TEACHING METHODS

A teacher is an educator, an instructor and a coach in the Body of Christ. Once again let us go back to the Master’s heart and mind concerning the teaching of the Word. Jesus knew that Pentecost would bring an impartation of the Holy Ghost and power into the lives of the disciples. Therefore, He charged them to take that which they had received of Him and go into all the world and teach.

Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is largely known as ‘The Great Commission’ scripture and is usually associated with an evangelistic calling. We put a lot of emphasis on the word “go” and we interpret it as having to be on the mission field, or some great crusade, or being involved in street ministry. How does this command apply to the teacher who may not have an evangelistic calling? How do we as teachers fulfill this ‘great commission’ or absolute command? I think more focus should be put on, “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

Jesus’ purpose for coming was to save those who were lost and He left us here to procure more sons. When Jesus said, “Go,” (though He did mean for them to physically go into the world), He was also releasing them from His presence to actually apply what He had taught them by passing it on to the people they came in contact with. This too must be the mind of the teacher. We are witnesses to the eternal power and love of Christ. We must seek to convince those we teach to become witnesses as well. This should be the main objective in any teaching situation.

A teacher should not simply “dump” a lot of information on the students. The lesson should stimulate the student to put into action that which has been taught. This is also a monumental responsibility of the teacher. Paul encourages his students in one of his writings to follow him as he followed Christ. A good teacher can take a principle and break it down so that it touches each and every student’s circumstance, situation and relationship. This causes the student to determine if he has applied it to his own life; thereby giving him the ability to identify his own spiritual location. Once this is done, we can be assured that the student has a working knowledge of what has been taught.

TEACHING STYLES/METHODS

Richard M. Felder and Joni Spurlin write in their paper on The Index of Learning Style, “When the learning styles of most students in a class and the teaching style of the teacher are seriously mismatched, the students are likely to become uncomfortable, bored and inattentive.” Consequently, they tend to do poorly on tests, both spiritually and naturally speaking. They eventually get discouraged with coming to church or taking spiritual classes. In some cases they simply drop out.

This is worth taking a look at since we have experienced a drop in attendance at many of our Christian schools as well as in some of our training platforms in the church. There are times when the outcome of a teaching taught by two different teachers, using the same information, is very different. For example, I have witnessed a teacher lecture for an hour and the class is totally unattached and bored; but then another teacher teaches for ten minutes and produces the desired outcome in that setting. The latter would be the result of the teacher being in touch with the students’ needs and the power of the Word to supply those needs.

This scenario serves to remind us that we may have great knowledge in some areas or may even be an authority on a certain subject, but that does not guarantee our students will profit from that knowledge. A teacher can work against himself by not adapting his method to the needs and learning styles of his students. Failure to adapt will result in your teaching ability and experience becoming of no use in certain arenas.

I have counseled with many teachers on the subject of teaching methods. Despite many persistent efforts of some teachers to convince me of the reason why they do what they do, it was obvious that their “pet” style was working against them in the area of effectiveness. They are ineffective simply because they refuse to incorporate other teaching styles in their presentation.

Often the students have been blamed as not being interested, or not willing to study, but each teacher must truly look at himself to see why they are not reaching their students. In such cases you have not persuaded them of a right standing in God. They have lost the hunger and thirst for things pertaining to God and godliness. As in any other gift, we must not be presumptuous and feel that just because we ‘teach’ students have learned. As teachers, we must ask ourselves, what have we really taught, if no one has learned?

Example A: A teacher/preacher who always teaches out of the Old Covenant with an attempt to type each scenario to that of our lives today. There will always be a lack in this because the Old Testament is merely a shadow of the New Dispensation we live in today.

Example B: Some teachers/preachers like to harmonize with the organ and drums when they minister. Or even without instruments, they tend to leave off simple articulation and begin to sing out the message. This is supposed to be a type of progression from teaching to the preaching. But I warn you, this may not always be feasible in all settings or audiences. Some people would simply walk out on such a display because they would not be able to relate to it. This is a typical old time method of preaching and there was a time when it was very popular among African-American people.

Today, however, people have become more educated and thus more sophisticated in their selection of a minister or pastor. In teaching the Word we mistakenly want to put all the responsibility on the Holy Ghost. The teacher has to take the responsibility of being in tune with Him and prepared for several different mindsets and comprehension levels.

Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

We must not forget that teaching is one of the gifts that Christ gave to the Body. It is a holy calling and must in no way be considered as insignificant. It is one of the gifts that have been given to help bring the members of the body of Christ into perfection.

