Although there are several of Jesus’ teaching strategies outlined by James,
Martinez, & Herbers (2015) with which I resonate and plan to utilize in my
teaching, the method of storytelling and narrative holds significant in Jesus’
ministry. According to adult learning theory, the use of storytelling and symbolism
evokes emotion in order to produce meaning and enhance learning through
embodied learning (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the
famous parable of the sower. The power of this parable is not only the story itself
and how Jesus used it to engage his followers, but also how it engaged the
disciples to ask Jesus why He taught in parables. The way Jesus explains this
shows a remarkable way He uses the story to teach why He employs the use of
storytelling. After explaining to His disciples that He tells parables to awaken the
hearts of the people which have grown dull, to open their eyes and ears to see
and understand what they cannot see otherwise (New American Standard Bible,
2020, Matthew 13: 13-15), Jesus translates the parable’s meaning, bringing to
light the principle He was attempting to teach: A fruitful life requires the person
be grounded in good soil of the heart receptive of the word of God, lest one be
easily deceived and swayed by the circumstances of life (New American Standard
Bible, 2020, Matthew 13: 19-23).
a a a a a a a a a a Jesus then goes on to tell three more parables to the people, one of
which was the story of the wheat and the weeds. a Here, we see the disciples
deeply engaged as they immediately ask Jesus for an interpretation of this
second parable. He goes on to explain its meaning as the triumph of a righteous
God over the enemy in the end of the age (New American Standard Bible, 2020,
Matthew 13: 37-43). Yet, Jesus does not stop there. He continues by using
analogy and symbolism to describe the kingdom of Heaven in three different
ways. He concludes by confirming the disciples understanding of these principles,
confirming their high level of engagement in His teaching and that their own
hearts have awakened. All of us can relate to a situation where the power of
narrative and analogy brought about deeper reflection, critical thinking, and the
challenging of assumptions, leading us to draw our own conclusions (James et
al., 2015). The result is double-loop learning, where norms are not only questioned
but changed (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). This deeper learning level is what
transforms the student and impacts their lives, even beyond the classroom.
a a a a a a a a a a Employing the technique of Jesus, this same parable of the sower may
be applied by the instructor in an I/O psychology course to the relationships
between worker engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.
Research shows job satisfaction and organizational commitment have a high
positive correlation suggesting workers are less likely to leave an organization if
they are highly satisfied at work (Riggio, 2017). Translating the parable of the
sower, the less engaged worker is like the seed that is easily snatched away
because they do not have solid roots within the organization’s mission. A worker
who is planted in good soil, a company with purpose, leaders who care, and work
that is fulfilling, are more fruitful and therefore, higher performing, benefiting the
company and the worker. An instructor could then also ask students to reflect on
current or past jobs, and which type of seed best relates to their work experiences
and share this with the class, leading to the next lesson of what strategies an
organization can implement to “have good soil”. This is merely one example of
how storytelling in education inspires and makes the learning more meaningful,
and Jesus’ masterful use of these exceptional teaching techniques from which we
can all learn.
References
Bernstein, D.S., Frantz, S, & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching psychology: A step by step
guide (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Merriam, S. B. & Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning – Linking theory and practice.
Jossey-Bass.
New American Standard Bible (2020). BibleGateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/ Links to an external site.. (Original work
published 1971).
Riggio, R. E. (2017). Introduction to industrial/organizational psychology (7th Ed.).
Taylor & Francis Group.
