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Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive

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Hendricks has written a gem containing valuable information on how a person can become a more dynamic teacher. Among the important points the author covers include:

1. If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.
2. Convince your students that you believe in them!
3. Maximum learning is the result of maximum involvement.
4. Preparation is the key to good communication.
5. The teacher's character, compassion, and content are what motivates the learner the most.
6. Teaching and learning are most effective when both teacher and learner are prepared.
7. The teacher needs to be creative in the ways learners are motivated.
8. Tension is an important part of the learning process.

While Hendricks writes from the viewpoint of a seminary professor, anyone involved in any kind of teaching environment will greatly benefit from the book.

Read, enjoy, and be challenged to be a better teacher!

Howard Hendricks is something of a Conservative Evangelical icon, a teacher of teachers, who for more than forty years shaped the teaching ministries of students at Dallas Seminary. Regardless of what one might think of Dispensationalism, it is undeniable that Dallas Grads are formidable teachers. More than any other figure, the credit for that reality goes to Howard Hendricks.

Using the acronym "TEACHER," and basing his approach on Gregory's "Seven Laws of Teaching," Hendricks seeks to outline the basic skills, attitudes and characteristics of good teaching and of the good teacher. Clearly he seeks to transform not only the teaching but also the teacher. He does this by devoting one chapter to each of seven characteristics , in an anecdotally- and wisdom-rich format.

Chapter One - The Law of the Teacher-- Stop growing today and you stop teaching tomorrow. He begins by emphasizing that the teacher can only teach as he/she continues to be a learner. When the learning stops, the well runs dry. In addition, people will become conformed to the image of the teacher. Therefore, a teacher must take care to be worthy of imitation, especially in the area of character. For Hendricks, the best candidates for the role of teacher are faithful, available and teachable. Other people need not apply. The teacher must be developing in the intellectual, physical [practical], and social dimensions.

Chapter Two - The Law of Education--How people learn determines how you teach. People are only candidates for learning when they know they don't know and when they care about that. After Maslow, Hendricks speaks of four levels of learning : unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. Our job is to help our students to see themselves in this continuum and to get them moving, and this will often involve exposing them to their ignorance in a motivational manner. Then we must be alert to "teachable moments." Then, by precept and example, we must teach people how to think, to learn and to work, and develop in them four master skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. All of the foregoing components help assure that those who sit in our classes will truly learn rather than merely observing.

Chapter Three - The Law of Activity--Maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement. Over and again in his book, Hendricks decries passivity and dependency: we are working to make our students active and independent or at least interdependent [thank you, Steven Covey]. That being the case, students will learn best as they are most active in the process. They need to be guided in their practice, taught to properly evaluate their experience, and learn not by repeating their mistakes but by doing the right things. Hearing is the most inefficient means of learning--people only retain at the most ten percent of what they hear. But they will retain up to fifty percent of what they see and up to ninety percent of what they do.
In the doing department, one must make sure that the activities are meaningful--providing direction without dictatorship, stressing function and application, having a planned purpose, and concerned with process ["the why"] as well as product ["the what"]. And, as much as possible these activities should involve solving realistic problems, if possible, those arising within the experiences of the student. .

Chapter Four - The Law of Communication--To truly impart information reguires the building of bridges. This means really knowing one's students, which in itself means spending time with them outside the classroom. Communication will be more effective to the degree that it is something the teacher deeply knows, feels and does. Therefore a breakdown in any of those three components will vitiate the teaching event. Words are important as teaching tools, but cannot be apart from personal investment and example. Then the teacher must prepare, even over prepare, and then guard his delivery from poor enunciation and poor use of the voice [vary your pitch and speak loudly enough to be heard in the back of the room!]. One must also seek to eliminate distractions, as in poor attentiveness to the teaching space and equipment, and provide for feedback that insures that teaching will be on target and ever-improving.

