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July 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Philosophy of Church-Related Teaching
by
Ken Smith
The Excellent Teacher “Teaches Biblical Truth.”
This statement is associated with my first dictum, “First, do no harm.” A teacher may have bad technique and poor communication skills, but so long as biblical truth is being taught no serious harm will come to the student. However, if a teacher has the best of teaching skills and does not teach biblical truth, then the students are at serious risk of permanent spiritual damage. In this context, biblical truth refers to the cardinal or orthodox tenants of Christianity and not to positions taken on non-essential doctrines.
How can a teacher be sure he or she is teaching biblical truth? First, the teacher must be a diligent student of the Bible. All teachers must accept the premise that they are life-long students—especially of God’s Word. Second, the teacher should be grounded in orthodox Christian doctrine, and this involves some additional study—either formally or informally—of systematic theology. Finally, the teacher must earnestly have a desire for the truth and be diligent to seek it out, and accepting correction when necessary.
The Excellent Teacher “Displays Enthusiasm for the Subject Matter.”
Enthusiasm communicates to the students that you find real enjoyment in what you do and it is worthwhile to learn the material. The secular marketing world of “Madison Avenue” understands the power of this quality. Television commercials, infomercials, and a plethora of others utilize people who show enthusiasm for the product being advertised because people buy into the message. Enthusiasm actually can be infectious, and people want to learn about the things that generate passion and zeal within someone. Most people will agree that an enthusiastic teacher is more interesting to listen to than someone who’s not.
If one considers the New Testament writings, two passages come to mind. In Acts 18:25, Luke wrote about a Jew named Apollos who was preaching in Ephesus. The passage says, “He has been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus . . . .” Also, Paul spoke of this attitude in his letter to the saints in Rome. Paul said, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11 ESV).
The Excellent Teacher “Is a Doer of the Word and Not a Hearer Only.”
This quality of an excellent teacher is taken from James 1:22. People want teachers to show them what it looks like when applied to personal life. If someone does not practice what they teach or preach, they will lose credibility, regardless of how well they teach. The students who are influenced by postmodernism are in a surveillance mode, and they are quick to spot any hint of hypocrisy or pretentiousness.
This does not mean the teachers are perfect and without any faults. Students are smart enough to realize the difficulty of living an ideal Christian life. With this in mind, the teacher should be willing to acknowledge his faults/weaknesses and use those as examples in the course of his teaching. However, considering the influence on his students, the teacher should be setting an example of Christian moral behavior, both inside and outside the classroom.
The Excellent Teacher “Meets the Needs of the Student.”
This can mean many things to many people. First, this quality means being able to relate to others. Each student comes with her own level of education, life experiences, intellect, and presuppositions. The teacher who relates well can tailor his class to meet individual needs of students. Second, it also means using a variety of teaching methods to match the learning styles of the students, which can consist of audio communication, visual material, practical demonstrations, and interactive techniques. Third, the teacher should get to know the students on a personal level if possible. Some types of classes are more conducive than others concerning this aspect. This especially applies to Sunday school teachers and small group leaders who have a shepherding duty as well as a teaching responsibility.
The Excellent Teacher “Is Competent and Has Communication Skills.”
Competency implies the teacher has some mastery of the material. Learning can be very difficult if the teacher does not understand the subject matter. This principle is conveyed in Scripture when Paul exhorts Timothy to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 HCSB). This teaching quality overlaps with the first quality: The Excellent Teacher “Teaches Biblical Truth.”
Communication skills are often referred to as interpersonal or people skills. It is one thing for the teacher to know the material, it is another for the teacher to be able to communicate this material in an understandable and meaningful way. The success of a teacher is largely rooted in his ability to get ideas across to others and to understand what others are saying to him.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
These are a few of the standards or values that I have seen in teachers who have had an influence on me as well as others. These are just a few of the things that are important to anyone who teaches. The ones that I chose to write about are in the order that I hold my teaching values. I believe that they are important for anyone who teaches, not just the ones who teach Bible studies or Sunday school classes.
The importance of holding high moral standards.
It is important as a teacher, no matter what age students you teach to hold and live by high moral standards because your students will look up to you as a person of authority.
Yes, we all stumble and fall from time to time; we all have struggles as well. It is part of everyone’s life. We have to make sure that we don’t expect more from our students than we do ourselves.
As Christians we should always strive to live our lives as a good example for anyone who might be watching. We know from what Scripture tells us that we are to live by the Law of the Lord at all times, in everything that we do, therefore we are to be an example to all those around us.
The important thing to remember is that no one is perfect. We aren’t and our students aren’t and that’s OK. We just have to make sure that we make that point clear. Don’t make your students feel that they have failed as a Christian because they made a mistake. It happens to all of us we are human and we all make mistakes. God made us imperfect creatures, in an imperfect world.
We are the ones in control of what to do when we make the mistakes and the ones that are in control of learning from the mistakes that we make. When we learn from our mistakes we can see that we have the choice to not make that same mistake again.
For us to be good teachers, who are able to adjust and teach the Truth as well as live by it, we must be able to adapt in a way that allows us to keep learning the Truth from anywhere that it comes. Be it from deep study that reveals something you may have not seen before, or the conversation with a class or student that brings something out in a way that you haven’t thought of before. As teachers we can’t be afraid to learn, and to live what we learn.
The importance of self-study and prayer for a teacher.
As teachers it is important that we are well studied on the lessons that we teach. This is something that should go without being said. However that is not the case all too many times.
All lessons should be started with our own study of the subject. That study should begin with prayer that we will absorb what we need, to be an effective teacher for the subject and that our students will be able to clearly understand and be enveloped by the truth that comes from the lesson.
It is through study and prayer that we come to see the true meaning of the lesson we are going to teach.
It is not only the words that we read, or the stories that we tell, but instead the message that we are conveying, that comes from the Word of God. If we as teachers don’t “get it” how can we expect the students to?
Prayer is an important part of the process as a whole. We pray that we will receive the message as it is meant for us to teach it; from the Holy Spirit. We then pray that we will deliver the message as it was meant, not leaving them wanting more, or leaving them overwhelmed with too much information and not enough explanation. Then we pray that the message that they received will be absorbed into their lives and that they will be strengthened in their walk for the Lord by using what you passed on to them, moving them toward the goal that you have for them.
Prayer is a very important thing; we often get so caught up in the rush of the world around us that we forget just how important it is. (I myself am guilty of this, and then I find myself in a rut and praying for hours on things that I should have been praying about the whole time. I find it much easier to pray for someone else than to pray for myself.) Praying for ourselves to fulfill God’s will in the lesson that we are teaching is just as important as praying for our students to receive the message that God has intended for them. We must be careful not to skip this part of our studies. No matter the rush we are in, there is always time for prayer.
The evaluation and preparation of the lesson.
We have seen how important high moral standards, study and prayer are in the process of preparation of our lessons but there is much more to it than that.
There is a point where all those things come together and that point is the actual preparation of the lesson, but even more so in the evaluation of the lesson.
Taking what you have learned and applying it to your life, looking clearly at the challenges that go along with the application in your life. Then looking at the lives and circumstances of your students then studying the challenges that they may face by applying the lesson to their lives. Then we have to bring all of it together in a lesson that will be understandable and livable for your students, without getting away from the true meaning of the lesson.
Part of our job as a teacher is to help our students to understand that life as a follower of Christ isn’t always easy, but that it will be rewarding. While those rewards may not be seen right away, they are worth the wait.
Making yourself available for your students.
A great teacher is one who is there for their students. Not afraid to get to know them as people. It’s also important to make sure that they know that you know that you are just as human as they are. Not being afraid to say “I don’t know” is important.
When you get to know someone you see so much more than you would if you simply sit in front of the classroom, reading from your notes what you want them to hear and learn.
