Teaching Outside the Box: Five Approaches to Opening the Bible With Youth - Softcover

Zirschky, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501823892 ISBN 13: 9781501823893

Publisher: Abingdon Press, 2017

Synopsis

Tired of resorting to gimmicks and games to spice up your same-old way of teaching the Bible to teenagers? Rather than tweaking the way you teach, get out of the box and discover fresh approaches for helping youth experience the implications of the gospel. 

In Teaching Outside the Box, Andrew Zirschky invites you on a journey with Jeremy Bevins, a fictional youth worker who discovers five unique approaches to teaching scripture with help from a crusty octogenarian, Seymour Mathetai. Weaving Jeremy's story and his own insights as narrator, Zirschky provides vivid explanations and examples of each teaching style: instructional, community of faith, interpretive, liberation, and contemplative. 

With an emphasis on how the work of the Holy Spirit and the role of the teacher are conceived differently in each approach, Teaching Outside the Box provides both theory and curricula that will change the way you use the Bible in the faith formation of adolescents.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Zirschky (Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Youth Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary and serves as academic director at the Center for Youth Ministry Training in Brentwood, Tennessee. He has 20 years of youth ministry experience at churches in Idaho, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Teaching Outside the Box

By Andrew Zirschky

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2017 Andrew Zirschky
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5018-2389-3

Contents

Table of Contents, 
Dedication, 
Acknowledgments, 
Preface, 
Introduction, 
Chapter 1: The Instructional Approach, 
Chapter 2: The Community of Faith Approach, 
Chapter 3: The Interpretive Approach, 
Chapter 4: The Liberation Approach, 
Chapter 5: The Contemplative Approach, 
Appendix: Leading Youth in Theological Reflection, 

CHAPTER 1

THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH

THE WEIGHT OF THE TASK

The instructional approach is the dominant philosophy for studying the Bible and forming the faith of teenagers in most churches. Drawing from educational theory and educational philosophy, those who take an instructional approach tend to emphasize the similarity between learning religion and any other content. In fact, as one Christian educator has argued: "Religion teaching is basically no different from any other kind of teaching. Nor is the learning of religion basically different from any other kind of learning." As such, advocates for taking an instructional approach in forming youth in the faith structure their curriculum and techniques to replicate the educational research and practices that guide public educational practices. The aim or goal of instruction is to bring the student to an understanding of the content being taught. If the goal of understanding is accomplished, then the hopeful outcome for the student will be application of the content to the student's personal life and behavior. Over time the student should mature in faith, evidenced by changes in the student's life choices and actions and resulting in the student becoming progressively more mature in Christian faith and life.

As one educator has described it, "the teacher is to consider what knowledge and understanding the student has gained, how faith and thought have been integrated, what Christian values and attitudes have been acquired, what level of theological maturity is evidenced, and what patterns or operations of living have been formed." With all these things in mind, the teacher then structures the next learning experience for students, which most often occurs in a formal classroom or designated learning environment.

If this sounds heady and potentially over-structured, then advocates of an instructional approach might actually rejoice because many of them lament the way in which the teaching efforts of youth ministry often suffer from lack of planning, intentionality, and spiral growth structures. Most tragic, say advocates of an instructional approach, is the poor preparation we give to those we call teachers. In an instructional framework, the teacher is an incredibly important component, and yet most churches spend more time and money on curriculum than preparing teachers to actually teach the curriculum! While the content that is taught is vitally important to advocates of an instructional approach, what is equally important are trained and quality teachers who understand the weight of the task they have been given and who approach the teaching moment with both prayer and preparation.

As one student of youth ministry observed, "I think the church not only does a very poor job of teaching, but an even worse job of bringing up effective teachers." Those who take an instructional approach to opening the Bible with teenagers advocate for four important keys to the success of the approach:

• Teaching teenagers what the Bible says, or a focus on content;

• Bringing students to understand (and trust) the content of Scripture;

• Helping students recognize how the Bible should apply or make a difference in everyday life;

• Equipping and preparing teachers for their task.

The instructional approach shouldn't be confused with just schooling; one can utilize an instructional approach to opening the Bible with teenagers outside of a classroom. The instructional approach isn't determined by the context in which it occurs, nor even by the teaching methods that are employed, but rather by the goal of the approach and the desired outcome for students.

Anchoring the instructional approach is a belief that the truth of Scripture, if delivered to young people, can instigate a change of mind and heart. Scripture needs to be handled by an experienced interpreter so that it can be made understandable to youth. The teacher, or those writing the curriculum, act as interpreters who pre-chew the Word and break it down so that it can be meaningful to youth and they can then determine how Scripture "applies" to their lives. The teacher is meant to pinpoint in Scripture the truth that needs to be communicated and to then present it in such a way that the student can grasp it, understand it, and thus live in light of God's Word.

