Educational theorist and researchers have now quantified through extensive research what most teachers have known for years. Namely, most children do not learn from lecture and reading alone. Their research has given scientific support, a new vocabulary, and a new sense of urgency to what we in the church have called 'creative teaching methods.' We now know in fact that people possess multiple learning intelligences (sometimes called 'learning styles') which need to be engaged in order for the truth of God's Word to be more fully known. It is more than just 'active learning' and 'being creative.' It is a holistic, intentional understanding of the way we truly learn.

According to the work done by Howard Gardner, educational research professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, each person possesses seven "intelligences." These are listed and described as follow from the book "Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom" (Thomas Armstrong, ASCD, 1994):

• Linguistic/verbal - the capacity to use words effectively, orally or in writing.
• Logical-Mathematical - the capacity to use numbers effectively and to reason well. This includes sensitivity to logical patterns and relationships.
• Spatial - the ability to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform transformations upon those perceptions. It includes the capacity to visualize, to graphically represent visual or spatial ideas.
• Bodily-Kinesthetic - the capacity to use one's whole body to express ideas and feelings and the facility to use one's hands to produce or transform things.
• Musical - the capacity to perceive, discriminate, transform, and express musical forms.
• Interpersonal/relational - the ability to perceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, motivations and feelings of other people. Sensitivity to facial expressions, voice and gestures.
• Intrapersonal/introspective - the ability to act adaptively on the basis of self-knowledge. Being aware of one's inner moods, intentions, motivations and a capacity for self-understanding.

According to Gardner, all people have these seven intelligences and can develop each intelligence to an adequate level of competency. The traditional "structure" of school, however, does not always allow for their stimulation or development. The Seven Intelligences work together in complex ways. They do not "stand alone" but rather are always interacting with each other. For example, when playing a ball game the child needs bodily-kinesthetic intelligence to run, kick and catch, spatial intelligence to become oriented to the playing field and to anticipate the trajectories of balls, and linguistic and interpersonal intelligences to successfully argue a point or shout out instructions to teammates. (Armstrong, 1994).

What are the implications for Christian Education?

If our goal is to teach the Bible so that it brings about radical transformation of people's minds and hearts - leading them to maturity in faith, then we have certainly failed (see Search Institute Study 1990). The important thing for Christian educators to do at this point is to find ways to use the most recent educational information in our Churches so as to enhance the way in which we present the Gospel message. Let's be honest, over the years we have all experienced the frustration of functioning as a teacher, with traditional denominational curriculum that, while filled with multiple"options," only really gives us a few minutes each week to accomplish all these "options."

Let's outline what we as Christian Educators face as follows:

THE PROBLEM:

If our goal is to teach the Bible so that it brings about radical transformation of people’s minds and hearts – leading them to maturity in faith, then we have certainly failed (see Search Institute Study 1990). Why have we been so unsuccessful? Here are some suggested reasons:

1. We have children once a week for about an hour but they only come sporadically at best
2. We scurry to recruit "teachers" to fill our "slots" to be sure all the age groups are covered. And these volunteers actually need to be multi-gifted but are generally not.
3. We can’t find enough volunteers who will commit to an every Sunday morning teaching schedule
4. We use curriculum that may give us a variety of teaching options but we try to cram it all into one hour in one room with teaching volunteers who are not necessarily good at using this material. We purchase enough for every child, whether they come every week or not (wasting money).
5. We have curriculum that is dependent upon the previous week’s lesson but the children attending this week might not be the ones who attended last week ~ review begins to feel pointless.

