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
1
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.116They 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.117Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right
to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?"118But Jesus, knowing their evil
intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?119Show me
the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius,120and he
asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?"121"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."122When 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).
1
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.
1
References
ESV Study Bible. (2008). Crossway Books.
James,1G., Martinez,1E., & Herbers,1S. (2015). What can Jesus teach us
about student engagement?1Journal of Catholic Education,119(1), 129-
154.1https://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
