Missions is an educational pursuit.  Consider the verses Deut 6:4-9

“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.”

I have no interest in trying to do a solid exegesis of this passage, but consider the wording and the imagery and see how it connects with a number of topics in eduction theory.  Consider the following:

Systems of Learning:

Feeling:   Love God with all your heart

Thinking:   Love God with all your soul (mind)

Doing:   Love God with all your strength

Modes of Learning:

Auditory:   Hear, O Israel, Talk about them

Visual:   Symbols, Write them

Tactile/Kinesthetic:   Impress them, tie them, bind them When                     sitting/walking

Learning Theories

Cognitive Information:  God is one. Talk about it. Memorize Commands.

Behavioral Behavior: Mark head, hands, and doors as reminders. Obey commands

Humanistic Feelings/Values: Change value system. Have individualized instruction and incorporate it with everyday behavior. Express Love.

The Christian educator needs to integrate knowledge, values, attitudes, skills in such a way that the learner will have a change of heart, head, and hands. Creative teaching is a must to reach out effectively to all learners. Use multi-media for instruction. Recognize that learning is not just knowledge, not just understanding, not just skills, but values and attitudes as well.