Getting to know your students helps you to be able to take your lesson and see where it will affect each student. Granted you won’t know all there is to know about the student, but if you try to get to know them, they will open up to you, and not only will they gain more from the lesson, but so will you.
If you make yourself accessible to your students, you are giving them freedom to get to know you and have the possibility of them opening up to you.
So much more can be done on a personal level, than can be done from a pedestal. It is easier to understand what is being taught when you are being talked to instead of being lectured to.
Teaching with your whole heart.
I feel that if you are in a teaching position or better yet a position to teach, you are in a wonderful position.
The Lord in one way or another has seen fit to put you where you are. No matter what the subject, if you can help one person to come closer to the Lord, then you have changed a life.
When you teach, don’t be afraid of putting yourself into your lesson. It’s ok to wear your heart on your sleeve when you are talking about the Truth! Let yourself teach from the heart. We don’t have to be afraid that we will be making ourselves vulnerable its ok to put your-self out there for God. We are all his children; he loves us and wants us not only to know the truth but to spread the truth. To do that sometimes means we have to put our heart on the line. Don’t be afraid of doing what your heart tells you to.
Often I don’t think that teachers have any idea of just how important they are. It is so easy to put things off as not being important. We have to remember that we have been put into the position where we are for a reason. We have the chance to change lives, that’s a great place to be.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
What are some elements of good Biblical teaching? What are the values about teaching that strike me as most important?
• Truth
• A passion for truth
• A genuine concern for individuals
• An awareness of one’s responsibility for Biblical knowledge
• Teaching with the goal of creating self starting Scriptural students
• Creating lessons with enough structure to be effective and open enough to allow discussion
• Succinctness in delivery
Truth
As I thought about this, I decided that the most important thing, the bedrock of Biblical teaching has to be truth. The teacher must be committed to getting the best, most accurate information available, making it his/her own and then sharing it with others. A person can have poor teaching techniques and still be effective so long as he or she is accurate with the truth. A good example of this is Jonah. Conversely one can be a great teacher and pass on heretical, inaccurate or incomplete information. A case in point of one like that was Apollos, who was an excellent communicator but for a time was lacking in the whole picture (Acts 18:24-28). He eventually got it right, but the apostle Paul had to go back and correct the results of some of Apollos’ incomplete message (Acts 19:1-7). Last winter we left a Halloween pumpkin out in the back yard. It eventually rotted and spread its seeds and I thought no more about it until the first time I mowed my yard this spring. There behind my cottonwood tree were the unmistakable sprouts of pumpkin plants. As I write this, one of the vines actually has a pumpkin growing on it. The seed bore fruit in an unusual way in an odd place.
A Passion for Truth
Next to this, one who would teach has to grab hold of Scriptural truth by his heart and not merely with his head. Scripture has to impact the teacher’s way of life before he or she can have a good chance to influence others. But on the one had we have to be careful not to become overly dogmatic on everything, as the saying goes, “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things, charity”. On the other hand, our society is becoming increasingly postmodern and because the law of non-contradiction is valid, there are some things a person cannot budge from and still remain faithful to the truth.
A Genuine Concern for Individuals
It has been said many times that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. One has to genuinely care for others and if you don’t it is easily apparent that you don’t. Getting to know the members of your small group, visiting, making phone calls, becoming involved with their joys and sorrows is a must. Jesus it is said “went about doing good” and “had compassion on the multitude”. It is vital that we follow His example in this as well.
An Awareness of Responsibility for Biblical Knowledge
God has given me a heart for His word and His truth, and I keep in mind Jesus words about stewardship in Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” Especially in America we have access today to Biblical resources unheard of or unimaginable to saints long ago. God will hold us accountable with what we do with the riches of His grace and that is a daunting thought. And not only that, to accumulate and not share would be just plain wrong. In 2 Kings 6:24 – 7:20 there is the story of the siege of Samaria and its miraculous deliverance. By the gate of the city were four lepers who went outside, intending to surrender to the Syrians, having decided they had nothing to lose either way; die of famine in the city or possibly live or be executed by the enemy if they gave themselves up. When they went out, they found that the Syrian army had fled, leaving their possessions and food. For a while these men enjoyed themselves but realized they were responsible to share the good news with their countrymen: Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent.” (2 Kings 7:9)
Teaching with the goal of creating self starting Scriptural students
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; but teach a man to fish…
The goal is to challenge people to want to discover the riches of God’s wisdom for themselves and not to merely be spoon-fed every Sunday and Wednesday. My wife and I often listen to great Bible teachers on the radio such as John MacArthur and Alistair Begg. How they teach has often caused us to dig deeper as we study God’s word.
Create lessons with enough structure to be effective and open enough to allow discussion
This includes small group studies rather than preaching which is more of a lecture type situation. Some structure is necessary to keep the discussion on track and to keep the focus on the main topic, but not to be overly rigid. Sometimes it’s good for the exchange of ideas to go down a side path but this has to be kept under control. As to group discussions, I like what Dr. Howard Hendricks said about questioning answers than just merely answering questions. It must be a goal to get our class members to know not just what they believe but also why they believe what they do. Creativity in preparing lessons is also important. I once taught Sunday School out of quarterlies. Yet I did not just go completely “pre-packaged”; I wanted to make the lesson my own with the right touches here and there. In teaching as well as in cooking, an element of being “made from scratch” can improve a lesson if it is done right.
Succinctness in delivery
If you are something like I am, I tend to tune out if something gets to be too long, whether it be a newspaper article, blog post or an overly long sermon. While attention to detail is undoubtedly important, there comes a point when it gets to be too much and people tend to “fuzz out”. One should remember his or her audience and plan accordingly. It’s a good idea to keep things short as possible and to not unnecessarily “wear out the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:25).
Conclusion
These are some elements of what I consider to be good Bible teaching. The list is not exhaustive (and I hope not too exhausting!) I am grateful for the influences of many good and not so good teachers I have had in the past who helped me to develop the philosophies I have. Dr. Howard Hendricks book, “Teaching to Change Lives” has been very helpful.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
What qualities do I look for in a teacher, what values do I want to cultivate as a teacher myself? I have known many teachers throughout my life, some good and some not so good. What made the difference. There are certain qualities or values that I like to see in any teacher and I am going to discuss some of them here.
Passion and excitement
A good teacher needs to be passionate, passionate about teaching and passionate about the subject being taught. Enthusiasm and excitement are contagious. A teacher who is passionate reflects this in his or her teaching style. Care must be taken on the part of the teacher however to keep the excitement under control so that teaching doesn’t become disjointed, flitting from one point to another without explanation.
Challenging
A good teacher must be able to challenge students to leave their safety zone – to explore new worlds – to boldly go where no man has gone before… To challenge students to do more than they think they are capable of is one of the greatest gifts a teacher can give. It instills in the student a love for learning that will last a lifetime. They will be willing to try new things without being afraid of failure.
Sense of humor
This can be a very effective tool in teaching especially for a subject that is rather dry or one that is disturbing in any way. For example, studying the book of Revelation can be disturbing or even frightening for some if they forget to keep the big picture in mind. A bit of humor interjected into the lesson can be a fresh breeze, a deep breath, a quick chance to step back and regroup.
Being well-prepared
Unless a teacher is well-prepared the lesson will not flow smoothly and key points may be lost. The lesson becomes confusing and the students will not have the opportunity to learn.
Punctual
In many cases the students are paying for the privilege of learning from the teacher, in a sense they are the employer. Being late is wasting their time and money. I t is only common courtesy for the teacher to be on time. It shows respect for the students and the students in turn will have more respect for the teacher.
Knowing that learning is a lifelong commitment
A good teacher must be willing to learn from his/her students as well as the students learning from the teacher. Trying to teach with an I already know it all attitude is an instant turn-off. There is always more that can be learned, A good teacher realizes this and passes this philosophy on to the students.