Chapter Five - The Law of the Heart--Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart. Referring to Plato's triumvirate of ethos [character/credibility], pathos [compasssion] and logos [content--note the alliteration!], Hendricks treats them like a pyramid, where each is dependent upon the previous. Without the foundation of character/credibility, there will not be the confidence in the teacher which is foundational to the implicit contract between teacher and student. Second, the student needs to know that the teacher cares about him [I question this], and third of course, is content. All learning is in the direction of change, and needs to be motivated by felt need. Finally, to sum up, in order to be a person of impact, a teacher must know his students, earn the right to be heard, and be willing to be vulnerable with his students.

Chapter Six - The Law of Encouragement--Teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated. Having hinted at motivation in the earlier chapters, Hendricks treats it more directly here. Primary is developing a strong sense of felt need: people will not learn what they have no felt need for, and will invest themselves in learning that for which they do have a felt need Having created that felt need, the teacher, if administering training, needs to honor the time-honored cylce of telling, showing, supervised doing, and unsupervised doing.

Chapter Seven - The Law of Readiness--The teaching-learning process will be most effective when both student and teacher are adequately prepared. I very much see Bobby Clinton of Fuller Seminary, another master teacher, in this chapter, as he insists on this kind of approach, giving students much work to do to prepare for each class session. In accord with this philosophy, Hendricks believes in giving students the right kind of assignments, since they precipitate thinking, develop a background for class sessions, and help develop habits of independent study. He then concludes this chapter with some practical suggestions for dealing with either unprepared or over-zealous students.

This book should be required reading for all clergy and teachers, especially in the field of Judaeo Christian religion. It provides a foundational orientation to a spiritually significant and competent teaching ministry. Above all, this is a wise book, and as the Book of Proverbs tells us, it is only fools who despise wisdom and instruction.

The great Dallas Theological Seminary professor Dr. Hendricks shares with others his basic principles for passing on to his students the knowledge and passion for God's Word. Basically the book can be boiled down to one primary principle - you must have passion for what you know to transfer what you know to others. The book was originally released as The Seven Laws of the Teacher, but has since been repackaged and re-released under this new title with a new cover and design - but the truths shared by Hendricks are timeless and powerful - and should be read by EVERY teacher!

The first law of the teacher was the best, in my opinion - if you ever stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow. Dr. Hendricks challenges the teacher to remain a student, to always continue learning, pursuing truth and knowledge - and to pass that thirst on to their students - far more important than any particular lesson or tidbit of information is the thirst for knowledge and truth - and that is something that is modeled for students in the lives of the teacher. If the teacher is stale, the lessons and information can't be fresh!

The Seven Laws of the Teacher are as follows:
* The Law of the Teacher - if you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.
* The Law of Education - the way people learn determines how you teach.
* The Law of Activity - maximum learning is always the result of maximum involvement.
* The Law of Communication - to truly impart information requires the building of bridges.
* The Law of the Heart - teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart.
* The Law of Encouragement - teaching tends to be most effective when the learner is properly motivated.
* The Law of Readiness - the teaching-learning process will be most effective when both student and teacher are adequately prepared.

When it comes to impact Howard Hendricks is a master teacher. Following these proven principles helped my college classes become full. These principles work in formal classes, at any level, and in informal instruction. Parents will become more effective in their parenting. This is a small, easily read book that will produce big dividends.

This one is a must read from anyone. Prof Hendricks takes his usual down-to-earth style, and cram packs this book full of useful information. Whether you teach Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or just want to be a more effective witness of the gospel, this book is for you.

Communication and caring compassion is the key to teaching. Hendricks uses the acronym, "TEACHER," to relate his concepts. The examples of teacher-student interaction shared in his book illustrate the importance of communication and show of care that motivates students to learn. He states, "The greatest teachers are not necessarily the people up front with high visibility. They are the people who have great heart. They communicate as a total person, and they communicate to the total person of their hearers (87)." Another way to be a "person of impact," is to be "vulnerable" with one's students. Not only are communication and compassion important, but preparation. Hendricks relates, "Teaching involves a delicate balance between facts and form, between content and communication, between what you teach and how you teach it (77)." If teachers want to prepare their students to "think, learn, and work," then four skills need to be taught: "reading, writing, listening, and speaking" (48). Though this book is written for Sunday school teachers, it contains helpful suggestions for use in other teaching venues. For instance, Hendricks suggests a "self-examination" in which teachers ask three questions: "What are my strengths; what are my weaknesses, and what do I have to change?" (35). Great teachers are the ones who continue to grow in their own personal learning. Hendricks' book is a good reminder for all teachers of the main purpose for Bible teaching. Even if the teacher teaches in a secular institution, the basic principles of the book can be utilized. For instance, students will be more willing to try harder and put more effort into their school work if they know the teacher truly cares for them.

