Orality Journal Volume 3, Number 1, 2014 | Page 39

Constructivism, Cross-cultural Teaching, and Orality

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Fifth, remember that the primary
accomplished. Learning always
purpose of your teaching is not
moves from the known to the
the dispensing of information, but
unknown. This means that the
rather helping your target audience
good news must speak to reallearn and learn how to learn. As
life issues in the target audience
you create a safe environment
and they must see them. Likewise,
any theory when taken
where they can
question and reflect Constructivist teaching/ to an extreme can do
on various issues, learning is especially
damage. The same
you are making important when working would be true of
them the experts cross-culturally and with constructivist teaching/
in their own oral learners ...because learning if allowed
to slide into total
learning process. it allows them to define
You are helping critical issues and work relativism. There is an
them identify and out solutions which
absolute truth which
solve their own are both biblical and
no model should be
problems under the culturally appropriate.
allowed to destroy.
guiding influence
of God’s Spirit and the corrective
Constructivist teaching/learning is
especially important when working
instruction of his word. You are
cross-culturally and with oral
the catalyst, not the answer.
learners (those who either cannot
Concluding Thoughts
read, do not understand what they
I realize that many who teach crossread, or simply prefer oral methods
culturally may disagree with the
for communicating important
position I have taken in this writing.
messages) because it allows them to
I acknowledge their concerns and
define critical issues and work out
agree that the preaching of the
solutions which are both biblical
gospel inserts new knowledge and
and culturally appropriate.
understanding into any culture.
This is especially true where the
It allows them to use patterns of
gospel is relatively unknown.
thought and behavior which are
understandable to the people. It
But this does not negate the
frees them from the myopic shackles
which have all too often been placed
process by which the news of
the gospel can be (indeed, must
on them by Western influence. It
be) introduced if transformation
allows them to be truly indigenous
of life and culture is to be
and thoroughly Christian.