Speaking to the level of the audience
No one appreciates it when a teacher talks down to them or talks over their head. Either one will leave the student bored and wishing they could be somewhere, anywhere else.
Clarity in thought and speech
A clear thinker who articulates well is definitely preferred over one who does a lot of hemming and hawing. It holds the student’s interest better and the class will be much more interesting as well.
Willingness to hear students’ opinions
Feedback from students can highlight problem areas in the lesson, help clarify points made, bring up new points not yet considered and most of all give the students a feeling of self-worth because they are participating in and contributing to the class.
These are characteristics I value in teachers and ones I hope to cultivate in myself. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I would expect to add or delete traits as I develop as a teacher. These are traits I think any teacher should have to make teaching and learning as rewarding as possible for all concerned.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
If one examines it closely; there are very few universals that bind good teachers (secular or Christian). In fact the only universal I see is a prioritization of truth.
If a teacher endorses what they know to be fiction or a lie, then he/she is in reality a charlatan or huckster. However, this doesn’t mean they are not effective (see Jim Jones or the more recent “Buffalo” Bill Hawkins from House of Yahweh); but it does disqualify him as a good teacher.
A moral life is not necessary either. Bertrand Russell was a great philosopher but lived a highly perverse life. Same could be said for Aldous Huxley and many of the scholars that fill our secular universities.
For my paper I am going to fine-tune it to focus on Christian’s teaching Scripture in a setting that allows for relationships to grow.
I will break this into three sections:
1. Core Essentials
2. Important but not essential
3. Non-Essentials
By core essentials I mean those items that are non-wavering for any Christian teacher. The core essentials would be the priority of truth, focus on students well-being, life of integrity and to be qualified.
Priority of Truth
Someone focused on truth will always have worthwhile data to share. Someone focused on truth will also be teachable because their focus is truth, not tradition, not personal opinion or what is new and popular. Someone driven for the truth will not get carried away on every new theory that hits the bookstore (see Bart Ehrman).
A teacher sold out to truth will be prepared for questions from students because in the pursuit of truth they have asked many of the same questions.
Their material will be objective and not subjective. Or if it is, such a scholar will tell his audience where Scripture’s clear response ends and where his/her opinion begins.
Focus on student’s well-being
“A man who is wounded by my wounds, hurt by my hurt, and grieved by my grief, is a man who loves me. And a man who loves me can preach to me.” A.W. Tozer
For a teacher that is in a setting where relationships can grow, it is vitally important that he be concerned about his students. A good teacher will notice shy students, students lacking confidence, students biting at the bit just wanting to explode forward or students that are having trouble keeping up. A teacher will study his students as well as the course material.
Part of the student’s well-being would be a teacher that is punctual, humble, tangible, authentic, committed and aware of how settings could affect learning. For example, let’s say a teacher is with a group of students that are opposed to the classic suit and lectern approach to didactic teaching. The teacher should pick up on this and modify the environment as to accommodate the students but at the same time still be “in control.”
Focusing on a student’s well-being will mean being fluid with your lessons and material; understanding that people are not bricks.
**It should be noted that someone who is a visiting lecturer or teaching an auditorium of 900 students will probably be limited to how personal they can be with students.
Life of integrity
“Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.”
–Leo Tolstoy
There is something devastating about a Christian teacher living a life that loses integrity. I am not proposing a pursuit of perfection, or unrealistic expectations of teachers. Teacher or not, they are still human and make mistakes.
Christianity in recent decades has been publicly humiliated by fallen leaders. Even if the material someone teaches is biblical and spot-on, the fact that they are hypocritical disturbs the atmosphere and inevitably will make learning difficult.
It is good advice for those wishing to become teachers to have accountability partners.
Qualified
This is actually a two-pronged essential. A teacher must be qualified for his audience and for the subject matter being taught.
Let’s face it, not everyone is qualified to teacher an auditorium filled with PhD skeptics; nor is everyone qualified to work with six year olds.
It is pure garbage to abuse various texts in the bible to suppose that God will automatically give you the words to say. This is hermeneutical trash! No teacher should automatically assume that just because they may have the spiritual gift of teaching that they can go into any setting and be effective for the Lord. That is one part foolish, one part arrogant.
Two popular Christians (I will call them Elmer and Daffy) recently debated a very radical atheist group on national television about the existence of God. Immediately the atheist group seized control of the debate and went for the jugular by asking about the existence of evil, pain and suffering. Elmer and Daffy were done! They hem-hawed around with some cheesy answers but it was clear that they didn’t have good responses to some of the most basic questions from the atheist camps. Elmer and Daffy, though they meant well, ended up doing a disservice to Christianity.
You must be qualified for the arena you are teaching.
Next is being qualified for the subject matter. A teacher must love the subject he/she is going to teach. If you don’t give a hoot about the Old Testament, then by all means avoid giving a 10 week course on OT Theology.
If philosophy isn’t your thing, then don’t attempt to teach anything in-depth on Christian philosophy. You get the point.
Find those subjects and avenues that you find exciting and go after those. It is better to become a master on five or six subjects than have base knowledge on many.
A teacher should always alert the class when they are entering subject matter that the teacher may not be a master.
The second group on my list is important but non-essential. The following items should be encouraged for a teacher to adopt; but they are not essential for a teacher to be effective. They are eloquent, a good resume, eye contact, confident, and good role models.
Eloquent
This doesn’t mean stately (like John R.W. Stott); but it does mean smooth flowing and with the proper vocabulary. A teacher whose lesson is disjointed or choppy will generally come across as unprepared. A teacher who is succumbing to a series of “and umm, well umm and Adam, he uhh….” Will lose his audience, and typically their respect.
Even a skeptic will respect an eloquent presentation of the gospel.
Stephen at his martyrdom, Peter at Pentecost, Paul at Mars Hill, Paul before Roman authorities….. these are prime examples of eloquent speaking.
A modern example today is N.T. Wright.
Well rehearsed teachers will always have an audience.
A good resume
There I said it. Those wishing to be Christian teachers should have some form of resume showing why they qualify. Nepotism and the good ole boy network dominate much of our teaching in churches today.
A qualified resume will resemble the type of resume you send with a job application.
Background, areas of expertise, references, experience…..
I place this in the important but non-essentials because someone could very well be qualified but not have a resume to support it.
Eye contact
This is important but non-essential because what if I am teaching via a computer? Or (and I don’t mean this to be rude or disrespectful) what if my audience is blind? Clearly eye contact is not an essential but it is something that is of importance in the general population.
Good eye contact will be part of being eloquent as well.
I have read that Jonathan Edwards had horrible eye contact, in fact he primarily read straight from his notes (but I think we could say he was effective as a teacher).
Eye contact shows confidence, allows the speaker to maintain control and to keep an eye on the condition of his audience. The inability to look at your students will give the impression of insecurity.
However, one should not invest too much into eye contact. The material of the teacher should always trump something like eye contact. Remember, car salesmen usually maintain good eye contact.
Good role models
“There are no original thinkers. We are all plagiarists in different forms.” C.S. Lewis
I intentionally broke this out from resume because they really are separate. My job resume doesn’t tell my employer who my heroes and role models are; but a Christian teacher should be able to rattle off those Christian preachers, teachers, authors, missionaries, evangelists, scholars…. Who have impacted their walk with the Lord. I am not shy to say that a person who says their life has been positively impacted by Benny Hinn and Oral Roberts probably doesn’t have a place on my teaching staff.
This takes us to my last group, the non-essentials. These are flat out not needed for a Christian teacher. It doesn’t hurt to lack them or necessarily help to have them. Thus they are non-essentials.
They are humor, technologically savvy and creative.
Humor
Craig Blomberg is not funny; Craig Evans is not funny, William Lane Craig is not funny, Alvin Plantinga (like most philosophers) is not funny, and the list goes on.
But they are effective and their teaching is highly sought after.
