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The Purpose of Teaching
Teaching is not... . The tips for teachers in this quarter has thus far focused on the negative, explaining what teaching is by what it is not. The following weeks' tips will focus on the positive, defining several characteristics of teaching. At this mid-way point, then, let us seek a simple definition of teaching.
Consider this summary of one teacher's philosophy of teaching: the teacher is one who has Faith in the future, knows and understands students, who understands motivation and the effects on learning interacting with other students has, who knows the subject and how to help students learn the subject, who is a continual learner, who sees herself or himself as a role model, who teaches students how to think and asks questions, and who lives to serve. (http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/my-philosophy-of-teaching/)
What is your purpose in teaching? Why do you do what you do?
The Good Shepherd
Lesson 7 - April 17, 2016
Focus Text: John 10:1-18
Central Truth: Christ cares for us like a shepherd for his sheep.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to name two promises of God's care that they will share with someone else.
Lesson Outline:
- The Shepherd Knows His Sheep (John 10:1-6)
- The Shepherd Protects His Sheep (John 10:7-10)
- The Shepherd Loves His Sheep (John 10:11-18)
Prayer – Lesson 6, The Water of Life
Heavenly Father, help our teachers today to clearly explain how Christ provides living water … and how we may obtain it. In Jesus' name, Amen.
What is the living water Jesus provides?
In "Biblical Perspective" Randall McElwain writes:
Since the “living water” is the Holy Spirit given through the work of Jesus Christ, verse 38 may refer to “rivers of living water” flowing from Christ. Another possibility is that the “living water” represents the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Because of that work, rivers shall flow to others, bringing them to Christ. Either way, Jesus is the source of the living water that springs forth in abundance far beyond the water used in the Feast of Tabernacles.
Discussion: What are the implications of this basic spiritual truth that Jesus is the source of living water?
Source: Jesus, Son of God: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 36.
The Symbolism of Living Water
In "Word Focus" Darrell Grim writes:
Rivers of living water (John 7:38). Each day of the Feast of Tabernacles the people came with palm branches to the Temple. They would hold the palms in the air and march around the great altar. While they did this, the priest would take a golden pitcher, which held about two pints, and fill it at the pool of Siloam. It was then carried back through the Water Gate as the people recited Isaiah 12:3 — “With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” The water was then poured on the altar as an offering to God. At that point the Hallel (Ps. 113 — 118) was sung. At specified points in the singing the people would raise their palm branches and shout to the Lord. On the last day of the feast they marched seven times around the altar in memory of their seven-day march around the walls of Jericho. It was in the midst of this symbolism that Jesus stood and proclaimed the true water of life.
Discussion: With this cultural background, how do you think the Jewish people "heard" Jesus' proclamation that He could provide them living water?
Source: Jesus, Son of God: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 34.
Teaching is Not Listening
Another extreme teachers may veer into, in their desire to encourage discussion and thought, is simply to allow their students to drive the lesson's conversation. Admittedly, this extreme may also be the result of the teacher's lack of preparation. They don't know what to say, so they just ask their students to say what's on their mind.
Regardless, this point might sound contradictory to what has been suggested in this quarter's previous tips. If teaching is not about lecturing and we need to encourage discussion, doesn't that mean listening? Furthermore, isn't it true that the teacher often feels like they learn more from the lesson than are able to teach their students?
The problem comes in the extreme; the teacher should guide the discussion at the least. Ideally, the teacher should have good understanding of the biblical principles in question and be able to help students replace worldly concepts, faulty reasoning, or uninformed thinking with God's truth.