Life2gether

A friend of mine pointed me to this very helpful list that was born out of the insightful question below at the Doctrine Matters Blog:

If a church asked you to fashion a reading curriculum for the youth (and their parents) of its congregation, 1st grade through 12th grade, consisting of yearly must reads, grade-by-grade, with one or more fictional, non-fictional, and Biblical/theological/doctrinal works, how would you advise?

• Download the pdf version

Are you looking for tips to become a better teacher?  Whether you teach in a church or school (or even at home), the following is a collection of posts that I think will be helpful to you.  These teaching tips come from an online book discussion that I conducted last year over the book, Teaching to Change Lives, by Howard Hendricks.  I trust they will challenge you to become a better teacher and life-long learner.

Law of the Teacher 

Law of Education  

Law of Activity     

Law of Communication 

Law of the Heart 

Law of the Encouragement

Law of Readiness

What has God burdened you with?  What has God put on your heart?  “Identify that and you’re on your way to discerning God’s specific call on your life,” says Dr. Michael Milton, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte.

In a sermon taken from RTS iTunes U, Dr. Milton gives four points on how to discern God’s call on your life from the story of Moses in Exodus 3.

1. God’s burden must become your burden
2. God’s enemy is your enemy
3. God’s people must become your people
4. God’s power must become your provision

I was greatly encouraged by this message.  Just go here and click to launch iTunes and you’ll see the above sermon underneath the top downloads.  You can also access entire seminary courses onto your computer for free!  What a great deal!

Are smart people less likely to believe in God?  Is faith linked to intelligence?  Professor Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, seems to think so.  He says that “several Gallup poll studies of the general population have shown that those with higher IQs tend not to believe in God.”  In addition, he argues that most school children believe in God, but as they enter adolescence – and their intelligence increases – many start to have doubts.

Others like Dr David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, say: “It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are associated with a greater ability – or perhaps willingness – to question and overturn strongly felt institutions.”

So what do you think?  Are smart people less likely to believe in God?  Before you answer that, let’s consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:25-26:

I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.  Yes Father, for this way was pleasing in Your sight (emphasis mine).

At first glance we might interpret these verses to mean that the wise and intelligent are the educated ones and the infants are the uneducated ones.  With that interpretation we would conclude then that intelligent people are less likely to believe.  But Jesus makes this contrast not between the educated and uneducated.  Rather, he contrasts people who have a prideful attitude with those who have a humble one.  God will not reveal himself to those who think they are wise in their own eyes.  Instead he takes delight in revealing himself to those who come to him like children–not ignorant of the gospel, but humbled by it and ready to receive it by faith. 

So back to the original question.  Are smart people less likely to believe in God?  My answer: Yes, if you mean the self-sufficient ones who find more satisfaction in pursuing knowledge for their own glory.  And no, if you mean the humble ones who have seen themselves rightly (and God rightly) and use their intelligence as a means to knowing and treasuring Christ and his glory.

• Read the whole article by Graeme Paton here
• Read my article, What Our Children Must Teach Us

Every American should see this movie.  My wife and I saw it last night.  It’s an eye-opener to say the least.  The film is described as “a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage.”  If you’ve seen it, do you agree with Michael Moore’s assessment? 

• Read a synopsis of the film here
• Read Michael Moore’s health care proposal here
• Check out the “Sicko Blog” here

John Milton Gregory once said, “The inattentive mind neither hears nor sees.”  If that’s true, than I’m afraid much of our teaching is neither seen or heard because our students aren’t motivated to learn.  They have inattentive minds, and often we are the ones to blame.  So how can we properly motivate those we teach?

This week we turn to Law #6, the Law of Encouragement.  As always, I’ll begin with a short summary followed by a list of questions for reflection.  And I encourage you (pun intended) to make a comment (if you’re still reading the book) as we approach the end of our online discussion over Teaching to Change Lives.   

• Summary

The Law of Encouragement is this: Teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated.  Hendricks highlights the word “properly” in this definition as he gives examples of improper motivation that can bring bad results such as making your kids memorize verses in order to get the lollipop.  What I’ve found is that proper motivation is almost always intrinsic or internal.  This kind of motivation goes for the heart of the learner instead of the “mouth” if you will.  So as teachers we must think creatively about finding ways to properly motivate our students.

Hendricks says that we must not only tell our students what we want them to learn, but show them and do it with them.  He makes reference to the fact that no one ever took a correspondence course in swimming.  If we want to learn to swim, we must get in the water and swim!  And likewise, as teachers, if we want to teach effectively, we must “get in the water” with our students if we expect to change their lives. 

[See my post - Swimming Lessons for Life]

Hendricks lists a few more helpful hints in terms of properly motivating our students:

• We must give our students responsibility with accountability — the greater the investment, the greater the interest.
• We must make our teaching personal — have the learner’s name written all over it.
• We must be creative and encourage their creativity — don’t kill creativity, but guide it

He ends with this final question:  Are you motivated?  Because if you’re not motivated, how do you expect your students’ to be motivated?  Motivated people are the ones who are excited about what they are teaching and their students will be as well.  Passion breeds passion.  So, get excited about teaching–especially if you have the privilege of teaching God’s Word each week.