Too much humor can be very disruptive to an audience. And for teachers who are not funny, they humor will often end up being pathetic and impotent. If you are naturally funny, then by all means use humor. A teacher should acknowledge if he/she is not funny and be a good stick in the mud like the author of this document.
Technologically savvy
I hear too many teachers apologize for not being up-to-date on technology. As if that their technical skills is why I seek their teaching? This is foolishness.
Creative
Like humor, too much attention can be paid to a teacher’s creativity. Originality does not qualify one as a good teacher.
Take for instance the Emergent Church. So much is paid to creative presentation, new layout, fresh ideas, new, different, cutting edge, pizzazz, never before seen….
Like humor, I admire when a teacher is naturally creative and uses it to glorify the Lord but I do not classify this as a mandate for all teachers.
Many of those names that fill my bookshelf are as creative as a block of concrete.
James’s warning that everyone should be careful of the desire to be a teacher (James 3:1) should not be glossed over as simple rhetoric for first century Jewish converts. This statement is just as applicable today as it was when James penned them ~48AD.
There are many pitfalls associated with teaching; from time constraints, to humility of failure, to the expected increase in integrity, to the potential of an inflated ego.
Please read the fine print before signing up.
Meanwhile the rewards are phenomenal and if the Holy Spirit is tugging at the heart strings, then by all means go for it!
July 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
Teaching Excellence
Excellence in teaching might be best understood and described by first examining some things that believe it is not.
Teaching is not:
1. Just reading from a book
2. Taking up the allotted time by filling it with speech
3. Being in front of the students or audience and acting like you know everything
4. Is not expecting the class to “get it” on their own
5. The simple transfer of information
6. Guaranteed because of degrees or credentials
Reading from a book can be done by the students themselves. An excellent teacher prepares their subject matter in advance and diligently researches books and other resources to bring to the audience trusted foundations and recognizable truth of the subject. I remember when I was in junior high school and going to parochial school where our sister teacher would read from a story book every Friday afternoon. Now not to be misunderstood, I am not saying that she was not a good teacher, because she was, and this was a most favorite time for the class. The two hours she read to us were wonderful and memorable. So, reading from a book is good, but it is not teaching. She had the other thirty-eight hours of the week to teach. And she did a good job of that as well.
Using the entire time to talk and talk is not good teaching. Talking is fine, but what is it that is being said? When an attentive listener walks away with nothing gained from the speaker, I would guess that the speaker was just talking the whole time and filling the space with sound. Anyone who has ever listened closely to Pastor Melissa Scott on TV can experience what I am saying. In my opinion, she has mastered the art of talking and talking, but saying nothing. Fundamentally, we cannot even describe this as bad teaching, because this is not any sort of teaching; it is simply talking.
Being aloof or behaving as though you have mastered the subject so well that you require no preparation, notes, or study only shows ignorance and not intelligence. Intelligence seeks knowledge instead of ignoring it. An intelligent teacher is not one who knows everything. An intelligent teacher is one who knows that they do not know everything, but maintains a wealth of resources to conduct meaningful research. I confess that sometimes I have considered myself smart in front of a class and have gone to speak unprepared except for my experience. I have been quickly convicted after such a stunt and have been ashamed of my own behavior. I try with diligence not to repeat this behavior.
The class is there to learn from the teacher. If not by lecture and participation alone, then also by guidance and coaxing toward a direction of learning that will enhance the student’s knowledge if followed. Bad teaching is reflected when students are left on their own to figure out truth. To leave the class unaided in this area is to stop being a teacher and to start behaving like a study-hall monitor.
Information presented and received should be the basic goal of every teacher, but not if the information is false. Transferring truth to students can be an impossible task for a teacher, who presents the material in a raw, unenthusiastic, uncaring manner. Students will pick-up on this and become just like the teacher: unenthusiastic and uncaring.
Teachers who flaunt their degrees or credentials in front of the class while students are not learning from them are just like a show car without an engine. It looks good on the outside and comes with many affirming trophies and awards, but it doesn’t go anywhere. It just sits there and looks good. Oftentimes, these teachers not only snub their superior noses at their students but to fellow teachers as well, making them a double nuisance and hindrance to the teaching and learning process.
Alright, now that I have attempted to explain what good teaching isn’t, I will try and present positives from the same six negative aspects. These are the positives in which I strive to improve on a constant basis and in so doing, reward my students with an enriched learning experience.
Teaching and not reading
To teach on spiritual things, one must be spiritual. John 4:24 tells us that, “God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Like the act of worship, teaching on spiritual matters must first be a spiritual experience and learning spiritual things must also be a spiritual experience. “And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.” 1 Cor. 2:14
Trying to effectively teach by only reading from a book and expecting students to grasp the truth of spiritual matters from the sound of someone’s voice is bordering on the ridiculous. Good bible teachers have the gift of teaching when they read from a book and then put it down and go on to explain what was just read. And not only an explanation but an unraveling of the truth that resides within the text. Attentive students are like empty vessels for the moment. They expect to hear truth presented and explained. A good teacher can only pour spiritual truth into them from a source that contains spiritual truth and they make the word of God come alive not by reading only but by transference of the message from within them self who is a living container and not a book that cannot be made to come alive by itself.
Talking incessantly
As important as it is to talk while teaching, it is more important to say something. Good teachers must present the advertised material to the expecting student and not talk all around the subject for an hour without saying anything substantial. Students need to learn to listen to a lecture, but they also need to exercise their minds in other ways such as class participation and projects. Good teachers might creatively assign interesting homework that can be reviewed during class where they can interact with one another and provide comment and critique that can lead to deeper understanding and further study. A good teacher might ask a student to present part of the lesson whereby they show that they are learning the material and at the same time encourage other students to be a more active participant in the learning process. It is important to talk while teaching, but it is very important to “do” during teaching.
Know-it-all-Nick
A good teacher exhibits humility along with a mastery of the subject being taught. I have been around boxing all of my life and have been a trainer and coach for 30 years. The truly gifted boxer does not have to act aloof or superior. Being superior is not an act; it is reality. Knowing this, the talented boxer shows others their skills in the ring and does not flaunt them or brag about them outside the ring. Good teachers should be the same way. They should not act like they know everything, but rather show their students that they know something. A know-it-all-Nick really stands out in the crowd when it comes to biblical teaching. There is nothing wrong with a good teacher who admits that they don’t know something. It makes them more authentic and approachable. A good teacher will always research the answer to the valid question that they did not know and bring it back to the class later. A motto for a good teacher is that they are also a good learner.
Get it? Got it? Good?
The class will learn a little something on their own regardless of how effective the teacher is. What I mean by this is whenever there is a teacher who is not delivering the material well; the students will try and pull it out of them. For the most part students want to learn and they will do it with or without the teacher’s good abilities. That being said, it is not a good teacher who expects the students to learn on their own. A good teacher assumes that the student doesn’t know the material they are presenting. If the student did know the material it would be more than redundant; it would be a waste of time. Teaching from the premise of newness, and that you are presenting uncovered material, will exhilarate the good teacher to teach well.
Answer the Phone
There is a fun game played by children called Telephone that begins by one person whispering in another’s ear and that person passing it on to the next all the way around a circle of children until the message comes back to the first person who started it. Then the fun is to see if the message made it all the way around without being tainted, changed, or completely lost. This game appears to be the simple transfer of information and it should be successful every time. But transferring information is not so simple and it is seldom that the message makes it around the circle perfectly. Information transfer should never be thought of as so simple that we never check to see if the information was received as planned. A good teacher will not only present information but will often ask for that information be repeated so that there is assurance of accuracy in delivery and understanding during reception. It is also beneficial to ask questions during the delivery of information to prod the students into being alert. For example, when teaching on the five “Solas” ask the class to repeat them from memory and explain them briefly. This exercise is not only for the students, a good teacher is testing themselves as well to see if they were effective in transferring the information.
