Planning to Lose Control in the Classroom

by David Cassady

Have you found yourself in one of these situations?

• The discussion takes off on a single point of your outline and takes a life of its own. Before you turn around, you realize that you have not even covered half the material you had planned and the time is gone.

• You ask a good, sharp question, hoping to move the discussion in a particular direction, but instead you get a tearful, heartfelt outpouring of pain and uncertainty from a group member. You must decide—do you follow the outline you created or do you go with the feelings of the group?

• You are not as prepared as you would like to be for the teen class, and your hesitancy opens the way for a challenge from an angry youth who questions your competence.

• You brush up against a controversial topic during class presentation, and a member uses that opportunity to move the class toward an engagement of that member’s pet peeve.

Losing Control with Intentionality
Some of the scenarios listed above may reflect a sensitivity to the workings of the Holy Spirit, while others may simply be a sign that the class is chasing rabbits. How do we discern between a movement of the Spirit and a movement toward chaos? Knowing how to tell the difference is difficult. Consider the following “steps” to losing control without losing intentionality.

Whose Class Is It?
A beginning question might be: whose class is it? If the class is the teacher’s, then that person should be in control and take responsibility for the results. However, if the class belongs to the participants, their satisfaction with the learning experience is the important factor. Allowing the members to own the class is one of the first steps to losing control.

Dethrone Information
Our formal schooling has taught us that learning is about acquiring information. Christian education, however, is about the spiritual formation of lives, values, and relationships. We use information in the service of this aim. When a teacher prepares for a class session, as much attention should be given to the participation and interaction of the learners as there is to the subject matter. As teachers, we sometimes keep information on the throne so we can be in control. Maybe being a good teacher is more about having good questions than about having great answers.

Listen, Watch, Respond, and Learn
Good classroom-oriented Christian education can be seen as a dialogue between God and learners, facilitated by the teacher. The skills needed for this role are different than the skills of an information expert. By listening and watching as much as we talk and lead, we are better able to respond to the relevancy needs of the learners. “Out-of-control” teachers also see themselves as learners alongside the rest of the class. In many ways, the control belongs to the dialogue between learners and God.

Leave Room for the Unexpected
Controlled classrooms by definition limit surprise. Our God, however, is full of mystery and surprise. How many times has the most profound insight happened by accident or proceeded from the mouth of the most unlikely person? Sometimes, when the focus of a session moves in an unexpected direction, the level of dialogue and learning are enhanced, not lessened.

Flexible Intentionality
Before someone jumps to the conclusion that Christian teaching needs no preparation, let’s look at intentionality. During preparation, go ahead and assume that the focus may shift during the session. Visualize possible responses or opinions that may result from the session. Design your teaching plan with enough flexibility for these dynamics and know in advance the places where you need to say, “I don’t know.” Plan well, but realize that it is the dialogue with God that is in the center, not our teaching plans.