Darren Daugherty, Ph.D.
Darren Daugherty, Ph.D.

 

As a wide variety of emphases exist within the field of education, unique understandings are used to form educational philosophies and objectives. Christian educators, for example, have unique understandings which involve a specific belief system, mission, and worldview. Do these understandings affect how they educate? More specifically, how can Christian educators combine their understandings with key educational concepts in order to fulfill their purpose?

 

Pedagogy

 

Pedagogy is generally known as the art or method of teaching. Max van Manen (1991) wrote, “Pedagogy as a discipline is always concerned with the question of what one should know, what one should be capable of, what kind of person one should be, in order to orient and deal practically with children [students] in specific pedagogical situations” (p. 48). van Manen (1990) also believes that the most important aspect of pedagogy is found in it’s ineffability-the aspects of pedagogy that are unexplainable and ambiguous (pp. 142-149). Use of the term “pedagogy” generally involves the use of curriculum and teaching methods. As van Manen described it, pedagogy is much more than curriculum and methods:

 

Pedagogy is not something that can be “had,” “possessed,” in the way that we can
say that a person “has” or “possesses” a set of specific skills or performative competencies. Rather, pedagogy is something that a parent or teacher continuously must redeem, retrieve, regain, recapture in the sense of recalling. Every situation in which I must act educationally with children [students] requires that I must continuously and reflectively be sensitive to what authorizes me as pedagogic teacher or parent. (p. 149)

  

  

The Pedagogue

A pedagogue is one that must discover what is appropriate for each particular learner in each new situation. As van Manen (1991) wrote, “But in pedagogical moments neither methods nor philosophy can tell us what to do” (p. 46). Teaching methods and theories are not enough. van Manen also wrote, “To become a teacher includes something that cannot be taught formally: the most personal embodiment of pedagogical thoughtfulness” (p. 9).

 

 

Thoughtfulness

 

Pedagogic thoughtfulness involves sensitivity towards the individual and an understanding of the student’s life context. It is concerned with what is best for the student. Pedagogic thoughtfulness involves non-judgmental understanding and “listening that is receptive, open, sympathetic, authentic, facilitative” (van Manen, 1991, p. 86). Whereas empathy involves knowing the feelings of another person, pedagogic thoughtfulness involves sympathetic understanding. van Manen (1991) described this difference:

 

In contrast, sympathy (literally, with-feelings) presumes not so much that we vicariously live in the other person but…that we recognize the experience of the other person as a possible human experience-and thus as a possible experience of our own selves. But to open (our head and heart) to the inner life of the other we must orient ourselves to the other with care and love. (pp. 97-98)

 

Pedagogic thoughtfulness involves a search for understanding experience. van Manen (1991) said, “Always ask first: What is this experience like for the child [student]?” (p. 152). Beyond the curriculum and methods, a pedagogically-thoughtful educator is concerned with the student as a person to be understood rather than an object to be taught. This leads to a vital aspect of pedagogical thoughtfulness: openness.

 

 

Openness

 

To be open in pedagogical thoughtfulness means that an educator is not closed to the experiences of the student. The educator is not merely concerned with the act of teaching, but also with the lives of the students being taught. As van Manen (1991) wrote, “The teacher has to know ‘where the child [student] is,’ ‘how the child [student] sees things…’” (p. 155). A pedagogically-thoughtful educator will be attentive to the uniqueness of individuals while meeting them at their contexts of understanding. “But a teacher who is closed to the child’s [student's] experience may not be aware that the student is still trying to understand things ‘from the other side of the street’” (van Manen, 1991, p. 155).

 

 

Application for Christian Educators

 

van manen’s insights also describe vital aspects of pedagogy which can be specifically related to Christian education. In fact, his described aspects of pedagogy should be foundational in the life of every Christian pedagogue. The ineffability of pedagogy-the unexplainable and ambiguous-is answered, for the Christian educator, in Biblical principles. As every pedagogue should be thoughtful, sensitive, and open to the life of each student, the Christian pedagogue is to embody such values as the foundation to any methods or methodologies.

 

 

The Heart of the Christian Educator

 

For many individuals, teaching is mostly an intellectual endeavor. It is about receiving knowledge in order to distribute knowledge. The Christian educator is called to operate at another level, which includes more than the intellect-the heart. As Howard Hendricks (1987) wrote, “Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart” (p. 81). Those aspects of thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and openness are more than intellectual efforts; they are to be at the heart of the Christian Educator.

 

In the Bible, the predominant Hebrew word for heart is “leb” or “lebab.” In the New Testament, it is “kardiac.” Collectively, the definitions for heart mean: the inner man; one’s personality; the seat of desire, inclination, will, emotion, knowledge, wisdom, conscience, and moral character; the sphere of influence and motivation (Vine, Unger, & White, 1985).

 

Being a Christian pedagogue is first found in the heart, the place within a person in which he or she is defined; that place which was surrendered to Christ; that place that identifies with being a Christian above being an educator; that place that was and is being transformed by God’s grace. Where can genuine thoughtfulness and sensitivity be found? It is found in the heart of Jesus and the hearts of those who allow Him to work in and through them. The Christian educator is to operate from the heart, “for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NAS). In other words, who a person is as a Christian, should affect how he or she operates as an educator.

