In a single sentence: We model the only perfect teacher who has ever lived, the Lord Jesus Christ, with applications to the world we live in, matching methodology to pedagogy. Modern education has become so “child-centered” in its terminology that even the word “teach” is becoming out of date. Modern education encourages children to construct their own meaning from what they learn, set their own goals, and assess their own achievement. While the best methodology will always be that which best meets the pedagogy, and critical reflection on learning increases importance as the children get older, our belief is that education should be “God-centered” with the teacher having a strong presence in the classroom. At this school, with small class sizes, teachers having the same children for typically two years, and strong internal communication of student achievement data, our teachers know their children and how they learn, very well. We work on the maxim: Happy, well-supported, teachers teach better and happy children learn better!
From the ministry and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ we can learn a great deal about teaching methodology. In His teaching the Lord Jesus employed the following nine teaching methods:
1. Christ utilized the questioning method. The gospels contain more than one hundred questions that Jesus Christ asked during His teaching ministry on earth. This must convey something to us as teachers. Already as a young boy, Jesus was directing questions to the scribes that taught in the temple. Imagine the interest generated by questions he asked during his preaching ministry, e.g., "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or evil? To save life or to kill?" "Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?" "The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or of man?"
2. Jesus also taught using the lecture method, i.e., an oral presentation by the teacher. Consider the loving way that He lectured everywhere - outside, inside, in cities, in the country, on mountains, by lakes, in synagogues, in homes; in short, wherever He had opportunity. Study the beautiful Sermon on the Mount for a wonderful and amazing example of a well-organized and powerful lecture.
3. Christ demonstrated the story-telling method of instruction. Forty miracles of Christ and forty parables of Christ are included in Scripture, and forty is the number of fullness. Jesus used story-telling (parables) to introduce lessons - think of the Parable of the Sower; to conclude lessons - think of Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder; and as the core of a lesson - think of the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
4. The Lord Jesus used discussion as a teaching method. Think of His instructive discussions with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the rich young ruler, and His disciples. By means of discussion, Christ led His students into deeper realizations of various truths. Discussion encourages our students to think, to give expression to their thoughts, and to be actively involved in the learning process.
5. Jesus Christ also taught by example. He took a towel and washed the disciple’s feet one by one. They may have forgotten various things He said, but they never forgot this moment.
6. The Lord Jesus implemented the report-making method after He sent out the seventy to preach. When they returned, He asked them to report on how it went and what they had experienced. This was directed learning. Jesus told them what to take, what to do, where to go, and how they were to conduct themselves. He provided them with a clear outline, thorough preparation, and good instructions before sending them out.
7. Christ incorporated the concrete-to-abstract teaching method (inductive as opposed to conductive reasoning). He frequently used physical objects in His teaching. Think of the lesson He taught using a fig tree. When teaching about our relationship to civil government, He held up a coin with Caesar's picture on it. When dealing with Christian humility, He set a child in the midst for all to see. The sacraments illustrate this same principle. Here, again, the Lord teaches us of the rich value there is in using physical objects in our teaching, i.e., the value of moving from the concrete to the abstract.
8. Christ utilized the individualized instruction method. One blind person He healed instantly by only speaking; a second He healed by degrees (the person saw men as trees walking); and a third He used clay so that the person could feel the means that He was using. Different approaches were used to fit the peculiar needs of different individuals. Look at the various approaches the Lord Jesus used when He dealt with the rich young ruler, blind Bartimaeus, or the buyers and sellers in the temple. Have you ever noticed the tender care and high regard for a single individual that the Lord Jesus demonstrated? When moving in a large crowd with all its accompanying commotion and excitement, He would stop because He heard a single voice, saw one person, or felt the touch of a needy individual.
9. Christ taught his disciplines by making them learn from experience. Consider the time that the disciples could not heal the child possessed with the devil, or when Peter had the learn by experience on more than one occasion such as when he took his eyes of the Lord while walking on the water, or when he boasted that he would never forsake his Master.
But how does all this relate to the century we now live in, especially in regards to Information Technology?
To a large extent teachers have freedom in selecting learning media (teacher, books, videos, I.T., etc), considering what is age-appropriate for their students. Here are four principles:
Principle 1: The Special Character states: “Assisting young people, where possible, in developing the skills and attitudes needed to diligently use the Word of God as the means of God’s grace.” Therefore it is expected that there is a strong emphasis on traditional reading and writing, so that the students are able to concentrate well on this media for extended periods of time.