What we end up with:

• A volunteer generally gifted in one area (for instance, a great storyteller), but not with skills in music, drama, crafts, or in utilizing technological tools.
• Volunteers that need to utilize more than one lesson option to fill out the class time, ending up trying to do things they are not good at. Their sincerity and effort alone will not make up for their lack of gifts. Teachers know it because they feel uncomfortable and students know it because the activity lacks the power of clear direction.
• Curriculum not used, and creative resources under utilized, cabinets filled with old curriculum that no one dares throw away and the occasional poster/butcher paper project taped to a wall or bulletin board.
• Classrooms end up looking like "miniature board rooms." ~ long or round brown tables, folding chairs, white walls, blackboards or white marker boards. The only difference generally is the height of the table and chairs depending on the size of the child. The older the child, the less "toys" around and the more boring the room becomes.
• Bored children, disruptive children, disgruntled volunteers and frustrated Christian Education Pastors and Directors trying desperately to "fill slots" to keep the children busy while the rest of the "real church" goes about worshipping, fellowshipping and drinking coffee. J

Ask a teenager what they remember from their grade school Sunday school classroom – I can guarantee you this is generally how they describe it. Ask them what they remember doing and most likely they will tell you "I colored," or "We pasted stuff," or "I don’t remember much, it was ‘kinda’ boring." Sound all too familiar?

THE SOLUTION

The Multi-dimensional Rotational Learning Model is helping churches to make use of the concepts of Multiple Intelligences Theory, brain studies, gift-based ministry and other current educational research by suggesting that we change our educational "paradigm" almost completely. Instead of having one volunteer teacher trying (and generally failing) to do it all in one classroom, we are suggesting that churches:

1.Turn rooms into multi-dimensional learning environments: For example a Drama room, Art room, Computer room, Storytelling room, Movie room, Science lab, Cooking lab, Map room, etc

2. Have adult volunteers work in rooms where their particular passion and gift focus one entire lesson hour on one main learning medium (based on MI theory).

3. 'Rotate’ a different set of children each week to a particular learning environment – hence the concept "Rotational" or "Multi-dimensional" learning environments.

4. Repeat Biblical Stories (themes or units) over a series of four-five weeks so that the children experience the same story through different modalities over a short course of time.

5. Empower people with nurturing gifts to be a specific age group's "shepherd." The Key component to making this concept really work are being sure that each age group has this specific person or team of people who are committed to the nurture and care of the age group. These people are called SHEPHERDS (or pick a unique title for this role that matches your particular new theme/design for Sunday School) and are people who commit themselves to "nurture" one particular age group (or one mixed age grouping) for the series of weeks (however long they wish). They have no preparation and act as an extra set of hands in each center while getting to know the children in their group more intimately. They are also responsible summarizing what the children have experienced that day, refreshing their memory from week to week and helping with their faith journals. They also can be asked to work on Bible verse memory, send notes and cards during the week, perhaps even phone children who have missed several weeks in a row, remembering Birthdays, etc. The Shepherd role provides the continuity that we so dearly miss in today's rushed society.

6. Give permission to artisans and other creative people from within each congregation to create murals, create interior design themes and authentic looking Biblical environments for each room, hallways, etc. Tents, clay pots and oriental rugs grace the storytelling room, video equipment stays in the production room, all the art materials are in the art room, authentic maps of Biblical history are on the walls and on the floor in the map room, not to forget a popcorn machine in the movie room! This is what we can refer to as "enhanced environments" which in turn encourage better retention of the Biblical content.

Sunday School then looks a little more like this.:

The rooms listed in the rotation chart example are not the only choices for a church. Every church is unique and will naturally adapt ideas to make them fit. Sunday School Environments encourage this (demand it!) since they are based entirely on a church’s personal and physical resources. A drama workshop may sound exciting, but if a church has no one with drama skills and no available space to utilize drama as a teaching tool, it should not include drama in its repertoire of workshops. That sounds like common sense, but sometimes seeing or hearing about a particular workshop in another place can cause churches to forget the importance of a serious assessment of their own situation

We end up with:

• children more fully engaged in each learning environment
• children wanting to come back because they have other rooms to look forward to in the weeks to come
• adults teaching in their area of giftedness and children who can feel their enthusiasm.
• adults who love children being able to give the time necessary as shepherds and concentrate on the nurturing aspect that we have so sorely lost in our hurried society.
• children learning the "story" via all their senses – not just from reading, listening and coloring around tables. (They experience the story in multiple authentic learning environments. We believe this helps with retention for better integration of the faith story in their hearts and minds.)

