Effective
teaching in church capitalizes on all learning styles
By Ted Johnston
[Note: some of this article is taken from http://www.learning-styles-online.com/].
As individual Christians and as churches we
are called upon to be ‘all things to all people’ in order to reach
many with the gospel (see 1Cor 9:22).
This principle applies to many aspects of ministry, but in this article
I’d like to apply it to the teaching we provide in church. Each person—young or
old—child or adult, has a particular ‘learning
style’—what is sometimes referred to as ‘intelligence
style’. This is not about being smart or dumb—it’s about how
we are ‘wired’ by both genetics and environment to access and
process information.
As teachers standing in front of an
audience, we address people who learn in different ways (different
‘learning styles’).
Interestingly, the distribution of the various styles is pretty much the
same across the generations. So
whether you’re a children’s church teacher working with a group of
‘Millennials’ or an adult discipleship class teacher working with a
group of aging ‘boomers’—the challenge, and the opportunity
is the same: how will you effectively teach people with different learning styles within the same group?
Certainly it is a challenge. But it’s
one we can meet with a bit of thoughtful preparation. This article will help you by assisting
you in identifying the different learning styles and suggesting ways to
capitalize on that knowledge in designing your teaching in church (and, of
course, these principles apply to teaching in any setting—including with
children at home).
Identifying and understanding the
learning styles
God has placed great diversity in the human
family, and different people are ‘wired’ in different ways. Researchers have identified various
learning/intelligence styles and labeled them accordingly. A typical list follows. Note that each
person will tend toward one of these styles, though many of us have tendencies
toward a couple of categories. Note also that some are more strongly oriented
to a particular style than others with similar tendencies. We’re all
unique and we’re not seeking to divide people by categorizing them.
Rather we’re seeking to understand and to respect people for who they
are, and then use that information to help them learn.
Folks with this learning/intelligence style tend to learn best through words and
language. They tend to have
highly developed auditory skills and are generally accomplished speakers. They think in words rather than
pictures. Their skills include: listening, speaking, writing, story telling,
explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of
words, remembering information, convincing someone of their point of view and
analyzing language usage. Folks with this proclivity tend toward becoming
poets, journalists, writers, teachers, lawyers, politicians, preachers,
translators. They tend to use phrases such as:
This type learns best through
reason, logic and numbers. They tend to think
conceptually in logical and numerical patterns making connections between
pieces of information. Always curious about the world around them, these
learners ask lots of questions and like to do experiments. Their skills
include: problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working
with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other,
handling long chains of reason to make logical progressions, doing
controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events,
performing complex mathematical calculations and working with geometric shapes.
Folks with this proclivity tend toward becoming scientists, engineers, computer
programmers, researchers, accountants, mathematicians. They tend to use phrases
such as:
This type learns best through visual
perception. They tend to think
in pictures and need to create vivid mental images to retain information. They
enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and movies. Their skills
include: puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a
good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and
analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing,
fixing, designing practical objects and interpreting visual images. Folks with
this proclivity tend toward becoming navigators, sculptors, visual artists,
inventors, architects, interior designers, mechanics, and engineers. They tend to use phrases such as:
This type learns best through body
movement and hands-on perception. They tend to express themselves through movement. They have a good sense
of balance and hand-eye coordination. Through interacting with objects around
them, they are able to remember and process information. Their skills include:
dancing, physical coordination, sports, hands-on experimentation, using body
language, crafts, and acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, and
expressing emotions through the body. Folks with this proclivity tend toward
becoming athletes, physical education teachers, dancers, actors, firefighters,
artisans. They tend to use phrases
such as:
This type learns best through sound,
often including music. These folks tend
to think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They immediately respond to music
either appreciating or criticizing what they hear. Many of them are extremely
sensitive to environmental sounds (e.g. crickets, bells, dripping taps). Their
skills include: singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, and
recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies,
understanding the structure and rhythm of music. Folks with this proclivity
tend toward becoming musicians, disc jockeys, singers, composers. They tend to
use phrases such as:
This type learns best in relationship
with others. They tend to
seek after other people's point of view in order to understand how they think
and feel. They often have an uncanny ability to sense feelings, intentions and
motivations. They are great organizers, although they sometimes resort to
manipulation. Generally they try to maintain peace in group settings and
encourage cooperation. They use both verbal (e.g. speaking) and non-verbal
language (e.g. eye contact, body language) to open communication channels with
others.
Their skills
include: seeing things from other perspectives, listening, using empathy,
understanding other people's moods and feelings, counseling, cooperating with
groups, noticing people's moods, motivations and intentions, communicating both
verbally and non-verbally, building trust, peaceful conflict resolution and
establishing positive relations with other people. Folks with this proclivity
tend toward becoming counselors, pastors, salespeople, politicians, business
persons. They tend to use phrases such as:
This type learns best through self-reflection. These learners try to understand their inner feelings, dreams,
relationships with others, and strengths and weaknesses. Their skills include:
recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing
themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating
their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their
role in relationship to others. Folks with this proclivity tend toward becoming
researchers, theorists, theologians and philosophers. They are likely to
use such phrases as:
Applying the learning styles in
teaching at church
Skillful teachers engage all learners by
capitalizing on multiple learning styles simultaneously. The following chart
examines how the components of a church service can be used to connect
information to various learning styles. What we’re seeking for is
to minister to connect meaningfully in each service with all of the styles, so
that all will be nurtured, engaged and edified.
|
Learning style |
What this learner needs: |
How do we incorporate this style
into our church services? |
|
Verbal-linguistic |
To use language to express what’s on his or
her mind and to understand other people |
Corporate
prayer and readings; sermons; reading materials |
|
Logical-mathematical |
To understand
the underlying principles of causal systems; solve problems; measure, categorize,
analyze or quantify |
Show cause
and effect in scripture; show connections between one passage and another;
value numbers |
|
Visual-spatial |
To translate information into visual images and
spatial elements; learns best through seeing and observing |
Visual aids;
sculptures, pictures, lights, colors, textures, images, animation, video |
|
Bodily-kinesthetic |
To use the body and physical movement; learns
best by acting things out or with hands-on experience |
Physical
involvement in services – move, touch, not
spectators; acting out; making things |
|
Auditory-musical |
To think and express feelings through music, to
hear patterns, remember, and manipulate them |
All music:
participating, performing, listening; chanting, clapping |
|
Social-interpersonal |
To understand
other people, interact and relate to others, socializer |
Interaction
opportunities; sharing prayer requests and testimonies; building
relationships; break-outs for small group discussion |
|
Solitary-intrapersonal |
Time to reflect and respond, to understand how it
applies to him or her; learning must be intuitive; learns best alone |
Opportunities
to reflect and apply scripture to own life; must see practical applications |
There are many good books and websites that
can help you both identify and apply learning styles. A helpful website is found at,
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/