Discipleship Across Discipleship Across the Lifespan the Lifespan Trinity International University Class #5
Dec 25, 2015
Discipleship Across the Discipleship Across the LifespanLifespan
Trinity International University
Class #5
Producing ChangeProducing Change
What is learning?
Change in…Change in…• Thinking
• Feeling
• Behavior
Not merely informationBut…
Learning StylesLearning Styles
• No single learning style is “better”
• Instructors tend to utilize their own learning style
Reading
Visual Aural
Kinesthetic
Thomas Groome
• Shared Christian Praxis: An interaction with the biblical text through the lens of personal experience
• Theology critiques experience and experience critiques theology
Professor of theology and religious education at Boston College
Lawrence Richards
• A Christian education must be derived first and foremost from our theology
• Socialization as a mode of education taken from the Bible and its community of faith
Author; taught at Wheaton, Princeton, & Talbot
• Faith is more “caught” than taught
• We learn best through relationships
Small Group Exercise
Share the information in your papers on Experiential Learning.
To what similar conclusions did you arrive?
What different conclusions did you suggest?
Discussion Questions
• How did Christ allow for experiential learning?
• How does your local church allow for experiential learning?
What gets you excited?What gets you excited?
If you are not excited about Christ, your students will not be excited
either
There is a corollary between…
And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them… (Matthew 9:36)
Compassion Motivation
There is a corollary between…There is a corollary between…
We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)
Compassion Motivation
Don’t destroy
your students
All teaching begins at the All teaching begins at the feeling levelfeeling level
― Howard Hendricks
Credibility precedes Credibility precedes CommunicationCommunication
People do not care what you think until they think you care
You can impress people at a You can impress people at a distance; you can only impact distance; you can only impact
them close up.them close up. ― Howard Hendricks
Principles of Teaching Children
• Children are not "empty vessels." They come to school with previous experience and insights.
• Children want to learn. The natural curiosity of children can be used to help them learn without presenting material as a lesson.
• Children learn best when using a range of senses.
• Children like to copy ― They need good role models
Principles of Teaching Children
• Children need to learn information that is relevant. Learning needs to be related to a child's environment.
• Children need praise.
• Children love to play. Playing can be an active form of learning.
Small Group Exercise
Put together a lesson plan for an one hour age-specific teaching event in your church,
taking into account how your particular age
group is able to learn
Preschool (3-5 Years Old)• Short interest span• Vocabulary increasing
at various levels• Thinking is concrete &
literal• Group learners ― want
to do things with people• Want adult approval• Full of wonder• Credulous• Strong play interest
Early Elementary Children
• Wide range of reading abilities
• Concrete thinkers• Conversational• Concerned about right &
wrong• Fascinated with heaven
& God• Appreciation of
supernatural• Desire for love & security
Upper Elementary Children• Strong group instinct
(clubs, teams)• Hero worship• Sense of humor;
giggling• Logical thinking• Love for facts• Concerns for home life,
especially in context of separation or divorce
Middle Schoolers
• Profound emphasis on peer relationships
• Physical changes (physical and internal)
• Gradual shift from concrete to abstract thinking
• Ability to reflect on one’s own thoughts & actions• Lacks self-control of emotions• Usually self-conscious• Looking for a model ― a hero
High Schoolers
• Outgrowing awkwardness• Concerned about sexuality• Profound influence of
social group• Enjoys argument & debate• Continuing shift toward
abstract thinking• His religion is personal
• Able to appreciate an atmosphere of worship• His doubts about his faith may increase
Small Group Exercise
Put together a lesson plan for an one hour age-specific teaching event in your church,
taking into account how your particular age
group is able to learn
• Lesson Objective
• Biblical Foundation
• Lesson Content
• Teaching Methodologies