Making is Part of Learning (A Very Small Biblical Theology of Active Learning)
In his book, Art + Faith , Makoto Fujimura describes the Garden of Eden as a “discovery zone” God prepared for Adam and Eve. God filled the garden with every kind of tree (Gen. 2:8-9). He brought to the garden all the beasts and birds (Gen. 2:19-20). God introduced the materials of the earth to humans, and then He expected them to make something of those materials by naming and cultivating them (Gen. 2:15; 2:19). And we get hints in Gen. 2 of fabulous and exotic materials God placed beneath the soil for Adam and Eve and their children to eventually explore, excavate, discover, refine and employ (Gen. 2:11-12). Fujimura wonders, “are we to assume that they would have begun the work of building the city of God in some way, to use the materials, even if the Fall had not occurred?” Consider God’s actions in Eden as an analogy for education. God… Introduces unfamiliar material and Provides opportunities for creative, meaningful work (naming, cultivating) that results in Growth in knowledge ...