Many are the times a teacher is tempted to always conform to the norm of teaching through the methods that have always been in existence. Teachers ought to be creative and stimulate their class in order to achieve their desired learning objectives. In his book, Lefever acknowledges that there is joy in a teacher being creative and making the students participate in the classroom.
Lefever gives the example of Jesus by saying that he did not just come into to the world, (Lefever 1996, pp. 1) congregate his disciples and broadcast to them that he was the messiah other than he used stimulation whereby he taught, performed miracles and left no doubt in the disciple’s mind that he was actually the son of God.
For if he did not stimulate his followers, few people were to believe that he was the son of God, therefore demonstrations formed the basis of Jesus teaching.
Levefer also acknowledges that Christian teachers can be creative and there is no excuse that a teacher cannot be creative. Creativity therefore is a real concept and not an abstract concept as many people tend to think. It is a process and a journey throughout the life of the Christian teacher.
A teacher has to have the will power to unlock the creativity locked inside him or her and therefore Lefever’s book is a reality to those teachers who think that a Christian teacher becomes creative because he/she possesses the inherent qualities of being creative (Lefever 1996, pp. 20).
In most cases we tend to think that we are not creative because we have locked the potential in us and set limits to what we can achieve thereby hindering our being creative (Lefever 1996, pp. 20). However, he does not discredit that breaking away from the norm or the method that one is used to when teaching is not an easy thing to do but with numerous efforts one can be able to introduce new methods of teaching.
However, a teacher should be prepared to be creative through adopting a different teaching method and not just adopt that particular method just because it is simpler to adopt it.
There has to be careful analysis of what the method is going to help the teacher achieve in the classroom and how the learner’s spiritual growth is to be nurtured by that particular method which would be adopted. Lefever also cautions that being creative does not equate to unlimited freedom but a Christian becomes creative when they have divine discipline (Lefever 1996, pp. 17).
Lefever has summarized the process of being creative in five major steps starting with a teacher preparing to be creative.
This is the step where the teacher adequately prepares for the lesson throughout and he argues by saying that adequate preparation does not equate to preparation for teaching other than the teacher exposing him or herself to methods that are going to make her/him effective in the classroom for instance, through drama, simulation, telling stories in the class all of which cannot fit into a specific time frame of preparation.
In short, for creativity to occur, the teacher ought to be continually preparing for a lesson (Lefever 1996, pp. 24). The next step is incubation where for instance while preparing for a lesson for Sunday school on Sunday throughout the week, the teacher would take a break for example on Thursday and let the ideas sink in the head before resuming his/her preparations on Saturday night.
However, Lefever cautions that this time should not be misguided with a time for resting for during this time, new ideas that the teacher had not thought of might come to his/her head and this helps in the ultimate preparation of the final lesson. Incubation time will vary from one individual to the other. Illumination is another important step to Christians in their teaching.
Through this process, Christian teachers give their selves time to come up with solutions that can be used to solve different problems. Lefever notes that, it is a time we as Christian teachers allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and reveal to us the different ways in which we can teach God’s flock on Sunday (Lefever 1996, pp. 27). We allow the Holy Spirit to guide us on how He would want us to lead his people.
During elaboration, Lefever cautions teachers not to be too certain of what they have planned in their lesson by arguing that many are the times that teachers will find themselves deviating from what they have planned and therefore they ought to give room for this. Evaluation is the last process where the teacher self assesses what she wants to achieve in the classroom.
It is the stage where the teacher will stop and reflect whether her plan will achieve the desired outcomes but this stage is crucial, for teachers should not be too quick to judge the outcomes of their lessons lest they risk being disappointed (Lefever 1996, pp. 28).
In teaching, teachers should not have unrealistic goals which are to be achieved for teachers should try as much as possible not to be self centered and the only way this can be achieved is through giving God a chance to guide the teacher’s plan in teaching his word such that the teacher’s goals should work towards glorifying God (Lefever 1996, pp. 29).
For learners to exhibit creativity in the classroom, they got to have exposure to teachers, books and peers who are creative so that they can have a glimpse of what creativity is. However, Christians should take caution of what they term as creative so that they do not indulge in worldly things in search of creativity.
The church also has to participate in nurturing programs that encourages creativity together with offering each individual the benefit of the doubt that they are creative, for instance the church should not prejudge that so and so is more creative than the other.
