Education – teaching it right

Since education is primarily about people, it would seem important we spend time studying and understanding their background and character makeup to create an effective learning process. Biologically, we are all different. Culturally and psychologically, our diverse backgrounds determine our perceptions and mindsets. I am now more conscious these are details I should not overlook. Although multi-faceted and multi-influenced, ultimately people are modifiable so we should not be judgemental or critical. Do we become impatient when we do not see transformation in a person? The Bible warns us about judging others. If we are serious about training people, we must first learn to communicate with them and communication is two ways - from teacher to student and vice versa. The usual scenario is where teachers want to be heard only. Instead of just providing information, a good teacher allows students opportunities to explore and learn on their own, to think. Education should not be merely teaching for the sake of increasing knowledge but it should take into account to modify lives as well. Are we training people to be more committed to God and to each other?

Very often, learning is caught, not taught. Look around and one sees and hears people smoking and swearing. There is no formal smoking or swearing school that is ever heard of but these habits are being picked up from amongst peers or family members. What is the environment that we are providing for learning? Do teachers ‘walk the talk’? I remember a neighbour, an impatient and critical lady and a teacher by profession, who played mah-jong every weekend. I used to wonder how she would explain to her students the pitfalls of gambling or inculcate in them the values of good character and morals. Playing mah-jong was perhaps a pastime but would that be a good testimony to her students? Likewise, when we teach the Bible, do we first let the Bible live in us before impressing upon others to obey God’s Word?

It may seem educators neglect what is known as the Learning Space. The four components – physical, intellectual, dramatic and emotional aspects of the Learning Space when combined together present a powerful environment for effective learning. It is perhaps normal for a church to pay little attention to the physical environment when conducting lessons especially for the adults. After all, we are Christians who should be looking at the heart matter and not the façade. If children’s training rooms are decorated with vivid colours to engage them, why is this concept not applied to adults too? Does the room or the surrounding project warmth and cheer or is it cold, dull and unwelcoming and hence not conducive to learning? Do we allow students to develop intellectually to uncover the truth for themselves even when it is competing truth, let them grapple with it and come to the conclusion on their own or do we spoon-feed them or worse, shove it all ‘down their throats’? Do we provide a safe environment to allow expressions without fear of being discriminated especially if these are different from the majority? Many say we indoctrinate when teaching the Bible. It should be noted that the lecturer for this module requires us to blog our new discoveries and learning. With him, learning is not top-down and only in the classroom but on the media space too. We are encouraged to comment on each other’s blogs on the site that has been created for this purpose. There is therefore the opportunity for expression and open engagement to bring the learning experience to a higher level.

These and more are signs that while Christian educators place great emphasis in the teaching of God’s Word, we neglect to take into consideration that we are dealing with human beings after all, beings who are diversely different from one to the other. As my classmate, Eddie says, ‘We need to relook into this and make it right.’

Education = empty pails = heavy school bags = ???

When I was in primary school, my class perceived an educated person meant one who had gone to school, especially tertiary learning and who had a string of letters after his or her name. However, we stood corrected. Our teacher explained that an educated person is not necessarily someone who has gone to school but rather, one who has an upright moral character, behaves and treats others well. Since then, I have come to see education as a process that involves teaching, instructing, inculcating of values and imparting of information, knowledge and skills not only to develop the intellectual mind but also to build a moral character who will in turn impart these knowledge and skills to others.

My mind has been stretched further recently. From the reading and class interaction whilst studying ECC, I am taking away several interesting concepts with regards to effective education and what it should be.

1. Education is not confined to a classroom setting.

Many perceive education to be a formal training and learning process within a formal classroom setting. Perhaps it is the culture we have been brought up in but now I need to be constantly aware and conscious that education is everywhere and everything I do, for instance, spending time with loved ones and friends, in the office, etc. When we offer to pray for colleagues who are facing problems at home or at work, we are teaching them Jesus cares for and loves them. That is education in progress! Therefore we need to be mindful how we present ourselves as Christians or even as dutiful adults to the children or the youth.

2. More is not necessarily better. Rather, it is the attitude that we adopt when teaching.

Einstein was convinced that education ‘is that which remains after you have forgotten what you have learned in school’. The key word here is ‘forgotten’ which demonstrates there is either selective memory retention or that we have a natural tendency to forget most of what we have been taught. Hence, teachers need to ascertain if we are teaching more than is necessary since we do not remember most of what we have learned. Brian Hill says to teach only what is ‘necessary and valuable in a manner which encourages personal appropriation for self-awareness and self-development’ and Yeats likens education not as the filling up of an empty vessel but as a spark of fire that inspires. Again, we sense it is not the amount of knowledge that is of criteria but the ‘manner’ or attitude which the teacher adopts whilst teaching. Is the teacher merely transmitting information or is encouraging application into life?

3. Do not limit education to a church activity. This space can be expanded; think beyond the church walls.

When we know and understand where the community is, we can reach out better to people outside of the four walls of the church. Different groups have different interests and value different things. That makes it a community because they have a shared interest of certain values. The important thing is that we need to move out or penetrate into their community and not expect them to move into ours. Ideally, it should be a Christ-impacted community to touch a non-believer community. My church is reaching out to a housing estate near the church premises and recently is focusing our efforts on a group of elderly folks who gather regularly at a centre for the aged in the vicinity. We visit them regularly and have invited them to a church event not only with the intention to share the Gospel but also to show care and concern for them.