I teach because the Good Lord gave me a gift for teaching. Over
the years, He has help me develop that gift. God has also given me a passion to see my students make life-changing discoveries.
I have discovered that their lights come on brightest when I teach from a Theistic worldview (What is that?). Theism
is the belief in the God of the Bible, and the Bible teaches that God wants to be personally involved in all that we do and
are. For this reason, when I teach, I focus on two things that I believe comes from God:
The "WHAT"
(the fundamentals of golf)
The "HOW"
(the way the fundamentals are personally applied)
How exciting is that! The chart below shows us
how this works.
On the left side of the chart we
discover the fundamentals of golf. On the right side we discover how to apply our faith to the fundamentals of golf. In the
middle comes the integrated process. God takes what we learn on both sides and creates opportunities for us to unite the two.
How does that work?
The “what” and “how” united
Let
me illustrate this process. One of my students was putting for his very first birdie after practicing the fundamentals
of distance and directional control (found on the left side of the chart). He looked tense and uncomfortable. As a result,
he missed the putt badly. I asked him if he was nervous. He said he was. We then discussed what caused his
nervousness, and then I suggested a Biblical verse for him to apply (found on the right side of the chart).
On
his next putt, an interesting thing happened. At the very instant that he applied faith to his putt, his nervousness
left, and he made a very smooth stroke. He instantly sensed the difference and said, “amazing”. That is how God
becomes personally involved. He creates personal opportunities for us unite our learning with our faith.
I then shared with him how David, the shepherd boy, had been trained by
God to kill Goliath. When David was tending his sheep, God taught his hands to sling a stone (like being on the practice range). God
then brought a lion and a bear to test David's faith (like playing in a tournament).
David ended up trusting God and killed the predators that were attacking his sheep. So when the
opportunity came for David to kill Goliath, he was already experience in uniting his faith to his trained hands.
In the same way that God trained David, He wants to teach us. Instead
of a sling, we have a club. Instead of a stone, we have a ball. Instead of a Goliath, we have a course.
What I must do:
In my teaching approach, I must know
and teach two things:
The "WHAT" (all the fundamentals
of golf and the student who plays golf)
The "HOW" (all the ways
the fundamentals are to be personally applied)
What I must help my students to do:
To Apply the Law of the Learner: I must
help them to come prepared to attend with interest!
This
law strikes right at the heart of motivation. If students are unmotivated, it is unlikely that they will get much out of their
lesson. However, if they are properly motivated, then their learning will be very effective. So I must pray for my students
and ask God to give me insights to their needs.
To Apply the Law of the Learning Process:I
musthelp them to come prepared to work!
The
law of the learning process is discovering a new truth and working into one's play a new skill.This is very hard work. This is where faith is most applied. I am to be the example of what I want
my students to do and be.
To Apply The Law of Application:I must them to come prepared to be changed!
A first-rate golf lesson is not just about information; it is about transformation!
All the greatest golfers in the world share one common trait: they are moldable!They have placed themselves under various potters throughout their golfing journey and have undergone
the rigorous process of being transformed into a useful vessel. That is what my teaching philosophy is all about.
