Summary of Book “Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching” by Kevin Treston
Introduction
Many works have been written on various topics about teaching, careers associated with the profession, or preparation for the job. But this book is different. Authored by Kevin Treston, Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching brings a holistic approach to the examination and discussion of what it means to be a teacher. The author, Treston, in the introduction of the book reveals that many examples from the text were garnered from experiences in the elementary, or adolescent classroom. However, he admits that the book’s characteristics “are highly relevant to any context of teaching, such as parish adult learning groups” (Treston 1). The simplicity of its narrow, relatively small paperback-bound contents belie its profound, and surprisingly touching messages.
The task herein is to present a discussion summary of the text. On page six, of the introduction, the author Kevin Treston relates an unforgettable anecdote about a teacher that will bring a tear to your eye. The five chapter divisions are respectively entitled: (a) Integrity, (b) Wisdom, (c) Generativity, (4) Learning, and (5) Justice. Today, teachers function in a difficult world. Treston is concerned that those in the teaching profession often become confused about their roles, given all the social pressures, threats of lawsuits in terms of political correctness, “consumerism, and the impact of electronic technology” (3). Written from the heart in cogent, succinct, yet in a natural down-to-earth style that retains its smart perspectives, Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching really offers a lot of food for thought and helps to inspire teachers to march forward – despite the onslaught of the trials in modernity. The following summary content discourse is divided according to its chapters.
Discussion
Summary of Chapter 1 – Integrity
A short vignette at the start of ‘Integrity’ might be interpreted as representing Jesus Christ as a symbol of ‘Truth,’ who was killed for not compromising his values. In this way, the first chapter sets the tone and clearly states from the outset that teachers have a responsibility to be true to themselves, and act. A teacher’s pathway is related to the reader as one which should be founded upon honesty. However, Treston is not a fool behind rose-colored glasses, readily admitting in this chapter that integrity is not always easy. One reason why is because teachers’ lives and responsibilities are so often filled to the brim with a number of tasks that may overwhelm them. He cites some of these daily activities, beyond actual teaching, as “bus supervision, pastoral care, interaction with peers, attending meetings, administrative duties,” and so forth (Treston 10). The reality, reminded in this part of the text, also lets the reader know that although teachers do receive a salary, this fact is almost like a sidebar.
The recognition of being in partnership with God is emphasized in this chapter. Quoting Carl Jung, the Apostle Paul, Catherine of Siena, and Steven Covey, Treston tries to encourage the belief that gaining integrity is not a hard-and-fast rule of behavior, but rather a journey of discovery fraught with struggles and challenges. The idea of a ‘philosophical map’ is offered which illustrates its basis of teachers remembering that they are created in the image of God. Of this concept, Treston recalled one teacher objecting to adhering to a set philosophical view and that teachers must concentrate “on real issues” (17). To this objection, Treston makes the point that teachers are in much better, quality positions when he or she has the courage to self-examine their teaching methods by reviewing their different assumptions from time to time.
One striking comment from this first chapter on ‘Integrity’ comes from the author’s remark about technology. He argues that “Technology has contributed greatly to humankind, but it powers of persuasion are formidable” (Treston 18). While it is not difficult to guess at what was meant by this, Treston makes it clear when he explains that our thought processes absorbs the life-style images of the culture – steeped in so much consumerism that is hard to escape. Continuing in this vein, it is pointed out that people are confronted with so many product choices and a glut of entertainment venues that individualism can be described as a cult. Giving a roster, in the form of a historical overview, Treston names various figures from over hundreds of years who held opinions about education. Thus, short quotes from Socrates, Plato, Gandhi and more let educators see different points of view about teaching theories.
However, Treston smartly wraps up this chapter by announcing short summaries of different educational philosophies. Each one sums up Idealism, Pragmatism, Existentialism, Realism, Marxism, and the Christian view. Finally, with “teachers need to be proactive in fashioning a path of integrity,” Treston gives several introspective images of a teacher (32). These include aspects of the artist, mystic, shepherd and companion.
Summary of Chapter 2 – Wisdom
Just as you think you might have read everything there is to know on wisdom, the author opens this chapter by confessing that this quality is only second to integrity. Wisdom is not characterized, according to the book, as simply gained or acquired knowledge. But wisdom is connected to the idea that attitudes and values should inform a kind of conscious way of living. The biblical style is emphasized, reviewing gospel stories about Jesus and wise teachings of quotes from rabbis. But the central theme of this chapter is the centrality of how Jesus operated as a teacher himself.
One remarkable observation that Treston makes is that the teaching ministry of Jesus did not actually last that long. He points out two main aspects of Jesus’s teaching career. For one thing, he notes that his teaching season did not extend beyond a three-year period, and secondly that most of his style was to “tell stories or parables, to illustrate his teaching by healing and miracles, wisdom sayings, and symbolic actions” (Treston 41). Seemingly more than the first chapter on integrity, this chapter is peppered throughout with many scriptures taken from the Bible. The authors asks questions about the kind of world order that Jesus promoted, and what the implications mean to teachers. Treston neatly divides his ideas on wisdom into little sub-topics: Inclusion, Priority, Hope, and Solidarity. However, the real highlight of this chapter is the author’s emphasis on the Beatitudes taught in Jesus’s charter, which give eight golden nuggets of wisdom for teachers to abide by.