• Questions for Reflection

1. How do you know that your students are motivated or bored?
2. How do you structure your lesson to bring proper motivation?
3. Do you think proper motivation is necessary to learn?
4. What can you do outside of class to motivate your students?
5. How can you grow in your own motivation as a teacher?

Howard Hendricks says, “Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart … as long as you understand the biblical meaning of heart.” 

We often associate the heart with emotions such as love and kindness, but to the Ancient Hebrews the heart encompassed the entire inner being of a man, which included the mind with all its thoughts and emotions.

As we look at the first picture in the Hebrew word for heart (above) we see a shepherd’s staff.  According to Jeff Benner, the staff was a symbol of authority as the shepherd has authority over his flock.  The second letter is a picture of the floor plan of a nomadic tent and Benner says that this picture represents the idea of being inside as the family resides within the tent.  So, when combined, these words mean “the authority within.”

Thus, heart-to-heart teaching is when Christ in us (our Shepherd and King) flows out of our entire being (mind, emotions, and will) into the lives of others.  Or as Hendricks puts it, “One’s total personality transformed by the supernatural grace of God reaching out to transform other personalities by the same grace.”  That’s the kind of teaching that impacts others.

• Summary:

In his book, Teaching to Change Lives, Hendricks explains the “how-to’s” of heart-to-heart teaching in chapter five, The Law of the Heart.  He emphasizes that true teaching is causing others to change; thus, if we expect our students to change, we must model Christ to them in how we care about them. 

Heart-to-heart teaching comes out of the overflow of your own heart as you love the ones you teach.  Therefore, we must flow into our student’s lives in order to make a difference in their lives.  As Hendricks says, “You can impress people at a distance.  But you can impact them up close.”  And so we must relate to people on a deeper, heart-to-heart level as our lives give clarity to the teaching from our lips.

• Questions to Consider: 

1. In your own words, how would you describe “heart-to-heart” teaching?
2. Normally, do you aim for the head, the heart, or the lives of your learners? 
3. How do you include all three (in question #2) in your lesson planning?
4. How can you have a greater impact on your students’ lives?
5. Why is it crucial that we “know” our students?
6. Are you pouring out your life as a teacher?

About three years ago, my wife and I bought our first house.  Let me tell you, it was quite the learning process for me.  In fact, it was a frustrating process.  Reason why?  I didn’t know any of the lingo when it came to getting a loan and talking with the agents.  They used terminology I had never heard of, and many times I had to stop them to clarify what they were saying.  It reminded me of something very important as a pastor, namely, I need to make sure that I’m communicating in such a way that my listeners can understand what I’m saying.  Of course, working with children helps in this regard.  If I try teaching the doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary atonement and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness without using other terms and visuals they can understand, I’ve lost them.  I haven’t communicated to them because they haven’t understood.  You see, communication is much more than transferring information; it’s building bridges with your listeners in order to impart the truth effectively.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the fourth law–The Law of Communication–from our book, Teaching to Change Lives, by Howard Hendricks.  Instead of giving a summary of the chapter, today I want to make some brief comments on a few of the quotes that stood out from this section.  Let’s begin with the law itself.

• To truly impart information requires the building of bridges. 

Hendricks says that before we can communicate effectively, we must establish common ground with our listeners.  In fact, the greater the commonality, the greater the potential for communication.  When we look at Jesus’ life and teaching, we see that he intentionally built bridges into people’s lives in order to effectively communicate to them.  We must do the same with those we teach.  For example, if we’re teaching a class of young married couples, we must be willing to know them and spend time with them if we expect to speak into their lives effectively.

• God’s method is always incarnational.  He loves to take his truth and wrap it up in a person. 

I love this quote.  It reminds me that true communication comes out of the overflow of my life.  If I am passionate about what I know, and feel it deep inside my bones, and if I’m seeking to live it out (not perfectly but authentically), than by God’s grace I can change lives through my teaching.  I want to say with the Apostle Paul, ”Whatever you have learned or received or heard, or seen in me, put it into practice” (Phil. 4:9).

• Your lesson needs structure.  It needs to be packaged.

This is so true.  Good communicators are able to organize their information in such a way that their listeners can follow them.  That means that as teachers, we’ve got to know where we’re going or we’ll end up somewhere else.  We need to have a plan, a target we’re aiming at, or else we’ll miss the target we intended to hit. 

(Here’s my PROPOSED PLAN to help in your teaching for a target)

• Get feedback.

If we really want to grow as teachers and communicators we must get feedback from those we teach.  After all, true teaching happens when there is true learning.  So we need to find out if our students have learned what we’ve taught them.  Sometimes this is best done by simply asking questions like, “Does that make sense?” or “How then would you apply this to your life?” or “Do you have any questions at this point?”  Getting feedback requires humility.  It requires every teacher to have a learner’s heart.  But it’s all worth it when we see our students grasp what we’ve taught them and are just as passionate as we are to live out these truths.