Pedigrees
In this dog-eat-dog world of academic competition we somehow have lost the ability or concern for recognizing really good teachers regardless of degrees or diplomas. I do not want to be misunderstood. Degrees and diplomas are good and should be sought after whenever possible.
But they alone do not make a good teacher. There is a story about the famous evangelist D.L. Moody who had no more than a seventh grade education, but later in life delivered many a commencement speech at universities and schools of higher education. It is reported that while delivering such a speech a jealous professor was appalled that a man with a mere seventh grade education would be delivering a speech at such a prestigious school. The professor had a student deliver a note to Moody while he was still speaking. The note simply said “Fool” Upon reading it, Moody said to the audience that he had received many notes while making speeches and sometimes the writer forgot to sign it. He went on to say that this was the first note he had ever received that contained only the writer’s signature without a message attached. A quicker wit and a more gifted evangelist would be very hard to find.
The good teacher pursues excellence in teaching by first and always being a learner. It is often said that if you really want to research a topic well, teach it. One of the best accolades for a good teacher is to witness a student’s changed life for the better. A life more richly blessed to become a blessing to others.
Conclusion
A good teacher of theology has to first be a good theologian and a good theologian is one who not only knows good theology but does good theology. A theology in community where transparency and vulnerability are exposed in order to be broken and molded into the servant God desires. A good teacher of theology is peaceful and irenic in disposition. A good theology teacher never forces theology, but rather spoon feeds it. If the student is ready for meat then meat should be on the menu; if not then stay on the milk of the Word awhile longer so that the student does not choke. A good teacher of theology if forever humble, for to truly know theology well enough to teach it, is to know its power to affect lives forever for the good as well as the bad if taught poorly.
My personal desire is to be that good teacher of theology who is constantly learning; forever humble; persistently seeking truth; and passionately teaching students for the glory of God.
July 7th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
VOCATIONAL ASPECTS (Professional)
Excellence in Teaching Demands that a Prospective Teacher Undergo the Mental Exercise of Developing His Own Personal Philosophy of Teaching.
Once an aspiring teacher is made aware of the characteristics that students value most in those teachers who have impacted their lives, it is incumbent upon the prospective teacher to:
A. Evaluate his own personality, traits, inclinations, attributes, etc. in order to determine if he has what it takes to be a teacher. If there is an absence of most of the attributes that students cherish most in their teachers, then maybe he is not called to be a teacher.
B. Develop a strategy to enhance and nurture those valued characteristics within himself so that he will constantly grow in his effectiveness as a teacher.
If he is unwilling to comply with these two steps in developing a teaching philosophy, he probably needs to look for another calling…
The Superior Teacher Has a Unique Ability to Perceive, Grasp, and Understand Truth.
While the qualities of truth perception and truth articulation often go “hand in hand,” I do not believe this is always the case. For the superior teacher, the two qualities are inseparable and are inextricably interwoven. But, for the purposes of this paper, I am listing these as two distinct characteristics. Smart, intelligent people who are quick to grasp truth are not always good communicators of that truth. It may be that good communicators are almost always smart people, but all smart people are not necessarily great communicators. A classic example might be the highly intelligent lab scientist who lacks the ability to adequately express the nature of his work to his colleagues, much less lecture a lay audience in terms they can understand.
It is important to recognize that competency in the realm of truth perception is always a necessary precursor to competency in the realm of articulating truth accurately. To put this another way, a S.S. teacher might make a valiant attempt at concealing his lack of spiritual insight by resorting to a dynamic teaching style, like flamboyant gestures and silver-tongued oratory, but in the final analysis, his audience is left with nothing more than polished “Christian chatter.”
The Superior Teacher Possesses Clarity of Thought, Facility of Speech, and a Unique Ability to Articulate Truth Accurately and in Understandable Terms.
Facility of speech is the enviable quality found in those teachers who possess the ability to clearly and interestingly articulate truth to their target audience. Intrinsic to this quality is discretion in one’s choice of words. That is, the superior teacher neither overshoots his target audience by the use of overly technical language, nor undershoots his audience by “dumbing down” his speech to the point of insulting his hearers.
I reiterate that accuracy is paramount. The teacher must never tailor his lesson to suit “itching ears,” but always remain faithful to an accurate articulation of the truth. This is of supreme importance in the following spheres: theology, Bible teaching, Bible preaching.
2 Timothy 2:15 HCSB
(15) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.
In addition, an integral component of rendering truth in understandable terms is the employment of real life, practical illustrations for the purpose of getting a point across. In the vernacular, this means bringing truth down to “where the rubber meets the road.”
Finally, while oratorical skills and elocution are important, these abilities must never be exercised to “wow” a crowd at the risk of deprecating the truth.
The Superior Teacher is Disciplined in His Study Habits and Approaches His Studies with a Teachable Spirit and a Willingness to “Think Outside the Box.”
Disciplined study habits reveal a teacher’s work ethic. The excellent teacher should epitomize the essence of the Protestant Work Ethic in his study habits and should never view the Ethic as simply a vehicle to prosperity in the material realm. The fruit of one’s labor as a teacher is evidenced by changed lives (as opposed to monetary gain in the worldly realm). So, if Calvinists have traditionally viewed diligence, hard work, thrift, and material prosperity as external evidences that one has received the effectual call to salvation, then, in a similar vein, why not view a teacher’s diligence in study as one evidence he has been called to be a teacher? My point is this: a propensity toward study should be a “given” among superior teachers.
Due to a background steeped in rigid fundamentalism, the notion of doing theology “outside the box” was revolutionary to me. Nevertheless, I have undergone an evolution in my approach to studying Biblical truth. My journey from rigid (mindless) dogmatism to the point where I began to critically evaluate truth claims was initially begun with much trepidation, but, as the journey progressed, I soon negotiated all the twists and turns in the pathway with a renewed sense of conviction that I was, indeed, heading in the right direction… And so, I place a premium on a teacher’s willingness to be teachable and open-minded when exposed to new paradigms.
A quote cited by Howard Hendricks in his book, “Color Outside the Lines” fits well here.
“From the cowardice that dares not face new truth, from the laziness that is contented with half-truth, from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, Good Lord, deliver me.
Amen.”
-Prayer From Kenya
When it come to Bible teaching and theology, there are too many teachers who have not reclaimed their own minds for Christ, and yet they are trying to teach others. They have not developed the critical thinking skills that TTP graduates have acquired.
The Superior Teacher Strives to Cultivate a Gracious Demeanor.
This attribute includes a willingness to exercise tact and extend grace when disagreements arise in the classroom.
Chuck Swindoll sums up this quality beautifully in his book, “The Grace Awakening.”
“One of the marks of maturity is the ability to disagree without being disagreeable. It takes grace. In fact, handling disagreements with tact is one of the crowning achievements of grace.
“Unfortunately, the older we get the more brittle we become in our reactions, the more tedious and stubborn and fragile. For some strange reason, this is especially true among evangelical Christians. You would think that the church would be the one place where we could find tolerance, tact, plenty of room for disagreement, and open discussion. Not so! It is a rare delight to come across those in the family of God who have grown old in grace as well as in knowledge.”
PRIVATE LIFE (Personal)
Excellence in Teaching Demands the Rigorous Pursuit of Integrity/Genuineness in the Private Life of the Teacher.
This character trait is indispensable for those teachers handling Biblical truth. The level of accountability in this arena is most daunting.
James 3:1 HCSB
(1) Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment;
If the teacher expects his students to “be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22), then he should strive to be “blameless” (not flawlessly perfect) in his personal life.
Is it possible, in our present state of humanness, to be “blameless” or “above reproach?” After all, if this attribute is indispensable, then (from my perspective) it must be attainable. My answer is “Yes” and I would like to cite two examples, one from the OT and another from the NT to bolster my supposition.
