Teaching Statement
As a teacher, I want students to emerge from my biblical studies courses knowing not only the basic content of the covered texts but also how to ask good questions of those texts, how to begin seeking answers to those questions, and how to think through the resulting theological implications. In short, I want them to have begun acquiring the skills necessary to think like a biblical scholar. Given these goals, how can I best achieve them?
Specific answers—and more specific goals—depend, of course, on the particulars of a given class. Nevertheless, two related principles guide my thinking in planning a syllabus or a particular class. First, studies have shown that active learning results in more long term retention than passive learning. Second, students tend to appreciate and evaluate potential solutions much better when they have a personal interest in or, at least, a clear understanding of the underlying problem. I accordingly try to construct activities and assignments that help students learn to discover the critical issues for themselves and then give them space to start thinking through possible resolutions. My hope is thereby to communicate not only the results of biblical scholarship but also, and perhaps more importantly, the thrill of the journey so that the biblical texts might always provide opportunities for fresh encounters.
Thus, e.g., to introduce the synoptic problem, I have students work through several passages in a synopsis. To introduce textual criticism, I have them transpose a short column of all-caps, no-spaced text (with occasional errors) into a column of different dimensions. To introduce redaction criticism, I have them write the first page of a “new” gospel and then think about such issues as intended audience, purpose, and the use of sources. Because of the interpretive interaction that it requires, art also provides an effective means of stimulating questions about a text. For instance, my wife and I taught a 12-week examination of the Book of Job for our church in which we not only discussed the text but also looked at various artistic portrayals—including paintings, etchings, statuary, fables, and plays—of the book throughout history. (For a pdf excerpt of the Job material that we developed, click here.)
As much as possible, I try to focus class times around questions, discussions, and practice exercises that engage the students in the higher level orders of thinking in Bloom’s taxonomy: evaluation, synthesis, and analysis. These higher level activities, however, build upon the foundational levels of knowledge, comprehension, and application, and it is helpful for students to come to class already armed with at least the knowledge they will need in order to contribute to and learn from discussions. Towards this end, I often provide questions to guide students’ reading, give them short content quizzes, and/or ask them to complete low stakes assignments.
Technology can help both in encouraging preparation and in enlivening the class time. With regard to preparation, a course management system such as Blackboard allows a professor to distribute materials and information, set up quizzes to test basic knowledge, and/or start threads on a discussion board. As José Antonion Bowen argues in his provocative article “Teaching Naked” (NTLF 16), using technology outside of the classroom in this way leaves time for more creative face–to–face encounters during the actual class. In this respect, I also try to employ Just–in–Time Teaching (JiTT) techniques that use web-based WarmUps and Puzzles to prime the students’ thinking before class, stimulate further thought afterwards, and even provide helpful feedback and fodder for discussion in class. As for technology inside the classroom, using hyperlinks to slides within a Powerpoint presentation offers one way of promoting interaction through a more flexible format that promotes interaction. For example, a Powerpoint presentation on Textual Criticism that I developed begins with an exercise (mentioned above) that asks students to try their hand at copying a text. In discussing the results, I have certain points that I want to make, but the hyperlinks allow me to address those points in whatever order they might come up in a class discussion. (See Textual Criticism PPT 2007 / PPT 1997-2003)
Finally, most of my students have at least a passing familiarity with the biblical texts; many also have a vested interest in its interpretation. Since I consider it a pedagogical priority to challenge and problematize my students’ current understanding of the biblical texts—to make them think—it is crucial to establish a safe environment in which students feel free to question long–held beliefs and consider the viewpoints of others. I have accordingly found it helpful to begin class each semester by grounding our approach to the text in the biblical model of Gen 1:1–5. In these opening verses, it is the chaotic and unformed nature of the creation that provides God with the opportunity to speak and bring forth light. Noting that an overly familiar text typically becomes lifeless and dull, I then encourage the students to “seek the chaos” in the biblical texts.
