Formation happens not only from what students are taught but also from how they are taught, says a scholar of faith and learning. What are the implications for teachers who are Christian?
Today, teaching is basically viewed as a matter of technique, says David I. Smith.
“It’s like getting your car fixed at the garage,” he said. “You don’t care if your mechanic is a Buddhist as long as it runs again afterward.”
That view of teaching, however, is fundamentally mistaken, said Smith, a scholar who works at the intersection of faith and learning.
“Always, whatever you’re teaching includes some kind of formation,” he said.