WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Most teachers will teach the same way this Sunday that they taught last Sunday. They will teach the same way the next Sunday that they taught this Sunday. Why? Because that’s how they teach.
But how did Jesus teach? Did he teach the same way every time? What kinds of methods did Jesus use? Shouldn’t all of us want to teach the way that Jesus taught?
WHAT DO I DO? Intentionally plan a lesson each month using a teaching style different from your natural preference. Consider studying these three topics:
- Examine how Jesus taught. As you read the Gospels, identify the methods that Jesus used. Bruce Wilkinson in Teaching the Jesus Way said that when he determined that Jesus rarely used the same method. His teaching was different every time based on the outcome that he desired and the audience that he taught.
- Study how people learn. Most groups will have people who prefer to learn differently from how the teacher teaches. The Eight Learning Approaches are: Physical, Verbal, Visual, Musical, Natural, Relational, Logical, and Reflective.
- Read a book on teaching. Your teaching style will determine the likely learning outcome of your lesson. A good book is TEACHER: Creating Conversational Communities.
My favorite definition of teaching is: Teaching is creating an experience in which a person changes in some lasting way his knowledge, understanding, attitude, skills or values. So get creative and teach a lesson each month different from your natural teaching preference.