As a result of the data tsunami, the way we receive and distribute information has changed. The act of skimming through information and scrolling—whether that means glancing through our Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr feeds—is our response to help us navigate the waves. We also communicate with each other on personal levels through brief snippets of information, such as updating statuses and Tweeting our hearts out in 140 characters or retweeting a meme or status that we agree with. The interesting thing to note is that while technology has evolved, this form of abbreviated communication is not novel.

Now imagine if King Solomon had a Twitter account

One of his Tweets might read “Wife #55 is nagging again. Sounds like a leaky roof. #makeitstop.” Even though Solomon didn’t have a social media account to share his thoughts or update his status, his words reflect the longstanding and near-global tradition of the use of maxims, proverbs, and aphorisms to convey deep truths in bite-sized pieces. Sayings such as “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar” and “Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but you don’t get anywhere” are modern proverbs. Proverbs with their short bursts of wisdom rely on a common poetic characteristic: compression.

Compression is simply saying the strongest message with the fewest words needed. The writers of the biblical Proverbs use compression as they utilize various types of figurative languages, such as imagery, metaphor, and simile, to make their statements tight and condensed. These elements work together within their cultural contexts to portray wisdom in strong, short bursts of words that are easy to remember and that teach a lesson or reflect on a wise practice.

The book of Proverbs is a book of biblical poetry.

Linguistically speaking, poetry integrates more lexical words than structure words. Structure words are words that don’t have inherent meaning or connotations of themselves, but they serve to provide a framework for context. They function syntactically and grammatically. Among these types of words are articles (such as “a,” “an,” and “the”), prepositions (such as “of,” “to,” and “by”), and “being” verbs (such as “am,” “are,” “is,” “was,” and “were”). Lexical words, on the other hand, are words with dictionary meanings, such as objects, places, people, things, actions, or characteristics; they are nouns and verbs, adjectives and adverbs. They conjure up distinct images in readers’ minds. Compression relies on more lexical words and only necessary structure words, and this is one major way that poetry differs from prose.

Because lexical words take center stage in poetry, the imagery becomes the preferred tool for the poet. These are the words that engage readers’ senses: seeing (visual imagery), hearing (auditory imagery), smelling (olfactory imagery), tasting (gustatory imagery), and feeling (tactile imagery). These images are made even stronger when they are partnered together in comparison, such as the case when simile and metaphor are used.

Simile and metaphor are woven throughout Proverbs. The basic difference between the two is that a simile is a comparison that uses the words “like” or “as” (“the sun was like a giant wheel”), whereas a metaphor omits those to drive home a direct substitutive comparison (“the sun was a giant wheel”). Both are dependent on correlative images. These images are strong because they are common and have meaning for the society.

One recurring thematic image is trees, both healthy and unhealthy. Trees were common sights in the agricultural society of the Middle East. Proverbs makes use of these often. Proverbs 11:28 (ESV) provides a didactic image: “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” Proverbs 13:12b speaks to the notion that “…a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Healthy trees meant prosperous times; poisoned or unhealthy trees meant failed crops and empty hands.

Another image is the effect of spoken words. Proverbs 12:14 speaks to fruit as a substitute image for words: “From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him,” whereas Proverbs 12:18a uses a dangerous image to warn of consequence: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts…” The distinct associations of violent damage caused by stabbing…well, I don’t think the author could get much clearer on his intended meaning. Proverbs 15:4 warns the reader to watch the power of his or her words: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

Biblical similes and metaphors between recurrent, familiar images, carried not only the power and impact desired, but they did so in a way that was memorable.

Crowns and their associations with authority and power are also recurring images. Proverbs 14:24 reads, “The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.” In Proverbs 12:4, we see a metaphor and a simile to describe two different kinds of women: “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.” Clearly, a man would want crowns and glory over rotten bones! The metaphor and simile work to paint distinct, dramatic ideas, more so than just the statement: “An excellent wife brings her husband glory, but one who brings shame is terrible for his health.”

Because water was scarce, it is also mentioned in multiple instances. Proverbs 13:14 reads, “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death,” and Proverbs 14:27 reads, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” Water good. Death bad.

