The 7 laws of teaching by J. M.

Gregory
The material below, the 7 laws of teaching by John Milton Gregory, which belongs to the book
"Pedagogical Guide", was one of the first that I studied and that has always helped me both in
teaching and preaching through the years. It's worth it.

J. M. Quaglino

THE LAWS OF TEACHING.

Someone has said that "The teacher is born, not made." We doubt that this is true: heredity makes
its contribution to each life, but not so much that it cannot be neutralized by environment and
personality. What is often believed to be a fortunate gift is actually an acquired skill. The success of
the teacher depends largely on the enthusiasm he puts into his task, the love for his students and
the dedication in their preparation. All of these features can be purchased. In teaching a lesson, it
will be found that successful presentation is, in large part, the result of diligent preparation. All those
who are willing to be guided and corrected by the recognized principles of pedagogy can ensure the
success of teaching. Some ask: Isn't this in conflict with the work of the Holy Spirit? Shouldn't the
teacher be guided by the Holy Spirit to whom he has given his life? Does not the teacher who seeks
to be guided by the laws of pedagogy dishonor the Holy Spirit? No way. We do not offend the Holy
Spirit by obeying the laws of gravity. We do not dishonor the Holy Spirit by studying the laws that
govern the functioning of the human mind. No one was more subject to the Holy Spirit than the Lord
Jesus Christ, and yet no one observed the laws of pedagogy more carefully. It is true that He did
not write a treatise on the technique of teaching, and as far as we know, none existed in His day. It
is evident, despite this, that He and the pedagogues of his day were true masters in the art and
practice of teaching. John Milton Gregory's seven rules of teaching not only contain the principles of
pedagogy used by our Lord, but they constitute the best rules for evaluating the work of a teacher.
Each student in the advanced classes at the Moody Institute is required to teach a class in the
presence of his classmates, and then be subjected to their criticism, based mainly on these laws.
Below we will list the basic principles:

1. The teacher's law.

Dr. Gregory says: "Good character and high moral qualities are desirable in the teacher; if not for
his work, at least to avoid the harm of bad example. But if, one by one, we were to discard from our
catalog of desirable qualities those that are not indispensable, we would find ourselves forced to
retain in the end, as necessary for all teaching, the knowledge of the subject to be taught." The first
and most important law is then:
The teacher must know what he is going to teach.
It is a pity that some preparatory institutions for Christian workers give greater importance to
teaching methods, and leave what is to be taught in a secondary place. In secular teaching,
knowledge of the subject is of primary importance, which becomes the very heart of preparation,
and we would not dare to suggest that religious teaching is of so little importance that knowledge of
the Bible is not essential. . Knowledge is the raw material with which the teacher works, therefore it
must be complete. Otherwise, incomplete knowledge will be reflected in incomplete teaching. What
man does not know, he cannot teach successfully. In reality, a lack of knowledge of the subject to
be taught invalidates the entire instructional process more than any other factor. If the teacher does
not know, he cannot teach. Miss L. Flora Plummer says: "In our study of the Scriptures we must
seek to be complete. We must dig very deep; The best jewels are not found on the surface.
Accuracy is always necessary. The accountant's books must be exact to the penny. Carpenter's
joints do not serve their purpose if they do not fit exactly. Each lesson that is thoroughly mastered
gives greater strength for the next, but a lesson treated superficially weakens us for future ones.
"The difference between success and failure, between weakness and power, is the invincible and
persistent resolve on the one hand, and the lack of energy and will on the other." The teacher must
know more than what he has to teach. It is not enough to know enough to fill the time. To achieve
perfect mastery of the lesson, diligent study and thorough research are required. Unlike the
preacher, the teacher must be knowledgeable enough about the subject to answer any questions
the students might ask. Instead of feeling incompetent and a slave to his preparation, the teacher
who truly masters his subject can observe the effect of his words on the children and direct their
thoughts with ease and ease.

