To teach like Jesus

Jesus is often regarded as one of the greatest teachers. What was it that made him so great? Was it simple because he was God’s son, and his content exceeds any other content that could ever be taught?

I would say, yes. Jesus had the most important message to ever be taught on earth. But I think he also knew how to make his teaching effective for each person. He used visuals in his sermons, told stories and parables, and sometimes taught while walking with his disciples. Jesus incorporated the three categories of learners: visual, auditory, and tactile/ kinesthetic.

Now that we've established that Jesus used learning styles, let’s look a little more into what that means. A learning style is defined as “one’s preferred way to engage and process information”*. We all have preferences, even when it comes down to simple things like how we take our coffee, what our morning routine looks like, or what our hobbies include. Having preferences in learning styles is similar, in that we each connect with learning in a different way, in one that is unique to us.

The first type of learner- the visual. A visual learner loves to see pictures, charts, or objects when they are learning. We see this in Matthew 19.  Jesus is speaking to a large crowd of Pharisees, and the topic of Caesar comes up. To illustrate his point, Jesus asks to see a denarius, the coin for paying taxes. The coin has Caesar’s face on it, and Jesus responds to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God’s"*. Everyone in the crowd would have been familiar with a denarius coin, but using the actual coin creates a more lasting impression and helps those who are visual learners to process that information.

The second type of learner- the auditory. An auditory learner learns best when they listen, and talk about the information they are learning. This is Jesus most common form of teaching. In our own school classrooms and church congregations, people might say it is the most common teaching style seen today. Jesus used auditory learning when he told parables to the masses, and when he conversed with his disciples. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable of a farmer scattering seed to the crowd who was following him. Afterwards, Jesus expands even further with more parables to his disciples. Jesus helped the auditory learners to engage with his lesson by teaching them through a parable. 

The third type of learner- the textile/ kinesthetic. These types of learners prefer to be learning with their hands, and being physically active when they learn. Mark 2:23 demonstrates just that. It says, "One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain"*. In the verses to follow, we learn that as the disciples were walking, they were confronted by the Pharisees. Jesus used this opportunity to teach them and his disciples about God's purpose and design for the Sabbath. By using their hands, and walking when they were taught, the textile/ kinesthetic learner would be able to grasp onto Jesus's lesson more easily. 

Another important aspect of Jesus’ teaching is that he taught in both large and small group settings. Going back to the example in Matthew 13, we can see that Jesus spoke to two sizes of people- the crowd, and his 12 disciples. Some lessons are taught best when in a larger group of people. This could mean to a whole crowd, group of believers, or classroom. Other times information needs to be processed in a smaller group setting. Jesus often did this by going deeper into his teaching with his disciples. Using a variety of group settings, such as having large and small group lessons, can help different individuals. Be mindful of the setting in which you are teaching, and what size group would create the best learning opportunity for your students.

To teach like Jesus- be mindful of who your students are, discover the best way for them to learn, and always be praying for them.

References:

Nill, John G. 2010. Foundations of Educational Psychology. Springfield, MI: Global University.

Holy Bible: New Living Translation. 2^nd Ed., Gift & Award ed. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.