For example, when quoting the section of the Beatitudes on being gentle to the earth, Treston insists that meekness is not weakness. The message to teachers from this particular Beatitude: “Blessed are the gentle; they shall have the earth as inheritance” tells teachers that they have a strong capacity for inner strength (46). The concept is telling and inspiring teachers that when they are humble, it helps them to better seek God. As a result, when students are allowed to have their space it shows the teacher’s respect for their dignity. And sometimes following this choice of conduct means waiting patiently “for the appropriate moment of learning” (Treston 47). The amazing quality of the author’s points in this chapter is that he does not try to make the process seem too easy, or foreign to applying its principles in the modern world.
Treston is no fool. He is keenly aware of the complexity of the world, and how it impacts teacher’s lives and their ability to carry out their profession. Perhaps, this is why he chooses to introduce the Apostle Paul’s writings on suffering in his famous treatise from Romans 7 from the Bible, where Paul discusses the struggle between body and soul. A healthy amount of this chapter ends in a serious overview about the current socio-political reality and how a wise perspective functions in today’s cultural environment. He mentioned the influence of the Internet and how powerfully commercial television relates common themes of falsehoods. Citing several statistics, Treston points out that self-worth is related to material possessions, the highest value is attached to being a white male, the world as violent, and that relationships are only about sex.
Summary of Chapter 3 – Generativity
With first perusal of this third chapter, entitled, “Generativity” it was unknown what the author could mean by this phrase. So, it was with curiosity and anticipation to find out the answer. Treston explained this aspect of a teacher’s dynamic dimension as a kind of motivation quality that uses energy to help students “live creatively through a realization of their potential” (Treston 61). Introducing the concept, the author mentions the ups and downs of the teaching experience. He asks the teacher-reader about the areas that really energize and excite them, and the more depressing aspects of stress in the situation. This is a prime example that really shows how Treston’s book is neither preaching at teachers, nor giving them some unrealistic advice for improvement. His style of inspiration in a nice, casual conversational mode really helps to understand the points he is making. Also, the general tone is friendly and presented in an open way that shows he truly understands the joys and pitfalls of being a teacher.
This chapter essentially elaborates on the fact that the real gift a teacher gives to his or her student is their own self. He says that this quality is what marks how the teacher engages with student learning. The importance of the concept may be summed up in Treston’s statement which asserts “The power of a teacher’s insightful and enriched life journey in the facilitation of learning cannot be underestimated” (61). It is all about connections. Since everybody has a life journey of different experiences, kind of like a kaleidoscope – or a patchwork quilt – the human qualities of teachers can understand that life happens inside and beyond the classroom. In quoting Jung to make a point, Treston writes a line from the philosopher which says “Do you want to go through life walking upright or dragged through by a series of events?” (Treston 62). This statement really makes you think deeply about the quality of your teaching life, why you are doing, and why you ever proposed to do it in the first place.
It all comes down to being dedicated to a proactive life of dedication and service in one’s community. This is the main theme of the third chapter on generativity. The word, ‘generativity’ never ceases to draw interest to performance stemming from the soul, and giving outwardly gifts to others – in this case, one’s students. Thus, shifting the focus in this direction the following aspects are addressed in this section: (1) Love and compassion, (2) Care of self, (3) Fun, (4) Community, (5) Healing and reconciliation, (6) Spirituality, (7) Pastoral care, and (8) Responding to stress. All throughout these themes of the text in chapter three, the emphasis is on the Christian standards of living, loving, and the delivery of better thought-out approaches to handling relationships, “inability to cope with obstinate and violent students, curriculum demands, work overload, feelings of personal inadequacy,” and so on (Treston 76). The attitude is not so much a ‘woe-is-me’ syndrome of thinking when these everyday things happen, but more like facing up to the realities and not getting in the pattern of thinking like you are being a victim.
The really striking quality of this chapter hits to the heart of Christian philosophy, in terms of New Testament living. In the sub-section on ‘Community’ Treston discusses the “radical ideal of koinonia, of people loving one another in a new style of relationship, not according to kinship or status but as sisters and brothers in Christ” (70). The concept he puts forth reminds one that true fellowship reaches beyond natural blood ties. Thus, as a circle of spiritual relationships is cultivated and formed, the teacher can honestly sense the real growth of a spiritual connection to his or her community. This is the development that the notion of generativity brings. In other words, it is all about being part of belonging to a caring on both a social, and an emotional level. Treston lays out the foundations of a true Christian community by naming the different features. Some of the ones he includes are: a common group vision, a culture of selflessness, good communications, members regularly praying, and a network of existing pastoral care. An important part of this chapter is when the author explains that stressful event can be handled in wise ways, and bring new invigorating energy for tomorrow.
