The Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to Practically Anyone

Three years ago, our church of about 1,000 set about to reinvent itself within our Christian Education department. At about 26,000 feet flying somewhere over Arizona, I was shaken while reading it for the first time. It shocked me into realizing how really boring many teachers can communicate without anyone learning anything...always pushing content while omitting any application or creativity to ensure learning. These principles revitalized my own teaching, and I have used it as our core curriculum for the 15 teachers we have in our education department. Our teachers have come up with some great classes as well as creative ideas in their professional/occupational lives as a result of this book. Going on year three, we stand by this book as the best-of-class, and continue using its principles weekly. We now have a growing and alive ministry, and can honestly say this book began it all. This book is a "must" if you want to change lives vs. "cover" the material.

As someone who sat under Bruce Wilkinson during his college classes, I really wanted to read this book. It's not that I'm a teacher now, but I serve in a project management role. A lot of the information taught in this book relates to working with people. Some of the information I need is from my technical staff - my role in learning. Some of the information I need is to be taught to the everyday user - the my role in teaching. While "Loving your students unconditionally" may not apply in the real world, it actually does. I find my co-workers respond better to someone who cares about them then by someone who is just doing the work. A must read book!

This is an excellent resource for teachers at every level of experience. Whether one has been teaching for 30 years or even 1 year, this book has excellent ideas and principles which will be of benefit.The book is, of course, subdivided into 7 sections. Each section covers one of the seven laws in great detail, describes how each is important, how each is applicable, etc. The laws are as follows: the learner, expectation, application, retention, need, equipping and revival. At the end of each chapter are study questions for those who are either teaching the material or reading the material as a group and discussing the issues. These questions work to strengthen not only the reader's understanding of the concepts of the book, but also help the reader to reflect over the material thus enabling the reader to "learn" and have the material "stick."The text also includes illustrations (i.e. cartoons), charts/graphs, and is well researched and presented. The book is well written in such a style that just about anyone can understand the content. This is an invaluable tool to those who are not only teaching professionally, but also those who are perhaps teaching in 'nonprofessional' (as a paid teacher per se) teaching settings (i.e. seminars, workshops, Sunday School, business, etc.)

This book and the accompanying video series was presented to our church recently. Our group consisted of housewives, businessmen, pastors, students, farmers, etc....and everyone learned something! The Bible truths and practical lessons were "right on!" - and applied to every age group and to every walk of life. This is an investment which will be a resource you will refer to many times and one that will continue to "teach" each time you use it.

I graduated from seminary, but didn't know how to teach the information I had learned. Dr. Wilkinson has outdone himself with the 7 Laws of the Learner. If you want to teach so that your students will walk out of your class knowing how to apply what you've taught to their life, this is a must. Don't just teach information -- teach people what to do with it.