When approaching teaching from an instructional approach, the point is to teach the truth of Scripture in a way that can be applied to one's life. Therefore, action steps or some kind of "take-home point" are not uncommon, though application should ideally be more interactive than presenting students with canned responses about how the Scripture's truth applies to the individual and personal life of the student.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHER IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH

From the vantage of the instructional approach, the teacher is crucially important as the one who brings truth before students. The teacher determines the content to be learned, known, and investigated. Not only will the teacher select the Scripture to be examined but also the teacher selects the particular points of understanding that students will be moved toward, as well as the basic contours of how the Scripture likely applies to the students' lives.

The instructional approach tends to flow from the banking model of education. In the banking model the instructor has knowledge that needs to be deposited into the heads of students. Teaching is a transfer of knowledge and, if that transfer of knowledge is performed, then the student will be able to move toward grasping and understanding that knowledge. The learner is one who needs to receive knowledge of the truth and respond to that truth.

Instruction begins by the teacher providing knowledge and explanation to the student: "This is the reason that ...," or, "Here's what should happen when. ..." In an instructional framework, the interpretations, understandings, and the views of the teacher (and community) are passed along to the student, shaping the student's ways of knowing, the student's discrete knowledge, and the student's understanding.

An instructional approach to opening the Bible with youth "focuses on the teacher and on teaching responsibility more than on the student." This is not to say that the student is unimportant, but rather that the success of an instructional approach depends significantly on the skill and preparation of the teacher. If the teacher doesn't know how to teach, if the teacher is unskilled in handling Scripture, or if the teacher doesn't have his or her life and knowledge in order, then the instructional approach falls apart.

Since the role of the teacher is so important in this approach, there is great respect for the training of teachers. If we would never consider sending an untrained teacher into a public school classroom to teach middle school math, then why would we ever consider sending such a person into a church classroom to teach middle schoolers the Christian faith? Consequently, robust training and preparation of teachers is of crucial importance so that they are well-versed in the language, beliefs, rhythms, and reasons of the faith community and in their knowledge of the Bible. It is through the faithful and informed action of a teacher that students will be guided to Scripture, come to understand Scripture, and be led to consider how they might apply its truth to their lives in obedience.

THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH AIMS AT UNDERSTANDING

While to instruct means "to furnish with knowledge or information" (Oxford English Dictionary), instruction should not be conceived as brainwashing or "unreflective 'passing on' of static propositions to be received as correct doctrine." Instead, instruction is about "giving reasons, evidence, arguments, and so forth, for the purpose of helping another understand or arrive at the truth." The key word here is understanding. The aim or goal of instruction is not rote memorization, or the ability to regurgitate, but for the student to understand. In turn, that understanding will enable the student to apply the Scripture to her or his life.

Understanding does not come from an accumulation of facts. We do not say that someone understands merely because the person knows. For example, in school I memorized pi to 40 digits on a challenge from my seventh grade math teacher. I could recite it flawlessly, but knowing pi didn't affect the reality that I had no idea what pi was used for and no idea how to employ it. In the end I had the knowledge of pi, but without understanding it was just random digits. Therefore, understanding moves us beyond mere knowledge of facts to perceiving the meaning of the facts.

For example, we don't normally use the phrase "it dawned on her" to speak about someone learning facts for the first time. In fact, it could be that she's known these facts for years and years. So, to say "it dawned on her" is to say that the facts she already knows suddenly come together with new force and meaning. She grasps the meaning of these facts for herself, for her world, and for the other things she knows. That's understanding.

Along these lines, one particular power of the instructional approach is in leading youth to a clarity of belief. We need to help students clarify what they believe, which is not the same as telling them what to believe. If done well, the instructional approach doesn't lead to passive students but to young people who are actively thinking about and questioning their faith, interrogating Scripture, and clarifying what it means and what it doesn't. Teaching from an instructional approach will introduce students to content, along with helping them think through and understand what they believe and why.

What is the primary way we might bring students to understanding? Sharing knowledge and content with students is important, but those who take an instructional approach also believe it is crucial that students are made to think about this knowledge as the gateway to understanding. If operating in an instructional frame, we should gear each lesson, each educational encounter, to draw students into mental activity. Instruction that passively engages students in only listening and regurgitating isn't actually instruction at all; rather, the task of the teacher in an instructional framework is to hand over content to the student in such a way that the student is pressed and prodded to turn it over in the mind — cogitate about it, debate about it, think about it — and ultimately come to true understanding. This might involve getting students to truly think by weighing, assessing, or discussing the content at hand. It's in such discussions that students encounter Aha! moments, understanding arises, and the instructional approach bears fruit. It's not enough to have students come away having heard your big idea for the lesson at hand. It's not even enough if they can come back next week and still remember the big idea for last week's lesson. Rather, taking an instructional approach to teaching means focusing on moving youth toward understanding — and the only clear way to get them there is to get them thinking!

