In one of the seminary subjects called “Educational Principles and Methods,” I learned something of great value from a great teacher, Dr. Lydia Mapile. We fondly called her, Ate Lyds. She always told us that she was our “classmate.” On one or two occasions, my college-age daughter was with me and instead of waiting outside, Ate Lyds invited my daughter in not just to sit in but also to participate in class — and my daughter did so hahaha! That was amusing and fun for me as a dad. Ate Lyds is well loved by many at the Asian Theological Seminary.

Teacher’s Triad

Anyway, she called this principle as the “teacher’s triad.” She said that each lesson plan should contain these three elements together. I found this teaching of great value for those who are in the teaching profession. If you want to be a great teacher, I think you need to learn this .

These are the three elements of a good lesson plan: head, heart and hand. These three must go together in a good lesson plan. In a nutshell, my professor said that the head  stands for that part of the lesson where the teacher gives the basics (facts, information, head knowledge) of what the lesson is all about. The heart stands for that part of the lesson where the teacher touches the heart or the feelings and emotions of the students. And lastly, the hand part of the lesson stands for practical application or the doing part of the lesson learned — the call to action part of the lesson.

Knowing, Being, Doing

I like to  call these three also as: knowing, being and doing.

Knowing has to do with the “head.” We begin by knowing the facts — the information, the truth. A good teacher teaches his students about the basics of a certain topic — what is good, what is bad, what is important, etc. This is head knowledge. This is usually where we start — a good start. But we must not end there.

Head knowledge is not the end goal but instead another ingredient should be added to it and that is, the “heart”—or the “being” aspect of the teacher’s triad. Our head knowledge should sink in and go deep into our hearts. We “internalize” what we have learned. It becomes part of us — part of our being. It becomes part of who we are.

Head, Heart, Hand

Because of what we know (head), our being is affected (heart) which moves us to action (hand). These are the three ingredients of a good lesson plan—head, heart, hand—the teacher’s triad. According to my teacher Ate Lyds, a good lesson plan should say something about the head (basic facts), about the heart (touch the heart) and about the hand (appeal for action, practical application).

Updated, 11:30 p.m., 9/29/2018
I have just received news that Ate Lyds has gone home to be with the Lord just an hour or so ago. I wrote this blog in 2012 to honor her as a great teacher and servant of the Lord. She was my teacher in the year 2001.