This book is an excellent resource for Church Education staff. This book covers some basic principles (or laws as he calls them) regarding teaching in the church environment. The law of readiness is my personal favorite of the bunch, as it basicially states that both student and teacher must be prepared for the teaching environment. This is so true and often followed in higher education, but perhaps not very well followed in church education. The sad news is that typicially the teacher is blamed for the students poor scholarship or lack orf learning. But according to Henricks a student must study, must come to class on time, and must be interested in the material to proactively learn.

There is much more good stuff in this book. Grab it its a great read!

This is the best book on teaching out there. Every teacher must read this book, and not just once, but every year. It is very practical and easy to read. Dr. Hendricks defines teaching as "causing people to learn" (87). The teacher is not somebody who covers material but enables students to change. Thus, the definition of learning is "change." This book is highly recomended.

As a future pastor/teacher and current sports coach, teaching has been an integral part of my life. I've been involved in teaching others since my first coaching job at age 13 and have been trained collegiately on teaching methods and on how to teach Biblically. I'm also always looking at ways to be a better teacher. When it came to teaching the Bible, every professor and scholar I read or learned under all pointed to the same name as their inspiration: Howard Hendricks.

Even though I read Teaching to Change Lives for a class on how to teach Biblically (CHMN 387 from LUO), it quickly became one of those textbooks that will find its greatest use outside the classroom. Within evangelical circles, Howard Hendricks is synonymous with "Christian education" and Teaching to Change Lives gives the reader a brief overview of why.

Nothing about Hendrick's teaching is all that revolutionary. In fact, Hendrick's model is based off the very methods and principles Jesus' used to teach. Such principles are divided into seven chapters to form the acronym TEACHER:

The law of the Teacher - If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow. Hendrick's core premise is that teachers must never stop learning. Stagnant water stinks meaning a teacher should be vibrant, full of life, and always learning.

The law of Education - The way people learn determines how you teach. This is an important premise because it puts the responsibility on the teacher to teach, not on the learner to learn. That is, each person learns differently, but it should be the teacher who adapts to learning style rather than the student trying to adapt to teaching style.

The law of Activity - Christian education should impact people, transform them, and produce tangible results. Christianity is the most revolutionary force on the planet and yet is often the institution most resistant to change.

The law of Communication - More than just speaking, Hendricks lays forth the case that Christian teachers must form relational bridges that provide weight to their teaching.

The law of the Heart - Teaching must involve more than one's intellect, but affect intellect, emotion, and volition. It is one personality transformed by the power of supernatural grace reaching out to effect in others the same.

The law of Encouragement - Teaching tends to be most effective if the learner is properly motivated. That is, the smartest person in the world not given reasons for learning something will learn less than the average person with a passion for the subject.

The law of Readiness - Be prepared to teach and prepare your learners to learn. More than just bringing in doughnuts to Sunday School, preparation requires working to develop lesson plans and class assignments.

Overall, these seven principles are ones that I've gone over time and time again, both in class and out. It's definitely positively affected how I teach. Definitely recommended for anyone in any sort of leadership position and a must-have for any church library.

This book provides seven ways to help you be a better teacher. The book is geared toward teaching the word of God, but could be applied to any subject.

The seven methods are summarized below:

1. Teachers never stop learning.
2. People learn differently - so teach them differently.
3. The most effective learning comes from involvement.
4. To communicate your subject you must know it well, believe it, and live it.
5. Teaching is from the heart, meaning your whole self.
6. Effective teaching is motivating.
7. Preparation of both teacher and student makes for the best learning experience.

The author dedicates one chapter each to the above mentioned topics. There is also an introductory chapter at the beginning and summary chapter at the end. At the end of each chapter there are some reflection type questions to ponder.

Overall, this is a good book and a worthwhile read if you are interested in improving your teaching.