Wednesday, November 28

Teaching as an art…

I’m leading a discussion on the topic of ‘teaching as an art’ at a New Thing Network gathering next Monday in Boston.

I would love the input of any of you willing to share…Do you believe teaching is an art? If so, what does that mean to you?

How ‘bout your take on this quote from Rob Bell… “I want to rescue preaching. I believe it’s an art form and I want to rescue it back from the scientists and the analysts. I want to see the poets and the prophets and the artists grab the microphone and say great things about God and the revolution. I think a whole art form has been lost that needs to be recaptured, a grand ambition for the art of preaching.”

Mark Nelson at 2:35 PM 9comments

9 Comments

at 5:01 PM  eric b. said...

Teaching is an art. The seeker model puts it apart from art, which is a mistake. It says, let the art do it's little showy show, and then preach "the word." Those who subscribe to that belief don't get it. The whole thing is the word. The whole service is the message, and something arts-driven has as much potential to lead someone to Christ as anything else.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

at 8:18 PM  Mark Nelson said...

Wow Eric...it sounds like you might ought put that in a book sometime...

 

at 10:56 PM  ragamuffinminister said...

This is what came to my mind quickly...which is probably not usually worth reading most of the time when it's quick. :)

I can draw something decent when I need to. But I'm no Picasso. I can write a few lines of rhyme, but I'm no poet necessarily. And I can cook a decent meal that feeds my family and it's actually healthy, but I'm no Emeril.

Questions I'd have for you if I were some Joe off the street wannabe excellent teacher is...

1. Is every teacher supposed to approach it as an art form?

2. If so, is everything supposed to be approached as an art?

3. Is it ok to be less creative and more analytical/scientific?

I've always loved that quote, but is he also saying that it's only the poets and artists that are to be teachers? Is there room for anyone else?

Just some thoughts I know I'd love to hear. I've thought about this alot in my quiet moments in life.

And, Eric, wow. You just put into a paragraph what many of us can't say without it becoming a dissertation.

 

at 8:23 AM  Anonymous said...

In any field, sports, medicine, music, writing, etc., there are individuals who are very technically proficient and skilled. They have worked hard to achieve the analytical/scientific tools necessary for them to do and do well. But within these professions the true standouts are those whose God given ability, dedication and passion allow it to become an art, although most would disagree. A good doctor may heal but the art comes in so many other facets of care for the patient and family that can not be scientifically quantified. A good writer may reach people and convey a message, but a writer who is an artist will touch you in a way that is hard to describe. And the comparisons could go on but I think that that will do.

 

at 8:40 AM  Anonymous said...

I think Nate hit the nail on the head. Teaching is an art form when we move beyond the mechanics and into the realm of what makes us unique communicators. If we endeavor to answer the "So What? Now What?" questions that our congregations have, then we move into the art form.

There is no real point of taking people deep into the trees of Scripture and abandoning them there. That's mechanics. The art form lies in our ability to show them the way out of the trees - how the passage works in their lives. We need to see the "light bulb" go on.

Chad Hall wrote an article on Rob Bell in this week's Leadership Journal.net. Here is his quote on what makes Rob Bell a good communicator:

"Part of what makes Bell such a good communicator has to do with how he develops his material. It's easy to appreciate the way Bell approaches speaking as an art and craft. Like popular writers Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point and Blink) or Stephen Levitt (Freakonomics), Bell gleans from various fields, sifts through a slew of facts, and weaves just the right ones together with golden narrative threads. I doubt Bell is a specialist in any of the fields from which he draws (Scripture, Judaic history, ancient literature, and modern anthropology, to name a few), but he knows enough to gauge what to say, what to leave out, and how to make it all interesting. Every church leader need not engage the exact topics as Bell (though the Scriptures are worth a deeper look for any of us), but we'd do well to find our own fields to explore and learn how to expertly craft sermons that incorporate insights from the corners of God's creation.

Bell's ability in developing material is matched by his ability in delivering it. What strikes me most is that he seems interested in what he's saying. His delivery reminds me of someone who's just discovered something remarkable and has decided to tool over to the next-door neighbor's house and share the finding. His delivery has that kind of freshness and intensity to it. Apparently, he's interested enough in what he's saying that he commits it to memory. ("Look, Mom, 90 minutes with no notes!")"

That, in a nutshell, is teaching as an art form.

 

at 9:42 AM  Abigail said...

Teaching is an art, I whole heartedly agree. It takes many forms. It can be both beautiful or repulsive, depending on the beholder's viewpoint.

Much of the art in teaching, comes in the fact that as a teacher you are the 'curriculum', so to speak. It is much less what you teach, but who you are and how you teach it. Also, it does become quite an art form when you realize that true teaching comes in being people driven, not material driven. This meaning for me, that I may change how I teach something, or I may say or do something in 4 different ways to reach the different needs of 4 different listeners. The lesson is the same, but with different approaches. Because the point is not me teaching a truth - the point is the listeners 'getting it.'

I approach teaching with the same care and prescision as I would a painting. A painting is expected to be put on display, so every brush stroke matters. In the same way, especially as I teach children of all ages, I am aware of the profound impact adults have in the shaping of young lives. Every stroke matters. Every interaction I have is a brush stroke on their life as a whole. Do I contribute to the light or the darkness of their lives - not just by what I teach, but also by how I teach it - by my words, actions and motivations.

 

at 11:53 AM  Mark Nelson said...

To Jeph...(ragamuffinminister)

In response to your 3 questions...

1. Yeah, I do think every teacher should approach it as an art form...

2. Maybe...especially if you define art this way: Art -the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination,
producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power


3. I'm not sure the creativity has to give way to the analytical/scientific. The very few times I've actually learned something scientific it was taught in an incredible creative way.

By the way...my comment to Eric about putting his thoughts in a book are in light of the fact that he already has...he is one of the authors of 'The Big Idea'. Go buy it.

 

at 7:57 PM  ragamuffinminister said...

Thanks man. I love the topic. I think it's so critical for us to engage artistically, even though that looks different for each of us. I know the lessons learned in my life from a teaching standpoint were best learned when someone took the time to be creative about the lesson.

I wish I could see the lecture.

Also, I read the Big Idea months ago (loved it) and I simply didn't remember that quote. But I'm asking that a few people in our circle of ministry up here read it because I really think the ideas in the book are great. I'll make sure to highlight that quote. :)

 

at 12:17 AM  Mark Nelson said...

This is from an e-mail from John Ketchen...

(it was so good I asked his permission to post it in our conversation)

Good afternoon Mark.

Thank you for inviting me to share my thoughts on art.

Art flows naturally from a life lived deeply, richly, and passionately. It is a product expressed in many different forms which flows out of passion, enthusiasm, perseverance, and commitment for something important to the artist. Any human artifact is art when it flows from deep within a person. Some teaching is therefore art, and some is not.

Of course, passion alone does not produce art, and some art does not come from passion. But generally, I believe my definition is true.

 

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