Ken Coley offers teachers the keys to unlock the secrets to exceptional teaching. He believes excellence in teaching God's Word is a critical component for spiritual growth in students. This book provides practical, but powerful, teaching techniques that will lead to effective communication, meaningful group engagement, and authentic transformation of learners. The author writes with a depth of life experience and shares invaluable research about how students learn. Coley weaves together examples for the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels with educational concepts that work. He believes effective teaching leads to change in knowledge, in perspective, in attitudes, and ultimately in behavior. Along with providing eight key concepts of effective teaching essential to real transformation in the lives of students, Coley also includes practical illustrations of how the key concepts look in a typical lesson. Each chapter ends with questions for deeper reflection or group discussion.
3.5 An informative book on how to lead bible study with teens and how to connect with them on a deeper level. Really good read. I would recommend it to anyone who is or is interested in leading youth.
This was a good book for lifting the veil that lies in front of the complex dynamic between teachers and students in Bible studies. Two major aspects of the book were insightful and enjoyable. I appreciated Coley’s emphasis on seeing teaching as an opportunity not just for communicating knowledge and skills, but more importantly for personal transformation. I also enjoyed how each principle of teaching was tied to Jesus’ own ministry and life, demonstrating how these transformational keys were practiced by Christ himself. As insightful as the book is, it is rather short and abrupt. His discussion on mind, brain, and education research is appreciated, but superficial nonetheless. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and serves as a good vehicle into leading Bible studies with teens!
While far from a riveting read, Coley offers some rich insights into teaching. Coley is a little too fond of the language of educational theorists, making the text curiously difficult to digest for novice teachers. He targets adolescent education, though his suggestions are seldom so well fit to youths that they would not be equally valuable for teaching adults. I found his chapter on assessment to be most helpful.