Using Tech to Create Connections—
Connecting Teacher and Student
Building connections from one human to another is a vital topic to occupy the thoughts of teachers of God’s Word because God has chosen to communicate his law and gospel from one person to another. So how can teachers of the Word use technology to build connections with the ones who are taught, especially when the learners are decades younger in age?

In the first article of this new series, Pastor Paul Waldschmidt shows us three ways we can use tech to build connections with our students that are worth considering in both remote and traditional educational settings. Note that these suggestions are geared toward middle school students (catechism age), but they have application even in a classroom full of adult learners.




Pastor Paul Waldschmidt, a 1999 Seminary graduate, served for 13 years at St. Mark in Normal, Illinois, before coming to Peace in Hartford, Wisconsin, in 2012. He has served the church-at-large as chairman of the Western Wisconsin District Commission on Adult Discipleship and as a circuit pastor in both the Western Wisconsin and Southeastern Wisconsin Districts. He recently earned an STM in Education with a focus on using technology in Christian Education and, Lord willing, is starting coursework for an M.S. in Educational Administration (Technology Director) this fall.
They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. — Acts 5:42
Adult Education: Additum
Implementing Active Learning in Your Classroom

Is active learning something you’ve wanted to try or add more into your Bible studies? The University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching has some useful techniques that may help integrating active learning strategies into your teaching. The article also has a useful question-and-answer section that addresses some of the common barriers to active learning.

Teaching Toolbox
10 Steps to Getting Started With Active Learning

If you are new to designing active learning Bible studies or have been at it for years, a two-page overview for guidance and a good review can help. Gregory Smith and Cynthia J. Brame at the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University have compiled a two-page cheat sheet for getting started with active learning.




Curriculum Connection

People love stories and visuals. Jesus used these as teaching tools for his hearers. Joel Seifert’s eight-lesson study Bible Parables and Word Pictures explores some of the parables and word pictures in the Bible that teach major scriptural truths. Suggested activities at the end of each lesson give ways learners can apply and put into practice what they learned in the lesson. Another feature of the study is that it could be broken down into two four-lesson studies.



Teaching Tip

As you begin to incorporate active learning practices, it’s a good idea to explain to your students why you’re doing so. Talking to your students about their learning not only helps build a supportive classroom environment, but can also help them develop their metacognitive skills (and thus their ability to become independent learners).


- adapted from a quote by Cynthia J. Brame – Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching
 Teach the Word is a collaboration of Northwestern Publishing House,
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and WELS Discipleship.