Summary of Chapter 4 – Learning
Oddly enough, or maybe not so odd, we arrive at the chapter entitled ‘Learning.’ The way Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching is set up, it seems that the idea of learning had come at the right time, in the right place. After a bit of soul-searching and setting the overarching foundation, the author chose a good starting place to discuss the idea of learning. A key to the whole chapter is summed up in Treston’s question asking: “Who can be a teacher without first being a learner?” (83). If you really think about it, it really is true. Naturally, when a person understands the struggles of learning, then he or she can better accommodate helping a student through the process. Obviously, Treston understands this and is sensitive about the core of the learning experience.
Opening the discussion, Treston mentions the development of technology in education and that the invention of the Internet has presented a lot of unresolved issues. One reality he brings up is that in approximately one decade, over half of all students will be getting jobs that do not exist today. This can either be a thrilling fact for some, or a very frightening fact to others. But one important point he makes about this, is that many schools today cannot even afford the latest technology in learning tools, implies that this gap is problematic. The mountains of electronic piles of information and data has imported the need for a new kind of literacy in learning. And, the key disturbance is – according to Treston in this chapter – is that about 70 or 80 percent of teachers suffer a negative plight because they are not computer literate. After noting this aspect in the very beginning of the chapter on learning, the author moves forward to discuss how teachers understand the process of how the structure of learning might be facilitated.
The format is really great. He does not tell or dictate to teachers exactly how the learning process should be. Rather, Treston begins with a list of pertinent questions about the nature and process of learning. The purpose of presenting the questions is to clarify the individual teacher’s perspectives on his or her approach to teaching. Some of those questions are worth documenting here:
How are my Christian values reflected in my practices?
What learning experiences most energize me?
One particularly interesting part of the chapter was Treston’s quote from a researcher named De Bono, who listed a schema of six hats. They color-coded different meanings of thinking. For instance the “white hat” thinking reflected an “objective look at data,” while the “red hat” sort of thinking fit more to “hunches, and intuition,” while the “green hat” kind of thinking pointed to fresher new ways of creative thinking (Treston 91). The author manages to keep a nice, friendly tone in a conversational way throughout the entire book. No teacher will ever feel intimidated by reading his text, or feel like they cannot relate to the material. Since the book is not very thick, and fairly a short, quick read the aspects can be quickly gotten, and applied to whatever areas an individual teacher needs more guidance. The truly formidable quality of this fourth chapter on learning is how the author gives practical credence and outlines the Christian perspectives in learning. He achieves this by enumerating various principles, like caring relationships – then refers to the scripture in John 15:1-17 – where Jesus talks about Himself as the true vine, and explains the quality of sacrificial love. It is very powerful stuff.
Summary of Chapter 5 – Justice
So often in this world we live in, justice seems to be an elusive concept in many situations of our contemporary society. Treston seems to take an organic approach to the topic of justice. In other words, he flat-out names the certain injustices such as racial prejudice, hunger, and sexism but he mainly moves the conversation into areas of how teachers can be involved by simply their being “on the cutting edge of society in the work of educating young people” (Treston 103). The author does acknowledge the difficulty of social situations that can make teachers feel despair over happenings. But, he holds a very strong view that if teachers are not part of the solution, then he or she definitely is part of the problem. By the same token, the author has common sense and a sensible balance. He is not suggesting that teachers and school take on the whole ball of wax of evils in society, and blindly fight the enormous giant of social injustice in the world. Treston, instead, does wisely acknowledge that teachers are only human too and they have their own perspectives and opinions about what is going on in society.
The key marker of this chapter on justice gives teachers an idea of how they can contribute on a spiritual plain to address it. In other words, Treston suggests teachers can focus on their personal behavior and lives as being truthful persons, having a reverence for life and the living, and to practice the processes of justice from where they are. He also believes in starting somewhere, which is where the teacher is in terms of being aware, while helping students to become more critical thinkers. Treston suggests that field trips are good to this goal. He sums it up by expressing how important taking care of the earth and earthly resources are, and that some really great research projects for classes are forest visits, and promotion of similar eco-friendly environmental excursions. It is important to note at this juncture that each chapter has a short ‘reflections’ section at the end, which gives wonderful tips, real-life exercises, and a way for any teacher to personalize the book once it is in their possession. Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching by Kevin Treston, comes highly recommended.
Personal Comments
It is with pleasure this book by Kevin Treston, entitled Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching can be heartily recommended. Actually, it has many good principles and guidance for better living without coming across as ‘preaching’ – while offering information to support what he is saying. It is a surprisingly easy read, but not shallow and has deeper thoughts about spiritual living and how to incorporate a smooth process in the life of a teacher. Also, the insights do not seem to ever go out of style. You can really tell because it was written years ago and is still relevant over the long-term of life in general. One last point is that although the book was expressly written for teachers, a lot of important ‘life’ substance can be gleaned from the pages of its text. Both handy and profound, Treston did a very good job.
Bibliography – Works Cited
Treston, Kevin. Five Dynamic Dimensions for Effective Teaching. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1997. Print.