Sometimes a simile or metaphor is also effective because of the even more distinct socio-religious or socio-cultural attitudes toward the images themselves. For example, Proverbs 11:22 (ESV) reads, “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.” In Jewish culture, pigs are considered ceremonially unclean, so a ring of gold (normally valuable), immediately loses its value and use in that case. The use of the simile for a strict comparison of a beautiful woman to this object in this context serves to underline the importance of wisdom and discretion.

So while Solomon may not have had the tech or the Twitter account, he still got his message across with the intentional usage of distinct types of words. The biblical text serves to testify to the power of brevity and concentrated language. Biblical similes and metaphors between recurrent, familiar images, carried not only the power and impact desired, but they did so in a way that was memorable. Like our social media posts’ typical length, they allowed readers the opportunity to grab onto and retain important information. So the next time you Tweet a status or come across a maxim, consider that sometimes, less is more.

I’ll provide a written explanation of these math tricks below but I would highly recommend you watch the above video to get the best explanation of these math tricks.

Math Trick 1: Dividing Factorials

A quick review: Four factorial is 4 X 3 X 2 X 1 = 24 ; we write that as 4! if you are looking for it on your calculator, but of course we’re not using calculators for these calculations.

The problem with using a calculator for computing factorials is that the numbers get very large very quickly, often resulting in an error or overflow message. However, if you know the pattern of (n+1)!/n! = (n+1) then you can quickly compute the answer of any large factorial division problem. For example, 2000!/1999! is simply 2000 .

Math Trick 2: Squaring Numbers Ending in 5

Let’s move on to our next trick which is squaring numbers that end in “5” without using a calculator.

Let’s square 65. To do this, we can multiply 6 X 7 = 42 (this is taking the first digit in “65” which is a “6” and multipling it by 1 + itself which is “7”). After this we can simply multiply the last digit in “65” (the number “5”) by itself ( 5 X 5 = 25 ) and combine it with the “42”. So, the answer is 4225 .

Want another example? Lets try to square 195. To solve this we simply multiply 19 X 20 = 380 , multiply 5 X 5 = 25 and then combine the two answers. The answer to this problem is 38,025 .

Math Trick 3: Multiplying Numbers that Add up to 10

Working off of the same principle mentioned in the previous trick, we can also multiply large numbers whose last digits add up to 10.

Let’s use 83 X 87 as an example.

Notice that the last digits of this problem (3 + 7) add up to 10 and other digits are both 8 . Because this is case we can simply multiply 8 X 9 =72 and then multiply 3 X 7 = 21 . This means that the answer to the problem is 7221 .

Math Trick 4: Find the Remainder when Dividing by 9

One last trick: Finding the remainder when dividing by 9. Once again, this one is easy to discover by doing a few examples.

Notice that 23 / 9 = 2 remainder 5 ; and 34 / 9 = 3 remainder 7 . In both cases, you see that the remainder is the sum of the digits (2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 4 = 7) .

Since the remainder will always be a number between 0 and 8, we need some additional rules. If you add up the digits and get 9, the remainder is 0. If you get a number greater than 9, add the digits up again. For example, if the number is 34291 , we add the digits up (3 + 4 + 2 + 9 + 1) and get 19 ; add those digits (1 + 9) and get 10 ; add those digits (1 + 0) and get 1 ; so the remainder when dividing by 9 would be 1.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed stretching your mental math capabilities a little bit. Your mind is more amazing than any machine. I’d like to challenge you to try these math tricks at home and let us know in the comment section how they turned out for you.

*ThoughtHub is provided by SAGU, a private Christian university offering more than 60 Christ-centered academic programs – associates, bachelor’s and master’s and doctorate degrees in liberal arts and bible and church ministries..

If you haven’t guessed by now, I am talking about watching sports on television. You didn’t pull out your pencil and paper and work through the quadratic formula to solve the equation, but your brain still makes an attempt to do it just by watching.

When a ball is thrown, kicked, or hit, the trajectory it follows is parabolic and is described algebraically by a quadratic equation. This is a somewhat of a simplification – it does not take into account things like wind resistance – but it is a good basic model of the trajectory.

A quadratic equation usually has two distinct solutions –the points where it crosses the x-axis; in a real-world sports scenario these would correspond to the following points – the point where the ball started from and the point where it would hit the ground, or go through the net, or be caught – depending on the sport.