AN INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH LEADS TO APPLICATION

While the aim of teaching the Bible using an instructional approach is to lead youth toward understanding, the desired outcome is to see them regulate their lives in knowledge of the truth. Their knowledge and understanding of the truth is just the foundation that leads them toward determining how they might apply that truth and live it out. Application is crucial. A student gaining understanding alone is not enough; if the application of Scripture is not emphasized, then the wheels fall off the instructional approach.

Application ultimately involves making a determination of how one might be obedient to the truth of Scripture given the unique circumstances of one's personal and cultural context. An instructional approach should create an environment in which obedience to truth is encouraged. Application is a matter of helping students see how they might align their lives with truth in the way that the needle of a compass aligns itself to magnetic north. We hope to see them apply the truth of Scripture by bringing their lives into compliance with what is true, beautiful, and good. To do this, we first bring students to consider the truth of Scripture, then we bring them to an understanding of the meaning of the truth, and then we lead them to consider how truth is to be applied obediently in their individual and contextual life experiences.

How should application be generated in an instructional approach lesson? While it is possible to hand students an application point, and this often happens in instructional approach curriculum, it is far better to help students wrestle with the scriptural passage under examination in order to help them arrive at an understanding and application of the Scripture that they own and embrace. The teacher should always provide the basic contours for application and point and prod in the right direction, in keeping with the instructional approach belief that the teacher is the primary source of knowledge for the student. Yet, if instruction is truly to lead toward application, then students must be active in the process of determining application.

It can't be overstated how important the application aspect of the lesson should be when teaching in the instructional approach. Yet, almost invariably the application portion of the lesson is tacked on to the end and rushed in the last few minutes of the learning session when student attention has already started to flee the room. This is a grave mistake because it relegates the desired outcome of the entire lesson to an afterthought.

If we hope to see students become obedient to the words and commands of God revealed in Scripture, then why would we give the portion of the lesson that is directly involved in this desired outcome such little time and prominence in our lessons? Following are at least two common reasons why the all-important application is nearly sidelined or tacked on as an afterthought.

• We tend to be more comfortable dealing with the facts of biblical content than we are with the potentially messy aspects of discussing application in the lives of students.

This makes teachers feel insecure and so a common defense is to avoid giving much time to application. If this is your tendency as a teacher, I would suggest stepping outside of your comfort zone, because your lessons might seem well received, but they are unlikely to truly impact students until pondering the application of Scripture is given appropriate time and space in your teaching.

• We tend to tack application to the end of a lesson because sharing predigested application points requires little time.

Telling students how to apply the Scripture in three easy steps takes only a few minutes. However, it also turns out that such an approach is not very effective for helping students embrace and apply the truth of Scripture. If your pattern as a teacher is to give quick application points, I would challenge you to expand the application portion of an instructional lesson into a true dialogue with time for creative thought. While it might make you feel good handing students a nicely crafted application point, the potential for meaningful obedience to the Scripture comes from students thinking about and tossing around potential ways the Scripture applies to their lives and world.

Ensuring that students wrestle with both understanding the content of Scripture while also applying it to their lives is at the heart of a well-crafted instructional approach lesson. Both aspects are needed, and it is imperative to give neither short shrift. A good instructional approach lesson will engage students in discussing and understanding the facts of Scripture, but it also will give ample time for discussing application. Using poignant questions and prompts to help students think through the Scripture and its possible applications to their lives is as crucial as finding ways to help students think about the Scripture in the first place.

ENCOUNTERING DIVINE ACTION THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO SCRIPTURE

Behind every approach to opening the Bible with teenagers is a particular belief, or set of beliefs, about the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is the originator, teacher, and transformer of faith. Faith does not come about by human effort. It is not possible for human teachers, no matter how trained or skilled, to instigate faith. As teachers, we might be able to nurture faith, encourage it, or at least point others in the direction of faith, but it is the fire and power of God's Spirit at work that brings faith.

However, don't be fooled into thinking that humans have no role in faith development. We certainly do make a difference, and the human role might best be conceived as cooperating with divine activity by bringing students into spaces and places in which the Holy Spirit often transforms hearts and minds. We, of course, cannot control when and how the Holy Spirit works. There are no limits and nothing is impossible with God. However, it is possible to point to some usual ways and places that Christians believe the Holy Spirit works.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Teaching Outside the Box by Andrew Zirschky. Copyright © 2017 Andrew Zirschky. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501823892
• ISBN 13: 9781501823893
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160