2. The law of the student.

Long before Spurgeon became the famous London preacher, he had acquired a reputation as a
worker among children. In his instructions to teachers he says: "Get the children's attention. If they
do not listen, the teacher will speak, but he will speak in vain. If children do not understand,
teaching will be a drudgery and meaningless task for both you and the students. "You won't be able
to do anything until you capture the students' attention." This advice is in accordance with the
second law of pedagogy:
The student must attend with interest to the lesson he has to learn.
Dr. A. H. McKinney says: "In preparing to face his class on Sunday, the engaging teacher
prayerfully prepares to fulfill three purposes. Your first effort will be to get the children's attention.
Then he works to retain that attention throughout the class. Your most difficult task is to convert that
attention into interest."

to. Attention. There are three kinds of attention:

(1) Involuntary. This attention is fickle and subject to any distraction that arises. The mind is not
sufficiently fixed on the lesson to prevent hearing or sight from being distracted by any extraneous
influence.
(2) Voluntary. Attention can be forced by disciplinary measures or by appealing to the student's
willpower. In Sunday school, it is rarely possible or desirable to discipline children to get their
attention, making this method impractical.
(3) Sustained (or spontaneous). Students learn most quickly when they are so absorbed in the
lesson that they forget what is happening around them. Fascinating children through an interesting
lesson is therefore most desirable.

b. Interest. Spontaneous attention depends on interest. It is easy to gain and retain the attention of
the interested child. A command or a quick sleight of hand may attract the child's attention for a
moment, but only true interest can hold it. As Dr. Goodrich C. White: "We must find a way to give
children something to do that seems worthwhile to us, and that seems of such value to them that it
will completely occupy their minds to the exclusion of all other matters." The ability to interest will
depend on:

1) Discover the child's level of thinking.

2) Defend you from external distractions.
3) Provide a lesson that adapts to the student's ability.
4) Provide for student cooperation in the lesson.

3. The law of language.

We have discovered the teacher with his important wealth of knowledge on the one hand, and the
student with his requirement of interested attention on the other. The next step is to find a means of
communication between the two. This law can be expressed as follows:
The language used in teaching must be common to the teacher and student.
The teacher may have a much broader vocabulary than the student, but it must be remembered
that only as long as the former limits his language to the vocabulary of the latter, will his lessons be
understood by the latter. The language to be used will necessarily be different in each class
depending on the age of the children. In this regard, Dr. Gregory suggests that the teacher:

to. Constantly study the language that children use.

b. As much as possible, it is expressed in the vocabulary of the children themselves.
and. Use the simplest words and the fewest number of words that express your purpose.
d. Use short sentences of simple construction.
and. Explain the meaning of the new words through illustrations.
F. Frequently check children's understanding of the language you use.

4. The law of the lesson.

This law, which directly concerns the lesson or truth to be taught, is fundamental to all pedagogy. It
can be stated like this:
The truth to be taught must be learned through the truth already known.
All teaching should begin at some known point in the lesson. If the topic is completely new, some
starting point must be sought so that the new is understood through comparison with something
known and familiar. This law of association or contact is fundamental in all teaching and basic in
mental development. The new can be known only in relation to what is already known. Our Lord
was a true master of this art. His listeners knew the Old Testament well. For this reason he built
new truths on the facts already well known. His crucifixion would be similar to the episode of the
bronze serpent that was lifted up in the desert. He compared his burial and resurrection to the
experience Jonah had. The time of His coming would be similar to the days of Noah and Lot. He
described things to come in terms of things that had already happened.
To comply with this law the teacher must:

to. Make a connection with previous lessons. What has been previously studied is within what is
known. If the teacher has taught the previous lessons, these will be familiar ground for both him and
the student. Each review is, in reality, a demonstration of the stated law, and those who faithfully
execute the reviews are those who best comply with it.

b. Proceed in gradual steps. An athlete does not set a remote goal to try to achieve it immediately.
He begins by repeating what he knows he can achieve and gradually raises the bar he must jump
until he gets closer to his goal and perhaps establishes a new "record." Likewise, a student must
fully master each step before taking a new one. Each new idea that is assimilated becomes part of
the student's knowledge and serves as a starting point for a new advance. Like a row of spotlights
on a highway, each new knowledge adds its light to the one before it, and projects that increased
light forward toward a new discovery.

c. Illuminate through illustrations. Enlightenment is nothing more nor less than returning to familiar
ground. When progress is faster than the mind can keep up, a retreat to familiar ground allows
lagging understanding to catch up. The great Moody recognized the possibility of making his
messages clear to the masses through frequent illustrations. Figures of rhetoric, such as metaphors
or allegories, have arisen from the need to relate new truth to familiar scenes or experiences.

