by Sally Ivaska

Being a graduate student usually involves teaching — whether it's preparing to teach at the university some day, or TAing a class right now. Even those who aspire to vocations outside the academy — in business, law, medicine, or research — will likely find themselves in mentoring situations. And most will also play a role in teaching their own children or nieces and nephews.

Does knowing Jesus have any impact on our pedagogy? Absolutely! There is a lot to learn from the Master Teacher.

Teaching with Questions

Jesus was a master at using questions as a teaching tool. He used them creatively — sometimes as a springboard for teaching an important truth, sometimes to provoke discussion, sometimes to elicit what someone really believed. Let's look at a few examples of these.

Read Matthew 15:1-9, Luke 13:18-21, and Mark 10:17-22.

1. In each of these situations, how does Jesus use questions to teach a truth or principle?


2. Why do you think he varies his use of questions?


3. In these passages, it is clear that Jesus knows his audience. How does knowing your students improve the effectiveness of your teaching?


4. In what situations could you use questions to improve the learning process?


5. As a learner yourself — a disciple of Jesus — what question do you want to ask him? As you continue to ask that question, pay attention to how he responds. Does he give an immediate answer? Does he allow you to keep inquiring? Does he answer with another question? Ask Jesus to help you learn from him whatever lesson he has for you.