10.

CHOOSING AND USING

CREATIVE METHODS
Robert Joseph Choun, Jr.

1
,

Jesus Chris t, the perfe ct Teach er, is our mode l for choo sing and
using
creat ive meth ods. In fact, Hom e states , "In a way not surpr ising
but
confi rmato ry of our previ ous impre ssion s, Jesus embo dies those quali
-
ties of the Teac her comm only set up as ideal. "'
Jesus used a varie ty of meth ods to get peop le activ ely invol ved
in . the learn ing proce ss. He comb ined His word s with His
work s.
I. Jesus said, 'Whi le I am in the world , I am the light of the
world " Oohn 9:5 ). Jesus then heale d the man who was born blind
The
man's respo nse was, "I was blind but now I see!" (v. 25)
2. Jesus said, "I am the resur rectio n and the life. He who be-
lieves in Me will live, even thoug h he dies; and whoe ver lives
and
belie ves in Me will neve r die. Do you belie ve this?" ( 11 :25-2 6) Jesus
then raised Lazar us from the dead (vv. 43-44 ).
3. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who come s to Me will
neve r go hung ry, and he who belie ves in Me will neve r be thirst
y"
(6:35 ). Earlie r in the chapt er, Jesus had fed the 5,000 (vv. 1-14) .
Jesus ' meth ods move d His listen ers from simp le know ledge of
the facts to prop er attitu des and action s. The Mast er Teac her knew
that
··-,learning• is -chan ge-fr om the old life to the new.
Jesus used the follow ing meth ods in His teach ing and preac hing
minis try:
1. Obje ct lesso ns Oohn 4:1-4 2}-u sing famil iar 'wate r," to
help the Sama ritan wom an unde rstan d the unfam iliar "liv-
ing Wate r."
2. Point s of conta ct ( 1 :35-5 1 }-us ing oppo rtuni ties to build
relati onshi ps with peopl e, Andr ew, John, Peter , Philip , and
Natha nael.
· ·- - · --- .-_:.•3,_-;:Aim s -{ 4:34 )-to ,.mov. e. peop le to action .
4. Probl em-so lving (Mar k 10:1 7-22 )-to move peop le to un-

166
 - ' .. , .. ,...., '-, l\l ~A llVE MET HOD S

dt'rs tand and app ly J esus ' wor ds.

5. Con vt.-rs:itio n ( v. 27} -to mov e p eop le to
obe die nee.
6 . Q uest ions -As reco rded in the Gos pe ls, Jesu s
aske d mor e
tl1a n I 00 q u esti o ns fo r the purp ose of prov okin
g peo ple t 0
tl1in k and to seek the trutl l.
7. Ans wer s--J esus use d His answ ers to mov e
peo ple from
w h e re they wer e to whe re tlley nee ded to be in
orde r to
gro,v spir itua lly. J esus enc oura ged peo ple to disc
trut h. ove r the
8 . Lec ture (Ma tthe w 5-7 ; Joh n 14- 17) -Jes us
mad e use of
disc our se to inst ruct and con vinc e the peo ple in
the trut h.
9. Pa rabl es Ooh n 10:1 -21; 15:1 -10 )-Je sus taug
ht by illus trat-
ing spir itua l trut h with fam iliar situ atio ns.
10. Scr iptu re-- Jesu s quo ted exte nsiv ely from
the Old Test a-
men t to teac h peo ple God 's trut h.
11. The teac hab le mom ent ( 4:5 -26 )-Je sus
took eve ry opp or-
tuni ty to mak e an ordi nary situ atio n a "tea chin g
situa tion ."'
12. Con tras t (Ma tt. 5:21 -22, 33-3 4, 38-3 9, 43- 44)
-Jes us con -
tras ted His king dom with wor ldly stan dard s, givi
ng the lis-
tene r a cho ice for obe dien ce.
13~ Con cret e and liter al exam ples ( 6:26 -34 )-Je
sus used the
con cret e to teac h abst ract trut hs suc h as trus t,
grea tnes s,
hos pita lity, disc iple ship , etc.
14. Sym bols (26: 17-3 0; Joh n 13:1 -20 )-Je sus
use d sym bols ,
suc h as the Pass ove r befo re His dea th and was
hing His
disc iple s' feet , to teac h grea t less ons.
15. Larg e and sma ll grou ps (Ma tt. 5-7 ; Joh n
14- 17) -Jes us
taug ht larg e gro ups ( the crow ds, the mul titu des)
and sma ll
gro ups ( the disc iple s).
16. Indi vidu al teac hing opp ortu niti es Ooh n 3:1-
21; 4:5-26 )-
Jesu s too k the initi ativ e in reac hing out to indi vidu
als, help -
ing them und erst and who He was and wha t He
was goin g
to do.
17. Mod elin g (Ma tt. 15:3 2; Luk e 18:1 5-1 7)-J esu
s, the Mas ter
Tea che r, was the Tru th and mod eled wha t it mea
nt to be a
Man who love d God the Fath er.
18. Mot ivat ion {.Matt. 16:2 4-27 ; 20:2 1-28 ; Mar
k 1:1 6-1 8}-
Jesu s mot ivat ed His foll owe rs to acti on. He spar
ked _a re-
spo nse from with in the pers on to god line ss and
obe dien ce
to the Fath er.
19. Imp ress ion and exp ress ion (Ma tt. 4:19 -20;
7:2 0)-J esu s
use d Him self to imp ress and mot ivat e His foll owe
and obe y. Jesu s was God in the flesh , yet He
rs ~ 1;
help e
disc iple s dec ide for them selv es.

167
 L'\"G
THE C HRl ~TIAN EDllC .4. TOR'S HA.'1 \"DBO OK 0~ TE.ACH

of a
20. Hims elf (28: I 9 -20 )-Jes us p osses sed the quali ties
grea t teach er: a globa l ,ision , unde rstan ding of man ,
mas-
tery of all kno,v ledge . abilit y in teach ing. and a life that was
an exam ple to those v.ilom He taugh t.
prop er
In your teach ing minis try. ho,v can you choo se and use
le to actio n~
and excit ing teach ing meth ods that will chall enge peop
sing and using
obed ience , and grov. -th? Cons ider five areas when choo
creat ive teach ing meth ods.

UND ERS TAN D THE CRIT ERIA

ing any
Ther e are ten crite ria that shou ld be unde rstoo d befo re teach
age-l evel.
LES.SON AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.
\\7ha t are your lesso n aims and objec tives ? Wha t do you want
from God' s
your learn ers to KNO W, FEEL, and DO based on the lesso n
the stu-
\~ford ? Your class sessi on shou ld conta in a balan ce betw een
what it has
dent 's knov .rledg e of God's Word , a prop er attitu de towa rd
life.
to teach , and the willi ngne ss to apply the teach ing to his
NUM BER OF LEARNERS.
each
A large class shou ld be divid ed into smal l grou ps. Will
ed instr uc-
smal l grou p need a grou p leade r? \ V ill leade rs need print
muc h to
tions ? How much time will be given to small grou p work ? How
the assem bled class ?
SIZE OF CLAS SROO M.
?
Asse ss your class room caref ully. How large is the class room
Wou ld it be
Can you divid e the class comf ortab ly into smal ler grou ps?
ing meth ods?
best to ask for anot her class room to facili tate your teach
ALLO TfED TIME .
on? If
How muc h time do you really have for your teach ing sessi
ing activ i-
you have one hour or long er, you can inco rpora te many learn
Scrip ture. If
ties, prov iding time for expl orati on and disco very of the
·,t ime is shor t, ·-reev alua te the minu tes you devo
te to large grou p
activ ities.
EQU IPME NT AND FACIUTIF.S.
smal l
Eval uate your clas.5 room facili ties and equi pmen t. Wou ld
the teach ing
table s help foste r a warm er, more intim ate atmo sphe re in
pmen t? Must
sessi on? Do you have acce ss to visua ls and audio visua l equi
favo r of in-
large item s of furni ture or equi pme nt be mov ed out in
creas ed floor spac e?
RESO URC ES Al\1D CURRICULUM.
both to
· · . ..- •~Eval uate your teach ing resou rces and curri culu m; gear
ing/l earni ng
the age-l evel of your learn ers. Invo lve stud ents in the teach