• Questions for Reflection

1. What will you apply from this chapter?
2. How do you seek to build bridges with those you teach?
3. Do you walk into each teaching setting with a plan and a target?
4. Are you getting feedback from others about your teaching?
5. How can you improve as a communicator?

Today we will begin our discussion and interaction over the third chapter of the book, Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks.  But first, a reminder of why I’m doing this.  The Online Book Discussion is somewhat of an experiment to promote involvement and interaction over a book that I think can influence the way we think about teaching.  All teachers (from the pulpit to the preschool) will benefit from reading and interacting over this book.  So, once again, you are invited to join us as we walk through this book together.  Let’s begin then with a brief summary of chapter three.

• Summary

Chapter three introduces us to The Law of Activity.  This law tells us that maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement.  The one caveat to this law is that the activity must be meaningful; it must have a purpose.  As teachers, too often we settle for passive learning environments and we wonder why our students fail to follow through with what they have learned.  In light of this, Hendricks references the familiar Chinese Proverb which states:

• I hear, and I forget
• I see, and I remember
• I do, and I understand (and change!)

Hendricks asserts that most Christian education is hearing oriented which is why it’s often so inefficient.  So we must strive to involve our learners in the learning process.  In doing so, we will see them move from the instruction of God’s Word to the application of God’s Word.  This is what God desires, namely, active obedience rather than mere head knowledge.

In order for this to happen, we must guide our students by giving them meaningful activities to engage them in the learning process.  Hendricks lists 5 kinds:

1. Activities that provide direction without dictatorship
2. Activity that stresses function and application
3. Activity with a planned purpose
4. Activity that is concerned with the process as well as the product
5. Realistic activity that includes problem-solving situations

To sum up these 5, we could say that our job as teachers is not to cover the material but uncover the main thing and provide purposeful activities that will engage our students to apply what they have learned to their individual lives.  After all, that’s what learning is all about; it’s taking what we’ve heard and living it out!

Finally, Hendricks rightfully points us to Jesus as the Master Teacher who shows us through his own example of what it means to be a great teacher.  Jesus involved his disciples in the process as he walked with them through life.  He lived what he taught and what he taught flowed out of who he was.  May we follow his model.

• Questions for Reflection

1. What did you learn from this chapter?
2. Do you think the best kind of learning happens by doing?
3. How do you practically involve your class in the learning process?
4. Do you consider your teaching predictable?  How can you improve?
5. How often do you give an assignment to your students and follow up with them?
6. How do we avoid the tendency of dumping content on our students?
7. Can you think of a time when you involved your class in a purposeful activity?

• PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS ABOVE!

Today we begin the second chapter of our online book discussion.  Once again, you are welcome to participate in this interactive journey through the book, Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks.  My plan is to give you a concise summary of the chapter along with questions for reflection.  If you have read through the second chapter please feel free to leave comments or questions (if you’re new to this, simply click on the comments section at the top and it will prompt you on what to do).  

• Summary

Chapter two deals with the Law of Education.  Simply stated, the way people learn determines how you teach.  Since people learn best when they are involved in the learning process, our job as teachers is to stimulate our students toward self-discovery and self-activity.  In this way, the ultimate test of our teaching is not what we do, but what our students do as a result of what we do. 

In this chapter, Hendricks challenges teachers to consider their role in the educational process.  Instead of being a player, we are to be the coach.  Instead of being the doer we are the motivator.  With our role clearly defined, our aim becomes clearer as well.  We must aim for life change in our students.  We must prepare and plan toward that end.  We must ask ourselves the question:  What is the main thing my students will know and do as a result of what I teach them?

In this process of planning and teaching, Hendricks lays out three essential goals for teachers:

1. Teach people how to think
2. Teach people how to learn
3. Teach people how to work

To sum up these points we could use the familiar axiom: 

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.

It’s true.  When we get our students involved in the learning process–discovering the truth and acting on the truth for themselves–they will be changed.

But if we’re going to teach our students to think, learn, and work, Hendricks says we must help them to master four basic skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Suprisingly, Hendricks seems to place a high priority on listening over speaking saying that good teachers must be good listeners.  Finally, Hendricks reminds us of the importance of failure.  Failure is a great teacher and we must feel the freedom to fail and let our students fail.  And yet at the same time, we must be sensitive to those special cases where failure can result in frustration and lack of motivation. 

• Questions for Reflection

1. What’s one thing that jumped out at you in this chapter?
2. What do you want to do as a result of what you learned? 
3. Agree/Disagree:  I haven’t taught if my students haven’t learned.
4. Agree/Disagree:  Too much of Christian education is too passive.
5. Do you walk into your class with a goal?  Is it written in terms of the student?
6. Do you think listening is the more difficult and more crucial skill than speaking?
7. When has failure personally helped you in your growth as a Christian?

• DON’T BE SHY … POST YOUR COMMENTS/QUESTIONS!
• Read some earlier comments below