(34.) O is for Old and New

(34.) O is for Old and New

“A disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.” (Matthew 13:52, NJB) Effective teachers, much like that wise householder, develop a big bag of tricks as they gain experience. Not only do they keep refining and improving their teaching style, but they will do anything within reason to further the learning process. The successful teachers increase in discernment, since they have to choose what works and what doesn’t, what is helpful and what isn’t. That is why this mini-parable from Jesus is especially relevant to teachers in the classroom. They bring out the old and they bring out the new.

First, teachers need to be conversant about what has educationally clicked in the past. And they need to keep asking questions like, Is this old method tried and true, or is it dated and unhelpful? Does this old idea resonate with today’s students or not? Will this piece of literature connect with today’s culture?

On the other hand, teachers also need to be well-versed on new developments in education, such as child development and psychology, human social dynamics, brain research, learning methodology, and especially learning technology. Teachers need to be comfortable raising questions like this of technology in particular: Does this technology shorten attention spans? Is this a good stimulus or is it actually over-stimulating? Is this increasing technology dependence in students? Is it strengthening or is it weakening the learning environment? Is it too clumsy to use and a waste of time, or is it helpful? Is this information useful and important, or is it mostly trivial? Finally, is this technology helping to deepen relationships or is it so virtual that it is distancing personal relationships? There are potential drawbacks to new technologies, and the insightful teachers are not afraid to discern possible downsides of the newest craze.

There’s that word again… Discernment. Wise teachers are able to dig into their educational storage closet and take out that which is truly effective, whether old or new. Sometimes the newest development is truly helpful, and sometimes it is counterproductive. And sometimes the old is not helpful in the least. Discernment with a dash of courage, two qualities that never grow old. “Every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.” (Matt. 13:52, Message). The best teachers are students of the past as well as the present, the old-fashioned as well as the new-fangled.