168
 Cl IOOSING AND USING CREATTVE METHODS

process and provide many creative methods to motivate them to obedi-

ence to our Lord.
LOCATION OF THE ROOM.
Is your room located in a quiet area of the building ?r next to a
nursery filled with crying babies? Docs the morning sun. shi_ne throu~
d 1 e windows, preventing everyone from seeing the pro1ectton screen.
Locate rooms in spaces conducive to learning.
AGE OF LEARNERS.
Review the suggested schedule for the age-level of your learn-
-ers. Each age-level requires a special schedule. Teaching young children
(see chap. 7) is much different from teaching adults (see chap. 9).
Remember the age-group characteristics and needs of your learners.
Attention span, literal-concrete vs. abstract thinking, verbal and motor
skills, all play a very important part in your choice of methods.
CLIMATE OF THE GROUP.
How long have these people studied together as a class? If
they've been together for six n1onths or longer and have had monthly
socials together, they will probably share on an intimate level. People
relatively new to each other will not want to share on a deep level.
Evaluate the level of trust, confidence, expectation, and commitment
before selecting a method.
TEACHER( S ).
Are you the only teacher? If so, you do all of the planning for
the teaching sessions. If, however, you have one or more people teach- •
ing with you, meet together at least monthly to pray and plan for the
upcoming month's or quarter's class sessions. Team teaching can be an
. exciting method in itself. Teachers can model relationships for class
,.· members ( 1 Cor. 11: 1 ) .

. . UNDERSTAND TIIE LEARNING PROCESS

. :f: Knowing how people learn and teaching accordingly can help them
·.._ respond to God's Word with growth and obedience. What learning
--·, process should a teacher follow?

:I APPROAOI > > >EXPLORE DISCOVER AS.WME RESPONSIBILITY

•

APPROACH.
__::; . Th~ approach activity is designed to get the learner thinking
.: . about and involved in the session theme. For young children this in-
-"~' ·- volves learning activities that give each child experiences relative to the
'"'!-'J' •

169
 THE CHRISTIAN EDUCA TOR'S HANDB OOK ON TEACH ING

focus from God's Word . Eleme ntary childr en begin with an activit y to
build readin ess for the Bible study. Youth and adults usuall y enjoy an
activit y that challe nges them to think and verbal ize their though ts on a
specifi c topic. An appro ach activit y can begin when the first learne r
walks into the room, thus using every minut e for the teachi ng session
.
EXPLO RE.
Allow ing learne rs to explo re God's Word can be extrem ely
reward ing. Explo ration activit ies requir e extra prepar ation, but the in-
vestm ent pays off. Young childr en are asked to explo re the "God's
Wond ers" table where they will be learnin g throug h nature activit ies.
Letting childr en partic ipate in Bible study keeps their intere st and cre-
ates the excite ment of explo ration of somet hing new. Youth and adults
also need to explo re and make observ ations for thems elves to see God's
Word throug h a new perspe ctive.
DISCO VER.
Learn ers not only need to explor e God's Word but also to make
observ ations and discov eries. Imagin e a young child discov ering what it
was really like for the blind man in · John 9: 1-41. "I can't s~e," the
blindf olded little boy compl ains as he moves aroun d the roo~ not
knowi ng where his next step will lead him. The blindf old remov e~ he
respon ds, "I can see! I can see!" The teache r whisp ers, "How do you
think the blind man felt after Jesus healed him?" That exper ience will
remai n with a learne r much longer than the simple fact, ''Jesus healed
the blind man" as told by a teache r. With the right guida nce and en-
courag ement , youth and adult learne rs can make excell ent discov eries
from God's Word and contri bute them to the rest of the class.
ASSUM E RESPO NSIBI LI1Y.
Jesus, in His teachi ng sessio ns, encou raged peopl e to move
towar d matur ity. He was consta ntly direct ing His follow ers to obedi-
ence. In Mark 10:17- 23, Jesus told the rich, young ruler, "Go, sell every•
thing you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasu re in
heave n. Then come, follow Me." James 1:22 says, "Do not merel y listen
.to the Word, and so deceiv e yourse lves. Do what it says."
Takin g the
time in class to help studen ts apply God's Word to life assists in the
growt h proces s. Every effect ive teache r works for chang e in the life of
each class memb er.

UNDE RSTA ND THE TEAC HING SCHEDULE

Learne rs at each age-le vel have specif ic charac teristi cs and specia l
. oeeds Challe nge each learne r in light of his develo pment : physic al,
menta l, social , emotio nal~ and spiritu al. Imple ment the teachi ng/lea rning
proce ss differe ntly for each age-gr oup.

170
 CHOO SI NG AND USlNG rnl'.:' .. llVE
~ n.c.J"I. METIi O DS

EARLY CHIL DHOO D (BIRT H THRO UGH AGE SIX).

Resea rch studie s show that a child devel ops app • ately
roxun
perce nt of hi~ or her intell igenc e by the age of four, 50
anoth er
perce nt by eight, and the final 20 perce nt by seven teen. 2 30

Youn g explo rers spend every minu te disco verin g thems el

and their worl d They can learn throu gh a sched ule of activi
. creati ve meth ods desig ned speci ficall y for their age-le vel
ties ~e:
Play occup ies an increa singly large place in the child 's life. A
child plays spont aneou sly. You don't have to teach him bow to
play or provi de him with speci al toys. The urge come s from
withi n. A child learns , devel ops, and build s know ledge throu gh
play. Play reflec ts child ren's under stand ing of the world and is
there fore a const ant testin g of the worl d'

The Bible teach ing sched ule for youn g child ren shoul d inclu de:
1. Bible learn ing activ ities (30-4 5 minu tes). BLAs allow
learn ing to begin as soon as the first stude nt arrive s. They also provi
de
for the child 's const ant need for activi ty and play. B ~ stimu late
the
child' s intere st, guidi ng it towa rd the focus for that teach ing sessio
n. A
choic e of sever al BI.As give him the freed om to selec t an activi ty and
to
accep t the respo nsibil ity for his decis ion. BLAs provi de oppo rtunit
ies
for the guide d conve rsatio n neede d to weav e script ural truth s
into
every day activi ties. Lastly , Bl.As provi de for the small group exper ience
s
that youn g child ren need for prope r socia l devel opme nt.
2. Wors hip time (1~1 5 minu tes). Child ren move to a large
group for wors hip time. Here, the child partic ipates in addit ional activi
-
---ti es focus ed on the them e from God's Word Teach ers lead child
ren in
~ -music , praye r, repet ition of the mem ory verse , fing er~ large
musc le
.._activi ties, actio n songs , ackno wledg ment of birthd ays, and the offer
in~
.:..-;· Teach ers not invol ved in the direc t leade rship of wors hip time
sit on
. · the floor in the mids t of the child ren.
-+ 3- Bible story and activ ity time (10-1 5 minu tes). Our main
objec tive in tellin g Bible storie s is not to have child ren reme mber
the
-: small detail s. We want the Bible to speak to the child abou
t his life at
_..,.;; home , in his neigh borho od, and at churc h.
·
: Bible story time is a small group activi ty in whic h a teach er bas
~ the same group of child ren throu ghou t the year. Prese rving the sroaJI
:~ group helps build those vital teach er/stu dent relatio nship s.
-§I · Use creat ive meth ods to tell the . story . Toe wors t meth od that
-~?Ecan be used this week is the same meth od that was used succe
s.5fully
· - ._" last week . Thou gh very youn g child ren enjoy . some
. repet · ·
ition, older
,_

171
 chi ldr en find it mo not on~ us.
Ac tivi ty tim e rev iew s and rei•nfiorc es the tru th fou nd in the
Bible sto ry. Co lor ing pages, s1m · 1 pro jec ts gui ded con ver sat ion . d
p e . , d , an
que stio ns can hel p mo ve the you ng ct·
chi ld tow ard un ers tan ing an d
a I ing the tru th fro m Go d's
PP y 4. Un til par ent s com e. Wo rd.
A wis e tea ~he r ~il l alw ays h~v e gam
and son gs ava ilab le for you ng chi ldr en es
unt il the ir par ent s ar~1ve. Co m-
bin ing son gs wit h the "cl ean -up gam
e" enc our age s coo per a~t ~n. Or der
res our ces fro m you r cur ric ulu m pub lish
er or you r loc al Ch nst tan boo k-
sto re.