For individuals to be creative, they have to look beyond a people’s culture and strive to overcome the cultural differences. Coupled with having a role model or people to look at in terms of creativity, one also needs to develop a level of tolerance in the creative journey (Lefever 1996, pp. 38).
Lefever does stop there for he further helps us to identify creative students through some characteristics that they possess among them being independent and always curious of their surrounding. Lefever urges teachers to always help nurture such students as it is the only way through which the joy of becoming a teacher is fully realized (Lefever 1996, pp. 50).
Through chapter four to nine, Lefever takes the reader through actual practices that would make any teacher teaching the Word of God enjoy teaching. These are the chapters that give a practical aspect of learning through engaging students for instance in acting up – drama in the classroom, role playing by the teacher and also the students in addition to using motion to pass on message (mime).
This technique (mime) intrigues students to think outside the box and be more imaginative. Simulation games also allow learners to have the excitement of learning something new.
Lefever also advocates for teaching without boundaries for instance Christian teachers can get all the materials that they need for teaching on the internet. Lefever acknowledges that the internet can be a good source of getting materials. That a Christian teacher does not have to solely rely on the bible alone, for there are plenty of testimonies available online which can aid in the teaching of Christian concepts.
In conclusion, the book advocates for interactive learning when teaching the word of God. Drawing examples with how Jesus taught His followers, Lefever, urges Christian teachers to incorporate the same concepts when it comes to teaching children on Sunday.
Jesus used parables, simulation to communicate his messages and therefore Christian teachers ought to emulate Jesus and enhance their creativity when it comes to teaching the word of God. The book therefore is not only relevant to Christian teachers but also all teachers who are mandated with nurturing talents of innocent children and helping them achieve in life.
One would wonder why Lefever would go into so many details in explaining all the techniques that are available for teachers to become creative and nurture creativity in their learners.
One of the underlying concepts is for the teacher to have a student centered approach of teaching in which the students are not only passive learners but active participants in the learning process and this helps the student in feeling that he or she is a part of the learning process.
Another aspect as to why teachers should actively involve their learners is to help eliminate the notion that only the teacher can help facilitate the learning process. Learners too need to feel that they are an integral part of the process of learning.
There is no compromise to what the author of creative teaching methods is advocating. In the normal classroom teaching, a teacher ought to fully engage the students in order to acquire the set objectives and what better way to do that than to effectively engage the learners?
Teacher centered method of learning is an outdated concept and in most cases and where the teacher centered method of teaching is the dominant method; learners have no sense of belonging or fail to connect with the teacher.
In the book, Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose, the author had difficulties in learning and therefore was labeled an underprepared student though there was a mix up of grades between him and another student whom they shared the name Rose with (Rose 1990, pp. 12). However, it took the careful observation of one of his teachers who was later to become his mentor in urging him to read and practice more and more.
Through his mentor, Mike Rose was successfully enrolled in college despite him being labeled as an underachiever in his grade school.
Mike Rose therefore points out that the teacher and her methods of teaching can create a boundary in the classroom and therefore hinder effective delivery of the content to the learner (Rose 1990, pp. 20). Therefore, Lefever book on effective teaching methods cannot be a substitute when it comes to his ideologies about teaching through active participation of the learners.
The mixed approach method of teaching is also an effective one. Lefever urges those teachers who are used to teaching using the lecture method only to try and incorporate other methods into their teaching. Who would discredit such important contributions to the field of education? Not only is the book relevant in teaching Christian education, I personally believe that it is a book that has application in the classroom setting.
When a teacher tends to rely on one method, the students cease to find learning interesting and in most cases, they get so used to the teacher’s ways of teaching in such a way that they can foretell what the teacher would do when he or she reaches a certain point.
Learning is supposed to be fun, integrative, consent to room for discussions, room for asking questions among others and therefore Lefever’s concepts are more applicable to all teachers, teachers of the word of God and teachers in the classroom. Learner centered approach to learning helps the student not to fear asking questions in the class and they are therefore able to assimilate the content in their own pace.
However, I cannot fail to note that while interacting with the learner, a great deal of time is required for the teacher’s creativity through the methods he/she is using to flow in the classroom and for the teacher to nurture the creativity in the learners. These are some of the reasons as to why some teachers prefer passive learning as opposed to interactive learning between the teacher and the learner.
For instance, comparing game simulation method to lecture method, in the former, the teacher has to group the students, set objectives for each group and assess whether each group is achieving the desired objectives or whether learning is taking place.
