Comments on: A secret influence of teaching and writing: Let your students and readers be discoverers.

By: The Key to Writing (in any genre): Steal well. - 22 Words

The Key to Writing (in any genre): Steal well. - 22 Words — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:32:41 +0000

[...] Let your readers be discoverers • An alternative to Strunk & White • Make every sentence [...]

By: Preaching and Teaching Resources « Chris’ Considerations

Preaching and Teaching Resources « Chris’ Considerations — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:33:37 +0000

[...] Piper, A secret influence of teaching and writing: Let your students and readers be discoverers, (22 [...]

By: Myrddin

Myrddin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:54:16 +0000

True.

By: AJ

AJ — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:57:46 +0000

Totally agree. I remember saying something like this about halfway through my seminary degree, then wishing that all my professors thought the same way.

By: avclark

avclark — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:13:18 +0000

A quote I’m sure you’re all familiar with, but along these lines and powerful in its brevity.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
Antoine de Saint Exupéry

By: murphy24p

murphy24p — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:40:20 +0000

This helps me to remember how some of the greatest bible teaching I have received has always caused me to want to read on… keep searching… exhaust the topic, if that is even possible.

Great post!

By: ED...

ED... — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:23:25 +0000

I’m sure we all remember Alexander Pope’s dictum:

Man must be taught as if you taught him not,
and things unknown proposed as things forgot.

Actually I’m not altogether sure we all do remember that…

;)

By: amoslanka

amoslanka — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:36:36 +0000

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”.

In the same way, teach a man to think and he will change the world.

By: Elizabeth Patton

Elizabeth Patton — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:01:37 +0000

Interestingly enough, it seems that this idea of discovery gets lost in the frantic push for higher test scores and grades.

In spite of my personal teaching philosophy, I’ve often wondered, am I truly teaching or just preparing my students for the next test/quiz?

In my experience, many many students don’t want to discover – they only want the information that will help them get an “A” on the next exam.

There are exceptions, of course and for those students, teaching is as much of a discovery(for me) as is learning is (for them).

What a joy that can be.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:52:09 +0000

I’ve thought a lot about how this fits in with preaching. Speaking passionately and saying important things aren’t enough. A preacher can be very clear and passionate in stating what it is that is so important, but without leading me there, my ears and mind will be at odds.

By: Really Robin

Really Robin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:17:11 +0000

I found this to be true while homeschooling five of our children. They did the work if I gave them step-by-step directions, but they LEARNED if I gave them guidelines.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:44:05 +0000

My apologies for the bad link. Try this.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:36:04 +0000

Well stated, and I agree. I think C.S. Lewis would agree as well. I like #4 in particular.