CH ILD RE N (GRADES 1-6 )

Eac h mi nut e of you r Sun day mo rni ng

sch edu le sho uld con trib -
ute eff ect ive ly to the lea rni ng exp eri
enc e of the chi ld. !us t as all
the pie ces of a puz zle int erl ock to
pro du ce on e pic tur e, so
sho uld eve ry par t of you r sch edu le fit
coh esi vel y int o an ove ral l
pur pos e."

J. , Bib le sttt 4y (to tal of 30 mi

nu tes ). Th e chi ld's Bib le stu dy
tim e ·div ide s int o thr ee sec tio ns for pro per inv olv
em ent , com pre hen -
sio n, and app lica tio n.
a. Re adi nes s act ivi ties ( app rox . 10 mi _ _
nut es) . Set up rea din ess
act ivi ties bef ore the firs t chi ld wa lks
int o the cla ssr oom . As chi ldr en
arr ive , the y cho ose -o rie of sev era l act
ivit ies , eac h on e pro vid ing inf or-
ma tio n wh ich wil l aid in the ir und
ers tan din g . of the Bib le sto ry. Ch il-
dre n can wo rk on on e or mo re act
ivi ties in the tim e pro vid ed.
b. Bib le sto ry ( app rox . 10 mi nut es)
. Th e Bib le sto ry can be tol d
live by the tea che r; or pla yed on aud
io or vid eo tap e. Th e rea din ess
act ivi ties sho uld be wo ven int o the
sto ry, pro vid ing geo gra phi cal , his -
tor ica l, arc heo log ica l, or cul tur al bac
kgr oun ds for the eve nts . An exa m-
ple wo uld be usi ng a cra yon res ist
tec hn iqu e on po ste r bo ard to hav e
the han dw riti ng app ear on the wi ll
as in Da nie l 5, "B els haz zar 's Fea st."
· · c. Life app lic ati on ( app rox . 10 mi
nut es) . Th is sec tio n is de-
sig ned to enc our age chi ldr en to liv
e Go d's wa y. Ac tiv itie s, dis cus sio n,
and dec isio ns sho uld all hel p chi ldr
en in dis cov eri ng the rel ati ons hip
bet we en Bib le tru ths tha t the y hav e
bee n stu dyi ng and ~e ir day -to -da y
exp eri enc es. Pla nne d que stio ns, alo
ng wi th the use of a stu den t gui de,
can hel p pu t Go d's Wo rd int o the
lea rne rs. hea rts , mi nds , and act ion s of the se

. 2. Bib le lea rni ng act ivi tie s (to tal

of 20 -30 mi nu tes ). BLAs
r~ vt~ and ~ei nfo rce the Bib le sto ry
and the tru ths tau ght . Th ese act ivi -
. ·. tae.s ,mv olv e sm all.:,gr oup s tha
dram B.b t wo rk wi th art mu sic cre ati ve wr itin
a, 1 le gam es, and oth er ski lls. Wh g,
' '
ate ver the act ivi ty, chi ldr en
17 2
 CHO OSI NG ANO USI NG CRE ATIV
E MET HOD S

. of ability. The sam e

work on their_ lev e1 uld also put tog ethclas s tha t pro duc ed the cra yon
er a "fri eze " (m ura l) dep icti ng
resist for Oam~l 5hco hap ter Later it cou ld be dis pla yed on the
all the eve uts m t at sam e c . '
walls of the cla ssro om so ti1at the tea che r and chi.ldr en cou Id ''wa lk
Th' tr·
th ro ugh" .tl1e sto ry o f D ant.e l a nd the eve nts of his life. ts tez e cou Id
Id
. th h h
also be disp lay ed m e c urc h nar the x so tha t par ent s cou see t e
rogress ma de by the ir chi ldre n. •
p 3 Bib le sha rin g (to tal of 10- 15 min ute f h
s). Thi s par t O t e
·- hou r inc l~d es acti viti es tha t all foc us on
the the me fro m Go d's Wo rd
--·· .:...,:_tha t has just bee n stu die d. Music, pra
yer , me mo ry ver se, tea che r/le arn er
: ; testimonies, and the offe ring poi nt the
chi ldr en tow ard the Lor d and
:--.~. wh at His Wo rd has me ant to eac h one
. .
~-~- - 4. Un til par ent s come. Wa itin g for par ent
· :.· proble.m in chi ldre n's ministry. Having s to arr ive can be a
Bib le gam es and sev era l s~n gs
·. available can be hel pfu l. Res our ces can
be sec ure d fro m you r cur ncu -
·1um pub lish er or you r loc al Chr isti an boo
kst ore .
YO UT H/A DU LT (GRADES 7-1 2 / CO
LLE GE AN D AB OV E.)
J. Fel low shi p tim e (ea rly arr iver s
unt il less on beg ins ). Yo uth
_ and adu lts nee d clo se fellowship. The y enj
oy the ir pee r gro ups and the
· activities tha t acc om pan y the se nie ani ngf
ul rela tion shi ps. Fel low shi p be-
. gins wh en the first lea rne rs arrive. Som
etim es this me ans talk ing , pra y-
ing, or sha ring ligh t refr esh me nts. Fel •
low shi p tim e sho uld enc our age
.- _war mth and acc ept anc e wit hin the gro
up. Th e cla ss sho uld be a pla ce
--~ wh ere you th and adu lts feel com for tab
le and lov ed by oth er cla ss me m-
-~ - bers. Thi s tim e also pro vid es a we lco me
for visi tors .
2. App roa ch (10 min ute s). The app roa ch
·.: )ea rne rs' atte ntio n on the ses sion top ic act ivit y foc use s the
or the me . It mig ht be a dis cus -
. ·-:-_:: sion que stio n, a nei ghb or- nud ge, a gra
ffiti pos
-· :_·:=:~mo re tha n a hun dre d diff ere nt me tho ds. Cla ter, a puz zle , or one of
ss me mb ers rar ely com e to
~ 'Class wit h a lea rne r's atti tud e. The y
hav e gon e thr oug h an ent ire we ek
:Jif pf eve nts and tria ls sin ce last Sunday.
. ~- the m thin kin g abo ut the top ic or the Th e app roa ch act ivit y can get
me .
\. . _ 3. Exp lor ing ,Go d's Wo rd (30 -4~ min ute
~~a nd d~c ove ry of Go ds Wo rd thr oug h s). Th e exp lor atio n
var iou s cre ativ e me tho ds can be
· ·~:j_me anm ~l for eac h lea rne r. Thi s sec tion
of the tea chi ng ses sio n foc use s
. :~-: on ~ett1ng the lea rne r into Go d's Wo
..-.. hea ring a lec ture . rd ins tea d of sim ply sitt in and
g
_-~ -~·- _ The you th/a dul t tea che r sho uld con sid er
··;~ ._ par mg a less on for the se age-groups. the se ste ps wh e _
,~ ~: .
n pre
a De term ine the pur pos e of you r les
.. son Wh at
b. Wh at is the ma in ide a fro m Go d's Wo • are you r goa ls'
, rd tha t
you wa nt to·
v .
tea
. ch . n.e ep it sun.pie eno ugh to rem em b
c. List two to five sub poi nts for the les son t t
Ho
· w can the Scr ip-
 THE CHRIST IAN EDUCA TOR'S HANDB OOK ON T EACIII N(,

ture be divide d to be eas ily taught ?

