Through the years I’ve been invited to participate in various skits and plays. I really appreciate and respect those with a dramatic flair. I was not blessed with the ability or desire to perform in this way. I am envious of those with musical talents, either vocal or instrumental. I realize practice as the key to performance, but in vocal music there must be a voice. I have enhanced many occasions with my silence.
My stage has been that of teacher, or in current terminology, facilitator. After years of classroom experience, I have come to a conclusion that everything I needed to know about teaching I learned in Sunday School. Or maybe better put, I learned by trial and error with my Sunday School students. When I first taught Sunday School in my mid-twenties I had no idea it would become foundational for all the training efforts of my career, both in insurance and later as a college instructor. Basic principles of good instruction are universal and need only be modified to fit the age, and needs of the learner.
As I have succeeded and failed as a leader in instruction, I have formulated some ideas for success with students. In the next few paragraphs I will share what has worked for me. As you try a hand at teaching, adjust my ideas so that they will best work for you. First, I believe it is important to teach something you know and/or believe in. Our Academic Dean recently shared attributes of instructors from student evaluation comments. One of the comments from a student concerning me was the word “genuine.” I don’t know how I conveyed this attribute, but I suspect my belief in the topic had become evident, at least to that student. I attempt to be transparent to my students. I do this by sharing failures as well as successes. The student needs to know that failure is a natural part of the growth process.
In parenting, I left the impression with my daughters that I was successful in everything. When they had failures they felt inadequate; they were actually normal. My failures were and are important in molding me to what God wants me to be. The same is true for my daughters and my students. Participation is a key with any group I’m working with. I’ve often said that if I’m at the top of my game I can hold an audience spellbound for about twelve minutes. I’m not sure my time capacity is even that long. People learn better when they are involved and engaged in the process. The mind wanders during lecture, but can be focused in activity.
In the early 1980’s I first taught college classes. It became evident to me that variation of instructional media was paramount to student learning. In a time when classes were mainly lecture I tried to differentiate my product. I used lecture, but I also used cases studies, group discussion, oral reports, and videos. These methodologies became even more important in extended-time classes. I consider my “stage” to be a work in progress. The quality movement’s concepts of continuous improvement and best practices drive me to look for news ideas to continue increasing variation in teaching. I am working with a laptop and new presentation (for me) technology. At least the effort yields a bit of humor as I pursue a “brave new world” for me. When I think of it, this is another chance to “think out of the box.” God has chosen to make me a teacher so that I might be a better learner. I thank and praise Him for allowing me the opportunity. I know that I learn more than I can ever teach. I want to thank all my students for the lessons they have taught me.
"When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred." Thomas Jefferson
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Proverbs 16:32
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