Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

"IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD ..." (John 1:1)

God spoke the world into being with the words, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). The Christian world knows God's Word through Jesus the Christ. Words, both spoken and written, have shaped and formed Christians for centuries.

The Bible as we know it began in the telling of stories around campfires. The oral tradition insured that stories of God's greatness and of the faith of God's people were passed on from generation to generation. All this took place long before there was a written word. These stories, told around campfires, sung in the psalms, and later recited in the homes of people who could not read, kept God's message alive. The words were so powerful they filled generations of illiterate but faithful people with hope.

As language developed in the written form, stories of faith were recorded to insure their preservation. Monks painstakingly copied the Bible by hand until Gutenberg's invention of the printing press made the Bible available to more people. Today the Bible and other books relating to faith help people all over the world read and know God's word.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence incorporates our ability to use the spoken and written word to communicate. By the use of speaking and listening, reading and writing, we explore, expand, and express our deepest thoughts and emotions. We can do this in literally hundreds of ways. For many this is the most used intelligence.

PROFILE

Connie is editor of her church's newsletter. She expresses herself well and thinks in words. She has a love of language and enjoys reading, writing, and playing with words. Connie is a good listener and often can find a story within a story to interest the congregation. She is an avid attender of the adult class and often does research beyond class time.

Careers that favor the Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence include authors, editors, poets, journalists, and talk show hosts.

BRAIN RESEARCH

Personal storytelling makes connections between past and current information. This connection helps imprint learning.

Beginning your class by discussing the last lesson helps imprint the meaning and make connections from week to week.

Ending your class by revisiting the focus of the lesson in a variety of ways helps imprint learning.

Practicing positive affirmations enhances the learning environment.

Using discussion, debate, and questions stimulates the brain to think deeper and richer.

Asking how and why questions draws out patterns that expose the limitations of thinking.

Using semantic memory by incorporating word association, similarities, and differences imprints learning.

Using acrostics helps form patterns for recall.

ENVIRONMENT

An environment conducive to the Verbal/Linguistic learner incorporates posted information, such as an agenda for the day's activities, ground rules for classroom behavior, a glossary of terms to be used or that have been used in previous lessons. This environment should be rich with written materials such as Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and other resource books. Magazines and newspapers dealing with timely issues that support your lessons are invaluable resources for this kind of learner.

VOCABULARY

Use the following words to engage your Verbal/Linguistic learners:

answer debate elaborate give examples paraphrase recall
argue define embellish interpret present restate
convince discuss explain interview read summarize

STIMULATE the Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence by using these techniques in your lesson:

* Invite your students to share a personal anecdote with a partner relating to content;

* Read or recite a poem or story that leads into the content;

* Invite students to "tell me all you know about ..." (the content);

* Use a cartoon or comic strip related to your lesson;

* Record or ask questions that will be covered in the content.

INCORPORATE the Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence by teaching with several of these techniques:

* Read a specific Scripture verse in several different versions or translations. Compare and contrast what the writers are attempting to communicate by their choice of words;

* Use Bible dictionaries or commentaries as you study a specific Scripture passage to get a deeper understanding of the meaning of words, the cultural influences, and the traditions that undergird that passage;

* Agree to an open discussion of thoughts, reactions, feelings, insights about Scripture passages;

* Debate an issue in a formal or informal way;

* Share how a particular Scripture passage has meaning in your life;

* Study the Scripture for the sermon. Make your own discoveries and explore what the Scripture means to you to bring a broader understanding to the message each Sunday;

* Read books that offer insights and challenge understandings of Scripture;

* Write reactions to your Scripture study in the form of

poems (see page 105 for sample formats)

journal entries of a particular character in your study

editorials or letters to the editor about your study

letters to or from a major character in your study

reports on various aspects of your lesson

* Tell "round robin" scriptural stories—one person begins with a few sentences, each succeeding

* person continues the story from where the last person left off;

* Record your definitions of faith (remind your learners there are no right or wrong answers);

* Keep a journal of miracles—share them periodically;

* Use the "jigsaw" technique—each person/small group studies part of the lesson and shares the part with the total group;

* Use "T Charts" (see page 33 for example);

* Brainstorm ideas (see "Rules for Brainstorming," page 32);

* Use a concordance—find as many scriptural references as you can for a key word in your lesson;

* Open your Bible at random. Close your eyes and point to a place on the page. Read the scriptural passage. Discover what it is saying to you today;

* Select a Scripture passage and read it each day for a week. Reflect on the message you receive each day;

* List Top Ten Reasons for ...;

* Read a scriptural passage. Go back and read it again, asking what participants see, hear, and feel as the words are read;

* Create a journal to record evidence of: happiness, sadness, excitement, new life, and so on;

* Read the phrase, "Christ the Lord is risen today" six times, each time emphasizing a different word to find the nuance in the...