Teaching: Why Doing Helps Us Learn

All learning comes through experience. Stated another way, as we do something we learn. Such learning is active learning, engaging us mind, spirit, and body. Watch a child play. A child learns as she plays. She imitates her parents serving a meal. She learns about food and dishes, about conversation and relationships. Another child fills a tub with small blocks and then dumps them out and starts over. She learns concepts like full, empty, in, out, and the rudiments of numbers. All their learning is through experience.

Consider the great festivals of the Old Testament. Passover, for instance, taught history, deliverance, and God’s care through preparing the meal, serving it, tasting the food, and repeating the litany of the meal with family. Think about the learning derived for contemporary Christians observing and participating in baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

The younger the learner, the most reliant the learner is on direct experience. Don’t show a child a picture of a flower, but instead show a real flower which can be touched and smelled. The older learner, on other hand, can learn with indirect experience because the older learner brings a lifetime of personal, direct experiences to the learning session. A younger learner may not have the life experience associated with feeling hopeless, but an older learner can recall times of hopelessness in their own personal experiences. All learners benefit from active, direct experiences, but older learners have the advantage of life experience that can be recalled in the learning session.

Capitalize on the life experiences when teaching older learners by creating learning experiences which capture those experiences with activity. Use learning activities should as writing responses to questions prior to sharing verbally. Another excellent activity uses case studies which combine life experiences with biblical content. And, adult typically learn in all areas by solving problems. Pose a problem that requires adults to depend upon applying biblical content to suggest a solution. Such activities engage the learner in direct experiences which deepen the learning.

Scripture:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:22-25 ESV
 

Prayer:

Ask God to bring your knowledge of your learners to mind as you prepare your next lesson.

 
Dig Deeper:

Read Design for Teaching and Training by LeRoy Ford.

Praying: Thanksgiving Every Bible Study

Another form of prayer we must teach as we pray and lead prayer in our Bible study groups is thanksgiving. As we noted last week, thanksgiving focuses on what God has done while praise focuses on God’s attributes and character. Thanksgiving becomes a regular rehearsal of God work in history, our communities, our churches, our families, and our lives. When we focus on thanksgiving we understand that all things come to us from God. Thanksgiving may surprise us as we remember more and more what God has done for us. Thanksgiving also humbles us because we soon realize that we are unworthy of God’s blessings but He pours blessings on us anyway.

Thanksgiving flows from God’s grace. Grace is the centerpiece of thanksgiving because we learn that all God’s work in our lives is unearned and comes to us from Him as a gift.

Thanksgiving is agreeing with God about His work in your life. As you thank God, you confirm that He has worked and is working in us. Instead of taking personal credit, we give God the credit as we thank Him.

Thanksgiving is worship of God for His specific actions. Thanksgiving is listing, with passion and joy, all that God has done for you and given you. Indeed, as we thank God, we soon have a list of amazing length, yet we realize that we have only scratched the surface of God’s grace-full work in our lives.

We must employ thanksgiving in everything.  If all things come from God, then thanksgiving becomes a constant presence in our lives and in our prayers. Even when the difficult times occur or problems press upon us, we can be sure that God will work even these into blessings in some way at some time. In this way, thanksgiving accentuates God’s grace in everything.

Thanksgiving allows us to enjoy God’s blessing. Thanksgiving recognizes God’s grace in everything. When we yield every display of grace in our lives, we become free to enjoy everything He brings to us.

As we pray in our small groups, take opportunity to teach and model thanksgiving in prayer. From time to time spend dedicated time in group and personal prayer simply thanking God. Highlight psalms and prayers all through Scripture that concentrate on thanksgiving. Encourage your learners to make their lives living prayers of thanksgiving.

Scripture:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
       the One who is and who was,
       because you have taken your great power
       and have begun to reign.” Revelation 11:17 ESV

Prayer:
Spend one whole day considering all the specific things the Lord Almighty has done for you. Use your list to give Him thanks.

Dig Deeper:
Much of today’s material came from the study helps in “Life Helps” in The Disciple’s Study Bible. Study Bibles are helpful tools for the Bible study leader. Consider adding one to your personal library.