Class notes: Teaching Strengths

[wolven7]

There are ten graduate students and at least six undergrads, in my New Testament class.

We already have a gag-order, so that the undergrads can feel more comfortable speaking up.

I put something together, in my head, today, and in class: Jesus had a habit of taking the disciples off to the sidelines, and talking about things, in greater detail-- explaining things and elaborating in a kind of "graduate session," as it were. Now, if you know anything about the Gnostic Gospels (of which I still say the Gospel of John was one), you'll take a very specific view of what he was doing, there, but hear me out.

Jesus, the Christ, was, first and foremost, a teacher. He was known as Rabbi ("Sir"), and continued to be called such, even when it began to mean something very specific. Now, any teach worth his salt is going to be able to spot his or her best and brightest students; the ones who speak up, who ask the questions, challenge the class, try in their own quiet way, or whatever. If Jesus was a good teacher, then he probably saw, among those who came to hear him speak the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-34), a need for more explication. So, if he was teaching for a while, putting forth parables and metaphors and symbolism that many were apt to miss, and took the disciples and several avid people aside to further explain.

A good teacher will, in addition to being able to recognise those who Want to learn, be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of those students. Especially with a small group.

An interesting train of thought, is all.

Also? Galilean Pietists (the sect of Judaism of which Jesus was believed to be a member) all practiced healing, raising people from the dead, transmutation of life giving elements, such as water to wine, and multiplication of food. 1) His works were not new to the people of his time, not even collected in one person. 2) Resurrection was all that set him apart.

3) Look at an old map of the area of Palestine, and Judaea, and see how close Galilee is to Egypt. Compare some time frames.

Not saying anything, really; not yet. Just saying.

Gotta go.

Comments

just how i feel on the matter:

[raoin.livejournal.com]

i think it is terribly unfair to have a gag-order on the grad students. i dinged dr. w for that on his evals last semester. you pay good money to be there and participate and be educated. more money, in fact, per credit hour, than an undergrad. with a majority of grads in the class i feel like the onus should be on the undergrads to keep up and speak up. if they cant get a word in edgewise, then maybe they are the one's who need a "grad session" not the other way around.

in the Women in Religion class, there are three grad students (i think). katie, a new girl named holly, and myself. we seem to be doing just fine with the other students, no one dominating the conversation. with the exception of this one older undergraduate woman who's got a total feminist agenda and something to say about every single thing. she's been pushed to the end of the speaking Q a number of times already because of this.

Re: just how i feel on the matter:

[wolven.livejournal.com]

The point, in this case, is that we know this material, know more About this material, and will, in general, have more exposure and ability to work With this material, than the undergrads will.

She wants us to tone it down, not shut up completely.

Re: just how i feel on the matter:

[mendori.livejournal.com]

I wish Dr. White would do that for the current religion in america class. I really really want some certian grad students to shut up so the man can talk. Certian people dont really realize that he teaches to the mean not the highest. And while the undergrads seem bright, some of them just cannot keep up with people who are in fact specialist in the bible and biblical lit.

.... It doesnt help that thus far, I'm having flashbacks to Dr. Whitman at Grady with the Puritan theology again.

Re: just how i feel on the matter:

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Going to make the whole thing a bit more difficult, unless everyone who isn't Dr. White starts teaching the class.