A. King David, considered to be a man after God’s own heart was a man of consistent integrity – even though he committed some of the most heinous sins recorded in Scripture. Notice what the writer of 1 Kings says about David…
1 Kings 15:5 HCSB
(5) because David did what was right in the LORD’s eyes, and he did not turn aside from anything He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Moreover, notice the concept of “blamelessness” in the context of David’s prayer to the LORD in Psalms 19:13.
Psalms 19:13 ESV
(13) Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
The implication of these passages is that consistency of lifestyle coupled with the absence of willful rebellion against the LORD defines the essence of “blamelessness” (as opposed to sinless perfection). I would submit that these character qualities are achievable in our present earthly existence.
B. The parents of John the Baptist - according to Luke’s gospel - are model citizens and paragons of virtue… Luke’s description of Zechariah and Elizabeth should be convicting to anyone living a life of moral compromise.
Luke 1:5-6 ESV
(5) In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
(6) And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
The Superior Teacher is not only Passionate about his Subject Matter but is equally Passionate about his Students.
This passion includes a genuine love for his students and is manifested by an overriding concern on the part of the teacher to not only possess an intimate knowledge of the subject matter, but also to translate that knowledge via his delivery into corresponding concepts in the minds of his students. Another way of putting this is that the superior teacher is able to bring his audience to the point where they are “on the same wavelength” as himself. He is not satisfied with his teaching methods until he has achieved this goal.
For the teacher who is imparting truth from God’s word, this love is evidenced by the teacher’s prayer life as well. Is he diligently praying for his students to be motivated and energized by the Holy Spirit to learn?
_______________________
Greg Eby
July 7th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I’m an incurable Obsessive/Compulsive. I already see some “mistakes” I would like to rewrite in my paper…
July 7th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Philosophy of Teaching
As I thought about my philosophy of teaching, I was reminded of some of the good teachers that I have known. Professor Staiger encouraged me to get beneath the surface of a topic and analyze it. Mrs. Janak patiently explained the same equation over and over as I struggled through Algebra II. Mary Ann Tifford challenged me, with her words and her life, to put the Bible into practice. I even remember my Girl Scout leader who taught me to cook an egg in an orange peel, which I still think is cool! I also have my own experiences as a teacher, good and bad, to evaluate. So I appreciate this opportunity to draw up a composite of traits that I’d like to have as a teacher.
Passion
Have you spent time with people who are really passionate about something? Maybe a hobby like antique cars, wood-working, or scrap-booking? They love to talk about their latest project. They’ll go into intricate detail about the latest technique they’ve learned. Their enthusiasm is so contagious, sometimes you find yourself considering taking up the hobby yourself. They make it seem so fun, so engaging…so satisfying.
As Bible teachers we can be no less enthusiastic about something as completely and ultimately satisfying as the Bible. Jeremiah 15:16 says “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name,?O LORD God Almighty.” That is enthusiasm! A good teacher will always be learning because they find the Bible that amazing. They will invest a significant amount of time, attention, and study into the word of God. Students will be motivated by nothing less.
I believe a good teacher will also recognize the peculiarity of God’s word and respect it. I feel a special responsibility when dealing with the Bible because we are asking people to base their lives on it. I don’t want to be handing out my own opinions like they were gospel. James warns that teachers will be judged more strictly (3:1). Jesus was particularly hard on the Pharisees because they used scripture to weigh down his people instead of helping them (Luke 11:46). A good Bible teacher will prayerfully study and ask for wisdom.
Don’t just be a hearer…
It’s all well and good to study the Bible, but as plain speaking James says, “Don’t merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. Do what it says” (1:22). If we want our students to take our teaching to heart, we’d better be trying to live it ourselves.
In Teaching to Change Lives, Howard Hendricks says, “effective teaching comes only through a changed person” (21). He’s right. A good teacher will be growing in all areas of his life. “Spiritual growth will not be compartmentalized, but integrated with every other aspect of life” (25). That challenges me. It’s not enough to sound like I know a lot about the Bible. Students can spot a fake who’s not really practicing what she preaches. I believe a good teacher will be striving to be more Christ like while admitting to her students that she struggles.
“Heart attitude”
My mother had a saying that annoyed me as a kid. She would insist that it wasn’t good enough just to do my chores, but that I should do them with the right “heart attitude.” She wasn’t impressed with my mopey-faced dish washing. She wanted my heart to find some joy in serving the family. (I’ll admit I didn’t see her wisdom then as I do now!)
Teachers need to evaluate their “heart attitude” as well. If they are teaching to show off what they know, make a name for themselves or even just stroke their egos, they are teaching out of what Paul calls in Philippians, “selfish ambition and vain conceit” (2:3). We probably know those self-absorbed teachers who are happy to drone on about their pet topics without any concern for what the student is getting out of the lesson. But I think even the most sincere teacher can sometimes forget whose needs come first. In humility, a good teacher will “look not only to your own interest but also to the interest of others” (2:4). For a teacher, it is the student’s interest that should be the focus.
Bible teachers in particular should desire more than a student who has enough head knowledge to spout off a correct answer. A good teacher has to care about his students and want to impact their life, not just their intellects. That means a lot more time, energy, and investment on the teacher’s part, but it also means more transformation for students.
Blessed are the meek
I think humility improves a teacher’s “heart attitude” in other ways as well. A teacher who does not think more of himself “more highly than he ought” is less likely to be overly dogmatic in his approach. Paul tells us that we should “be fully convinced in our own mind.” Yet we cannot assume that every point of our theology is the only defendable one. In the essentials we must stand firm. In everything else, we must respect differing viewpoints.
Finally, humility is key in another important way. It acknowledges that truly changed lives are the result of the Holy Spirit’s work, and not a success or failure of the teacher. Paul gives Timothy some good teaching advice. He exhorts him to “gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 2:25). Notice who does the real work and thus gets the credit? That’s not to say that a teacher should just do nothing, waiting around for the Lord to “move.” But all preparation should be done under the umbrella of this proverb; “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but the purposes of the Lord will stand” (19:21).
I believe the above attributes are crucual and must be settled before one even enters a classroom. Yet technique and methodology are important as well. The most passionate, well meaning individual can leave students baffled if they don’t take preparation and instructional strategies seriously.
Know where you’re going
Teachers absolutely must have an objective. Students should not feel like they are on a scavenger hunt for clues to a lesson’s purpose. Some objectives may be simple and can be achieved in one session. Others will be far reaching, but it’s important to pray and think through the end goal.
Have a strategy
A teacher’s objectives should then determine which instructional strategies she will use to make the material clear and relevant. As Wiholt and Ryken say in Effective Bible Teaching, we want to “bridge the gap” between what a particular passage meant to the original audience and what it means for us today. Leave out the first and you can get some goofy interpretations of scripture. Leave out the second, and who cares. Effective strategies such as questioning, small group discussion, writing activities and case studies can help a teacher bridge that gap.
It is also important to vary instructional strategies from class to class. That is part of respecting one’s students. A visual learner will lose interest in constant lecturing. An affective learner might be better engaged with use of music, narrative or art. And everyone will appreciate a teacher who “mixes it up” every once in a while.
Finally, chose strategies that leave room for students to communicate back to you what they’re learning and how they’re planning to apply it. It can be easy to fill time with content and just trust that the students will figure out what to do with it. A good teacher will challenge students to check their understanding and implement their learning.
Hold the reigns loosely
I once taught video production to high school students (and lived to tell the tale). I’d march in with my carefully thought out objectives and strategies, armed for some serious learning, and catastrophe would strike. Many a time we were held completely hostage by a mercurial software program or capricious camera. By the end of the day, I would be tied in an angry, frustrated knot. All my beautiful plans!
