Follow Me as I Follow Christ by Cheryl Dunlop
The first book I read for the course was Cheryl Dunlop’s Follow Me as I Follow Christ. This book is a guide for educators teaching children in a church setting. The experience of reading this book has been an invaluable contribution to my knowledge about education in the context of Christianity. The author deliberately constructs the layout of the content in a manner that facilitates’ the readers’ reflection and self-evaluation of the skills, capabilities, understanding, and self-exploration. Since the book is written for teachers who educate children in a church environment, the majority of guidelines are aimed at improving one’s instruction and explanation of complex concepts to the children and overall. The book has allowed me to learn several important lessons that will improve my competence in teaching children about Christ.
One of the most pivotal aspects of the book is its attention to the clarity of understanding of fundamental religious issues. In particular, Dunlop (2000) refers to the understanding of who God is by both teachers and students to ensure that the basic ideas are properly perceived. Since the understanding of who God and Jesus are might be confusing for students, Dunlop (2000) provides a deliberate explanation with clear support from the Bible with appropriate verses to demonstrate how one might teach students on this issue. For me, such an illustrative use of quotes from the Bible contributes to the expertise of using scripture-based evidence for coherent education. In such a manner, the teachers of Sunday schools are capable of equipping themselves with the methods of working with children when teaching them about the Lord. The author repeatedly refers to scripture, illustrating the inherent biblical guidance for teachers who disseminate the holy word (Dunlop, 2000). I was able to achieve a deeper integration of the Bible with the methodological perspectives on how to teach children Christianity.
In addition, the book proposes well-structured and planned guidelines for the use of story-telling in the Sunday school classroom. Dunlop (2000) demonstrates how repeated references to the Bible can help build comprehensive narratives for an easier teaching process. In essence, the author demonstrates that teaching such complex topics as God’s wisdom, virtues, Christian values, and other aspects involves demonstration through storytelling. In such a manner, I managed to learn the intertwining of the Biblical themes and verses with the stories to help children grasp the concepts and ideas more effectively. For example, when teaching students about wisdom, a teacher might refer to Solomon and his story to unveil the importance of being wise in judgment and life decision-making in accordance with the scripture (Dunlop, 2000). Thus, the book has vividly illustrated how telling a story might help a Sunday school teacher deliver complex topics to students.
Methods of disciplining and the use of a personalized approach for problem-solving constitute another valuable insight from the book. In the book, Dunlop (2000) assembles clear guidelines on how to manage discipline in a Sunday school setting for an effective learning experience. The author suggests referring to the Bible in order to encourage students’ attention and learning. Importantly, the book advises the teachers on adequate addressing of problems experienced by individual students through the use of personal conversations. For example, the misunderstanding of the scripture and the fear of punishment for sins might be exaggerated by children, which might be resolved by a face-to-face explanation with the use of the Bible.
Conclusively, this book has been an insightful reading that provided multiple lessons in terms of knowledge of the Bible and within the framework of class management at Sunday church schools. I have facilitated my understanding of the appropriate integration of verses from scripture when teaching students about God and solving problematic issues in class. Overall, this knowledge will be a significant contribution to my career development.
Teaching by Abb Thomas
The second book that I read was Abb Thomas’ Teaching, which has been a valuable reading for my professional development. The book presents a vivid illustration of the methodology of teaching complex ideas to children. The author uses a compelling narration style to engage the readers in the text while constructing effective solutions for classroom work with students. The overall book is created as a compilation of ten effective practices that are aimed at facilitating the teaching process. This reading has equipped me with essential tools for student guidance through the process of learning the Bible via small steps accurately managed by the teacher.
The most important idea that I gleaned from the reading is the attitude to teaching the Bible. In particular, Thomas (2013) claims that teachers’ self-improvement is a pivotal factor in achieving effective teaching practice outcomes. For example, the author starts the book by listing fifty characteristics of great teachers (Thomas, 2013). The emphasis on teachers’ characteristics shifts the focus to the methods, techniques, and skills that should be used when working with different students, regardless of their disinterest in the subject. According to Thoman (2013), an effective teacher is capable of igniting interest in every student by finding a special approach. Thus, the self-improvement narrative persisting in the book has motivated me to contribute to my learning to achieve better results in my profession.
Moreover, an insightful scheme of step-by-step leading of students toward change through education. Thomas (2013) presents a simple strategy for achieving change in attitude, knowledge, or behavior through such consecutive steps as helping students to know, understand, to personalize, and to practice. Such an approach allows for structuring teachers’ practices so that they match every step for students’ better transformation. In the author’s opinion, following such steps are essential when tackling complex issues and aiming for a lasting effect on the learners.
One of the practical pieces of advice I particularly memorized was the importance of repetition in learning. Although this idea is strikingly simple, Thomas (2013) emphasizes its utmost importance because if something needs to be remembered for a long period, it has to be repeated multiple times. The students should see, hear, understand, say, and repeat the learned material so that they can memorize it. Moreover, it is essential to tie new knowledge to real life in order to facilitate learning and ensure proper motivation.
Overall, when reading this book, I managed to increase the level of my knowledge on effective approaches to teaching with purpose. I changed my attitude to teaching from the point of resisting student disinterest to the motivation to change my methods and engage in self-improvement to achieve better goals. The information and insights obtained from this book will be a valuable asset for my professional growth.
Bibliography
Dunlop, Cheryl. Follow Me as I Follow Christ. La Habra: The Lockman Foundation, 2000.
Thomas, Abb. Teaching. Milford: Xulon Press, 2013.