Bible Students

1. From your experiences so far in education, state your personal philosophy of the learning process.

Ultimately, the process of learning must be fueled by motivation on the part of the student. The teacher is able to muster some of that motivation for them through the use of interesting techniques, but the students are the ones who must desire to learn. The learning process is governed by the desire to learn first and the language for learning second. The teachers must be the ones to provide the language of learning, but ultimately learning must be desired by the students. 

There is one central factor which outperforms all others as a reason to learn: To glorify God through exploring His handiwork. Subjects of learning are ultimately an exploration of the universe God has made, whether that be through the hard sciences such as biology, mathematics, and engineering, or the expressive arts such as drama, abstract art, and sculpting. At the end of the day, for the most productive learning the process of learning must be governed by the desire of the student to glorify God through exploring His handiwork. 

As this is the foundation of my philosophy of learning, I believe the role of the teacher is to motivate students correctly to explore the universe God has made. The teacher should “pre-learn” in order to show the students that God’s universe is worth exploring. This consists of creating organized lessons, understanding the material well, and demonstrating the interesting ways God has worked through His creation. In layman’s terms, the teacher must do their best to help the students learn and show them the information (exploring God’s universe) is worth learning about. 

2. What have you read/researched in this class so far that has helped to shape that philosophy?

There are two main lines of thought presented so far in the class that inform my philosophy of learning. First, the Bible is clear that learning is good, and must also be done for the right reasons. Second, the atheistic methods of learning are not adequate for a proper philosophy of learning. 

First, the Bible is clear that learning is a good thing. Through the Proverbs reflection, the Bible’s focus on learning has been reinforced. The Proverbs are filled with examples of proper learning from parents, from elders, from fools, from the wise, and from the experience of others. There is no doubt the Proverbs view learning as a good thing. Christians should seek to learn. Additionally, learning must be done for the right reasons. The Proverbs, as well as other biblical material explored (especially through the comparison of secular and Christian learning theories), demonstrate well that the focus of learning must be the Lord. To learn apart from wanting to glorify God is foolishness, as presented by the biblical witness. 

Second, atheistic theories of learning are not adequate for a well-rounded philosophy of learning. The last point on learning for the right reasons becomes incredibly important here. The secular view of learning, largely, is that learning is a learned response to a stimuli. Now, it is a very complicated response, but ultimately it is a learned response. This means two things: One, all current learning can be incorrect if the learned response only vaguely corresponds to the stimuli, though not precisely, and two, all learning ultimately will not lead anywhere if there is no God. If the student will die and cease to exist, what is the point of them learning anything, from their perspective? The students must be motivated by a desire to glorify God. 

3. What have you found in the Bible that pertains to learning and instruction?

Two of the most helpful biblical analyses from this class have been the Proverbs analysis and the secular/biblical learning theories analysis. The Proverbs analysis demonstrates how the Bible views learning as a whole, and the secular/biblical learning theories analysis demonstrates how the New Testament authors view learning in the context of salvation. 

First, the Proverbs analysis demonstrates how the Bible views learning as a whole. Proverbs 1:7 claims that wisdom (the application of learning) begins with honoring God. Proverbs 3:11 claims that the path of God lies with discipline (a type of wisdom). Finally, Proverbs 10:17 claims that wisdom leads to the path of life. The understanding of learning from the Proverbs is that learning must be applied, and it must be applied with reverence to God. In a practical understanding, the use (and therefore purpose) of learning must be for following God. 

Second, the New Testament authors seem to believe in some of the learning theories extrapolated by secular theorists, even though there is a dividing worldview problem. The book of 1 John, chapter 1 especially, seems to agree that learning must be measured by changed action. Those who now know Jesus and His salvation (learned) must also demonstrate fruit in accordance (changed behavior). If there is no fruit, the person may have never known Jesus to begin with (if there is no changed behavior, the person may have not learned). 

4. What might you change in your classrooms as a result of your research?

As I am not a traditional teacher, my classroom is a Bible College kitchen, where I work. On-the-job training requires the use of many teaching methods, including direct instruction, guided discovery, PBL, and a variety of other integrations. There is a clear connection between the previous questions based on the class’ research and all workplaces: Learning must be done for the glory of God. Therefore, whether in a Bible College kitchen or a traditional elementary classroom, all teaching and learning must be for the glory of God. The answers to questions 1, 2, and 3 do not change depending on the setting, but are true for all settings.  

Now, in terms of what should (and is currently) be changed in the current philosophy of learning, I believe the best and most vital change is to purposefully implement guided discovery into teaching. This includes other teaching methods similar to guided discovery. The research done in this class has shown that one of the best ways as a teacher to demonstrate faithfulness is to attempt to intentionally teach. I should try to build up the other employees in the kitchen (the first part of our new mission statement) through intentionally teaching critical thinking and self-learning. 

5. From the theorist you chose to research, what are the main tenets of his or her theories of learning?

Cornelius Van Til is one of the most well-known presuppositionalist apologists. Presuppositionalism is the view that it is more important to examine whole worldviews, rather than individual points, and to examine the underlying faith commitments. This means learning must be done in the context of a whole system. Presuppositional apologetics addresses a whole worldview and seeks to completely jump from one (atheism, in the West) to the other (Christianity, in Van Til’s case) without addressing every individual point. This means for the teacher and learner, learning must not wait until every sceptical question is solved. Systems that better explain reality should be moved to, even if small questions are left as unsure. Critical extreme scepticism is not an excuse in presuppositional apologetics, and this should be applied to learning as well. 

Additionally, Van Til would agree with the two points presented above. Van Til believed that learning and teaching were opportunities to raise others in the faith and to do so for the purpose of knowing the Lord better. The most important aspect of learning is that it is done for the Lord. If learning is not done ultimately to serve the Lord somehow, then the learning is worthless in eternity. The teacher must teach for the glory of God, and the learner must learn for the glory of God. (Ribera, 2003)

Bibliography

Ribera, J. “Educational Theories of Van Til.” Academia, 2003. https://www.academia.edu/8873999/Educational_Theories_of_Cornelius_Van_Til.