3. Developing a Philosophy of Teaching

I. What constitutes excellence in teaching?

II. Developing your own teaching philosophy

III. Holy Spirit in Teaching

IV. Role of Man in Teaching

V. Different teaching methods

What constitutes excellence in teaching?

• Think of the teachers who have most influenced your life in a positive way. What was it that made them excellent teachers?
• Likewise, think of all of the poor teachers you have had. What is it that made them poor?

Excellent Teaching	Poor Teaching

What is an Effective Teacher?¹

• He has clearly-defined _________.
• He is _______ and ___________.
• He creatively handles _________ and ____________.
• He encourages ___________ and ___________ in others.
• He is committed to students as ______________.
• He is ____________ about teaching.
• He is excited about the _____________.
• He is open to _________ values and beliefs of others.
• He is ____________ _____________.

What is an Ineffective Teacher?

• Lack of ____________.
• Lack of ____________.
• No clearly defined ___________.
• Lack of __________ and _______________.
• ______________ with closed lecture.
• Lack of _______________.
• No personal _____________ and ______________ concerning subject.
• Teaching doesn’t let you ___________.
• ______________ answers for questions asked.

Developing your own teaching philosophy

Values

Write down your ten primary values. These values will constitute your excellence in teaching paper.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Teaching

1. Holy Spirit as Persuader

The Holy Spirit is the only persuader of spiritual truth: Read 1 Cor. 2:1-16

2. Holy Spirit as Gift Giver

Although all people are commanded to teach (Deut. 6:7; Matt. 28:19-20), certain people are spiritually gifted to teach (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:29).

Write a definition of the Spiritual gift of teaching:

What does the “gift” of teaching look like? In other words, what is the difference between natural ability and the gift of teaching?

Natural Ability	Gift of Teaching
1. Effectively transfer information 2. Assimilate information 3. Imparts Knowledge 4. Intellectual 5. Changed minds	1. Effectively transfer spiritual truth 2. Applies information 3. Imparts Wisdom 4. Spiritual 5. Changed lives

Natural Ability	Gift of Teaching
Effectively educates, persuades, and changes lives outside the Church.	Effectively educates, persuades, and changes lives inside the Church.

How does one know if he or she has been given the gift of teaching?

1. Is there an unusual thirst to learn spiritual things?

2. Is there and unusual ability to understand spiritual things?

3. Is there an unusual desire to teach (Jer 20:9)?

4. Is there a natural ability to teach?

5. Do people benefit spiritually from your teaching?

General Principles

• Teaching is a joint venture

• Just because you have the gift of teaching does not mean that you do not need to be diligent in your preparation.
• How to develop the gift of teaching (Roy Zuck):

1. ______________ the gift (1 Tim 4:14).

2. _________________ others who are effective.

3. Get ____________ in the principles of teaching.

4. Have someone ___________ your teaching and make helpful suggestions.

Role of Man in Teaching

Discipline

2 Tim 2:15

Creativity

Christ’s Example: Conflict, parables, sermons, dilemma, illustrative, and expository.

Passion

This is the “sacrifice-it-all” attitude that you bring with you to a lesson that tells your students that you believe what you are stating. This is evident in the way you stand, speak, move, what you say, and how you live. While passion is difficult to define and impossible to imitate, it will never be missed.

The Difference Between Preaching and Teaching

Teaching	Preaching

Different teaching methods

What are the different methods people use in teaching? List them:

Least affective teaching methods	Most effective teaching methods

Venues

• Sermon
• Lecture
• Sunday School/Fellowship
• Small Groups
• Interactive Classroom

What is the difference between preaching and teaching?

Hear, see, and do: getting the students engaged:

Hear:

1. Mini-Lecture.

2. Sermon.

3. Role playing.

4. Devils advocate.

See:

1. Use visual illustrations.

2. Give handouts and outlines.

3. Use Power Point.

4. Use white board.

Do

1. Large group discussion.

2. Small groups discussion.

3. Have the students give illustration to a point.

4. Continually ask questions and wait for the answers.

5. Neighbor nudge.

6. Create dilemmas.

7. Field trips.

8. Have student debate.

Questions to ask when choosing a method

1. What are the goals of my lesson?

2. What method would work best for my goals?

3. How much time do I have? One week? Six months?

4. What method would work best in the venue that I am using?

5. What are the expectations/requirements of the group?

6. How many people are in my audience?

7. Can I limit my audience according to my goals?

8. Or do my goals have to be changed because of the size of my audience?

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¹ Adapted from DTS class notes: Howard Hendricks and Michael Lawson, “Teaching Process.”