Students say questions help them make connections
16/12/08 16:14 Filed in: Testimonial
We want our students to make
connections. We want our students to connect
what they study and what the Bible teaches.
Question: How do open-ended questions help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
Answer: Kim Essenburg, who
teaches English 10 at Christian Academy in Japan,
anchors her class in 4 questions: What’s wrong with
the world? Who am I? Who is my neighbor? What is the
significance of words? She anchors her class in these
questions because she believes that doing so helps
her students connect what they study and what the
Bible teaches.
Kim asked students to reflect on how her open-ended anchor questions helped them make connections. Says Kim, “I was encouraged to see the many different ways that students had made these questions personal, taking a personal interest in figuring out both what the Bible says and what those answers mean in their daily lives. The questions have really helped them make connections.” (See below for Kim’s students’ responses.)
Help your students make connections. Ask an open-ended question. Today.
Student responses:
(1) “What’s wrong with the world?” As sinful beings, there is so much dirt and evil within our nature that we can’t even fathom. Asking this question and learning what really is wrong with the world (we’re sinful, we’re lacking God, we’ve lost morality, etc.) awakened me in a way. We need to admit that there are problems in the world, and the only solution is God and action in reliance on God. The Holocaust was full of bitterness, hate, injustice, and so on (also the Rwanda genocide). The only way we can prevent these events from happening again is to ask God, who is love, for help.
(2) “Who am I?” helped me….We are made in the image of God, and all humans are created by God. Each and every one of us needs to…not only represent ourselves, but God as well.
(3) The question “What’s wrong with the world?” helped me. Many times in literature the characters are searching for truth and trying to escape whatever is wrong in their situations, so this question helps me connect to the Bible because the Bible tells us what exactly is wrong and how we can solve it (connecting to Christ).
(4) “Who is my neighbor?”—this question was probably the most personal. It’s something that affects us everyday. How one views his neighbor can be a big part of how he acts towards others. If we know that all humans are made in the image of God (including our neighbor), it is easier to help our neighbor. Our neighbor is anyone we are put in the position to help. Knowing they are our equal makes us feel responsible to help them and/or be kind to them. We meet our neighbors everyday; it’s not something we can escape from.
(5) I’ve thought about “What’s wrong with the world?” Before, my answer to this question was simply “sin.” I think I was able to gain a deeper knowledge of how humans are breaking shalom. Thus, I was able to connect more with the solutions that the Bible laid out. By learning specifically about how shalom is broken, I learned more about how shalom can be restored.
(6) “Who is my neighbor?” After learning about extreme suffering like the Holocaust and the 1994 Rwandan genocide, my thinking went through 3 stages:
(7) “What’s the significance of words?” probably had the most significance for me, because I was able to realize just how powerful words can be. Several Bible verses connect to this idea—John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word…”) and Genesis 1 both mention words as an amazing power that can bring whole universes into existence—without the Word, nothing could have been made. Jesus frequently talked about words—he says “you fool!” could put you in the danger of hell. In the past, people had focused more on direct actions, but Jesus shifted the emphasis to thoughts and speech. Finally, in Revelation 22:18-19 John says that the words he wrote were very important—no one could add or take away anything. Aside from the Bible, especially in classes like history, I’ve been able to better analyze what people say, not as absolute truth, but as an opinionated human response.
(8) “Who is my neighbor?”—this is a really big question. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but if I don’t know who my neighbor is, then I can’t obey Jesus. That’s why this question was helpful. It defined who my neighbor is, which is everyone because they are all created in the image of God. They deserve love, respect, and care. Through reading and studying, I realized how narrow-minded I was and how little I am. I hope to always remember to love my neighbors and maybe take concrete actions in the future.
(9) I think “Who is my neighbor?” is the…most helpful question. Sometimes I thought that only people living closer to my house or people I see in the church or school are my neighbors. However, as we read…a lot of literature and also through the Bible, I realized everyone…is my neighbor. I know that it is really hard for me to think about every neighbor and try to help them, but because God taught me to love my neighbor, I’ll try to love them as best I can.