d . Vary the techni ques and lesson organi zation .
e. Prepa re visual s to clarify the lesson ( ove rh e ad transp are n -
cies, charts , maps, illustr ations , e tc .).
f Consi der time allotte d for the class sessio n . All o w time for
teache r input and learne r partic ipatio n.
g. Plan for learne r involv ement . Use metho ds suc h as
works heets, listeni ng sheets , hando uts, small group discus -
sion, summ arizat ion, questi ons, and demon stratio ns.
h. Plan for transi tions betwe en sectio ns of the teac hing sessio n.
What will happe n to move class memb ers from the ap- 1

proac h activit y to the explo ration of God's Word ?

i. Check your plans. Does the lesson consid er the age-gr o up
charac teristi cs and needs of your learne rs?
j. Practi ce the lesson before a mirro r or with a tape record er.
How will the learne rs react to the teache r's speec h and
gestur es?
4. Concl usion/ decisi on (10-1 5 minut es). Once learne rs have
been challe nged with God's Word throug h variou s teachi ng metho ds,
.t hey are ready for the last crucia l step. That step encou rages youth and
adults to concl ude what God's Word has said to them and apply it.
Teach ers often forget this step in teachi ng youth and adults . Stude nts
who know God's Word may not autom aticall y apply it.
One class, after studyi ng Joshu a 1, wrote their fears on index
cards. After small group prayer , each perso n went to the front of the
room and dropp ed the index card into the flames in a barrel , signif ying
that God had heard the praye r and would answe r.

CHOO SE APPR OPRI ATE METH ODS

Once the teach er has under stood the criteri a, the learni ng proce ss, and
. ,.•,the -teach ing sched ule for the age-~ oup, creati ve metho ds can be cho-
sen. Specif ic refere nces in the biblio graph y conta in hundr eds of meth-
ods for each age-le vel.
Six guide lines are crucia l to the select ion of creati ve teachi ng
metho ds:

I. Make sure that the metho d or activi ty match es the learne rs'
level of ability and matur ity.
2. Provi de severa l choic es of activi ties to stimu late intere st in
the learne r.
'/ 3. 'Provi de variet y to keep learne rs' intere st and preve nt
bored om.

174
 CtlOOSIN<; ANl) I lStN<; cu1 ; . . . . ..
· .Al lVl i, Ml ·. l'I t< )l)S

-4 . Include
--. clear
. directions to cnsurt'· ti•••ri1 c.·r
' ... . succc.:ss.
5 . Include
I planned questions th·1t 'lSsist th . I
. . • •. , . c earner to think
t. 1ro ugh the levels of knowledge, comprchcnsi ,
application. on, .and
6. In.e lude guid;u1ce and encouragernent that sus tain the learn-
ers interest and motivation.

EVALUATION
1:·11e teacher is not finished until evaluation has been completed. Evalua-
tion should take place as soon after the class session as possible. The
teach~ niight even ask a class member to help answer these eight
quest.Ions.

1. Did all methods and activities help accomplish the aims?

2. Did my instructions seem clear to everyone?
3. Did the summarization and conclusion tie all of the session
elements together?
4. Did my methods coordinate with the lesson?
5. Did I prepare my materials on time?
6. Did the questions stimulate thinking on the levels of knowl-
edge, comprehension, and application?
7. Did activities provide for learners of varied abilities?
8. Did I plan for the use of several groups ( depending on my
class size)?
What other questions would you ask your class?

Properly applied, creative teaching methods serve· as valuable

tools. Improperly used, they can be reduced to flashy effects that dazzle
rather than enlighten. The needs of the learners must be the foremost
consideration because they indicate which Bible truth would be most
vital to their current development The teaching goals for the learners'
response to the lesson, along with the other factors considered in this
tjiapter, will guide teachers in the selection and use of the best meth-
ods for that particular les.son. If a method fails to produce the expected
results, store it away for another occasion when a different lesson or
learners may provide a better application. Too novel or outlandish a
method may obscure the lesson, but the perfect pairing of message and
medium can instill new knowledge, alter attitudes, and change lives.
 • ' '" I •• I •• ,. • I\ '" I ~ •• u,
• UI I It Ult\ t /Nt>l'U' ~l't\ NH T U E
I 11,/\IC N I N(, l'J((H ,W1¾
)
I 14 U flll llltit • • 1 ,l1j 111 ll v 11 ♦
' ffo11, lflt1 ,,, ♦ l111l 11 11 h - AJ J' ~ fIM U~ -

'
1

t '., Im 111 ,l11 H11111111

~ ~ll111tu1t 1111111
~, f 1111111,w111t/l1111 l111t" f YJ' I/ J~ f ~
t, It11rn111 unit 11111111111111

' I 11111thm of 11111m

n Al"' ol ,111,lm,tt
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N/,lJMf kl ~nm~1~11 trY
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." 1
-
- ----- -
- ------- --
UllJlo ',to,y Ww.1,lp rlmn Ui~lo 11,urnlng Eor1y Childhood
& AtllYIIY mur,h/1,wyhr A,flvltl,,> 2-6 Yeor~
U1111I l'u1 urih lmu I,, rovh,w wor~lilJ;/ ottlvD lnvof vumont
to1110 II. rnl11forcn rr1omory IDurnlnu by ploy
tmlldlnu rnodlnos~
Ufllllfl•, / 11111\lf
II. t lnuil 111• 1111,lu \lim1,,u 011,111 Imirrtlnu fHtilo Study Chlldrnn,
m1nh/111uyor AttlvitlOJ rnuJ1rio~~ att1v1tfo1 Grades 1-6
wu,,jl,111/ rnvh,w & Blblu itory
morrrory rnlnforco llfo oppllwtlon

lo11dt.1!ih>n 1,,,lorl11u Approath Followd,lp Youth

& Uothlvn God'i Word fows on creoto warm & Adults
hlo topic atmosphere
OJJJillc 1111011

._ r _ /
( ,11( >< >~U APl'J{Ol'RIA'l'U EVALUATION
Ml~'l'IU)DS
1. Did activities help accomplish aims?
Guhl,,llru,~, Mothods shull 2. Wero Instructions clear?
1. Uu on loornor' s ugo-luvol 3. Did learners get a summary &
'I. Pr ovldo St,vt}rol tholcus conclusion?
3. Provldn vorluty 4. Did methods coordinate with the lesson?
4. tndudo flour dlrodlons S. Were methods/materials prepared on
~ In, ludo r,lurmod <1uostlons time?
I.. In, lodu uuldoncu 011d uncour- 6. Did questions stimulate thinking?
ouonumt for lournors 7. Did adlvltles provide for learning on var-
led ability levels?
8. Did plans Include using several groups?

17(,
 11. USING YOUR
PERSONAL COMPUTER IN TEACHING
Stuart S. Cook

Scanni ng her class during one of those precio us quiet momen ts, Jenni-
fer Thomp son ponde red the plight of prior genera tions of teache rs who
labored withou t the aid of person al compu ters. Just last night she used
her compu ter to edit and print the class notes for t~y's afterno on
class. Earlier she had compi led two tests with answe r sheets using the
school 's compu ter and testing softwa re. Later the same compu ter_~ould
allow autom atic scorin g and analyz ing of the compl eted answe r- sheets
and would record each studen t's score in an electro nic gradeb ook As
Ms. Thomp son survey ed the quiet scene she saw Jason, a slow reader ,
intentl y concen trating on the interac tive readin g lesson being handle d
by the classro om compu ter.
Not only did compu ter techno logy allow this teache r to com-
plete teachin g tasks more efficie ntly and effectiv ely, it also enable d her
to provid e individ ualized instruc tion that would have been imposs ible
prior to the advent of this instruc tional blessin g. Many inspiri ng possi-
bilities aboun d for teache rs who learn to exploi t compu ters in their
teachin g.

