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).
d d d d d d d d d Jesus then goes on to tell three more parables to the people,
one of which was the story of the wheat and the weeds. d 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.
d d d d d d d d d 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.