Quadratic Equations in Basketball

Similarly, in basketball, the player who is making a shot is writing an equation so that the solution will result in the ball going through the net. And if they give you the right camera shot at home, you will again make your guess as to whether the shot will go in or not. In basketball, this is easier to see since the goal is not moving like the receiver is in football. Here your eyes are looking for the vertex – the highest point the ball achieves – which should be about halfway between the shooter and the backboard.

Quadratic Equations in Football

So who “writes” the quadratic equation in sports? Let’s start with a football example. Here, the author is the quarterback. When he drops back to throw a long pass, he determines a point where he believes his receiver will be and throws the ball in a parabolic arc aimed at that point. In other words, he has written a quadratic equation with a particular solution. When the receiver sees the ball, his eyes begin to track it long enough to pick up the trajectory so that he can run to the solution – and arrive just in time to catch the ball. In the meantime, what are you doing? When the ball is thrown and the camera zooms out showing the path of ball, don’t you start doing your own calculation of where the ball will land and whether the receiver will get there in time or not? See, you are solving the equation right along with the receiver!

Quadratic Equations in Baseball

Finally, baseball! Under normal conditions, most fly balls are modeled well by a parabola. If it is extremely windy, this will disrupt the trajectory – and will cause the fielders a lot of problems! Most outfielders will tell you that the hardest ball to catch is the one that is hit directly at them – this is because they have trouble picking up the trajectory of the ball. And once again, you the fan, whether at home or at the park, are watching the majestic arc of the ball, the path of the outfielder, and mentally computing whether or not you think the ball will be caught. A roar goes up when a player makes a surprising catch – that is, most of the fans computed “no” but the player caught the ball anyway!

Conclusion

So, I hope you enjoy solving watching those majestic parabolas fly through the outfield this weekend! Or maybe you will be out there on the softball diamond yourself chasing down the ball. Either way, what do you think about this? Do you feel motivated to study the quadratic formula now that you realize you’re brain has been doing it this whole time?

*ThoughtHub is provided by SAGU, a private Christian university offering more than 60 Christ-centered academic programs – associates, bachelor’s and master’s and doctorate degrees in liberal arts and bible and church ministries.

What consumers do not realize is that there are psychological tactics that are the invisible arrows in an advertiser’s quiver. In this post, we’ll discuss the power concept of anchoring bias on human behavior.

Psychological Anchoring

is a term used to describe the human tendency to rely too heavily on one trait or piece of information when making decisions.

In the 1974 paper ” ,” Kahneman and Tversky conducted a study where a wheel containing the numbers 1 through 100 was spun. Subjects were asked whether the percentage of U.N. membership accounted for by African countries was higher or lower than the number on the wheel. Afterward, the subjects were asked to give an estimate. Tversky and Kahneman found that the anchoring value of the number on the wheel had a pronounced effect on the answers the subjects provided. When the wheel landed on 10, the average estimate given by the subjects was 25%. When the wheel landed on 60, the average estimate was 45%. The random number had an “anchoring” effect, pulling subjects’ estimates closer to the number they were shown even though the number had zero correlation to the question.

Similar psychological patterns affect nearly all consumers and are seen across varied industries. Anchoring is most often evident when consumers lack solid evidence or knowledge. Anchoring is notably prevalent when people are dealing with new concepts. The anchor is also often the first piece or the most recent piece of information received, which shades decisions that follow.

Anchoring Bias and Gasoline

Under President George W. Bush’s second and Barack Obama’s first terms, we observed similar trends in gas price-per-gallon. Beginning around $1.85 per gallon, prices began to climb.

Consumers had grown accustomed to low gas prices and anchored mentally at the sub-$2-per-gallon rates. As prices crept toward $3-per-gallon, consumer sentiment was mostly negative.

When prices settled above the $3 threshold, consumers reset their psychological anchors . As prices declined toward $2.50 per gallon, consumer sentiment was largely positive.

In one scenario, consumers begrudgingly paid $2.50 per gallon. In another, they happily paid $2.50 per gallon. The price was less of a factor on willingness/happiness-to-pay than the context in relation to the anchor.