WHAT IS A PERSO NAL COMP UTER?

A compu ter is a high-s peed electro nic device 'Yith the ability to accept
instruc tions and data as input, analyz e the data based on the instrnc -
tions provid ed, and dispen se inform ation to a variety of_ output device s.
You do not have to unders tand how the compu ter analyz es data as long
as ~ou know what input the compu ter requir es in order to produc e the
desrred output . A person al compu ter {PC) may be called a microc om-
puter, a compu ter built around a microp rocess or. Genera lly small
enough to sit on a deskto p and possib ly small enoug h to fit in a brief-

179
THE CHRIST IAN EDUCA TOR'S HANDB OOK ON 11:.ACJ II N <,

case or purse, the PC servic es o n e p<:rson at a tim <: and p <.: rf< 1rrr1~
functi ons that relate to the individ ual'~ work.
Comp uters are used in nearly every a<;pcct of (.-very indu c.,try Jn
the moder n world . Person al compu ters contin ue to ~hrink in c.,i ::,,,c and
price while growi ng more power ful and easier to use. People wh,,
thoug ht they could not afford or under stand how to use a p<:r~m al
comp uter a few years ago may be u sing one every day now and v-1<m-
dering how they ever manag ed witho ut it.
The availa bility of compu ters to the averag e person ha~ oc-
curred rapidl y over the past severa l years. As with most of the techno l-
ogies we enjoy in the twenti eth centur y, develo pment s came slowly at
first, then accele rated rapidl y in the secon d half of the twent ieth centu-
ry. The slide rule was invent ed in 1630, follow ed by Pascal 's adding
machi ne in 1642. The first machi ne to utilize punch ed cards (the m,ain
input mediu m for mainf rame compu ters until the mid-1 970s) was Jac-
quard 's punch card loom, invent ed in 1801. Babba ge's uanaly tical en-
g ine" along with Ada Lovela ce's progra ms in 1834 forme d the first
p rogram mable compu ter, a mecha nical rather than electr onic compu t-
~r. Two other prereq uisites to moder n compu ters follow ed in the mid-
d le 1800s : the inven tion of Boole an logic in 1854 and the typew riter in
1868.
The introd uction of the electr onic comp uter in the middl e of
the twent ieth centu ry herald ed the beginn ing of the mode rn comp uter
age. The evolu tion of comp uter techno logy is genera lly seen as occur -
r ing in four stages or genera tions ( see Fig. 1 ). The first gener ation of
electr onic comp uters, introd uced in 1946, had as their key comp onent
the vacuu m tube, slow and unreli able by mode rn standa rds.
The "Whir lwind ," one of the first vacuu m-tub e comp uters, oc-
cupie d an entire buildi ng but could proce ss only 20,00 0 arithm etic
opera tions per secon d, about what a sophis ticated hand- held calcul ator
can proce ss today. 1 The expres sion, "bugs " in a progra m, origin ated
with vacuu m-tub e compu ters, becau se insect s would fly into the com-
,,
figure 1
THE COMPUTER GENERATIONS

Computer Beginning Maior Computer

Generation Date Innovation Designation
First 1946 Vacuum tube Moinfrome
Second 1959 Transistor Mainframe
Third 1965 Integrated circuit Minicomputer
Fourth 1977 VLSI Microcomputer

180
 USIN(:; YUUK l'l:.~U NAL ~ v M r U l C.I'. H"' • .L,r,i.<va •u"'"

uter and short -circu it one of the vacu um-t ubes . This prob lem
~eces sitate d frequ ent shutd owns and occas ional loss of data.
111 e begin ning of the secon d gener ation of comp uter~ was s1g-.
naJed by the introd uctio n of the transi stor in 1959. Trans istors
are
smaller, faster, more reliab le, and use less powe r than vacuu m tubes
. As
a result , secon d gener ation comp uters were small er, much
fas~er, and
much more reliab le than their first gener ation coun terpa rts. First
and
secon d gener ation comp uters are referr ed to as "main frame " comp
ut-
ers, denot ing large, fast, multi user mach ines that requi re speci
al envi-
---·ro nmen tal contr ols and traine d opera tors to keep them runni ng.
Integ rated circu its, inven ted in 1965 , gave birth to the third
· gener ation of comp uters . The devel opme nt allow ed comp uters to
grow
still small er and faster . We call third gener ation comp uters "min
i-
comp u~ers ."
The fourt h gener ation of comp uters , know n as "mic rocom put-
ers," began in 1977 with the introd uctio n of Very Large Scale Integ
ra-
tion (VLSI), a proce ss that allow s integ rated circu its conta ining tens
of
thous ands of comp onen ts to be packe d onto a singl e silico n chip.
VLSI
· result ed in micro proce ssors , comp lete comp uter proce ssors impr
inted
on a single chip. This furth er minia turiza tion made the comp lete micro
-
comp uter syste m small enou gh to occup y part of an indiv idual 's desk
or
even be trans porte d in a briefc ase. Quite a chang e from the first gene
ra-
tion of. comp uters that had to be house d in separ ate build ings!
This
gener ation of perso nal comp uters that is now availa ble for teach
ers to
use in their teach ing.

-
--: WHAT COMPUTERS DO AND DON 7 DO
·-..::.Com
-- · puter techn ology has advan ced so rapid ly that many
. l e are 1n
.
~ e of the mach ine itself. Com puter s seem to be able topeop dO h.
.: from playi ng chess to guidi ng a mann ed space flight . B t
-• ..1-..:-,.~ anyt ing
.~.:.-~u~JA? Do they posse ss intell igenc e? Well, yes and no. u can comp uters
~;, , The mach ine itself does not posse ss the ca a ·
:~:'Jba t it may appea r to do so depe nds on the soph istic~ t~ty ~o
i:eas on.
.,: ware that runs it. The term "soft ware " co t th
. . ··· nno es e set of · n o e soft-
·
_given the comp uter to guide its opera tions Th instr uctio ns
· 1
.;' exact y as told. It cann ot make decis ions · aboe tcomp h
uter al
. ways oes
d
.tr- . foll · u w at 1nstr u ti
-~~-.mer.:o ow; it alway s follow s the instru ction s given it b a h
be sure, th~ comp uter does not alway s do ~hat uman prog ram-
-~i"J $~ld it to do; but it alway s acts on the . .
c ons to

··,i¥!.r
·:~ \ ~nless, of cours e, it is broke n). instr uctio n ·weh thou ght. we
s it as recei ved
i': : As comp uters get faste r and reme mber m . .
.,:. .pre mem ory), the sophi sticat ion of the s ftw ~re instr uctio
: ns
o are writt en for them is

1 Q
 THI::: CHKJ~TlAN t:.UUCA .l UK~ HANO BOOK ON TEACHING

greatly increasing. TI1erefore, computers handle tasks today that we

only dreamed about a few years ago. We even hear terms such as
"artificial intellige nce," an expression which refers to the concept that
the computer can be given software that copies or models the proce-
dures humans use to solve problems. But the intelligence must still be
supplied by humans.

DOES THE COMPUTER BELONG IN TIIE CLASSROOM?

