THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH

THE WEIGHT OF THE TASK

The instructional approach is the dominant philosophy for studying the Bible and forming the faith of teenagers in most churches. Drawing from educational theory and educational philosophy, those who take an instructional approach tend to emphasize the similarity between learning religion and any other content. In fact, as one Christian educator has argued: "Religion teaching is basically no different from any other kind of teaching. Nor is the learning of religion basically different from any other kind of learning." As such, advocates for taking an instructional approach in forming youth in the faith structure their curriculum and techniques to replicate the educational research and practices that guide public educational practices. The aim or goal of instruction is to bring the student to an understanding of the content being taught. If the goal of understanding is accomplished, then the hopeful outcome for the student will be application of the content to the student's personal life and behavior. Over time the student should mature in faith, evidenced by changes in the student's life choices and actions and resulting in the student becoming progressively more mature in Christian faith and life.

As one educator has described it, "the teacher is to consider what knowledge and understanding the student has gained, how faith and thought have been integrated, what Christian values and attitudes have been acquired, what level of theological maturity is evidenced, and what patterns or operations of living have been formed." With all these things in mind, the teacher then structures the next learning experience for students, which most often occurs in a formal classroom or designated learning environment.

If this sounds heady and potentially over-structured, then advocates of an instructional approach might actually rejoice because many of them lament the way in which the teaching efforts of youth ministry often suffer from lack of planning, intentionality, and spiral growth structures. Most tragic, say advocates of an instructional approach, is the poor preparation we give to those we call teachers. In an instructional framework, the teacher is an incredibly important component, and yet most churches spend more time and money on curriculum than preparing teachers to actually teach the curriculum! While the content that is taught is vitally important to advocates of an instructional approach, what is equally important are trained and quality teachers who understand the weight of the task they have been given and who approach the teaching moment with both prayer and preparation.

As one student of youth ministry observed, "I think the church not only does a very poor job of teaching, but an even worse job of bringing up effective teachers." Those who take an instructional approach to opening the Bible with teenagers advocate for four important keys to the success of the approach:

• Teaching teenagers what the Bible says, or a focus on content;

• Bringing students to understand (and trust) the content of Scripture;

• Helping students recognize how the Bible should apply or make a difference in everyday life;

• Equipping and preparing teachers for their task.

The instructional approach shouldn't be confused with just schooling; one can utilize an instructional approach to opening the Bible with teenagers outside of a classroom. The instructional approach isn't determined by the context in which it occurs, nor even by the teaching methods that are employed, but rather by the goal of the approach and the desired outcome for students.

Anchoring the instructional approach is a belief that the truth of Scripture, if delivered to young people, can instigate a change of mind and heart. Scripture needs to be handled by an experienced interpreter so that it can be made understandable to youth. The teacher, or those writing the curriculum, act as interpreters who pre-chew the Word and break it down so that it can be meaningful to youth and they can then determine how Scripture "applies" to their lives. The teacher is meant to pinpoint in Scripture the truth that needs to be communicated and to then present it in such a way that the student can grasp it, understand it, and thus live in light of God's Word.

When approaching teaching from an instructional approach, the point is to teach the truth of Scripture in a way that can be applied to one's life. Therefore, action steps or some kind of "take-home point" are not uncommon, though application should ideally be more interactive than presenting students with canned responses about how the Scripture's truth applies to the individual and personal life of the student.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHER IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH

From the vantage of the instructional approach, the teacher is crucially important as the one who brings truth before students. The teacher determines the content to be learned, known, and investigated. Not only will the teacher select the Scripture to be examined but also the teacher selects the particular points of understanding that students will be moved toward, as well as the basic contours of how the Scripture likely applies to the students' lives.

The instructional approach tends to flow from the banking model of education. In the banking model the instructor has knowledge that needs to be deposited into the heads of students. Teaching is a transfer of knowledge and, if that transfer of knowledge is performed, then the student will be able to move toward grasping and understanding that knowledge. The learner is one who needs to receive knowledge of the truth and respond to that truth.

Instruction begins by the teacher providing knowledge and explanation to the student: "This is the reason that ...," or, "Here's what should happen when. ..." In an instructional framework, the interpretations, understandings, and the views of the teacher (and community) are passed along to the student, shaping the student's ways of knowing, the student's discrete knowledge, and the student's understanding.

An instructional approach to opening the Bible with youth "focuses on the teacher and on teaching responsibility more than on the student." This is not to say that the student is unimportant, but rather that the success of an instructional approach depends significantly on the skill and preparation of the teacher. If the teacher doesn't know how to teach, if the teacher is unskilled in handling Scripture, or if the teacher doesn't have his or her life and knowledge in order, then the instructional approach falls apart.

Since the role of the teacher is so important in this approach, there is great respect for the training of teachers. If we would never consider sending an untrained teacher into a public school classroom to teach middle school math, then why would we ever consider sending such a person into a church classroom to teach middle schoolers the Christian faith? Consequently, robust training and...