Anchoring Bias and Restaurant Wait Time

Have you ever added your name to a restaurant waiting list, been told the wait was 30 minutes and ended up waiting longer?

Imagine two parties visiting a restaurant that is running a 15-minute wait time for seating. In scenario 1, the host tells the customer their wait will be 15 minutes. In scenario 2, the host tells the customer their wait will be 30 minutes. In both, the time for seating begins to approach 25 minutes. In all likelihood, the party who was told 15 minutes has been waiting in frustration, checking their watch, and perhaps awaiting an opportunity to voice frustration. Meanwhile, the second party heads to their table, pleased that their wait was 5 minutes shorter than expected.

Anchoring Bias and Black Friday

Perhaps one of the best examples of the anchoring effect is Black Friday. Shoppers pour over endless sales ads, map their shopping routes and time their visits all for the chance to receive steep discounts.

Although there are occasional genuine loss leaders, much of the value that customers perceive is based on little more than anchoring. Sales ads tell you what a new TV should cost and offer it to you at a deep discount. Of course, your mind is taking a mental shortcut by taking their word for how much that TV was originally worth.

Anchoring Bias and Product Pricing

My personal interest in anchoring began with price psychology . Visit most stores and you will see prices ending in a 9. Thanks to neuropsychological data, marketers know that a vase priced at $39 versus $40 is not merely perceived as $1 cheaper, it is perceived as $10 cheaper.

This tactic has been dubbed . In the book ” ” William Poundstone dissected 8 studies on the use of charm prices and found that on average they increased sales by 24%.

Does anything perform better than the number 9?

If the number 9 performs so well, is there anything that is more powerful than “charm prices?” In an , a standard women’s clothing item was tested at $34, $39 and $44. Researchers expected the item to sell best at the cheapest price. However, the item sold best at $39.

Why? At the $39 price point, researchers included an anchor price.

Researchers have found that sales prices indicating an anchor price seem to beat the number 9 when split tested.

Anchoring and Salary Negotiations

You can see the same effect in salary negotiations. There’s some evidence that when the initial anchor figure is set high, the final negotiated amount will usually be higher ( ).

Incidentally, the anchoring effect is another reason it is advisable to open negotiations rather than waiting for the employer to tell you the range. You are able to set the anchor higher.

Summary of the Anchoring Effect

Since the anchoring effect occurs in so many situations, no one theory has fully explained it. There is a modern favorite for explaining the anchoring effect in decision-making. It is thought to stem from the tendency to look for confirmation of things we are unsure of.

Studies suggest that even when you know about anchoring and are forewarned, the effect can still affect your judgement. It just shows the power that the first piece of information has on how we make decisions in all facets of life.

While gaming in the classroom , or gamification , has become more prevalent with the addition of technology in the hands of today’s students, it is not a new concept.

Video games have been in the classroom setting as early as 1980.

Maybe you played a round or two of ” Oregon Trail ” or ” Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? ” with a friend in social studies class. Perhaps ” Reader Rabbit ” was your introduction to early literacy skills. Regardless, video games remind us that playing and learning go together.

When students engage in video game play , they experience the world in a new way. They learn to work collaboratively and to solve problems through the highly complex mental challenges that games provide. They also develop resources and skills that transfer into future learning opportunities.

Gaming offers motivation and relevance to students’ lives. When faced with problems in real-life, we can become anxious, overwhelmed, and feel like giving up. In gaming worlds when confronted with a problem or obstacle, the player is motivated to persist until the problem is solved. Then, the player advances to the next level. In games, players are motivated to take risks, collaborate, and creatively problem-solve until an epic win occurs. Isn’t this the type of motivation we want to foster in classrooms?

Games allow students to explore, make observations, manipulate, imitate, and use prior knowledge.

In games, failure is an option. Failing forward allows students to learn from their mistakes, take risks and try again for success. How many times have you tried to pass a level on Candy Crush?

Gameplay is visible evidence of comprehension. It requires understanding, skills, and strategies to succeed. Games require players to make predictions and logical inferences. Gamers cannot proceed or progress without deciding what comes next. Games provide clues for the gamer to advance, but this requires the player to integrate and evaluate the content. Games figure out how to play the game by analyzing characters and plot. Gamers learn to determine a point of view and purpose to make determinations between good guys and bad guys. Gaming can create a basis for developing and using comprehension strategies.