Principle 2: The Mission Statement states: “From a Biblical foundation to prepare young people for the world in which they must live, work and continue to learn; the LORD willing.” Therefore it is expected that information technology, relevant to the work force and tertiary education, is regularly employed as the students approach their school-leaving years.
Principle 3: Information technology is changing so rapidly that any exposure in the primary school is only relevant for their schooling, and not their future vocation or tertiary study.
Principle 4: New innovations such as tablets and other individual electronic devices will always have a short-term motivation factor, often at the expense of more traditional methods becoming “boring.” This leads to high engagement and short term impressive results when the new innovations are used. But even this becomes “boring” after a while when overused, and often the results are slanted by the child determining what achievement looks like. The long term effects of the modern learning environment, with individual electronic devices through all years of schooling, has not yet been thoroughly researched.
Combining these principles together has led us to the current practice of almost no exposure to I.T. in Y1 to Y6 (except for special needs), teaching basic skills in Y7-8, more advanced skills in Y9-10, and integrating I.T. through the curriculum, where appropriate, in Y10-13. As we continually evaluate what we are doing in this rapidly changing world, serious changes to our current practice in the medium to long term cannot be ruled out. This is being reviewed in 2023.
(which we uphold where appropriate)
Creating a supportive learning environment
Learning is inseparable from its social and cultural context. Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community. Effective teachers foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and cohesive. They also build good relationships with the wider school community, working with parents and caregivers as key partners who have unique knowledge of their children and countless opportunities to advance their children’s learning. Effective teachers attend to the cultural and linguistic diversity of all their students. The classroom culture exists within and alongside many other cultures, including the cultures of the wider school and the local community, the students’ peer culture, and the teacher’s professional culture.
Encouraging reflective thought and action
Students learn most effectively when they develop the ability to stand back from the information or ideas that they have engaged with and think about these objectively. Reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes, and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, and their metacognitive ability (that is, their ability to think about their own thinking). Teachers encourage such thinking when they design tasks and opportunities that require students to critically evaluate the material they use and consider the purposes for which it was originally created.
Enhancing the relevance of new learning
Students learn most effectively when they understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they will be able to use their new learning. Effective teachers stimulate the curiosity of their students, require them to search for relevant information and ideas, and challenge them to use or apply what they discover in new contexts or in new ways. They look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning. This encourages them to see what they are doing as relevant and to take greater ownership of their own learning.
Facilitating shared learning
Students learn as they engage in shared activities and conversations with other people, including family members and people in the wider community. Teachers encourage this process by cultivating the class as a learning community. In such a community, everyone, including the teacher, is a learner; learning conversations and learning partnerships are encouraged; and challenge, support, and feedback are always available. As they engage in reflective discourse with others, students build the language that they need to take their learning further.
Making connections to prior learning and experience
Students learn best when they are able to integrate new learning with what they already understand. When teachers deliberately build on what their students know and have experienced, they maximise the use of learning time, anticipate students’ learning needs, and avoid unnecessary duplication of content. Teachers can help students to make connections across learning areas as well as to home practices and the wider world.
Providing sufficient opportunities to learn
Students learn most effectively when they have time and opportunity to engage with, practise, and transfer new learning. This means that they need to encounter new learning a number of times and in a variety of different tasks or contexts. It also means that when curriculum coverage and student understanding are in competition, the teacher may decide to cover less but cover it in greater depth. Appropriate assessment helps the teacher to determine what “sufficient” opportunities mean for an individual student and to sequence students’ learning experiences over time.
Teaching as inquiry
Since any teaching strategy works differently in different contexts for different students, effective pedagogy requires that teachers inquire into the impact of their teaching on their students. Inquiry into the teaching–learning relationship can be visualised as a cyclical process that goes on moment by moment (as teaching takes place), day by day, and over the longer term. In this process, the teacher asks:
What is important (and therefore worth spending time on), given where my students are at? This focusing inquiry establishes a baseline and a direction. The teacher uses all available information to determine what their students have already learned and what they need to learn next.
What strategies (evidence-based) are most likely to help my students learn this? In this teaching inquiry, the teacher uses evidence from research and from their own past practice and that of colleagues to plan teaching and learning opportunities aimed at achieving the outcomes prioritised in the focusing inquiry.
What happened as a result of the teaching, and what are the implications for future teaching? In this learning inquiry, the teacher investigates the success of the teaching in terms of the prioritised outcomes, using a range of assessment approaches. They do this both while learning activities are in progress and also as longer-term sequences or units of work come to an end. They then analyse and interpret the information to consider what they should do next.
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