Now let's try to describe how a church might use this paradigm for their particular situation. Let’s imagine the following rooms so that children experience the Biblical story in its historical context, in today’s context, and then in a futuristic context. This last context gives the children a way of learning how to use current technology within a Biblical framework thus preparing them for how to "redeem" what the world uses for God’s glory when they become young adults.

• A Synagogue or Temple or Tabernacle: is where the Bible story is heard, read and experienced through games, puzzles, quizzes, book searches, maps, newspapers, reading different translations, etc.
• A Map Room or the Desert Room is a place where children sit around the camp "fire" dressed in costume, outside of a tent and hear a storyteller relate the story, as the Hebrews would have done through oral tradition. It is also a map room unlike any you have ever seen. Maps cover the entire floor as well as the walls and the children can "walk" through Jerusalem just like John, build an Israeli village, chart Paul’s travels or pinpoint locations of New Testament miracles.
• Mary and Martha’s Bed and Breakfast is a room designated to looking like an Israelite home where the children can fix a meal (like food from the Feast of Purim), arrange for Jesus to arrive, recreate the Bethlehem experience, etc.
• The Art Room gives children the opportunity to respond to what they are hearing and experiencing in some art form (not a craft!) while hearing the story or theme of the unit. Some items could be: Making Joseph’s Coat of many colors, creating several sets of Ten Commandment Tablets, creating a banner with symbols from David’s life, making items to give to others in need, creating a family Easter Resurrection scene, making their own oil lamps when studying about the bride and the bridegroom, making Bible verse placemats, etc. Some of these items are to give to others, take home or stay in The Kingdom for enhancing the learning environment. Other times the children will be learning about their responsibility as God’s Stewards of the earth, resources and the environment, just as Joseph was Pharoah’s right hand person during the famine.
• The Music and Movement Room:: You won’t find peace and quiet very often at this workshop. Instead you will hear voices raised, instruments played, and bodies moving in praise to the Lord. Some days children will be singing and playing authentic historical music; sometimes they will be preparing for special musical productions to be shared in the Worship Service. Other times they will be playing games and doing what we have always done with our children – use music to praise God and teach the Bible!
• The Computer Room allows children to find ways to memorize Scripture with a large game board, manipulatives, simple hands-on projects, the chance to play Bible Computer games, use computer software to make Bible quizzes and even write Bible curriculum themselves. This computer area can be "on-line" and allows the student’s access to our college students and other churches.
• The Mission’s Room: is a missions center and computer center where children do most of their missionary educational experience. Artifacts from our missionaries and mission organizations along with maps should fill this room. Wall maps are used to keep track of where missionaries are or have been. Stories from today and yesterday’s missionaries are told here. The computer in this room is a designated on-line mission computer for communicating with missionaries and mission organizations. It will also be important to connect with the children of missionaries. Each age group will be given a designated number of missionary children (close to their age) to communicate with on a regular basis.
• Radio and TV Studio: is a busy, bustling place. As the video camera roles, children will be taping new reports about the latest reports of this Man from Nazareth who raised Lazarus from the dead, a weekly update on the trail to find the youngest brother of eight, reported dead but sightings of him have been reported in Egypt, and God News broadcasted every Sunday. Radio dramas, like Unshackled, can be written and performed by our children as they read real life stories of people who’s hearts have been redeemed by God! Talk shows and game shows with integrity can be created in this studio helping our children to use the medium for the furthering of the Kingdom of God.
• General Cinema Center: Using the video/film and theater medium children watch a video, film, filmstrips, puppet performance, etc. of the Bible story (and eat popcorn). Not only are they receiving the story through this medium, this center uses the "good" aspect of this medium to teach God’s Word as opposed to how the world uses it. They will also be encouraged to watch critically so as not to be overwhelmed by the media. Responding to these theatrical images through writing in a journal allows children to reflect on what they are seeing and hearing.
• Faith Journals are kept and used in The Kingdom as a way of giving the children time to reflect on what they have experienced. The Journals are kept in The Kingdom in rolling files with children each having their own hanging file. These journals can be kept and added to during the years children spend at the Church and can be given to them at the culmination of their Confirmation thus outlining their own personal spiritual journey and developing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Each week a different age group will visit a different location. At the end of four-five weeks the children will have experienced one thematic lesson in different environments, making it much easier for them to recall the message and even have that message become part of their lives. Specific environment leaders have the privilege of doing one lesson 4-5 times in a setting that fits their particular giftedness and interest thus allowing for better familiarity with the story/project. Shepherds are people who commit themselves to "nurture" one particular age group (or one mixed age grouping) for the series of weeks (however long they wish). They have no preparation and act as an extra set of hands in each environment while getting to know the children in their group more intimately.