The 21st-century learner is expected to be a critical thinker, make informed judgments, be a creative problem solver, communicate and collaborate with others, use information in innovative ways, and take responsibility for himself and others. Gaming provides the avenue for all of these skills to be in play. So, why not let students in classrooms get their game on?

Here are three examples of how teachers are using gamification to support classroom instruction:

Minecraft EDU

With Minecraft EDU, educators and students can create intentional instructional experiences. In the literacy classroom, students can create worlds and characters from settings in literature like the Capitol or District 12 from The Hunger Games. Historians and amateurs constructed The Forbidden City for tours and exploration of the ancient site.

Kahoot! and Quizziz

Kahoot! and Quizziz can turn any subject into a game! Teachers embed multi-media content into these gaming platforms to engage students in the material.

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is a gamified classroom management tool that encourages students to be active listeners, participate in discussions, and engage in the learning process. Students earn points for positive behavior as well as lose points for negative behavior. The bonus is the variety of communication tools Class Dojo provides for teachers and parents.

Pulling out your hair when teaching non-techie students only makes you bald! How do we approach these students and how should we teach and design our courses to enable them to succeed? Let me share some practical suggestions:

1. Use Google and YouTube to Provide Instructions

I have discovered that many non-techie students also have limited Microsoft Word Skills and struggle with naming files, creating tables of contents, handling Track Changes, or deleting balloon comments. Many times I have used Google to find specific and simple instructions and have “cut and paste” these instructions to a student. Other times, I have searched in YouTube and found a short video that will provide simple, short, and visual instructions on how to do a specific task.

2. Keep Your Course Organized

Michelle Miller, adds that having a well-designed course is half the battle![1]. Organizing content into folders and grouping all the learning activities and links for a specific lesson into one folder or module helps the non-techie student. Non-techie students are often afraid to scroll or search a page to find things. Organizing the learning material in folders that are well labeled, intuitive and consistent throughout the course shell will certainly help. We have discovered that it’s necessary to put on the folder, “Click Here” as students with limited Internet skills simply don’t know how to click and open files.

3. Include an Introduction Lecture

Introductory lectures that “walk” the student through the online course shell really are helpful for the non-techie students. Instead of using a PowerPoint with your introductory lecture, take them into your course shell and simply show them how your course is organized, how to click on a file, where the links are for lectures, discussions, and where the assignments are. Make sure to show the student the technical help resources that are located in your online course. I’m convinced the showing the students your course and how every lesson is organized will save you a number of emails or phone calls.

4. Create a Resources Folder

I have seen many instructors organize a folder of helpful resources. This really helps the non-techie student when these resources are organized into one folder with all the possible material or websites or YouTube videos that they will need to succeed.

Non-techie students can challenge your patience, but with these practical suggestions, you will give them the tools and confidence that will help them succeed in their online studies.

Source: Michelle D. Miller, Minds Online (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014), 27.

You were asked to submit a résumé for a career position, and you realize you haven’t updated yours in years, or maybe you haven’t even written one before. Where do you begin? There are a lot of questions: how long should it be?, how much information should I include?, do I list my personal information?, and more.

Your résumé is your marketing piece of yourself when applying for a new position in your career field. You must “market” yourself to the prospective employer, and you want to do so professionally. There are a lot of templates available, but stay away from them! You don’t want your résumé to look like a cookie cutter model, nor do you want your prospective employer to think you take the easy way out….by using someone else’s work.

The length of the résumé will depend on your experience and accomplishments. Entry-level (recent college grads) résumés are typically one page, where a more experienced applicant would have two pages. When writing a curriculum vitae (CV) there is no specific minimum. The most important aspect is that the information is relevant and will help the employer make a decision based on what you have provided.

1. Choose an Easy- To-Read Font

To begin, choose an easy-to-read font in 11-12 point size. It is important to remember that some fonts do not transfer when emailing so keeping it simple is the best. Feel free to bold, underline, italicize, etc., to make certain areas and points stand out. Although the format is basic, you add special emphasis by doing these.