But upon reflection I realized that although I didn’t necessarily cover the objectives I’d hoped to, my students were still learning. In fact, they were learning lessons much more relevant to real life than the ones I’d planned. They were having to problem solve, debug complex issues, and work cooperatively to overcome setbacks. And since I was more far more limited in my knowledge of technology than many of the fifteen year olds in the room, they got to show off what their expertise while helping out the teacher. That motivated some of my most obnoxious (and I mean that affectionately) geniuses more than anything else I ever tried.
It was at this point that I realized, you have to hold the reigns loosely in a class. You want to have a destination in mind, and stay in control, but it’s OK if you wander off the path occasionally. I think that is also part of respecting the students and what they bring to the table – all the experiences, knowledge and creativity they possess. Who says the teacher has to always set the agenda? If a discussion takes you in a new direction, or you have that activity veers off track, learning can still occur. In fact the outcome may be more than what you hoped for.
Looking back to go forward
There are many other attributes of a good teacher that I could list and many other strategies that I could point to, but I decided I’d better keep my goals manageable!
I look back on my past experiences both as a student and as a teacher, I realize the Lord has taught me a lot, and I’m grateful. I hope I will put into practice what I’ve learned. My prayer is that I’ll be able to teach his word in a way that will make a difference to his people. And I pray I never stop striving to be a better teacher.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Qualities of an Excellent Teacher
By John Bailey
I believe there are three qualities that make an excellent teacher. The excellent teacher must have passion. Within this quality we will examine the source of this passion and the four characteristics of this passion: seeking the Lord, seeking the Truth, living the Truth, and teaching the Truth. The second quality of an excellent teacher is that he must have clearly defined goals. We will define three essential goals that a teacher must always maintain to exhibit this quality: preparation, clear communications, creative presentation. The final quality of an effective teacher is that he must encourage openness and freedom in others. We will observe four indispensable abilities that mark this quality: the teacher’s ability to commit to the students as individuals, the teacher’s ability to be open and transparent, the teacher’s ability to open to the diverse values and beliefs of others, and the teacher’s ability to handle conflicts and problems.
All of the above help shape an excellent teacher.
An Excellent Teacher Must Have Passion.
“Life is no brief candle to me. It’s sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations” ~ George Bernard Shaw
As George Bernard Shaw demonstrates passion to hold up and make the torch of life burn its brightest. I believe that passion is the foundation of an excellent teacher. Without passion, a teacher will have very little influence not only in the classroom but in other areas of his life. However, where or who is the source of this passion? In other words, where does a person go who strives to be an excellent teacher to obtain this passion? In his book Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Wayne Grudem states tells us from whom we receive passion:
…for he [God] looks down “on all the inhabitants of the earth” and “fashions the hearts of them all” (Ps. 33:14-15). When we realize that the heart in Scripture is the location of our inmost thoughts and desires, this is a significant passage. God especially guides the desires and inclinations of believers, working in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) (Grudem, 321)
Once we recognize that the source of our passion is God, the Holy Spirit can begin to focus our passion to produce four specific characteristics: seeking the Lord, seeking the Truth, living the Truth, and teaching the Truth. All these characteristics honor God and in turn exemplify the first quality and foundation of an excellent teacher: passion.
The first characteristic of the passion is the overwhelming desire of the teacher to seek the Lord. In their book Effective Bible Teaching, Jim Wilhoit and Leland Ryken expound on this characteristic: “ One [sic] passion of the ideal teacher is one that is the most important of all, yet one about which we do not talk much: the teacher must have a passion for God (71).” Furthermore we read in Psalms 119 how God views those who seek Him: “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.” (Ps. 119:2)
As the teacher continues to seek the Lord, he will grow in wisdom which leads to passion’s second characteristic: the teacher’s strong desire to seek the Truth. “Now these men were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” (Act 17:11) In this passage we find that “these men” did not accept the “word” given to them at face value. They were passionate to examine the Scriptures in order to validate the “word.” “It follows, therefore, that a passion for studying and learning also characterizes the ideal teacher.” And “a good teacher stands before a class convinced that the content of the lesson is something terribly important (Wilhoit and Ryken, 69).”
As the effective teacher gains Truth, this Truth can permeate throughout his very person. And as we continue to read Psalms 119, we see passion’s third characteristic: “They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways” (Ps. 119.3). The excellent teacher will live the Truth. He will “practice what he preaches.” The effective teacher will walk in the ways of the Lord. This is very important as pointed out by Dr. Howard Hendricks; “For the teacher’s character is what produces the learner’s confidence. When I see the quality of your life, I know you have something significant as a teacher to contribute to me. I can trust you.” (87)
Finally, as the teacher continues to “walk in His (the Lord’s) ways.” The teacher is eager to obey God which leads us to the fourth characteristic: the teacher seeks to teach. In his desire to be obedient to the Lord, the teacher understands the commandment to teach what he has learned, at a minimum, to his children. “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…” (Deut. 6:6-7). Although we recognize that this verse applies to all God’s people, we understand God gives this passion with its four characteristics to all His people; however, the excellent teacher has been endowed by the Holy Spirits with the gift of teaching (1 Cor. 12:27-30). Therefore, he will have an unquenchable desire to expand his audience from his family and his close friends to his community: believers and unbelievers.
The Excellent Teacher Must Have Clearly Defined Goals.
Many teachers go to their work either partly prepared or wholly unprepared. They are like messengers without a message. They lack entirely the power and enthusiasm necessary to produce the fruits which we have a right to look for from their efforts. ~ John Milton Gregory (Hendricks, 114).
The excellent teacher must focus his passion, and one way he effectively accomplishes this is by establishing clearly defined goals. Although as the effective teacher grows (and he must grow )(Hendricks, 17-36), he may define many secondary goals such as: what the lesson plan will be this month or how long the pre-class greeting should last. There are three essential goals which must be properly defined and always applied by the excellent teacher. These essential goals are: thorough preparation, clear communication, and ncreative presentation.
The first essential goal is thorough preparation. This essential goal is tied strongly to the second and third essential goals which will not succeed if the first essential goal is not accomplished. Dr. Howard Hendricks calls this “The Law of Readiness” and likens this preparation as a runner stretching his muscles before a race or an orchestra tuning their instruments before a concert (115). A runner could pull a muscle and lose the race if he didn’t perform the proper warm-up exercises. Or the orchestra’s violinist could turn Beethoven’s Fifth into Texas’ Cotton-eye Joe if he didn’t ensure that his violin was properly tuned before the concert. “The key to a good inductive Bible study is a prepared leader. Preparation must be methodical and thorough (Wilhoit and Ryken, 153).”
The first essential goal precedes and ties to the second essential goal; clear communication. In order to distribute “the fruits” to his students, an excellent teacher must deliver a clear and concise message. Otherwise, “learners may have to concentrate so much on what is being said that they will have little opportunity to reflect on what they hear (Wilhoit and Ryken, 46).” Specifically, the excellent teacher must be diligent in requesting feedback from his students to determine whether or not his message has been communicated.
The third essential goal of the effective teacher is constructing a creative presentation. The message must be presented in such away as to entice the student to remove any barriers that keeps the student’s passions from springing forth in seeking the truth for himself. With this said, the presentation must not be so creatively intense that it obscures or entirely blocks the message.
Although these three essential goals may sound more like processes, they are tied so strongly to each other that failure to define, set and accomplish just one essential goal will mean a catastrophic failure of the excellent teacher’s message; therefore the excellent teacher ceases to be excellent.
The Effective Teacher Must Encourage Openness and Freedom in Others.
“Teaching the Bible involves far more than simply giving out information about the Bible. Bible teaching is ministering to people, liberating them from their inadequate concepts of God, expanding their notion of what it means to live faithfully before God, helping them cast aside old self-defeating habits and replace them with habits of holiness. Because teaching the Bible is ultimately ministering to people, it is important that we strive to foster classes that are supportive (Wilhoit and Ryken, 51).”