The existence of a new technology does not automatically mean that
this new tool should be used in teaching. Nevertheless , computers are
being used in teaching, as in virtually every aspect of modern life. The
question is not, "Will we use computers in teaching?" but, "How will
we use computers in teaching?" Shortly after the introduction of micro-
computers Christopher Ev.a ns predicted that the microcompu ter would
result in the decline of the professions, particularly medicine and edu-
cation. 2 He foresaw the computer replacing the classroom teacher in
many instructiona l functions. To date this prediction has not
materialized.
I believe that the microcomput er's greatest contribution to
education is not to replace the teacher but to enhance his work. This
enhancemen t can take place in two general areas. The first consists of
using the computer as a tool in carrying out normal teaching duties; the
second involves using the computer as a tutor, a teaching machine
which delivers instruction, drills students on basic skills, or serves as a
resource for inquiring minds. These two applications form the outline
for the remainder of this chapter.

THE COMPUTER AS A TOOL

Software abounds to aid teachers J\Vith many of the tedious, mundane,
and difficult tasks they perform on a regular basis. In addition, using a
c omputer may reduce the time some tasks take, allowing the teacher to
include more time for creativity in preparation for teaching.
Preparation of instructiona l materials can be strengthened
w ith the use of computer technology. Virtually any task that can be
c arried out using a typewriter can be done more quickly, easily, and
reliably with a computer using word-process ing software.-' Word pro-
c essing software allows the teacher to create and edit complex docu-
m ents without the need of retyping when revisions are needed.
· ·. · · ·, 't .\..ln--addi~ ,fiPCCial -. features ,of .most word-proces sing software
such as, automatic underlining, holding, italics, centering, right margin
 USING YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTE R IN TEACJ

justificat ion, footnote s, endnote s, columns , spell-che cking, etc., n

the use of the typewri ter complet ely obsolete for docume nt prep
tion. Armed with word-pr ocessing software , you can crank out w
sheets for students , class notes, exams, and many other types of insti
tional documen ts.
Your creative juices will flow as you explore ways to crt
visual aids for instructi on using graphics software . Many excellen t l
grams allow the teacher to prepare graphic visuals for use in stud
__ -- ~--notes or as masters for product ion of overhea d transpar encies or sli<
If you have a color monitor attached to the microco mputer, you ,
make a color sli~e of the screen's image and use it as a teaching vis1
At the time of this writing, the hottest topic in the microcc
puter world is desktop publishi ng. Because of advance s in compu
- technolo gy, especial ly the introduc tion of laser printers, teachers <
produce nearly typeset-q ualify visuals, newslett ers, or even books w
a microco mputer, desktop publishi ng software , and a good laser print
Desktop publishi ng combine s the features of word processi ng a
graphics. Many program s all~w the teacher to combine graphs, char
even pictures into text created with a word processo r. The resui
usually please both teacher and students .
RECORD-KEEPING. --
Recordin g, averagin g, and reportin g grades strike many teacJ
ers as one of their most time-con suming and least satisfying tasks. Con
puter software can help. A class of software called electron ic sprea<
sheets makes any numeric al task that ~can be co·n ceived of as rows an
· -columns of numbers ( such as a grade book) much easier.
Figure 2 displays a portion of a spreadsh eet used as a grad
book Notice that we number the rows and letter the columns for eas
-~--"reference. The individu al averages· and the descripti ve statistics for eacl
------- clSSignment (mean, standard deviation , high and low) are compute<
-. ·7'··automatically by standard function s of the spreadsh eet. Electroni<
. _·= spreadsh eet software offers many of the same advantag es as word pro-
~ cessing software . It allows the teacher to enter, edit, compute , and
report informat ion without having to retype or calculate the informa-
tion by hand.
The key to the usefulne ss of electron ic spreadsh eet software is
its ability to accept formulas as entries in addition to numerica l values
and labels. Thus the spreadsh eet can be set up to accept the values of
scores earned on a series of assignments and tests and automatically
_ . .· compute the final average based on a formula that the teacher entered.
·. _·.··:-This feature relieves the teacher of hand-cal culating averages. The com-
. ~,~~:;jpleted spreadsh eet awaits your entering data and requestin g printed
: )~ir~orts. Reportin g the informat ion is done easily with flexible printing
~- ~ -~~commands included in the spreadsh eet software
~··· ~~ -
.. ~,:~1.=-1.~
.~,],2 :·
 , ....., .. _, , ...,....._,, • ..._
'--''' AA...o l""l,,"-' aaal"'I I....._,
,

A B C D E F
1
2 GRADE BOOK FOR THEOLOGY
101
3
4
5 NAME TEST l TEST 2 PAPER l PAPER 2 AVERAGE4
6
7 DAHMS, DJ 85 88 89 92 88.9
8 FOUTS, OM 86 87 72 93 84.1
9 HALL, ME 90 95 80 88 87.4
10 HILL, SG 77 80 88 90 84.8
11 HOLTE, BD 95 94 86 90 90.6
12 JOHNSON, BG 99 96 85 97 93.6
13 JOHNSON, E 100 99 90 96 95.6
14 LEY, DP 65 78 82 88 79.6
15 MARTINI, WR 90 92 90 93 91.3
16 NORTH, JG 88 89 66 90 82.2
17 O'BRIEN, WO 84 88 90 87 87.5
18
19 MEAN 87.2 89.6 83.5 91.3 87.8
20 S.D. 9.5 6.2 7.6 3.1 4.6
21 HIGH 100.0 99.0 90.0 97.0 95 .6
22 LOW 65.0 78.0 66.0 87.0 79.6
23

Figure 2-SPREADSHEET AS A GR
ADE BOOK

TE.ST CR EA TI NG , SC OR IN
G, AN D ANALYZING.
So ftware is av ail ab le fo r m ak in
m uc h easier. Cr ea tin g te sts g th e pr oc es s of te sti ng st ud
ca n be a te di ou s pr oc es s. en ts
so ftw ar e all ow s th e te ac he r Te st cr ea tio n
to ac cu m ul at e a co lle ct io n
re la te d to pi cs an d th en co of te st ite m s on
m bi ne , th em in to se ve ra l di
·'the 'Same te st or to cr ea ffe re nt fo rm s of
te se ve ra l te sts w ith di ffe re
De pe nd in g on th e so ph ist ic nt em ph as es .
ab le to se le ct ite m s w ith di at io n of th e so ftw ar e, yo u m ay be
ffe re nt difficulty, di ffe re nt fo
m atc hi ng , m ul tip le ch oi ce s, rm at ( true-false~
co m pl et io n, es sa y) , an d ot he
ty pe of so ftw ar e is pa rti cu la r cr ite ria Th is
rly he lp fu l if yo u us e sim ila
ou s oc ca sio ns . Yo u ca n cr ea r te sts on nu m er -
te al te rn at e fo rm s of th e sa
ite m s in a di ffe re nt or de r m e te st w ith th e
to pr ev en t st ud en ts fro m be
wi th th e ex ac t te st la yo ut . co m in g fa m ili ar
Pa pe r an d pe nc il te sts ge
. 'fa sh io ne d w ay ) m ay be sc ne ra te d by co m pu te r ( or
or ed an d an al yz ed us in g co th e ol d-
ogy. In pu t de vi ce s su ch as m pu te r te ch no l-
th e m ar ke d- se ns e re ad er ca
n sc an ob je c- an
184
 . h a soft lead penci l.
civc format answe r sheet cod,cd bby th stude nt wit
sa:cd on a magn etic disk an d use d
F;Kh stm.kn1 .s. ans, . ~crs can t. 1en e -
. progr am.
· ,- r a ccst analys is ..
•1s input O • · · and repor ting ·nted repor t deta1 ltng
.. In chis system, the teach er rec
eives a pn d
al ·s of item diffic ulty an
st
(":tch stm.kn t's perfo rmanc e as we II as an an y
test For objec tive forma t t e~t
tJ1c overa ll class perfo rmanc e on the ~oun t of time in the labor t-
Ucms tJ1is system can save an enorm ous
ous t;~sk of scorin g and analyzing a test. soFTWARE.
EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF l I want to sugge st
In this sectio n on the comp u e t r as a too
nh ced with the use of
several types of teach ing functi ons that can beftwe an or hardw are prod-
comp uter software. I do not name speciflc sothe follow are
ing steps shou ld
ucts. When you are ready to selec t softw are,
help:
. First, carefu lly define the task you want to p erfor m using the
uirem ents are
comp uter as a tool. Only when you know what your reg
will you be in a positi on to evalu ate a produ ct. secur e in
Secon d shop aroun d to see what produ cts you ma~ h
the gener al area' you are intere. . w h e ther w ord proce ssing , grap -
sted 1n, If
ics deskt op publis hing, record -keep ing, . . g, or some otherkarea.th
testin
yo~ find a lot of featur es you didn't know you neede d, go bac to
e
first step and evalu ate if you really need them. . •
Third evalu ate the cost and featur es of the softw ace availa ble to
accom plish y~ur tasks and select the produ ct you feel will do the best
job withi n the budge t you have plann ed. Don't be taken in by softw are
that has some "reall y neat" featur es that you do not need. You may be
paying extra mone y for "bells and whist les."