Knowing what we as educators know about the importance of RETENTION, (we retain only 30% of what we see and hear, but we retain 90% of what we say and do and 100% of what we experience), it seems time that we turn the tide on growing up people of biblical illiteracy and encourage teaching methods give our children the opportunity to say, do and experience. Our adult teachers also need to have "experiences" that they can share with the children of the church. Rotational learning environments model what Scripture clearly tells us in Deuteronomy 6:3-9 that we should be doing with our children to help them love God! See if in your current Sunday School children are being "impressed" with God's commandments. Let's start obeying by living it and helping our children "experience" God in all these different environments in their church.

"Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Multiple Intelligences in Scripture

Finally, let's take a look at just a smattering of Scripture to see how the Word of God has used all the intelligences to get the message across to us:

Exodus 24:7

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey." (Linguistic/verbal Intelligence)

Exodus 19:7

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. (Linguistic/verbal Intelligence)

Deut. 4:10

Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." (Linguistic/Verbal Intelligence and Interpersonal Intelligence)

Psalm 34:8

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. . ." (Kinesthetic Intelligence)

Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Naturalistic Intelligence)

Genesis 9:16

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Visual/Spatial Intelligence)

Mark 3:10

For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. (Bodily Kinesthetic)

Eccles. 3:4

. . .a time to dance, (Bodily-Kinesthetic/Musical Intelligence)

1 Chron. 16:23

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. (Musical Intelligence)

Philip. 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Intrapersonal intelligence)

2 Chron. 2:7

"Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided. (Spatial Intelligence/Bodily kinesthetic)

Ezekiel 36:27

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Bodily-Kinestic/Intrapersonal)

Acts 2:46

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, (Interpersonal Intelligence)

Genesis 15:5

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Mathematical-Logical)

Let us do all of this for our children.

Mickie O’Donnell has worked in Christian Education in the local church since 1976 starting in Jr. High and College ministries. She is the graduate of The University of Aberdeen Scotland with a Masters of Philosophy, 1985 and Trinity Divinity School with a Masters of Religious Education, 1991. Mickie served as Minister of Christian Education at Westhill Christian Fellowship in Aberdeen Scotland; at The Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, IL for 11 years; and as Director of Children’s Ministries at Christ Church of OakBrook for 3 years. She has been an adjunct faculty member of Trinity International University teaching Philosophy in the undergraduate department, and Christian Education and Counseling in the graduate school. As one of the original educators promoting rotational models of education, she has helped plan National Conferences, and is now Executive Director of Children’s Ministries of America ~ a resource non-profit corporation for churches across the country who have adopted alternative models for Sunday school. This document is copyrighted material. Permission is given to reproduce portions of this article for non-profit, church-related purposes only. Please keep the author’s name associated with any material you copy or use. For more information call toll free - 1-888-916-0702 e-mail us at childmin@earthlink.net or visit our web site www.childrensministries.org