With the latter, the teacher has an overall or blanket objective for all the learners and he or she can only assess them through a standardized test to know whether the objectives were achieved. I think that interactive/creative learning requires plenty of time than a teacher is willing to spend.
I second Lefever ideas that a teacher who possesses creativity qualities possesses abilities that allow him or her to face challenges in the classroom because such a teacher would have undergone all the steps of being creative and therefore no question will get the teacher off guard.
Teachers ought to adequately prepare to help students and their preparations should not only be the one hour lecture preparation. A teacher has to get into details of what to tell the learner and for teaching Christian education; the teacher has to be guided by the creator who Christians should emulate.
Lefever advocating for the use of internet is also useful to all teachers. Learning should not be a dogmatic static process that does not allow people to discover new ideas. New ideas emerge every now and then and the learner should not be limited to only the ideas that are in the textbook. The internet therefore should be an important learning resource.
Lefever believes that if teachers are creative they will even start to enjoy while teaching the word of God. I second his opinion through the analysis of the book, Flow and Psychology of Discover and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Mihaly is concerned with individual creativity throughout his book and he ascertains that people grow and can only be happy if there are creative in what they do (Csikszentmihalyi 1996, pp. 47). To Lefever, it is evident that he holds teaching dear to his heart and believes that teaching should not be a profession but a calling.
This is evident through the way Lefever has taken us through the process of teacher preparation so that she/he can become productive in the classroom and further says that evaluation when one switch from one method to another should not be done too soon.
On the other hand, Mihaly in his book says that creativity lies in the experiences that people find most enjoyable taking part in and thus creativity is a process and not something that happens all of a sudden.
According to Mihaly (Csikszentmihalyi 1996, pp. 54), one first of all has to have creative ideas which will go through the bottlenecks of a culture that an individual has been predisposed to and therefore shaping his or her experiences and frustrations and in turn intriguing creativity in the individual.
Lefever (1996, pp. 23), on the other hand talks about exposing children to different cultures so that they can learn form the cultures and teachers who are creative so that they can get first hand information of the frustrations and experiences as one becomes creative through the role models.
Mihaly also talks about the individual who is ready to take challenges characteristically of what Lefever talks about, for teachers to always allow ambiguity if there are to become creative while teaching.
In chapter five of Flow and Psychology of Discover and Invention, Mihaly illustrates that creativity is very natural and happens unconsciously thus echoing Lefever words that there is no excuse for teachers not to be creative for when they decide to be creative they just have to stick to their guts and try new methods of teaching.
It is outstanding to note that Mihaly just like Lefever does not provide a general recipe to creativity but both writers provides the reader with actual facts regarding creativity.
Just like Lefever, William Yount also believes in teaching that brings happiness and satisfaction which is achieved when a teacher teaches with zeal (Yount 1999, pp. 56).
He believes that for teachers to be effective while teaching, they have first of all be examples to the learners like Jesus was to his followers while he was on earth. William also has the same ideologies like Lefever about the teacher being passionate when teaching.
He paints the pictures of a teacher who is not into teaching as a profession but of a teacher who enjoys what he or she is doing (Yount 1999, pp. 70). William Yount believes that we cannot separate ourselves from God while we are teaching. Therefore, when we want to become good teachers, the process of becoming a good teacher starts when teachers become meek before God.
It is worthwhile to note that while Lefever clearly targets Christian teachers, Yount book suits anyone aspiring to be the teacher with practical examples that are juxtaposed in real life situations.
However, Yount emphasis is not on the teacher becoming creative rather than on what he terms or views as fundamental aspects in learning. William emphasis is for teachers to use hands in gestures, to teach by heart for instance to engage wholly in the teaching process and the head which is also an important component in teaching according to Yount (Yount 1999, pp. 34).
Every teacher should be passionate when teaching especially teachers of Christian education. Christian education teachers should analyze the way Jesus taught and therefore apply these concepts to their students.
Lefever and Yount have illustrated how Christian teachers should handle teachers in their classrooms and it is without a doubt that these methods are not only applicable to Christian’s teachers but even ordinary teachers in the classroom. Their content therefore is very relevant.
Bibliography
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, New York, HarperCollins, 1st Ed. 1996.
Lefever, Marlene. Creative Teaching Methods. Canada. David C. Cook. 1996.
Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. New York. Penguin Publishers. 1990.
Yount, William. Called to Teach. Nashville. B & H Academic Publishers. 1999.