In this week’s forum we read James, Martinez, & Herbers (2015) article about
effective teaching methods which Jesus utilized. According to the article, Jesus
used the following methods of teaching:
• Setting
• Visual Aids
• Timing
• Questioning
• Case Studies
• Critical Thinking
• Exemplary Teaching
As I mentioned above, Jesus utilized all these teaching methods to teach the
people about his beliefs. According to James, Martinez, & Herbers (2015)
Jesus was very selective when he chose visual aids to use for His teachings.
In Mathew 18:2, Jesus was teaching his followers to be childlike in their faith,
so Jesus chose to have a child present with Him. In Mathew 22:15-22, (Jesus
was questioned about paying taxes to Caesar), “15Then the Pharisees went out
and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along
with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you are a man of
integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You
aren't swayed by others because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell
us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or
not?" 18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you
trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought
him a denarius, 20and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose
inscription?" 21"Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "So give back to
Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22When they heard this,
they were amazed. So, they left him and went away.” Jesus was brilliant by
using a coin to make his point. Wakefield & Watt (2017) conducted their own
research on the use of visual aids and have found that the use of visual
methods can be a great source of engagement for the students and provide
meaningful data and a strong connection between the teacher and the
student(s).
Which method of teaching would I choose? This was difficult for me to choose
just one of the methods because I could easily utilize many of them. In fact, in
homeschool I utilize at least four of Jesus’ teaching methods. But the
hypothetical course I choose to focus on for this course is social psychology
so my choice of teaching method would be visual aids. I truly believe that
many students learn better when they can visually see things. If I was giving a
lecture on how violence and aggression in our society is influenced by social
situations than I would utilize visual aids such as videos of political figures
calling for violence and then videos of individuals carrying out the acts of
violence and aggression. Visual aids leave a lasting imprint on a person's mind.
References
ESV Study Bible. (2008). Crossway Books.
James, G., Martinez, E., & Herbers, S. (2015). What can Jesus teach us about
student engagement? Journal of Catholic Education, 19(1), 129-154.
https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.1901062015
Watt, S., & Wakefield, C. (Eds.). (2017). Teaching Visual Methods in the Social
Sciences (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9781315657011
