How To Teach The Torah (Episode 4)

FINAL EPISODE: Hear, Learn, Keep, Do

This week (June 23) on Shabbat Night Live, the Torah is our example for everything — in fact, the way that YeHoVaH wants to hear and obey, learn from him, and keep his word and do it is the same way we need to teach our children.

Kraig and Anne Elliott explain how inspiration and visions from the Father set the framework for their Torah-observant homeschool curriculum.

Watch the episode — included on this blog post.

While you watch, consider the questions below. The timeline for each discussion topic in the video is noted on each question. Post your answers in the comments section and let’s get some discussion going!

  1. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 16:00) How has the component of leadership as an outcome of a good education become almost forgotten in our contemporary world? To what extent has the marginalization or elimination of our Judeo-Christian culture contributed to teaching and learning as a relativistic or even arbitrary activity that is no longer oriented toward the pursuit of truth?
  2. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 20:00) Similarly, how has the weakness throughout conventional education for theoretical jargon and superfluous innovation in classroom approaches served to further undermine student awareness of their own innate capabilities and limitations? How has the trendy notion that “learning styles have changed” ultimately raised more questions than it has answered?
  3. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 24:00) How might the Hebrew language serve as a model for the next generation of students who must learn proper English to assume significant positions within the professional world? How does the Hebrew tradition of close reading, textual accuracy, and spiritual interpretation suggest an orientation for the lingua franca of English that could improve communication through precision and articulation? 
  4. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 28:00) What are some examples of how the Bible could be utilized as remediation for students who have experienced brain damage or who are afflicted with vision or comprehension difficulties? How does the Hebrew practice of transcription recall the simplicity of learning through copying, which has become lost in the present-day administrative categorization of “special needs” students?
  5. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 32:00) Similarly, how has the familiar reflex toward bureaucratization throughout our schools and universities prevented many otherwise intelligent students from reaching their potential because of categorization and division? How do expressions such as “learning disability,” “individualized education,” and “compensatory programs” become euphemisms that can impede improvement through the stigma of demarcation?
  6. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 38:00) Many theologians and media commentators throughout the Christian world have recently advocated for a rediscovery of discipline and application in both schooling and professional life. How has a growing lassitude toward the practice of diligent, focused work as a fundamental value undermined the learning potential of today’s students, many of whom view education more as an entitlement than an earned goal?
  7. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 42:00) Similarly, how has our educational system lost sight of instilling the value of having a purpose in life in the minds of students? How are our arbitrary and time-worn distinctions between “vocational-technical” and “social science-humanities” belied by the ethos of Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man who excels in his work? / He will stand before kings”?
  8. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 46:00) How can the questionable approach toward educational training (its lack of scholarly specialization in teacher programs, its syndrome of overwork, and low pay for teachers) be blamed for our diminishing educational profile against other nations? To what extent can this also be blamed on the relegation of Sunday school programs to well-intentioned but unlearned volunteers?
  9. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 50:00) In light of the imagery and sentiment of Isaiah 57:14, what constitutes the “stumbling block” that has impeded our Western approach to education over the past half-century? What are some examples of attempts to clear the path of learning that have failed through over-theorization, politicized curricula, and so-called deep learning through technology?
  10. (VIDEO TIMELINE: 54:00) How might latter-day infiltrations of such elements as LGBTQ Pride, gender dysphoria, or pedophilia effectually undermine and corrupt our educational institutions to the breaking point?  How does the hyper-sexualization of vulnerable young people in this environment serve to demonstrate the power of demonic influence that appears to be marshaled against marriage and the nuclear family?