Contents
May/June 2006
FEATURES
Guardian angel on alert Chuck Ferrara discovers something beyond the badge.
John Wesley and United Methodist renewal James V. Heidinger II appeals to the wisdom of Methodism’s founder
The emergence of confessing Christians Thomas C. Oden encourages mainline renewal.
Anne Rice: The dark wing of night Trish Teves inquires the once gothic author about her conversion.
Holiness Manifesto The Wesleyan Holiness Study Project makes an appeal.
Columns
Editorial Why membership matters
Next Generation The answers are right, but the life is wrong
RENEW Women’s Network The tie that binds
The Great Commission The world in high resolution
From the Heart Tell
DepartmentsLetters to the editor
Straight Talk
News
Re-thinking ‘doing church’ to reverse membership decline
Prayer event brings unity to community
U.S. church opens arms to Iraqi girl with birth defect
Culture in View
Family films with a message
Walking the line into a ring of fire
By Duffy Robbins
Most of us who grew up in the church learned very early on a basic principle of Sunday School survival: When you don't know an answer in Sunday School, you can usually finesse your way through the awkward silence by simply answering "Jesus" or "God." It may not work, but it's usually a safe guess. And what kind of teacher would scold you for using the name of the Savior?
Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a third grade boy who had obviously learned this lesson well. His Sunday School teacher asked the class one day, "Class, what's gray and furry and stores up nuts for the winter?"
Aware that this did not seem to fit any of the normal Sunday School responses, the students went mute. All heads were down, no one wanting to risk eye contact with the teacher. No one spoke up. The teacher repeated his question again, this time a little irritated: "Come on guys, this is easy. What's gray and furry and stores up nuts for the winter?"
Again, the question was met with an uneasy quiet.
When he asked the third time, he was obviously frustrated. After a long silence, one brave little guy, nudged by his buddy, offered up his hand.
"Oh good, Bobby, tell us, what's gray and furry, with a long bushy tail and stores up nuts for the winter?"
With a red face and an uneasy squirm, Bobby answered haltingly in a small voice, "Well.um.I think it's a squirrel.but I'll say, 'Jesus.'"
The Law of the Learning Process
The Sixth Law of Learning, often described as the Law of the Learning Process, states: "The pupil must be able to reproduce in his/her own mind the truth to be learned."
It reminds us that just because students use the right words, or parrot back to us the correct phrases, doesn't mean they've truly learned what those words and phrases mean. It's an important warning.
Anybody who has been in youth ministry more than twenty minutes knows from experience that our biggest challenge in the work is not getting kids to give the right answers; it's getting kids to stop living wrong lives. That's why the Law of the Learning Process is critical. Especially so in the climate of an evangelical church where we place such a high value on learning biblical truth and passing along the faith once for all delivered to the saints. If we can't help them to reproduce the ideas in their own minds, in their own words, and ultimately in their own lives, they will become numb to the nudgings of truth. And that's a condition that soon grows into a hardened heart.
Practically speaking, how are we to flesh out this principle of learning? Here are some simple suggestions:
Ask good questions. Stay away from "yes" or "no" questions that give clueless kids a 50% chance of dodging deeper discussion. Be willing to probe right answers with follow-up questions: "Why do you say that?" "Why couldn't it be this?" "How would you explain that to someone who doesn't believe in God?"
Ask hard questions. In our effort to make youth group a comfortable place, we too often ask questions with answers that are way too obvious: "Sally's going on a date. Who should she date, the Apostle Paul or Osama bin Laden?" Real life poses questions to our students that are much more difficult, and the real test of our teaching will be their ability to massage the message into the mess and muck of everyday life. While it's always kind of cool to hear our students use theological words and concepts, let's force them to unpack those phrases by taking them on a trip into real life issues.
Practice the power of paraphrase. Whether it be a principle, an idea, or a biblical passage, one of the most direct applications of this sixth law of learning is giving students an opportunity to paraphrase: "Okay, put this idea into your own words"; "Paraphrase this verse into the language of a skater/computer geek/jock, etc."; "Turn to the person next to you and explain tonight's main lesson in your own words."
Play dumb. "OK, suppose I had never heard of Jesus of Nazareth before. Based on what we've studied this morning in Philippians 2:5-11, how would you tell me who he is?"
We need to be alert. Just because students are using the same words we use, and have memorized concepts we've taught, that does not mean they have learned anything. And, when students don't learn and grow, they become disinterested quickly. In doing Bible study, we can heighten student interest by constantly coming back to an idea or a principle and saying in one form or another, "Now what does all this mean? Put it in your own words."
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