By encouraging openness and freedom in others, the effective teacher creates a class in which the students are able ask questions free from perceived ridicule or challenge, thereby allowing the student to probe openly his own weaknesses in his personal theology. This process helps the student gain insight as to how he the stands with or stands against the Truth. “Good teaching methods and solid lesson content do not guarantee good learning. Effective learning also requires a class atmosphere that is conducive to the interest and personal growth of students (Wilhoit and Ryken, 53).” There are four indispensable abilities that evolve from the excellent teacher’s quality of encouraging openness and freedom in others. These indispensable abilities are: the teacher’s ability to commit to the students as individuals, the teacher’s ability to be open and transparent, the teacher’s ability to open to diverse values and beliefs of others, and the teacher’s ability to handle conflicts and problems.
The first indispensable ability is that a teacher must fully commit to the student as an individual. By being a part of the life of the student, by baring the burden of the student’s struggles, and by providing fellowship to each student, the effective teacher not only fulfills the characteristics of his passion, but also he provides a conduit through which the student can both pass and become a part of the teacher’s message. “If I sense you love me, I’ll be eager to do all kinds of things you want me to do (Hendricks, 87).”
The second indispensable ability is that the teacher must be open and transparent. In today’s world of skepticism, the student will know immediately when the teacher is not sincere. Once the student senses this insincerity, he will allow the noise of the world to drown out the teacher’s message. “Teachers must be willing to be transparent. We have no interest in vulnerability for vulnerability’s sake. Our self-disclosure must be purposeful and appropriate. The teacher who expects openness on the part of a class but remains a closed book will rightly be perceived as manipulative (Wilhoit and Ryken, 54).”
The third indispensable ability is that the teacher must be open to the diverse values and beliefs of others. This openness does not mean that the teacher accepts the values or beliefs as truth. But he must entertain the idea that they could be true and that he must irenically explore these beliefs or values with the student. Therefore, the teacher accompanies the student on his personal journey to seek the Truth.
The fourth indispensable ability is the teacher’s ability to handle conflicts and problems. Allowing distractions to dominate the class will only dampen the openness and freedom of the classroom if the distractions do not stifle them completely. The creative handling of conflicts and problems will require the teacher to understand the dynamics of personal relationships and the tools of assertiveness. However, by effectively mastering the first indispensable ability, being committed to his students as individuals, the teacher can anticipate most conflicts or problems before they arise.
Bibliography
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, ©1976, 1978 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977.
Hendricks, Howard. Teaching to Changes Lives. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1987.
Wilhoit, Jim and Leland Ryken. Effective Bible Teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1988
July 8th, 2008 at 9:09 am
PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
By
Gregory N. Chase
An educator should fulfill and enrich the life of every student while preparing him or her academically for a successful near and long-term future. It is important that a highly effective teacher be aware of the history of education which first developed from the human struggle for survival, then progressed into the Age of Enlightenment, and now flourishes in our post-modern society. The ability to understand the values and mores of our post-modern society is critical to relating to the students needs and aspirations.
A challenge and source of numerous frustrations for the excellent elementary public school teacher is implementing governmental policies in the classroom that restrict the academic and social growth of the student. For example, state standardized testing that can “label” a student as a genius or moron based on one test each year. To many elementary age students this pressure from parents and indirectly from their teachers to perform in an exemplarity manner is unattainable.
The excellent teacher must be aware that what is not factored into state testing is the environment that the student is being raised in. Teaching in the inner-city of San Diego, I’ve had students from numerous countries (Mexico, Central America, Asia, Somalia and Iraq) live in their family car, in a neighborhood park or numerous siblings would sleep in one small bedroom more than one in a bed or sleeping on the floor.
Other frustrating examples include, a report card system that does not permit the grade of ‘F’ due to the “stigma” of failure being associated with the earned mark. I have been encouraged by administrators not to use a red marker (pastel colors only) when grading papers so as not to promote a student’s low self-esteem. The teacher to student ratio based on budgetary needs is 34:1. An excellent teacher continues to ask how can I reach each student through deferential instruction and maintain a strong classroom management system. A final example is the lack of authority (and thus accountability) given to the teacher by a public school policy based on student social promotion to the next grade. These examples reflect that an excellent teacher must remain flexible and find areas of excellence in public policy to promote always realizing that certain policies detract from the realities of the “real world.”
Excellent teaching is based on the fact that a “students does not care how much you know, until they know how much you care about them.” This becomes evident in your daily interaction with each student.
You must always be aware that you serve as their mentor and role model. You are looked upon with either respect or distain from the student’s perspective and to the student their perception is reality. It is a choice and the excellent teacher must realize that even if you are having a “bad day” your student’s best interests are your responsibility and should always to be in the forefront of your daily routine.
A key character trait of the excellent teacher is their positive attitude. Only you have the ability to create your attitude, no one else. My mentor, John Maxwell has often stated in his leadership books that your attitude determines your altitude. A positive attitude resonates into your ability to help each student develop their self-confidence and allows them to take risks in the learning process. Thus you will teach the student to understand that life’s disappointments are not a sign of failure but that failing forward is a life lesson that generates benefits that will serve them well as they embark on life’s journey.
An excellent teacher must be aware of the social dynamics taking place in the American home. It is not unusual for a student to be from a broken home where the mother has been thrust into many life roles to survive and thus little time is available for her to be involved with their child’s education. Not many policy makers would doubt the fact that a “broken” home has created several generations of children whose value system is comprised by a societal philosophy perpetuated by “if it feels good, do it” mentality.
Lacking a male role model in the student’s home has placed an additional responsibility on the exceptional male teacher. Many students view the male as the cause of many family problems, encouraged a majority of the time by the hurts of the divorced mother. I firmly believe that the teacher must model in a “Christ-like” manner in every facet of their personal and professional life. Your love for the teaching profession continually matures as you actively participates (24/7) in your Christian walk.
An individual’s education is derived from formal and informal life experiences. An informal education is the social process by which a person acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to function in their culture. A formal education refers to the process where the teacher instructs the student in a course of study within an educational institution. To compliment the formal education the excellent teacher realizes that they are inter-dependent with the child’s parents to ensure the best academic results possible. Without the parents support the teacher will be unable to provide the necessary learning environment for the student to reach their full potential.
The foundation for producing student’s who contribute in a positive manner to society is based on their moral development. As an educator, one of my primary goals is to develop students who demonstrate good character traits in the classroom and on the playground. I believe that integrity is the cornerstone trait of a child’s value system. Doing the right thing when no one is watching indicates that a student has mastered the character trait of integrity. I will always reward the student who is honest in their responses to me and displays integrity in their actions. Student misconduct results, in part, from receiving an inadequate education in social skills from their teacher.
I have noted during the past 10 years that the successful students of each generation performed well because they were intelligent and able to adapt to life’s many challenges. Applying their education in a competitive manner enabled the brightest and strongest students to reach their personal and career goals. Their parents and teachers were the major influences in their success story.
In summary, it is the primary responsibility of the teacher to provide the student with the best educational experience within their professional means. Serving as a role model, the teacher helps to build the foundation for a productive life by taking personal and professional ownership in their student’s formal education. As a Christian educator, I am comforted by the fact that if I do my best, God will do the rest. I firmly believe that praying for each of my students, by name each day, has created in me the inner-peace and patience to do my best in the challenging environment of the elementary classroom.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
All, just got through reading the papers. They were excellent. They served as a great reminder to me not only about the importance of many of the principles, but also how each of you has a distinct nuance to your passion. I was especially pleased that most of you recognized many of the most essential elements such as preparation, knowledge of the subject, passion, and delivery.
Use these papers. Review them. Revise them if need be. There is not really a way to grade these by saying “this is right” or “this is wrong,” since they are what you believe an excellent teacher to be. I pray that you can exemplify these characteristics in your own communication. God bless you all.