Teaching to Learn

In the past in my teaching I have focused primarily on content, and the communication of that content to a class. Being an analytic learner, I have always tended to spend most of my time researching and studying the material that I intend to teach. Then I have selected the things that I think are important to convey, and for the lesson take the class through the material in a way that seems to make sense to me. I have tried to make it interesting for the class, and have usually included some kind of general application at the end in the hope that the students will be impacted by what they have just heard and be able to apply it to their lives. This has typically been my approach.

I have learnt much, but perhaps three of the most significant things I have learnt from Creative Bible Teaching can be summarized as follows:

1. Teaching is not primarily about the teacher, but about the needs of the student and what the student learns.

2. It is the responsibility of the teacher to strive for application of the material and change in the life of each student.

3. The best lessons will have flexibility within a well-defined approach to the lesson plan structure.