowledge with the teaching of basic knowledge for human
development such as history, mathematics, language arts, and science. The
tertiary phase is college through graduate school which develops skill for
professional development.
Students can
certainly (and sometimes do) develop faster than other students in each of the
development phases. There are rare cases when a student will “grasp” subjects
faster than others and will excel faster than their peers. Pullman wrote,
“Theories of development can offer explanations regarding the origins and
functions of human behavior and the changes that can be anticipated as the
individual moves from one period of life to another.”[3] Some “students” are exposed
to education earlier in life while others are not. Some will contend that those
who develop faster have a better background. Therefore, it could be suggested
that education is not a “one size fits all” when it comes to students. The Law
of Apperception should be understood by educators when preparing their lessons
and students which is the students understanding of the subject due to prior
experience.
Educators should
be aware of the phases in human development when preparing their lessons. The
Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spoke as a
child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a
man, I put away childish things (emphasis mine).” The Apostle Paul understood
human development to things that pertain to spiritual formation. Educators need
to prepare their lessons in conjunction and relevance to the audience that they
are teaching. A child will not understand a lesson that is prepared for an
adult.
The final word on
preparing lessons geared toward the student’s preparedness and making disciples
should be preparing the student for spiritual maturity. This is because the
goal of Christian education is to bring maturity into the lives of Disciples of
Christ. Taylor states that, “He (God) has given us the mission to mature and to
equip others to do the same in Christ.”[4] The educator should
prepare the students environmentally. There has been a lot of attention given
to “teaching” children and youth in various environmentally locations. Adult
Christian education has fell to the way side. Educators must pay close
attention to their students learning activities. Youth may learn well in a
classroom environment or on a youth trip, but adults may learn better in a
small group with like-minded adults.
Motivation to Learn
Motivation can
come in different forms for students. A student may be motivated to learn
because they can relate to the person teaching or it could be that the student
is motivated due to the reason that they really enjoy the subject being taught.
Whether the Christian educator is teaching a child, youth, or an adult the
educator should be aware of their student’s motivation. Motivation could mean whether
or not the lesson being taught was in vein.
Richards and
Bredfeldt state that there are two different types of motivation; extrinsic and
intrinsic.[5] Extrinsic motivation comes
from an external source of motivation to learn. This could be that a student is
motivated by the fact that the educator teaches the subject in a way that is
motivating or maybe the student will get a “reward” from learning. Intrinsic
motivation is internal motivation to learn. When a student is motivated
internally, they may enjoy the subject or can relate to the educator. The
Christian educator should be aware of the motivations that drives their
students in order to effectively teach them.
Conclusion
Christian
educators follow the command in the Great Commission to teach. There are
several considerations for the educator to prepare their students. Christian
educators should be aware of the stages in human development, phases of
learning, and the student’s motivation for learning. Without a great
understanding of these elements of preparing students to learn the teaching
could be vein. From youth to adult Christian education, Christian educators
should spend time preparing their students while in the process of preparing
their lessons.
Bibliography
Anthony,
Michael J. Introducing Christian
Education. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001.
Richards,
Lawrence O. and Bredfeldt, Gary J. Creative
Bible Teaching. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 1998.
Mitchell,
Mitchell R. Leading, Teaching, and Making
Disciples. Bloomington, Indiana: Cross Books, 2010.
[1]
William “Rick” Yount, Introducing
Christian Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century, (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), Kindle Loc. 3056.
[2]
Michael R. Mitchell, Leading, Teaching,
and Making Disciples, (Bloomington, Indiana: Cross Books, 2010), 118.
[3]
Ellery Pullman, Introducing Christian
Education: Foundations for the Twenty-first Century, edited by Michael J.
Anthony, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), Kindle Loc. 1779.
[4]
Nick Taylor, Introducing Christian
Education, Kindle Loc. 2981.
[5]
Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt, Creative
Bible Teaching, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 1998), Kindle Loc.
4149.
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