5. The law of the teaching process.

In a previous lesson the teacher compared himself to the driver who drives his car. We learned how
the student is fed with short, simple portions of the Bible that he can assimilate and apply. We saw,
however, that it was necessary to apply the spark of interest to the teaching material to ignite the
fuel and provoke action. Once the teacher had fully aroused and interested the student, the only
thing left for him to do was to sit down and direct his activity. In other words, the real job of the
teacher is to stimulate and direct thought, or as stated in the fifth law:
Excite and direct the student's self-activity and, as a general rule, do not tell him anything that he
can discover for himself.
If the student does not think for himself, the teaching has no results. In reality, the great object of
the teacher is to make the child become a discoverer of the truth. The learning process really
begins when the student becomes an independent researcher. It is well to remember that
knowledge can be acquired without a teacher, and that we see successful men who have never had
the privilege of attending schools of higher learning. What are schools for then and what is the need
for the teacher? The teacher is necessary to provide the most favorable conditions for self-learning.
True teaching is not so much imparting knowledge, but encouraging the student to obtain it for
himself. How can thinking be stimulated? Below we will give three suggestions for the teacher:
to. Provide material for thought. The activity of the mind is limited almost exclusively to the field of
knowledge already acquired. The student who knows nothing cannot think, because he has nothing
to think about. In order to compare, criticize, judge and reason, the mind will necessarily work on
the material it possesses. For this reason, it is necessary to first equip the student's mind with the
truths that will serve as the basis of his or her thinking. Modern education that seeks to extract
knowledge from the student's mind and his experience without first implanting it, is trying to extract
information from a mind that is empty. It is very true that education is an educational process; but no
one has yet been able to explain how a teacher can extract knowledge from a mind in which it has
not been implanted.

b. Ask questions. The most important stimulus used by nature to awaken the mind are the incessant
questions that the world and the universe address to man. The object or event that does not excite
any question will not provoke any thought. Asking is therefore not one of the resources of teaching,
but is all teaching. It is to excite self-activity on the part of the student in the discovery of truth.
Asking a question is putting the student's mental gears in motion.

c. Provoke questions. Even more important than asking questions is to provoke or awaken interest
in the research itself. In reality the educational process begins only when the student begins to ask
questions. The eternal questions of childhood have their echo in the mind of the adult who struggles
to solve the problems of the universe. The falling apple brought with it the question of gravity that
aroused Newton's curiosity, and the boiling boiler suggested to Watt the problem of the steam
engine. The student's question is an index not only of his mind but of himself. Your question is a
manifestation of your own understanding and research. By encouraging the student's questions, the
teacher stimulates in him both the natural desire for knowledge and the natural desire for self-
expression.

6. The law of the learning process.

We have seen that the teacher's work consists largely in awakening and guiding the self-activity of
the students. Now we must concern ourselves with the way in which the student responds to the
teacher's efforts. The learning process involves much more than expressing interest and paying
attention. There is a clear and defined act or process that the student must perform. This act or
process consists of forming in your own mind, by your own strength, a true concept of the facts or
principles of the lesson. This law of the learning process can be stated like this:
The student must reproduce in his own mind the truth to be learned, and then express it in his own
words.
Contrary to general belief, the work of education is more the work of the student than the teacher.
Although we can learn quickly from others, and the original discovery is the result of a long and
laborious process, yet no true learning is entirely a repetition of the thoughts of others. The
discoverer takes, in large part, from truths known to others, to which he adds what he learns from
his own experience. The teacher conforms to this law insofar as he leads the student to be an
independent researcher. There are three distinct grades or steps in learning, each of which takes
the student a little further in mastering the lesson.

