Marks of a Great Teacher: Understanding

Here's an excerpt from Marks of a Great Teacher: Understanding, an article R.C. Sproul wrote in 1993 for Tabletalk.

The K-I-S-S principle is frequently requested in a learning environment. The acrostic stands for "Keep it simple, stupid." It seems we are a people who loathe difficult study. We want easy answers and we want them quickly. Mastery of a subject, however, requires years of diligent labor and study. But once the teacher has mastered his material, how does he transmit it to his students?

Certain assumptions are made in the classroom. The first is that the teacher knows more about the subject than the student. It is, in general, a safe assumption. The second assumption is that the teacher cannot communicate his mastery of the subject all at once. To educate (as the Latin root suggests), we must lead students "out of" ignorance into knowledge. That knowledge moves in increments, from the simple to complex.

Continue reading Marks of a Great Teacher: Understanding or learn more about Reformation Bible College where R.C. Sproul serves as president.