2. Basic Vital Information

It is necessary to include your name, address, telephone number and “professional” e-mail address.

3. Information to Highlight

Begin with the most important information that needs to be highlighted. Entry level résumés will begin with their recent education. A more seasoned employer may begin with a summary of qualifications or a brief summary of experiences. If the position you are applying for requires a certain degree and/or certification it should be listed at the top.

You only have 10-15 seconds to get the employer’s attention on your rĂ©sumĂ© before it is placed in the “later” pile.

4. Education

Under education, you will list the name of the university or the name of the degree first, depending on what is most relevant. You will also want to list the date you received your degree, and also indicate any academic awards and/or accomplishments under this area.

5. Experiences

When listing your experiences, keep in mind that this can also include your volunteer and/or unpaid experience which can relate to a position you are applying for. As you list your experience (and work history) you will list the name of the organization/company, city, state, and the dates you were associated with them.

The information that follows the heading of the organization will include relevant duties, accomplishments and awards related to them. An example would be: provided customer service while achieving 85% satisfaction from customers. Your goal is the show the potential employer that you have the skills necessary for the job, and more relevant experience will give you the edge on the competition.

6: Additional Information

Other areas you will want to consider adding are certifications, skills, professional organizations, and leadership development. Personal information is only listed on ministerial résumés if you choose. This could include marital status, children, date of birth, and specific hobbies and interests.

7. Proofread

Once your résumé is completed be sure to check for errors and proofread and have someone else proofread it for you. When printing, use a good white or off-white bond paper.

Writing your résumé can be enjoyable, and un-stressful If you follow these simple guidelines. Also, the SAGU Career Services office is available to assist you! Always remember the résumé is your marketing piece and it represents you.

Educators today are networking via blogs, wikis, Pinterest, and even Facebook. Now educators are harnessing the power of Twitter and creating their own personal learning networks . Here are five reasons why you, as an educator, should create your own professional Twitter handle and connect with others in your field.

Related: How to Teach Non-Techies Online

1. Connect with Other Educators

When you join Twitter, you join a global community of learners. Follow like-minded people and develop your personal learning network. Search for those who share your common interests and ideas so you may learn from one another even if one is halfway around the world.

2. Collaborate with Other Educators

Twitter provides an opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and resources with professionals from all over the world. Educators meet frequently on-line to participate in discussions via Twitter chats. Some may lurk to “listen in” on the discussion to learn, but many will join the conversation to discuss important topics and issues in education.

3. Create a Personal Learning Network

When you create your own personal learning network, you are motivated to pursue topics that interest you. Twitter is professional development in the palm of your hand. Educators use Twitter to instantly learn about the latest research, classroom strategies, or even peek into other teachers’ classrooms to learn. By following other professionals, you can personalize the content you receive and share with others.

4. Engage Students

Educators use Twitter as a classroom tool to connect students to a global community of learners. Extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom by facilitating discussions, collaborating and sharing with other classrooms locally and globally. Use Twitter to help students personalize content to meet individual student needs and interests. Enhance content area learning by following organizations that may add to the body of knowledge explored in the classroom.

5. Model Digital Citizenship for Students

By using Twitter in the classroom, educators provide an opportunity for students to practice digital etiquette in a safe environment. Students need good models of appropriate and responsible use of technology, especially with social media.

Instead of tweeting what you had for dinner or that you just completed level 264 on Candy Crush, create your professional Twitter handle and build your personal learning network one follow at a time. One can learn a lot from 140 characters.

Related: Is our Assessment Procedures Truly Assessing Learning?

The idea of reducing this concept down to a two-hour block time frame was almost laughable.

In my instruction at the college level, we take 15 weeks to discuss the individual components of police, courts and corrections that make up our modern United States Criminal Justice System and in that 15-week duration we merely scratch the surface of grasping a faint understanding of how it all works.

In preparation for my instruction, I turned to an “old faithful” introductory text on the topic(s). I know intimately of its flow charts and descriptions of how the system works. After looking at it I realized that due to the chart’s complexity in its present form, it was not going to be of much help. There are too many titles and descriptions for the time allotted. Furthermore, my college PowerPoint collection on the topic(s) would not be of much help either!