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

The Spirit of God is a discerner of men’s hearts and so the teacher has to also discern his congregation/audience/class by the Spirit. The teacher must learn to be flexible and in submission to the Holy Ghost. This submission gives the teacher the ability to adapt to a diverse group of people and also many diverse situations; thereby resulting in greater effectiveness.

I remember the Lord telling me that technology was going to progress to the point of the television, telephone and computer becoming a single unit of communication long before their merger. He told me this because with His foresight and foreknowledge, He knew that this would be a great mechanism for me to teach the Word to many culturally diverse people. Having obeyed the Lord, I am now able to broadcast every service into every nation on earth. Many who would not have otherwise been touched by the truth can now receive it freely. The overall objective of the teacher must be to accomplish the goal John wrote about:

1 John 1:3

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ

I have listed some basic teaching styles and brief descriptions of the characteristics of each style. As you read, you can determine the style that best describes your method of teaching:

1. PRIESTLY AUTHORITY

Jesus taught as a priestly authority. This method can be clearly seen in His Sermon on the Mount. The message is the mind of God that is revealed to the teacher.

• The teacher will control the flow of information taught according to the spiritual location of the audience.
• The teacher views his/her role as that of a teaching intercessor; one who has received from God is now purposed to convince others of that Word by constantly praying for those he/she teaches.
• The teacher is a manifestation of the message and, therefore, seeks to persuade his/her students that they too can become manifestations of the Word of God.

This priestly authority includes recognizing what your audience already believes so that they might know that you are indeed able to identify with them. Quite simply, it says you know what you’re talking about.

Matthew 5:33-37

33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

2. THE DEMONSTRATOR

Some people are visual learners. This means they learn better by either seeing something written or demonstrated. It is very acceptable to use visual aids in teaching the Gospel. Blackboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors and live subjects would make it very easy for your audience to see the Word.

Christ did not have projectors or even chalkboards in His day, but He brought the Word alive with parables, using artifacts and people that the disciples could visualize. Christ was a demonstrator who made Himself the role model for His audience to see as well as a coach to help them become even as He was.

All teachers should be demonstrators in this sense. Encourage your audience to ask questions. This will allow you to understand and pinpoint their spiritual locations. This can be done in cases where time and circumstances permit. Although, it is the individual’s responsibility to ask for help if they are struggling with a particular teaching, it is also the teacher’s job to discern the spiritual disposition of the flock.

3. THE FACILITATOR

The teacher who sets the stage for the people they teach to process and apply that which has been taught. This means that the teacher will be with this set of people long enough to develop a relationship that defines Christ’s love and faith toward God through Jesus Christ. The facilitator also uses activities, whether groups or for individuals, to help the saints to come up with real applications of the Word they have learned.

Some of these may include prayer groups, witnessing teams, track distribution and Bible studies. Jesus was a facilitator. He taught the disciples how to pray and then, while agonizing in the Spirit, He asked them to watch with Him one hour. After teaching that the Father had given all power to the Son, He sent them out to preach, heal and cast out devils in His name.

Paul too was a facilitator. In rebuking the elders at Corinth, he instructed them to come together and turn the one who had committed sin over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.

4. DELEGATOR

The teacher who acts as a delegator, is one who has discerned the spiritual disposition of certain ones whom he/she teaches, and realizes that they are now capable of taking on some of the responsibilities in the five-fold or other branches of ministry. To build the confidence of the individual, the teacher will delegate a smaller task first and then work the candidate up to larger ones. For example, writing one chapter in a study guide as opposed to writing a whole study guide, or teaching in an auxiliary meeting as opposed to teaching the Wednesday night worship service.

An auxiliary leader must not only teach his/her members the running of that auxiliary, but also how to perform the duties and responsibilities. This becomes an ideal platform to stir up the gift of God that is in each member of that auxiliary.

Now that you have determined your teaching method, it is my responsibility and anointing to produce effective teachers. I do not want to stifle your personality or preferred method of presentation, but in order to accomplish my goal, I must teach you how to bridge the gap between your intentions as a teacher and the way students receive or perceive what you teach.

We are an international ministry and some of you will experience teaching in different cultural settings or to different age groups and even to different social and educational levels. In every teacher/student setting there will be students with many diverse learning styles and comprehension levels. In order to accomplish this, the teacher must never be too concerned about himself; he must always keep in mind that the goal is to move the student/audience from one spiritual location to another. You must see the teachers’ gift as the authority of the moment and not yourself.

The teacher can enjoy the spotlight so much, thus forgetting his/her true purpose. We are called for people. In order for there to be any effective ministry, we must always maintain a posture of humility.