TIIE COM PlITE R AS A TUTO R

The ease with which a PC can store and utiliz e instru ction s prepa red
ahead of time by a progr amme r makes it capab le of deliv ering instru c-
tions to stude nts. Once you define effect ive intera ction, the teach ing
session can be progr amme d and used repea tedly with the comp uter
acting as tutor. This prosp ect does not elimi nate the need of a teach er
but it does chang e the role of the teach er some what. By remo ving th~
necessity of individual drill with stude nts, the mach ine as tutor frees the
teache r to perfo rm tasks bette r suited to huma ns.
. Recen t studie s demo nstrat e the super iority of indiv idual tutor -
mg over conve ntiona l classr oom instru ction. The avera ge achie vem t
of stude nts who receiv ed tutori ng was bette r than the achie veme n~~f
98 perce nt of the stude nts in the conve ntion al classr ooms . 5
Individual tutori ng often seems too expen sive for all but the

185
THE CHRJSTIA N EDUCA T OR'S HANDBOO K ON T E AC IIIN G

wealthi est individ uals. It is out of the questio n as an alte rnative for
public or private educati on. Howev er, the pe rsonal compu te r in the
classroo m could serve as a cost-eff ective alternat ive for at least some of
the stude nts' daily instruc tional time.
Toe first teachin g machin e was introdu ced by Sidney Pressey , a
profess or at Ohio State Univers ity in 1926.6 Called the "Presse y Testing
Machin e," it was adverti sed as the machin e that "tests and teaches ." The
concep t, still founda tional to program med instruct ion, centers in the
student gaining immed iate knowle dge of the results of his answer to a
questio n. Correc t respon ses are reinfor ced and incorre ct respon ses are
not.
In 1954 B.F. Skinne r demon strated a machin e for teachin g
arithme tic. 7 This machin e improv ed on Pressey 's concep t by not just
testing the studen t (with learnin g as a byprod uct) but presen ting new
informa tion to the studen t in a planned sequen ce. The result was a
comple x skill built as the studen t progres sed through a series of simpler
subtask s. The machin e prese nted materia l to the studen t and gave him
opport unity to practic e the skill a step at a time. Skinne r reports that at
this time he began to speak of "progra mmed instruc tion."
Progra mmed instruc tion became an educati onal fad in the '60s
but faded becaus e of the lack of an adequa te deliver y system . The
introdu ction of the person al compu te r in the late '70s provid ed the
basis for a progra mmed instruc tion deliver y system sufficie ntly comple x
to create a realisti c learnin g environ ment. The state of progra mmed
instruc tion on compu ters, known as Compu ter Assiste d Instruc tion
(CAI), is still in its infancy .
A good deal of availab le instruc tional softwar e suffers from
poor design and program ming. Most studies of the effect of CAI in
compar ison with traditio nal teachin g method s show mixed results.
Clearly , the state of compu ter technol ogy and the sophist ication of CAI
softwar e await further improv ements before bringin g about revolut ion-
ary improv ements in the effectiv eness of instruc tion. Howev er, im-
p roveme nts in instruc tional hardwa re and softwar e occur daily, and
soon the compu ter as tutor will becom e a routine part of every person 's
educati onal experie nce.
APPRO ACHES TO THE COMPU TER AS TUTOR
At least four major instruc tional models have been implem ent-
ed using CAI softwa re.
First, in drill and practic e softwar e, the studen t, having receive d
instruc tion on a certain subject , sharpen s his skill with the subject
matter by interac ting with the compu ter. He encoun ters arithm etic
p roblem s, spellin g words, or foreign languag e vocabu lary, for exampl e,
lhcnio nnulat es aoa.eo ter.,the .corrcct,,response. He receive s immed iate
knowle dge of the results of his respon se and opport unity to correc t