 

 

The Mission of the Christian Educator

 

Pedagogical thoughtfulness, exhibited by a Christian educator, originates in the heart and seeks to touch the hearts of others. As Hendricks (1985) wrote, “So the process of teaching is that of one total personality transformed by the supernatural grace of God, reaching out to transform other personalities by the same grace” (p. 81).
What are the unexplainable and ambiguous parts of pedagogy that van Manen described? For the Christian educator, it may be the communication of love in such a way that students actually feel loved. It may be the sense of representing God and being “Jesus with skin on.” It may be rooted in the belief that one is not simply an educator who happens to be a Christian, but an educator with a life-giving message and mission.

 

The words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19, call all Christians to make disciples. Is a person exempt from this commission according to his or her profession? On the contrary, it is meant to be a thread woven throughout the life of every Christian. Disciple-making is not a responsibility reserved for clergy members; rather, it is a mission for all people who identify themselves with Christ, including educators.

 

The Christian educator is motivated to do more than educate. He or she is motivated to introduce students to God’s grace and make disciples. Education is the context for this endeavor, and love is the vehicle by which it is communicated. The vehicle of love is demonstrated in compassion, sensitivity, and care. In turn, it produces motivation within students who are saying, “If I sense you love me, I’ll be eager to do all kinds of things you want me to do” (Hendricks, 1985, p. 82). When a Christian educator operates as a vessel of Christ’s love, students receive more than instruction. They receive education that is life-changing, because it is done with the reality of Christ’s love, and it speaks to the total person-the heart. As students sense that they are loved, they are more confident in learning, creating, and growing in their God-given abilities. In other words, a teacher’s love permits the student to grow in ways which otherwise may not have been possible. Such love is foundational to the Christian educator and the key to heart-to-heart education.

 

 

The Research of the Christian Educator

 

Research is an important part of life and a vital component of education. Research is often classified into three basic categories: positivistic, interpretive, and critical science. These categories serve as descriptions of the roles of Christian educators. The following paragraphs include these descriptions and their relation to pedagogical thoughtfulness.

 

Positivistic research helps us to discover the natural world in many ways: medical
discovery, earth science, economics, engineering, flight, and many other every-day examples. Positivistic research, used to discover predictability and generalizability, is usually done to discover by assigning numerical values to various observations, behaviors, or changes. These values are then subjected to statistical analysis. 

 

The Christian educator knows that God created obvious orders that exist in the world. Through science, He then enables us to discover them for our own growth and the improvement of life. The Christian educator is involved in positivistic study as he or she studies God’s Word and applies it to everyday life. Through other methods of research he or she also learns about human development, learning styles, and other generalizable bits of knowledge that are used in being an informed and effective educator. 

 

Interpretive research brings a greater understanding to human experience. This type of research, which is subjected to validation through argumentation, is done through the exploration of a social reality in a specific context. For example, an interpretive study may involve a question, such as, “What is it like for a child to experience the divorcing of his or her parents?” Interpretive research provides a glimpse into something that positivistic research cannot determine: the values and feelings of an individual. 

 

As one gains greater understanding, his or her sensitivity becomes greater. The Christian educator’s mission involves such a mandate: to understand the context of each student’s life in order to teach to the heart of each student. An educator may operate on a shallow level with students, in which he or she is merely a deliverer of knowledge. The Christian educator is called to minister to the whole student. He or she knows that each student is body, mind, and spirit. As a Christian educator understands each student, the educator is better equipped to meet the needs of each student. This is what was previously described as pedagogical thoughtfulness and heart-to-heart education. 

 

Critical science research involves changing misunderstandings. It aims to minimize certain practices while maximizing others. Through it, people become informed and emancipated. Educators are involved in critical science research as they strive to lead students into growing in knowledge, discovering their talents, and becoming productive citizens. Educators shape the lives of their students.

 

Christian educators aim to change misunderstandings that students have about the world and God. They also aim to minimize certain practices while maximizing others, and they aim to help students become informed and emancipated. Beyond head-to-head knowledge should be a heart for each student as one who needs to know Christ, grow in Christ, and show Christ to others. Besides intellectual growth, the Christian educator works towards the spiritual health of each student-an emancipation from sin and eternal death.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Along with a call to pedagogical thoughtfulness, the Christian educator is supplied with the perfect model in Jesus Christ. The grace, love, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and openness that He exhibited to others is unmatched by anyone. As God, Jesus offered Himself in the greatest display of unconditional love. He also understood what it meant to be human, and He knew his pupils thoroughly. Jesus was and is about a relationship that is heart-to-heart. He knew Nathaniel, the woman at the well, His disciples, and every other person with whom He came in contact. Today, Jesus operates in similar ways through willing Christian educators.

 

Jesus purposed to bring people to God, bring people together, and train His disciples to do the same. He calls us to repentance, worship, discipleship, and disciple-making. We are Christians operating in the context of education and through the vehicle of love. Like Him, we are to model His love to students in pedagogical thoughtfulness and sensitivity; we are to see each student as an individual to be understood rather than an object to be taught; we are to communicate on a heart-to-heart level; we are to see students as what they can become.

 

 

References

 

 

Hendricks, H. (1987). Teaching to change lives. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books.
van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experiences. Ontario, Canada: State University of New York Press.
van Manen, M. (1991). The tact of teaching. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Vine, W., Unger, M., & White, W. (1985). Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words. New York, NY: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Posted on Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 12:02 am Filed under Christian Education, Creative Teaching Methods, Discipleship. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Tags: care, Christian Education, love, teach, teachers, teaching, teaching and learning