Question: How do open-ended questions help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
Kim asked students to reflect on how her open-ended anchor questions helped them make connections. Says Kim, “I was encouraged to see the many different ways that students had made these questions personal, taking a personal interest in figuring out both what the Bible says and what those answers mean in their daily lives. The questions have really helped them make connections.” (See below for Kim’s students’ responses.)
Help your students make connections. Ask an open-ended question. Today.
Student responses:
(1) “What’s wrong with the world?” As sinful beings, there is so much dirt and evil within our nature that we can’t even fathom. Asking this question and learning what really is wrong with the world (we’re sinful, we’re lacking God, we’ve lost morality, etc.) awakened me in a way. We need to admit that there are problems in the world, and the only solution is God and action in reliance on God. The Holocaust was full of bitterness, hate, injustice, and so on (also the Rwanda genocide). The only way we can prevent these events from happening again is to ask God, who is love, for help.
(2) “Who am I?” helped me….We are made in the image of God, and all humans are created by God. Each and every one of us needs to…not only represent ourselves, but God as well.
(3) The question “What’s wrong with the world?” helped me. Many times in literature the characters are searching for truth and trying to escape whatever is wrong in their situations, so this question helps me connect to the Bible because the Bible tells us what exactly is wrong and how we can solve it (connecting to Christ).
(4) “Who is my neighbor?”—this question was probably the most personal. It’s something that affects us everyday. How one views his neighbor can be a big part of how he acts towards others. If we know that all humans are made in the image of God (including our neighbor), it is easier to help our neighbor. Our neighbor is anyone we are put in the position to help. Knowing they are our equal makes us feel responsible to help them and/or be kind to them. We meet our neighbors everyday; it’s not something we can escape from.
(5) I’ve thought about “What’s wrong with the world?” Before, my answer to this question was simply “sin.” I think I was able to gain a deeper knowledge of how humans are breaking shalom. Thus, I was able to connect more with the solutions that the Bible laid out. By learning specifically about how shalom is broken, I learned more about how shalom can be restored.
(6) “Who is my neighbor?” After learning about extreme suffering like the Holocaust and the 1994 Rwandan genocide, my thinking went through 3 stages:
- How could people let this happen?
- How can I let suffering today on this extreme scale go on? What can I do to help?
- What can I do to stop suffering on a smaller, more personal level?
(7) “What’s the significance of words?” probably had the most significance for me, because I was able to realize just how powerful words can be. Several Bible verses connect to this idea—John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word…”) and Genesis 1 both mention words as an amazing power that can bring whole universes into existence—without the Word, nothing could have been made. Jesus frequently talked about words—he says “you fool!” could put you in the danger of hell. In the past, people had focused more on direct actions, but Jesus shifted the emphasis to thoughts and speech. Finally, in Revelation 22:18-19 John says that the words he wrote were very important—no one could add or take away anything. Aside from the Bible, especially in classes like history, I’ve been able to better analyze what people say, not as absolute truth, but as an opinionated human response.
(8) “Who is my neighbor?”—this is a really big question. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but if I don’t know who my neighbor is, then I can’t obey Jesus. That’s why this question was helpful. It defined who my neighbor is, which is everyone because they are all created in the image of God. They deserve love, respect, and care. Through reading and studying, I realized how narrow-minded I was and how little I am. I hope to always remember to love my neighbors and maybe take concrete actions in the future.
(9) I think “Who is my neighbor?” is the…most helpful question. Sometimes I thought that only people living closer to my house or people I see in the church or school are my neighbors. However, as we read…a lot of literature and also through the Bible, I realized everyone…is my neighbor. I know that it is really hard for me to think about every neighbor and try to help them, but because God taught me to love my neighbor, I’ll try to love them as best I can.