Teaching That Makes a Difference

Dan Lambert EDD, is associate professor of Youth Ministries at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. He has been involved in mission work in the Ukraine and Bosnia. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Youth Ministry Educators Association and is general editor of YMEA's publication, The Journal of Youth Ministry.

'[A] very strong work...that encourages and guides teachers in effectively educating their students. Exegeting culture, learning styles, biblical topics, adolescence, and a host of others are effectively examined....'[E]ssential reading.

• TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S Acknowledgements...6 A Note about the Web site...8 Read This First!...9 Chapter 1) WHAT IS HOLISTIC TEACHING?...11 1) The Current Climate of Religious and Biblical Understanding in Youth Culture...12 2) The Biblical Basis for Holistic Teaching...17 3) How Holistic Teaching Prepares the Way for Lifelong Spiritual Growth...21 4) The Role of Teachers in the Teaching-Learning Process...22 a. The Characteristics of Teachers...23 b. The Tasks of Teachers...24 c. Other Tidbits from Scripture...27 d. Warnings to Teachers...28 5) The Role of the Holy Spirit in Teaching...32 6) For Discussion...35 7) Activities...36 Chapter 2) WHO ARE ADOLESCENTS ANYWAY?...37 1) A Brief History of Adolescence...38 2) Physical Development...40 3) Intellectual Development...42 4) Emotional Development...43 5) Social Development...44 6) Brain Development...45 7) Identity Development...47 8) Vocational Development...49 9) Moral Development...50 10) Spiritual Development...51 11) Teaching Implications...53 12) For Discussion...56 13) Activities...57 Chapter 3) WHO ARE THE KIDS YOU TEACH?...59 1) Defining "Cultural Exegesis"...60 2) Why Doing a Cultural Exegesis is Essential...61 3) Getting Started...61 4) Doing Some Homework...67 5) Analyzing What You've Found...70 6) Applying the Conclusions to Your Teaching...72 7) For Discussion...73 8) Activities...74 Chapter 4) HOW DO KIDS LEARN?...75 1) Our Senses and Learning...76 2) A Variety of Theories...77 a. The Sensory Model...77 b. Bi-polar Models...80 c. The 4MAT (R) System...87 d. Multiple Intelligences...89 3) Information Overload...91 4) For Discussion...92 5) Activities...93 Chapter 5) WHAT SHOULD YOU USE TO TEACH?...96 1) Curriculum Defined...96 2) Curriculum Theories...100 3) Commercial Curriculum...109 4) Choosing Curriculum...111 5) Scope and Sequence...115 6) For Discussion...117 7) Activities...118 Chapter 6) HOW CAN YOU PREPARE TO TEACH?...119 1) A Step-by-Step Guide...120 2) The Details...121 3) For Discussion...136 4) Activities...136 Chapter 7) WHAT TEACHING METHODS SHOULD YOU USE?...138 1) What is a Teaching Method?...139 2) How to Choose a Good Method...139 3) The Discussion Monster...140 a. Advantages of Discussion...140 b. Potential Problems with Discussion...141 c. Types of Questions...142 d. Bloom's Taxonomy and Discussion Questions...143 e. Tips for Leading Great Discussions...147 4) The World's Longest List of Teaching Methods...149 5) For Discussion...165 6) Activities...165 Chapter 8) HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE? 167 1) Why Evaluate?...168 2) What to Evaluate...170 3) How to Evaluate...171 a. Formal Evaluations...172 b. Informal Evaluations...174 4) What to Do with Evaluations...174 5) Making Changes...175 6) Continuing to Improve...177 7) For Discussion...179 8) Activities...179 Chapter 9) HOW MIGHT JESUS TEACH TEENS TODAY?...181 1) Some Observations about Jesus' Teaching...182 a. Whom Jesus Taught...183 b. What Jesus Taught...184 c. How Jesus Taught...189 d. Where Jesus Taught...192 e. When Jesus Taught...192 f. How People Responded...193 2) Some Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Teach like Jesus...193 3) So How Might Jesus Teach Today's Teenagers?...196 4) The Ultimate Reward...202 5) For Discussion...203 6) Activities...203 Chapter 10) WHAT OTHER TEACHING TIPS SHOULD YOU KNOW?...205 Read This Last!...217 Glossary...218 References...224