EDUCATION 03 – Modern School
Grey color Principles from the Bible (as laid out in EDU 02 – Next Generation)
Dark red color How this contrasts with our modern schooling
Deu 6:1-3 Education of a Nation
- God places responsibility of teaching values, knowledge, attitudes on the family
- What will make a nation live long, grow strong and be numerous as a nation is good education in the home
- A nation’s education does not primarily lie with government … nor with church!
- What then about modern schooling?
Deu 6:6-7 Teaching when?
‘… talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.’
- daily, practical teaching in normal life
> we separate: school, not home, is for learning - teaching as questions / topics come up
> school sets the schedule / topics … cut up, short, unrelated, unnatural, unpractical - talking with child throughout the day about truth, laws, values, reasons
> school is ‘answers’ only, for questions I never asked - integrated approach, teaching applied in daily life
> what is taught has no practical application or importance, other than passing the examination
Deu 6:8-9 Learning helps
‘Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts…’
- Visual things, reminders, symbols, memory helps
> school is listening all day to teacher (only 20% of children learn best audio) - helpful learning environment
> school setting is helpful only to some children
> too many children > no chance to ask / process / check / think own thoughts / verify other options
> same learning speed and learning type required from all children - Learning of the child is the most important family project
> family becomes only an extension of school (do your homework! Study for your exam!) - Children feel the importance and get support
> and pressure! … not to ask but to answer
Exo 13:12-14 Feasts
- Feasts provide a fun, colorful, stimulating, interactive, sensory, hands-on environment to cause a child to think & ask
> school doesn’t encourage curiosity, own thinking, questioning, own initiative
> school is not very anything on this list … not very fun, not very colorful, not very stimulating, not very interactive, not very practical …
Exo 13:14 Encouraging questions or critical thinking
‘When your child asks you: What does this mean? You shall answer…’
- teach according to the child’s questions, thoughts, interests, needs
> School pre-sets topics, content, style - teach according to the child’s speed and learning method
> School requires the same speed of all children
> School does not help different learning styles - teach learner-centered, learner-driven
> School is very teacher-centered and curriculum-centered
Deu 6:20-25 History and Cause & Effect
- Teach children history … God’s acts in human history (Bible) and God’s hand in the nation’s history
> history is often only dates and events, not meaning and importance, no God-perspective, not even in Christian schools - Teach children history…God’s hand in the family’s, parents’ history … so they know the will and ways of God. > obedience … so they know God’s involvement with us > destiny
> school knowledge has little to do with me or my family or my destiny
> School requires theoretical knowledge, but no practical application or skill, no character - Teach children the all-important if > fhen, cause > effect, through history and law
> School teaches this as information and theory, but not as important heart choices and character development
> School asks for information, not understanding
> School asks for theory, not application
> School asks for smartness, not character
Family Education
- In Jewish culture a son learned profession from his father, in an all day, hands-on, work-together approach.
> school has very little decisive involvement of the father and mother - First the child watches the father do > they do it together > the child does as father watches > the child does it alone
> Children with kinesthetic learning style, hands-on, exploring, practical intelligence get no encouragement in school
Summary
- Modern Way: Ancient Way:
- often fear based free inquiry, safe
- information transfer skill transfer
- memorization ability to do
- head head, heart & hands
- compartmentalized integrated
- Teacher-centered learner-centered
- Stop being impressed with your education! Think: Albert Einstein failed school!
What in the world do we do with this? > We need some totally new thinking and insights, also Biblical based schools who show how it how it can be done better.