The Basics of Teaching

Knowing the Audience

1. KNOW THE PEOPLE
1. Know Their Basic Information.
1. What is their age?
1. This could change your tone of voice.
1. Yelling could be seen as fearful.
2. Whispering could be seen as weak.
2. This could change your mannerisms.
1. Depending upon the subject matter, you might not be as still with the younger students.
2. You might do certain things to get the attention of one age group that you would not do to get the attention of another age group.
3. This could change your approach.
4. This could change where, how and if you stand.
1. Standing with a younger age group may cause you to separate yourself too much from the students.
2. Sitting with adults may cause you to lose the authority needed to be the teacher.
5. This could change your illustrations.
1. Illustrations should always be simple.
2. Simple illustrations for children may have to do with toys.
3. Simple illustrations for adults would need to be more mature.
2. Are they male or female?
1. This could change your tone of voice.
1. Men generally can handle a rougher tone of voice.
2. Women are often led by their emotions and a rough teacher could easily offend them.
2. This could change your mannerisms.
3. This could change your approach.
1. Teaching men can be done by appealing to the intellect.
2. Teaching women often needs to incorporate appealing to the emotion.
4. This could change your illustrations.
1. Men do not need illustrations that pertain only to women.
2. Women do not need illustrations that pertain only to men.
3. What is the level of their understanding?
1. If you are teaching an individual, this is an easier task. Perhaps you ask a few questions and you will find out where the student stands in their learning.
2. If you are teaching a group, you will find that there is a wide range of their knowledge. In each lesson, the teacher should attempt to find something to feed both ends of the spectrum.
1. If you always aim toward the lower level of knowledge, you will bore your most knowledgeable and eventually lose them.
2. If you always aim toward the higher level of knowledge, you will over complicate the learning of new believers and they will give up on their quest for learning the subject matter.
2. Know Their Culture.
1. What are the do’s and don’ts of their culture?
1. Is a loud voice always a symbol of anger?
2. Are there certain mannerisms that are unacceptable?
3. Are there certain hand gestures that are unacceptable?
2. What are the language differences?
1. It is not what you say, but how you are understood.
2. Do you use slang?
3. Are your words only understood in a certain region?
4. Are your words understood differently in different regions?
3. Be thoughtful in your illustrations.
1. A travelling missionary went to the field to preach to people through a translator. In the middle of his message he began to tell stories about going down a certain highway and stopping at the 7- Eleven. Eventually the translator had to stop because he had no idea how to translate these ideas to the people.
2. What illustrates in one culture may absolutely confuse in another.
3. Know Their Background.
1. What was their childhood like?
1. Were they raised in a Christian home?
2. Did they have a good example of what a home should be like?
3. In what kind of activities were they involved?
2. What is the religious background?
1. Under what belief system did they grow up?
2. How frequently did they attend church?
3. When were they saved?
3. After whom do they read?
1. Who is their favorite Christian author?
2. Do they discuss their disagreements with the author when they mention him/her?
2. KNOW THEIR KNOWLEDGE
1. Know What They Know.
1. Find out what your students know by giving them a quiz or by asking questions, or by general conversation.
2. Every teacher finds himself assuming the knowledge of a student only to find out that they assumed wrong.
3. You must start with what the student knows and bring them to new knowledge that they had not previously understood.
4. Sometimes students need to be handed some knowledge that blows their mind to keep them humble (John 3:1-15 [1] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: [2] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. [3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. [9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? [10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? [11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. [12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? [13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. [14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: [15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
   See All...).
2. Know How They Learn.
1. Means for learning
1. Hands on
1. They learn by doing the thing being taught.
2. This student will certainly make more mistakes.
2. Interactive
1. This type of learning requires teacher-student interaction.
2. The student must be able to participate in the class by answering questions, asking questions, and solving problems.
3. Repetition
1. Research shows that if you don't recall, review, or work with what you've learned within 24 hours, you will forget 50-80% of it.
2. Students will often learn best what they constantly repeat.
3. The Lord Himself uses this technique.
1. We have four gospels.
2. Kingdom of heaven found 8 times in Matthew 13
3. Three times He asks Peter concerning His love (John 21:15-17 [15] So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. [16] He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. [17] He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
   See All...; 1 Peter 5:1-4 [1] The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: [2] Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; [3] Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. [4] And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
   See All...).
4. Repetition of a thousand years (Revelation 20:2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
   See All..., 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
4. By reading – this would be a situation where a student is merely given a reading assignment or they are reading a book on their own.
5. By hearing – this would be a lecture type environment where the students do not take notes.
6. By visualizing – this can be done by incorporating charts, pictures, or other visuals.
7. By writing – this would be where a student writes something perhaps multiple times that must be learned.
2. Statistics for learning
1. People retain 10% of what they read.
2. People retain 20% of what they hear.
3. People retain 30% of what they see.
4. People retain 50% of what they hear and see.
5. People retain 70% of what they say and write.
6. People retain 90% of what they say and do (Exodus 4:12Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
   See All...; Exodus 4:15And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
   See All...).