I do faculty development workshops and seminars for many schools (but not my own. John 4:44 and all that), public, private, theological schools, and congregations. Many of the leaders in those schools, principals, administrators, and deans, invite me to come do “faculty development.” But most of the time what they actually ask for is a seminar or workshop on an instructional issue to help the faculty be more effective in their classroom. So I usually wind up offering an in-service training on instructional methods and approaches, classroom discipline, curriculum and lessons design, etc.

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I’ve had several conversations with people about “how to write” lately. That topic seems to come in waves and in seasons. Over the course of several weeks all of a sudden it seems people get interested in the matter of writing, becoming a writer, or beginning a writing project. I’m never sure about how to help people who come for advice on writing. While I’ve published a few books and write a lot, I don’t identify myself as “a writer.” For me writing is more about having an opportunity to think than it is about getting my name in print, or feeling like I “have something to say.” More often that not, writing for me is a cathartic mind dump. Or, as I kid, “It helps stop the voices in my head.”

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I first became fascinated with the concept of “learning styles” when in high school. And in graduate school I wrote a 55-page paper on the topic, covering the studies, research, and applications of learning styles in education.

But over the years much of what I’ve seen printed and applied related to “learning styles” have seemed to me to be misunderstandings and misapplications of the concept. As happens often the interpretation of what studies and research actually report tends to be overstated, naively interpreted, and ultimately, misapplied. (And nowhere do I find that to be truer than in the literature related to Christian education).

I know I’m skating on thin educational ice here. The concept of Learning Styles (LS) falls under my category of “things people fall in love with.” And we all know the risk of trying to reason with people who are in love with their ideas.

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We’re just at the start of the new fall Christian Education year in our churches (and, as Vanessa pointed out, the fall “new year” has more to do with adapting to the secular calendar than to the ecclesial calendar). But it won’t be long before most resident Christian education staff and program leaders will begin to hear complaints about the curriculum. Most of those complaints will be along the lines of “It’s too hard to use,” “The kids don’t like it,” “I don’t like it,” etc. Admittedly, while whether one “likes” something or not does not necessarily have anything to do with whether it is effective, the pragmatic reality of having a volunteer corps of teachers means that one needs to give due attention to such complaints.

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I recently spent a couple of days leading seminars and workshops. At the start of each workshop I would tell the participants, “I want to begin by telling you what I tell my students at the start of my courses and each lecture: ‘Don’t take notes. It won’t help you.’” That usually results in two reactions: laughter from most (those who know what happens to most of those notes we take at conferences once we get home), and a moan from a few others (those who will have trouble letting go of how they were trained to listen to a teacher in class).

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Ryan Hamm, of Faithvisuals.com makes an insightful point about the use of media that educators would do well to consider when using media as participation, not just presentation.

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At a recent consultation with a school I once again encountered the dilemma faced by school leaders who lack a background in the field of education. This school has been in existence for ten years, well past the “make it or break it” point for a private school. They were at a point in their institutional development where they had the luxury of taking a breath and addressing educational issues that had been long ignored in the flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants phase. They had a new director and a new assistant director who were eager to see the school step up to a new level as an educational institution, but both lacked formal training in the field of education or educational administration.

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Many folks who find themselves engaged in the task of congregational education tend to be able to jump right in and keep the programs running. And they do an acceptable, if not admirable, job of keeping things going smoothly. Programs run efficiently, people are happy, and no one complains. But dig a little and it becomes apparent that, for many, there is not much theological reflection or educational thinking below the surface of what may appear to be a successful program. The danger here is that efficiency is not necessarily an indicator of educational effectiveness.

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An aspiring artist friend and I enjoy occasional conversations about art and aesthetics. One on-going philosophical conversation has to do with “what is art?” This, in the context of how current and emerging technologies are changing the practices, if not the nature, of the work of the artist. For example, a couple of days after moving into our new home I met the neighbor. When I asked him what he did for a living he replied, “I’m a graphic artist.”

I asked, “Oh, what medium do you usually use?”

He looked at me like I had a third eye growing out of my forehead before replying, “Computer.”

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At a recent consultation I ran into a scenario that has come to symbolize for me what is wrong with much of what passes for “education” in congregations. I was being given a tour of the educational facilities by the congregational staff member and the lay Sunday School Director. They were proud of their facilities, and rightly so. Modern, well-maintained, and attractive, the building and the classrooms showed how much they valued education. Looking around their Sunday School Office (spacious and outfitted with enough equipment that would be the envy of any small congregation struggling to maintain a church office) I spotted a large stack of papers—two and a half feet high (I’m not exaggerating). I knew immediately what that stack was.

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