And…on top of all of that, how was I going to add aspects of how the Criminal Justice System is really the result of the Constitution of the United States, with its Bill of Rights, the Founding Father’s ideology…the amendments, the supreme court decisions…I was in a conundrum!

Riding home that night “it” came to me in an “epiphany” moment! In an instant I knew how to describe the entire criminal justice system using the concept of a board game!

The game will be called, The Game of Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness ! The rules of the game are collectively called the due process rules and consist of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th amendments of the US Constitution that apply to the cops, courts and correction “players” in the game.

After describing and giving understanding to the rules of the game to the potential players, the game could begin. The game actually begins with a crime taking place and then reported. It is then that the cops enter the game and conduct the next phase– the Investigation. With it’s Due process rules the 4th amendment: probable cause and right to privacy governing their behavior. The next section on the board game, The Arrest Phase is then entered and navigated with all of its inherent procedures and rules. This leads to the arraignment, the plea, The Grand Jury, preliminary hearing, trial and sentencing process including probation and parole, all governed by the due process rules of the game.

I had a Big Picture way to explain the complicated “system or process” that we call the Criminal Justice System and it was in a palatable and entertaining lecture that could easily be played in my time allotment.

I tried out playing the Game of Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness with the group later that week. I diagramed, on a white board the divided three section playing board with its sections. I explained the rules and then let the game begin with the crime in progress. I took the group through each phase of the game ending up with the accused either found not guilty, free off the board or through each part of the Criminal Justice System… from beginning: crime reported to end: probation, prison sentence and parole.

The whole thing worked. You know, when you teach or preach something and really connect with the audience. I had fun with this lecture and I sensed true understanding from my students that was confirmed by great test scores and feedback from the students and players of the game. I use this means of explaining the criminal justice system to my college students and have had the same results every time!

I thought long and hard about having this “moment” where it all came to me in the car while driving home…What could I do to have this type of clarity and creativity in virtually all I teach?

My purpose of sharing this story with you is to dissect what causes us to have this moment of instant understanding. What did I do to get it? Was it something I did, was it God thing…and can I replicate it for my next assignment?

Well, first I realized I prayed…critical point, bring God into the situation! This is profound… no, basic really. But I’ve prayed before and not with such favorable results. Further thinking… I prayed and I thought about what I knew, then I prayed and I thought about what I knew, and again, and again… and then the epiphany moment. Creativity, clarity occurred! I knew what to do and how to do it!

God has given us all unique understanding of our talents and callings. It may be the Criminal Justice System; it may be psychology, counseling, social work, the Bible, theology, youth ministry, math, music, leadership, history, the English language, media, cooking, and sewing, whatever… Don’t we all want to share, connect, teach, disciple things in a meaningful way?

So… my encouragement…We need time and we need to take time to pray, to think, to process, to slow down, to get back-to-basics to put us in the proper position to receive from God as well as from our good mind that he gave us!

Where discussions fall flat are when the topic is not interesting, engaging, or relevant to the student. Sometimes the problem lies when the group of students is too small, or divergent opinions or personalities can cause the discussion to falter. When planning the discussion, one needs to consider what is the learning objective for this learning activity?

• Convergent thinking? (Asking why, how or in what ways?)
• Divergent thinking? (Asking usually begins with imagine; suppose; predict; if…, then…; how might…; can you create; what are some possibleconsequences?)
• Evaluative thinking? (Defend, judge, justify, what do you think about…, what is your opinion about…?)

Here are some prompt questions:

• What do you mean by…?
• Let me see if I understand you: do you mean ____or ____?
• Could you give me an example?
• What are you assuming?
• How can we find out?
• Can we break this question down at all?
• Does this question lead to other questions or issues?
• Could you explain your reasons to us?
• Do you have any evidence for this?
• What effect would that have?
• How would other groups or peoples respond? Why?
• Can anyone see this another way?

Using open-ended questions leads to higher-order thinking; students are encouraged to interact with multiple perspectives which energizes the search for deeper understanding.

Your open-ended prompt questions set the direction for the interactive inquiry for deeper learning. Your continued questioning will keep the process going, focused, and purposeful for achieving the stated learning outcomes.