to. Reproduction. It is possible to reproduce the exact words of a lesson by learning it by heart. This
is the most that some students seek or that is demanded by some teachers who have a poor
concept of how much is involved in the learning process. If the student does not understand what
he has learned by heart, apart from mental discipline, we cannot say that he has mastered the
lesson. A man may buy a book and place it in his library, and yet make no use of it.

b. Interpretation. There is a notable advance in the learning process when the student can give
something more than the words or facts he has learned. When you can express your own opinion
about these facts, I know that you have managed not only to understand what you have been
taught, but that you have learned to manage not only the thoughts of others but also your own. The
lack of insisting on the need for the student to think for himself is a very common fault among
teachers. When asking the questions; Instead of using the word "what" for which the answer is very
simple, a good teacher will use the words "why" until the student understands that he must have his
own opinion on the matter.

c. Application. Education is not the acquisition of knowledge but its use, and no lesson has been
fully learned until some effort is made to apply it to daily life. The student who finds a use for what
he has learned in his lesson will have a double interest in it. What was once mere knowledge
becomes practical wisdom. Knowledge is power only when it is conquered, subjugated and put to
work. While expressing an opinion only exercises the mind, applying knowledge affects the will and
the student's life itself. Practical application is too often neglected. Many Sunday School students
are "always learning but can never come to the knowledge of the truth" because there is no
personal application of the lesson to their own lives.

7. The law of review and application.

Assemblies always open with a reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, and close with a
review of the minutes of the current one. There is a review of what happened, both at the beginning
and at the end of the meeting. The first is necessary to establish a more intimate relationship with
the previous session, and the second, to relate what was done today with the next session. We
have already referred to the importance of relating to previous lessons when starting class. It is
equally necessary that the salient truths of the day's lesson be carried over to the next session, and
realized in the lives of the students. The law of review and application can be expressed as follows:
Completion, testing, and confirmation of the work of teaching must be done through review and
application.
There are three objectives in the review or recapitulation of the lesson:

to. Improve knowledge. A review is more than a repetition. A new lesson or a new topic, no
reveals completely from the first moment. It is often distracting, and its novelty can dazzle the mind.
When one looks at a painting for the first time, many details escape observation, which will be
noticed when examining it in more detail. When reading a book for the second time, we find many
facts that we had missed on the first reading. No book will reveal as many treasures when reread as
the Bible. Even the review of familiar passages never fails to shed new light or reveal a new
message.

b. Confirm knowledge. Memory depends on the association of ideas. Each review familiarizes and
strengthens these ideas through a new association. Perhaps when introduced to a group, one does
not feel confident in remembering the name of each one of them, but if another person later arrives,
his/her introduction to the group confirms the knowledge and reinforces the memories of the first
person. The lesson that is studied once is probably forgotten, but the lesson that is reviewed
repeatedly becomes part of the wealth of our knowledge. Not what the student has learned and
even recited once, but what he permanently remembers and uses, is the correct measure of his
knowledge.

c. Apply knowledge. Practice often makes the artist truly skilled. Frequent reviews make knowledge
useful and practical. The biblical texts that influence us most are those that have become so familiar
that they automatically arise in our minds according to the occasion. They are the truths that have
become familiar by repetition, that shape conduct and character, and if we want some great truth to
sustain and guide us, we must return to it until habit has fixed it in our lives. The biblical system
"precept upon precept" recognizes this truth. In conclusion, it is good to point out that review is not
another improvement in teaching but is one of the essential conditions of true teaching. Not
reviewing it is leaving the lesson half finished.

QUESTIONS

1. Demonstrate how the knowledge and

compliance with pedagogical laws.
2. What is the law of the teacher?
to. Why should the teacher know more about what he has to teach?
4. What is the law of the student?
5. Comment on the three kinds of attention.
6. What four things does interest depend on?
7. Define the law of language and say four ways the teacher can
observe this law.
8. Name three ways in which the law of the lesson can be observed.
9. What is the law of the teaching process?
10. Suggest three ways in which thinking can be stimulated.
11. Define the law of the learning procedure and cite the three steps of the process.
same.
12. What are the three objectives of the review and application law?