Now, back to the question from two posts ago. How can we as teachers help our students develop their worldview in such a way that we aren’t creating brainwashed puppets? What’s the key to disciple them towards wisdom?
How do we cut the puppet’s strings?
Ok, so we have a defined goal… the salvation of our students. We have an understanding of what makes up a basic Christian worldview. We agree that the key to reaching our goal is to be found in how we help our students form their worldviews and we want to be able to do this while providing an excellent education. In addition, we want to do it in such a way that it doesn’t become something the students know is simply tacked on to each lesson and that they just need to puppet back without ever even thinking about it. It’s an arduous task. How do we do it? The answer is actually quite simple, just one word: FOCUS. We need something that can act as a lens and refocus the activities we are already doing and the curriculum we are required to teach and transform it to the glory of the kingdom. But, what has this power? What has the power to make people focus on specific things, to think specific things? Questions of course!
In my book Rooftop Perspectives the character LiuPing stressed the importance of questions often. He stressed the importance of asking the right questions, the important questions. Asking questions, especially big open-ended questions, directly stimulates the mind of the listener to look for answers. Asking questions before starting any activity focuses what you will learn because your mind will be looking for the answers, often whether you want it to or not. Asking the right, focused, open-ended, leading questions will start your students down a specific path of inquiry. Asking additional questions along the way will help them negotiate the twists and turns and keep them from chasing too many rabbit trails.
Questions give you the power to guide someone along the path you wish for them to take without them feeling you are forcing them to take it and resenting you because of it. Asking good questions doesn’t create puppets… it cuts their strings.
Yes, questions are the key and you can make them even more powerful if you do two things. First, write them down! The written word is extremely powerful. It has the power to make people think a specific thought. Written questions are even more powerful as they have the power to impel a person to ask a specific question in their minds that will start them on a path of specific thought. This is essential as someone who doesn’t think about good questions, about the big questions, whose mind hasn’t been agitated by them, isn’t going to be ready to fully comprehend even the simplest of answers. Second, never directly give the answers to the questions… lead your students to think through the answers on their own. If they need help, ask follow up questions to help them along the path. Then they won’t be able to puppet back the answer they think you want to hear and they will grow in wisdom and faith.
Can you see specific ways that you can use questions in your lessons in order to help your students develop their worldview and grow in faith?
