Teaching

What is the purpose of coaching?  To expand that a bit, what is the purpose of teaching?  Or one of the purposes?  If you eliminate from consideration the mission to impart information, then what is left?

This question probably applies most to coaching -- or at least is easiest to see when we look at sporting events.  Picture the coach of a little league team.  Is he teaching them how to play?  Do they learn the rules and strategies of the game?  I hope so.  But what else?

What do we learn from the people who teach us?

When the coach is screaming at the child (or the teenager), what is he teaching (masculine pronoun only for convenience)?   If the only goal is to win, then what is the lesson?

If the teacher is telling the students, "You need to know this for the test," then what is the lesson?

I was at Rotary a couple of weeks ago.  The guest speaker was Ron Sowell, who is a musician in West Virginia and is part of Mountain State.   During the meeting he sang several songs, including one called I Thought his Name was Coach  Go here to watch the song.   Part of the lyrics are:

He taught me how to hit a curve ball
How to turn a double play
How to win with style and how to lose with grace.
Stand out on the dugout steps and whistle...
Atta boy Redhead
Way to go.

That's a great mission statement for all of us who teach.  Teach the basics, model grace and deliver affirmation.

Intellectual Pursuits

I attended a lecture at our church this evening as part of Convocation Week. Dr. Steven Kopp, president of Marshall University (and member of the church) presented a seminar concerning the role of Higher Education in the formation of ethics and in spiritual development.

It was very interesting, and I thought I would share a few tidbits of his talk:

• Education is not just about intellectual pursuit, but should be holistic, involved in the development of the person -- mind, body and spirit.
• Education is the pursuit of truth, harmony and enlightenment -- fulling our potential as humans.
• Humans are meaning-seeking creatures. If we don't find meaning in religion, we will look for it where we think we might find it instead.
• What matters most is not what you believe but how you conduct your life.
• Questions to ask yourself -- What is your spiritual quest? What is your calling?
• Limitations of who we are and what we can be are self-imposed.
• The way we act on Sunday is either a reflection of our authentic selves or .....
• No one can give you an education.
• We tend to favor things that are easy, but our success is assured. The challenge is to take on the "hard thing." We need to take intellectual risks.
• Life is not about being perfect, but instead about the pursuit of perfection -- growth.
• The same hand that fashioned us -- created us -- will open our eyes so that we can see.
• That which is fossilized cannot adapt.
  

Hands On Learning

At Rotary on Monday, a gentleman from The Mountain Institute spoke about their project at Spruce Knob. Part of what they do is to bring students to the center for learning activities. His theory is that when kids experience learning through hands on experience, they remember it more. They take ownership of what they are doing.

As I thought back to my time in college, I do remember the times out in the field. I remember collecting samples for botany, testing stream water for factors such as pH and temperature, and doing kick samples for aquatic "bugs."

When I worked in the lab and taught "fellows," I would give them a step by step procedure and then explain the theory of it. We would then walk through it, with me doing the work. The next time, the fellow would take the lead, with me watching. After that, the fellow did the work with me just in the room for questions. Hands on, creating ownership.

It makes me wonder if we teach our children enough through experience. Do we lead then through service projects? Do we put them in teaching roles with younger children? Do we teach them about worship by letting them lead it? Do our kids and youth get enough "hands on" Christian Education?