>>>Passing these observations from a friend to those who communicate content and facilitate prayer . . .
Effective Teaching, Communication, and Revelation
Since children have different styles of learning, sensitive, efffective teachers will use a variety of teaching methods to help their students learn, as they observe their styles. We can learn in more than one way, but we typically have a predominant style among those listed below.
• Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
• Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
• Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
• Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
• Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
• Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
• Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.
The following Chinese Proverb beautifully illustrates not only that all styles are not equally effective, but that we often start with the wrong one.
"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand."
This speaks loudly to me that much of our teaching in schools and churches today largely misses the mark, compared to the patient style of “making disciples” that Jesus used to teach His men.
"Pike's Laws of Adult Learning," reinforce these idea, summarized below to help us focus.
Law 1: Adults are babies with big bodies. It is accepted that babies enjoy learning through experience, because every exploration is a new experience.. It is now recognized that adult learning is enhanced by hands-on experience that involves adults in the learning process
Law 2: People do not argue with their own data. Succinctly put, people are more likely to believe something fervently if they arrive at the idea themselves. Thus, when training adults, presenting structured activities that generate the students' own ideas, concepts, or techniques will facilitate learning more effectively than simply giving adults information to remember.
Law 3: Learning is directly proportional to the amount of fun you are having. Humor is an important tool for coping with stress and anxiety, and can be effective in promoting a comfortable learning environment.
Law 4: Learning has not taken place until behavior has changed. It is not what you know, but what you do that counts. The ability to apply new material is a good measure of whether learning has taken place. Experiences that provide an opportunity for successfully practicing a new skill will increase the likelihood of retention and on-the-job application.
Authorities in communication know that the receiver (listener) is the weakest link, therefore to minimize misunderstanding, they recommend multiple, varied, repeated communication, like the sequence, Written, Oral, Written (of course other styles can be substituted for these).
So how did our omniscient creator-God choose to communicate and reveal Himself to us? He also used a variety of styles and repetition: prophets, dreams, visions, the written word, and the Living Word (Jesus). He calls the last method “by Son” in the book of Hebrews, and clearly tells us the written word (Bible) reveals the Son (Jesus), who reveals the Father. In Jesus’ prayer in John 17:4 He says He has finished the work (prior to the cross) His Father gave Him to do (the work of revealing the Father to us). In the prior verse Jesus says that to know (personally, intimately, by faith) the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent, IS eternal life.
Have you experienced this wonderful revelation, and accepted it in a life-transforming experience? If not, the first chapter of the Gospel of John gives a lot more detailed elaboration.
John Hoelzel Sr.
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Great. I am studying to be a teacher and am very familiar with learning styles.
#Rethink Communication
Phil Miglioratti @ The Reimagine.Network
Changing the topic of your next message (sermon, teaching, counsel) is not necessarily changing the way your listeners think. It may add new information but without changes in the presentation model that requires them to listen differently, they won’t think differently.
Proclaiming must be more than adding knowledge.
Transformative communication synthesizes information with interaction, employs audio and visual methods, creates experiences with a variety of methods-modes-moods.
Vary presentation styles.
Present different messengers.
Invite interaction before, during, after.
Asked big, daring, questions.
Offer feedback options.
Pursue thought-provoking communicators.