God has designed human beings to learn information most effectively in a specific order, and in spite of all of our technology and advancement today, that reality has not changed four thousands of years. In is not at all surprising, then, that the ancients discovered and leveraged this process in education, using a model that today is called the "classical" model of learning, and Bible Quest is a plan and a collection of tools that have been specifically designed leverage the classical trivium in three phases to help parents and caring mentors teach God's Word.
The first stage of education is Knowledge, called the Equip Phase in Bible Quest. In the Knowledge (or grammar) Stage, the student is taught the language of the subject under study. For instance, a mechanic would not be very effective talking about tools if he did not know that a ratchet is a specific tool for a specific purpose that is separate from a tire gauge and its specific purpose. Even if he used the tools rightly, problems would develop in communication and learning in the shop. Instead, mechanics learn what tools they have, their names, and the names of car parts and what they do before they begin working on them.
The same process for a mechanic is also true for learning about the Bible. How can a person comment on the life of David and whether or not he did what was right if they don’t even know who he is? Where to find out about him in the Bible? Where he lived? When he lived? These basic pieces of information are what the knowledge level of Bible Quest strives to empower parents and mentors to give to their students. That way, when the student has mastered the basic pieces of knowledge from the Bible, they may begin to discover how they all relate together. These relationships form the second part of the process: the Understanding Stage.
The Understanding (or logic or dialectic) Stage, called the Empower Phase in Bible Quest, focuses on connecting all the pieces of information that were gleaned from the Equip Phase. It is the stage of questions, wonder and practice. A student building understanding will take the foundation of knowledge that they already have at their ready command and explore all of the relationships between the pieces of information. Once their understanding is firmly in place, students engage in the final stage: Wisdom.
Wisdom is “the right use of knowledge.” A student that is developing Wisdom has understanding at such a deep level that they grasp the methods and necessity of sharing the information that they know with other people without doctrinal error. Classically, the final phase of the Trivium is rhetoric, the arts of persuasion. While the idea of Biblical wisdom can transcend rhetorical conversation and apply to right conduct in all settings, the arts of teaching and persuading people would certainly be included as part of wisdom.
This is the trained mind: built upon the foundation of knowledge, living in the house of understanding, working with wisdom to spread the Good News of Jesus to others. This final stage of mentored instruction for application of the Bible and teaching God's Word to others is the Wisdom (or rhetoric) Stage, called the Expedition Phase in Bible Quest. Consisting of longer-term projects suitable to individuals or groups, the Expedition Phase gives students the opportunity to research, refine, and then illustrate and share Biblical Truth to others in a variety of contexts.
Using the classical model for Biblical instruction is simple in concept: memorize Biblical knowledge, thoroughly discuss God's Word for understanding, and mentor students in Biblical wisdom for lifelong application. Bible Quest can help in that process by providing a plan for content and tools for parents and caring mentors to use along the way. For even more information on the simplicity of discipling kids using the classical model, be sure to read this article.
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