One of my passions is teaching and learning. On this page you can find links to articles that I’ve written about these subjects. These are also linked in the Downloads section of this website.
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The relationship between teacher and student has a huge effect on the learning process. I tried to capture some of my thoughts on this topic in the article: “The Very Best Teaching,” (Religious Educator, 2012). Download The Very Best Teaching.
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I believe that one of the most important things that can happen for learners is to act on the things they are learning. This can happen in many ways. The following three articles focus on the importance of helping students act, and describes some methods for doing so.
“Helping Students Act” (Religious Educator, 2012). Download Helping Students Act
“See that ye do them” (Religious Educator, 2009) Download see-that-ye-do-them
“Helping Students Ask Questions” (Religious Educator, 2008). Download Helping students ask questions
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Variety is very important in teaching. One lens that helped me think about variety is Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. I wrote about how that theory can be applied in a religious classroom in this article: “Multiple Intelligences in the Gospel Classroom” (Religious Educator, 2011) Download Multiple Intelligences
The following handout was the result of thinking about how to use variety in teaching from the Old Testament: “Powerful Lessons from Less Familiar Old Testament Stories” (CES Conference, 2003). Download Powerful lessons…
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Ultimately the most important teachings in life are “caught” not “taught.” I have been greatly impressed by Eleanor Duckworth’s work on helping students make connections. A few years ago I wrote an article that expressed some of the ideas of how this can take place. This is an area I’m exploring further right now. “The Power of Student Discovery and Sharing” (Religious Educator, 2007). Download The power of student discovery
This handout also expresses some of the basic ideas of helping students to find things that they are excited about: “Teach Your Students to Fish” (CES Conference, 2001). Download Teach your students to fish