A Teaching Tip

Day 219: Matthew 13

A lot of the research I do for my job has to do with the notion of narrative. Narrative theory looks at how we use stories to construct meaning and make sense of our lives. Since the beginning of time, humans have used stories in such a way. And Jesus is no different. This chapter in Matthew details many of the parables Jesus uses in his teaching. In fact, this chapter even says that Jesus solely spoke to the people through parables. At no time did he teach them without using stories.

Today (and then, too), Jesus is considered the master teacher--the model for all to follow. And if we are to follow his lead, then we should understand that good teaching involves the telling of stories. As humans, we process and arrange our lives through stories, and when we listen to or read stories, the point (argument/claim/thesis) of the piece is more clear to us. Plus, we can then apply what we've learned about the example(s) used in the story to our own lives. This method of teaching by telling stories is so different than the way our education system focuses on memorizing "facts" and practicing methods. Stories aren't often used in formal instruction (at least from my perspective) to actually instruct; rather, they are primarily used to learn the facts of them. For instance, when we read _Romeo and Juliet_, we are tested over the details of the story. And when teachers lecture, they don't often use stories--at least mine didn't. When I teach, I know the importance of telling stories, but it's often more difficult to find and use stories than just to tell students something. And yet Jesus shows us the importance of using stories as a teaching tool--and not just something to memorize. Our education system, as well as individual teachers like me,  can learn from Jesus how to become a better teacher.