New Resources from Discipleship Journal (NavPress)

Here are three new or upgraded resources put out by Discipleship Journal (NavPress) that you might find helpful in your lesson preparation or for your students as we approach the end of another calendar year:

1. DISCIPLESHIP JOURNAL ON-LINE ARCHIVES

I've been a subscriber to Discipleship Journal (DJ) magazine for over twenty years. I've also written many articles for this publication. And I find that I often use back issues of DJ as resources for various topics on which I teach.

Now, DJ has restructured their archives so that many portions of past issues are available on-line through their on-line archives. All you have to do is go to the archive homepage where you can browse by topic, by author's name, or do a search.

2. DISCIPLESHIP JOURNAL BIBLE READING PLANS

At the end of every fall semester (which for us, wraps up in December), I provide the ladies in my classes with various Bible reading plans. Though I've used several, I consistently return to those put out by DJ. I just think their the best, the most flexible, and the easiest to use.

In the past (with permission from DJ, of course), I've just run copies of the Bible Reading Plans I receive in the Nov/Dec issue of the magazine I receive each year. Now, DJ has offered them in batches of 25 that cost less than what it costs me to print them.

DJ offers three different Bible Reading Plans (all have free downloadable samples in PDF format):

• The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan (25 four-part readings per month designed to enable the user to read the Bible through in one year)
• Discipleship Journal's Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan (2 readings per day, one from a single OT book and one from a single NT book at a time)
• Discipleship Journal's 5x5x5 Reading Plan (5 minutes of reading, 5 days per week, plus 5 ways to dig deeper, that enable the user to read through the entire NT in one year)

3. Prayer Guides for Advent, Christmas, and the New Year (make great gifts)

These 3.5" x 7" laminated cards are sold in packs of 50 for only $5.60 (about 11 cents each), but they hold a wealth of encouragement:

• Christ in Christmas Advent Devotional Card
• 12 Prayers for Christmas
• Blessings for the New Year

Beyond these seasonal prayer guides, NavPress offers cards on a host of other topics (about 20). If you'd like to preview them first, you can order a sampler pack of 17 cards for under $5.

I hope you'll find something useful here for your students or for your lesson preparation.

'Til next time,
Joan

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (Prov. 4:18, NIV). 

Teaching/Learning Styles: Mix it Up!

Okay. I'll admit it. I'm a visual/verbal learner. I love words. I love to read, write, and take notes. And I love to see things in graph, chart, or picture form. It's how I learn best.

And, truth be told, I tend to use those styles when I teach. But if I use only those styles, I'll miss (and fail) many of the learners in my classes: not everyone learns the same way.

In prepping for our upcoming teacher training, I was again reminded of the need to use as many styles of teaching as possible; to mix it up; to plan teaching strategies around the many styles of learning (not just those I like best).

And this training curriculum (Teaching Adults: A Guide for Transformational Teaching, Leader Pack, LifeWay, ISBN# 0-6330-0849-4) does a nice job illustrating various teaching techniques (sorry, but I this curriculum has been discontinued and can no longer be purchased). The trainers in this curriculum categorize learning styles differently than school psychologists or other learning experts, but they cover just about any learning style found in the classroom.

Here are their learning style categories (adapted from Teaching Adults: A Guide for Transformational Teaching compiled by Rick Edwards):

• Physical learners (need to move, use their hands, role play, stand, etc.)
• Natural learners (learn best from illustrations or experiences related to nature)
• Musical learners (engage most effectively through music)
• Visual learners (need videos, object lessons, art activities, drawings or diagrams, etc.)
• Relational learners (learn best through personal interactions or personal stories)
• Logical learners (like statistics, methodology, inductive questions, outlines, etc.)
• Verbal learners (appreciate word studies, quotations, headlines, paraphrase activities, etc.)
• Reflective learners (like thought-provoking questions, meditation, journaling, Q & A, etc.)

I must admit that I rely far too heavily on verbal, natural, logical, and visual learning styles (as categorized above). I almost never use music, physical movement (for the students), or reflection in my lessons. I think perhaps I should.

How about you?

These trainers don't suggest using every approach every time; they suggest only that teachers be deliberate in the strategies they use and that they design their teaching strategies to the needs of the learners.

If our goal as teachers is student learning and life transformation, we should be willing to try what works best for our students, even if it's uncomfortable for us.

'Til next time,
Joan

New Resource for Teachers of LifeWay Bible Studies (Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby, etc.)

Greetings to servingHim (aka Ronnie Ward) who hosts "Teaching LifeWay Lessons," a blog devoted to serving Bible study teachers who use LifeWay curriculum (including Beth Moore, Henry Blackaby, etc.).

I didn't know about servingHim's blog until he commented here a few days ago. (Thanks, servingHim, for your comment and observation!)

ServingHim's blog, which has been in operation since May 2005, provides a wealth of suggestions and ideas for enhancing your teaching as well as overviews of various lessons. It also provides links to helpful resources. If you use LifeWay curriculum, you'll find a support and encouragement here. Check it out.

'Til next time,
Joan