Jose Bowen, dean of Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts, uses a teaching technique in his college classrooms he calls, "Teaching Naked." Don't worry - it actually has nothing to do with the removal of clothing, but it is an interesting idea worth considering. The basic concept is laid out in this article and audio story (which I recommend you listen to now), but here's a quick summary. Rather than using technology in the classroom to communicate information via PowerPoint or other methods, he introduces a topic briefly, then instructs students to do online exercises and research before class. When the students come together, the classroom setting becomes a place for debate conversation, role-plays and the like.
Bowen makes the point that far from being an anti-technology approach, it recognizes that students are engaged with technology at many times during the day and are very comfortable with games, simulations, and other ways of exploring digital information. This concept could be adapted for use in your own educational setting. Here are three examples to get you thinking about the concept.
Children's Ministry Software
Most Christian education software has used the traditional model of distribution, in which churches or families buy a copy of a software package and install it on a single computer. That model is slowly starting to change. Cokesbury, for example, once offered a software subscription that allows you to give every family in your church a copy of their games. [Note: I have not been able to verify if this is still available, but I believe it was discontinued.] Sunday Software is exploring the possibility of creating games that can be played online in a browser. Either of these approaches would create a situation where kids could play with a game before coming to your Sunday school class. Then, the classroom setting could utilize drama, music, artwork, and other teaching methodologies that don't require technology. Even if the software isn't put out by a Christian publisher, you may still find simulation games like these that would be worth considering.
Youth Ministry Video Clips
The chances are good you've used movie clips as a teaching tool in your youth ministry. What inevitably happens when you turn off the movie is that the youth complain, wanting you to continue to run the clips longer. By having youth watch the movie in advance of your youth group session, you eliminate the need to view the clips together and you can thus spend more time exploring your lesson theme in other ways. (You could still offer a movie night on the weekend before the session for those youth who don't have the ability to watch the film on their own at home, or for anyone who just wants to watch the movie with friends.)
Adult Social Issues Discussion
Let's say you want to spend a couple of weeks exploring a social issues topic like world hunger in your class. Instead of spending a half hour or more watching and then discussing a documentary together, give your class members three to five sites related to world hunger to explore. Some might be filled with lots of in-depth articles, while others may have videos or simulations. Let them learn about the the topic on their own, but tell them you expect them to come ready to talk about what they have learned and are interested in doing about the problem.
Do you have other ideas of how you have or could "teach naked" in your Christian education ministry? Please share your thoughts on our blog.
~ by Tim Gossett