186
 USING YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER IN TEACHING

·
wrong answe rs until he has mastered the skill· This mode of instruction
has b een disparagingly referred to as "The World's Most Ex .
C d "" v hl d th pensive
Flash . ar . " ~o ,, ~ o ers ~e~l that ~e computer has too much
pote nttal to waste it on such tnv1al pursuits. Despite this opinion d ·u
. ' rt
and practice remains the primary instructional use of computers in
schools today.9
Even if drill and practice software simply provides an electron-
ic flash card, if the student gets individual practice time with feedback
that he could not get because of the time pressures on the teacher, that
practice offers a valuable use of instructional time. In addition, drill and
practice software is becoming more sophisticated, including features
that not only analyze the student's answer and give feedback, but ana-
lyze the pattern of incorrect answers and diagnose learning problems
that a.r:e preventing the student from mastering the material. The diag-
nosis can be passed on to the teacher or can be used to lead directly
into instruction delivered by the computer to help alleviate the learning
problem.
Second, CAI software referred to as tutorial closely implements
what is expectt..<l of a tutor. Tutorial software presents new information
to the student, allows him to interact with the material ( in some cases
permitting the student to ask his own questions of the tutor), deter-
mines his progress in mastering the material, and structures learning
experiences based on the progress of the student. This strategy presents
a considerable challenge to computer programmers, considering that
the program must be developed with students in general in mind and
not just one particular student.
Tutorial software that adequately models a human tutor has not
yet become available. All tutorial software currently available falls short
in one or more of the functions that a student would expect of a human
tutor. Nevertheless, we are making progress and software is available
that allows the student to work with the CAI program and materials on
other media to learn new material at his own pace, and learn it well.
Toe third category of instructional software includes simula-
tions and games. This software presents the student with a situation tha1
simulates real-life situations (past or present) or, in the case of som<
games, brings to life a fantasy. The student is faced with a proble~ plu:
certain rules and resources for solving the problem. He learns _by unpl~
menting a solution to the problem and being shown how well hi
solution works. Toe program then lets him continue his s~~ ~
1
adequate solutions to the problem. Should he continue to fail m
search for solutions, the program may present hints or display reasor
why his solutions are not working. . le tl
Simulations can be used to teach history. For examp .' ·
_ student may be presented with a description of the resources availab
to the l 'ninn and (\)nft.'\kct tc armies at the Hattie of (;c:uyshurR Ile
m i~ht l'>t.' ~iYt'n the d1nicc nf which army to kad and thc.-n lw ~lvc.·n the
fin-~ decisinn he must nuke ahout dcployin~ his foro:s, c:tc. The com-
puter rro~ram an.llyn's hi~ choices and presents tht.· n·su11s of the tlrst
pirt of the hattlc usin,g a sinmlation modd or at~orithm that is part of
the design of the sofhv-:lrc.
llte student then analyzes how wdl his initial strategy worked
and uses that infonnatio n in following decisions. TI1is type of interac-
tion ( as.."mning the accur:lcy of tl1c simulation model) provides a
'thands-on ·· experience ,vith a subject t11at otherwise may seem distant
and unreal to young students of history.
Sitnulatjon s proliferate in situations where real life presents too
e."\.-pensiYe or too dangerous a situation for an inexperien ced student.
For exan1ple, elaborate computer simulation s find extensive use in
training airline pilots. Pilots spend hours in simulators before being
allo"red to take the controls of a real 747. TI1e simulator looks, feels,
sounds, and responds like a real airplane but even the worst mistakes by
the student result only in embarrassn 1ent rather than in disaster!
Simulation s and educationa l games require more time in pro-
.gra111ming and more elaborate hardware than do drill and practice and
tutorial programs. Therefore, they are fairly scarce among the offerings
of CAI software vendors. Neverthele ss, they hold promise as an effective
m odel of computer- based instruction .
The fourth model of CAI envisions the computer program as a
resource that the student may access with his own goals in mind. In the
first three models, the instructor determine d the goals of the software
and the parameter s regarding how the student would interact with the
software. Viewing the computer as a resource that the student may
utilize as needed puts the student in control of his learning to a greater
extent, providing his means and methods to gather and use informatio n.
One example of the computer as a resource comes from the
realm of artificial intelligenc e (AI), a term which refers to computer
software written to simulate the; way humans solve problems. One type
of Af.,softwar e,. called the expert system, includes facts ( statements that
represent what is known about a certain subject) and rules ( ways in
which the facts are related). 10
An expert system containing informatio n about any subject
could be developed by "knowledg e engineers" (programm ers who de-
velop AI application s). The student can sit down with the completed
expert system and enter into a dialogue regarding its subject matter. In
the dialogue the student uses normal English and the expert system
responds in English sentences. We call this type of interaction with the
j
.,.~ t e r,.n:uural laogu~ge interface, one of the trademark s of programs
ut1hz1ng artificial intelligenc e methods. l
1
1
188 ]
I
'
1
 THE TEACHERS INVOLVEMENT IN SELECTION AND
CREATION OF CAI SOFfWARE.
You may choose from among three levels _of involvement in
d t nnining what computer software you will use in your classroom.
ee Software or courseware ( a term that refers to software that is
closely tied to lesson, unit, or course objectives) may be selected by
the educational administration under which you serve and used as a
textbook or other element of the curriculum. At this level, you must
simply learn to use the software that is presented. ,
You may participate in selection of "off the shelf software.
Here you must be able to articulate the course objectives and deter-
mine what software would be appropriate for use in helping to accom-
_, plish those objectives. You must then be able to review and evaluate
apprppriate software to determine which programs would be most use-
ful. Periodicals that deal with computers in education contain reviews
of educational software that should be helpful in evaluating software
even before you are able to see it firsthand.
Software evaluation follows two lines of investigation. First, you
should look at the instructional design of the software. It may display
pretty color pictures and play the school alma mater, but if it uses
poor instructional techniques, it probably will not help your students
attain instructional objectives. Answering these eight questions about
the ~ilstructional design of educational ~oftware will help you weigh its
quality:" -
1. Does the software require the student to interact with the program
· rather _than become a passive observer?
_ 2. Do student responses serve instructional goals?
_3. Do students have to respond to the important parts of the problems,
__ 4. Is most of the screen content necessary fior the response? ·
5. Does each screen ask students to discriminate b tw ·
"bl e een at least two
poss1 e responses? ( Something other than "Pre S
tinue, Press ESC to Quit"!) ss pace Bar to Con-
;t-'. 6. Can students see their progress as they work through the program
:-:~ - each session?
-J'j . 7. Are students mostly successful as th
;, (Rathe~ than being frustrated from ~u:)rk through the program?
.. , 8. For series or lessons to be used repeatedl .
, . according to the achievement level of;· Does the program adjust
.:::;:,: . Second, the technical or ro .e stude?t?
:;:;;- ~hould be evalua~d. Questions s!h ~ = g ~uahty of the software
[, . ?:t ~:~, ow ~ell the design was implemented: will help you determine Ii

f;:. . : '\i, 1. Will students find the ro

[ ~2. How well does the so~ gram easy to use?
t=:: . sound? are use features such as graphics, color, and
 1. Doe s th<: prog1·an1 opc 1·at c con sist entl
y as it sho uld?
4 . Doe s the doc ume ntat ion ;11lo w the teac
her to und erst and and ex-
plai n to tht.· stud ents how the pro gram
sho uld be used ?
nu·_ thir d leve l of invo lvem ent in the sele ctio
n and crea tion of
inst ruc tion al soft war e plac es the teac her in
the role of CAI auth or.
Man y teac hers feel that they do not hav e the
tim e or kno wle dge to
crea te soft war e for inst ruct iona l use. But wit
h adv anc es in the tool s
ava ilab le to help a CAI auth or in the crea tion
of pro gram s, this app ears
wit hin reac h of n1o re teac hers .
CAI pro gram s may be crea ted usin g an auth
orin g sys tem or
auth orin g lang uag e. PIL OT {Pr ogr amm ed Inst
ruc tion for Lea rnin g of
Tea chin g) is one of the bes t kno wn of the
mic roc omp uter -ba sed au-
tho ring lang uag es. The teac her can use PIL OT
to cre ate tuto rial s or dril l
and pra ctic e pro gra ms wit h a min imu m of pro
gra mm ing kno wle dge .
Rel ated to auth orin g lang uag es are shel ls. A
she ll pro vid es in-
stru ctio nal acti viti es for whi ch you sup ply the
aca dem ic con ten t. For
exa mpl e, She ll Gam es by App le con tain s the
pro ced ure s to disp lay a
mat chin g gam e and sev eral oth er lear ning tech
niq ues . The teac her sim -
ply spe cifi es a coll ecti on of mat che d-p airs
~uc h as Tho mas Ed iso n-
ligh t bulb ; Eli Wh itne y--c otto n gin; etc. The
she ll use s this con ten t to
disp lay ,a mat chin g ·gam e, ·eac h tim e rear rang
ing the two lists to ave rt
bor edo m. She lls req uire littl e or no pro gra mm
ing kno wle dge .
The teac her who wan ts to crea te orig inal soft
war e tha t can not
be pro duc ed wit h an auth orin g lang uag e or
she ll can mak e use of pro -
gra mm ing lang uag es. BASIC, Pas cal, C, and Pro
log rep rese nt the var iety
of lang uag es ava ilab le for mic roc omp uter s.
Lea rnin g a pro gra mm ing
lang uag e may not be for .eve ryo ne ( tho ugh at
leas t one aut hor incl ude s
the abil ity to wri te a com put er pro gra m in
his def init ion of com put er
lite racy ),' 2 but for tho se who enjo y crea ting
uni que solu tion s to ofte n
diff icul t pro blem s, com put er pro gra mm ing
can be a lot of fun .
Com put er tech nol ogy has beg un to mak e a
sign ific ant imp act
on teac hin g by pro vid ing teac her s a too l and
a tuto r. Eve r mo re exc it-
ing dev elop men ts lie ahe ad in the uso of thes
e and rela ted tech nol ogi cal
-.-adv anc eme nts,:.in teac hin g.

END NO TES

l. "Ev olut ion of a Tec hno logy ," Pers pect ive:
Dig ital Equ ipm ent Cor pora tion 's
Com pute r New slet ter 4 (Nu mbe r 1) p. 2.
2. Chr isto phe r Evans, Tbe Mic ro Mill enn ium
· ', '·:'•~:.pp. , J.1.J -29. . New York: Viking Pres s, 197 9,

3. Som e tasks, such as fillin g in infr equ entl y used

form s and typi ng a sing le
190