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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The following is adapted from the book Myths: Fact and Fiction about Teaching and Learning by Israel Galindo. How well do you know fact from fiction?

MYTH: The lion is the king of the jungle because of its dominance as a hunter over other animals.

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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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Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics is a favorite journal that, when I have opportunity, savor more than just read. It fills the lacuna of my formal cultural education.

The on-line version of Arion journal for Spring/Summer 2007 has an article by Camille Paglia, whom I always enjoy reading. While I do not always agree with her opinions, she is always thoughtful and intelligent, and rises above the din of contemporary critics and commentators.

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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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The following is excerpted from the book Myths: Fact and Fiction about Teaching and Learning by Israel Galindo. How well do you know fact from fiction?

MYTH: Anybody can teach. Teaching is just communicating information, through effective verbal and instructional communication, skills that anybody can learn and master.

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Wait….before you assume I am talking about theological fundamentalists, read further. I am talking about those who insist that “my way or the highway” and am thinking about those good folks in our congregations—whether conservative or “moderate”—for whom the end justifies any means.

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One of the things I strive for in my classes is to help students move from “fuzzy thinking” about matters of faith to the capacity to engage in “critical thinking.” Fuzzy thinking takes different forms, including, “devotional,” “rhetorical,” “metaphorical,” and “magical” thinking. Those forms of thinking have their place. It’s not an issue of them being inferior to a more rigorous way of thinking. But a mature faith is a critical faith in that it has the capacity to reflect on its own experience, critically assess and think about phenomenon, and move from naiveté to mature thinking. As St. Paul said, “When I was a child I . . . thought like a child, reasoned like a child. When I became an adult I put childish ways behind me.”

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