Something to Think About
Test scores, grades, speed reading. These are the standards that many educators use to advertise excellence and determine educational goals. While we know that you know such measurements are not enough to go by, we also know we are not going to be able to escape the expectations of the current culture to produce strong performers.
But eventually, educators who work only for high test scores will be held accountable for students’ inability to think, to make good decisions, to solve problems, and to adopt right values. So the question becomes, "How do we get good performance results and at the same time teach discernment, comprehension, and thinking skills?"
Probably the most effective way is to ask questions. All kinds of questions. Begin with what the student knows and draw him on from there. Show him you are really interested in what he thinks. Ask questions such as why? and what? Christ asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I am?" (Mark 8:27) He was getting at the reasons for serving Him. Christ finished His questioning of the disciples with an application question: "But whom say ye that I am?" (Mark 8:29) Students are truly educated when they not only know what they think but also can say why they think it.
Asking questions teaches inductive reasoning, a life skill the student needs to solve problems and make independent decisions. If teaching revolves too much around telling a student facts, having him fill in the blanks, and then drilling those facts, the student is never required to analyze or apply what he learns. And the spark of interest dies. But when a student experiences the thrill of realizing that he can figure things out, he will become a lifelong learner.
You may have heard the saying, "Everything I needed to know, I learned in kindergarten." Since learning comes in stages, providing early rich experiences, building curiosity, and allowing discovery are essential to real learning. Not that the process should never be a challenge, of course. But teachers can do much to make things interesting. They can make their classroom say to children, "Come on in, we are going to have fun learning today." Children who like to learn become adults who keep learning.
One of the greatest rewards for a teacher is seeing his students succeed— long after leaving his classroom. "Dear Mr. Thomas," the letter begins. "Maybe you don’t remember me, but it is because of your class that I became a teacher."
Of course, Mr. Thomas remembers. And he is pleased to be remembered. But he is most pleased that his students have gone on learning for the rest of their lives. That the love of learning he sparked in them stills burns.
How is that lifelong interest accomplished? Certainly much credit goes to the dedicated teacher and his own love of learning. When students enjoy learning, all of the other objectives of the classroom are easier to meet. If students are eager to learn, they will demonstrate more independent thinking and depth of understanding. They will ask questions and express their thoughts willingly. So the teacher who sets out to make his classroom a place of joyful learning automatically makes it a place for accomplishing superior teaching.
How do teachers know when their students are enjoying their learning? The University of Guelph in Ontario puts it this way: "Love of learning may be reflected in . . . intellectual curiosity; the ability (as in independence of thought) to ask useful kinds of questions (rather than the ability always to have answers); the ability to see far reaching implications; the ability to make connections between disparate topics; energy and passion in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding; dissatisfaction with simply accumulating facts or data."
Jim Davis with Dawn Watkins. Jim Davis has been a Christian school teacher and administrator and was formerly head of Product Development for BJU Press.