Where we’ve been

It is a dirty little secret that, after seminary or college, most New Testament Greek students will effectively leave by the wayside what they have learned. And, let’s be honest, for the majority of students the experience of learning Greek using the traditional method, where many grammar rules and paradigms are memorized and Greek is constantly translated into English, is itself frustrating, if not downright unpleasant.

Jewish rabbis read the Torah in Hebrew. Imams read the Quran in Arabic. But Christian leaders? Whereas pastors and other leaders have a desire to read the New Testament in the original Greek, on a daily basis, throughout their lives – and this is what the goal in seminary or college ostensibly is – the reality on the ground is very, very different.

Glimmers of hope

The desire to know God and cherish his Word is bringing about a profound shift. The past decade or so has seen a stream of Greek instructors adopting communicative language teaching (CLT). And their students are able to read sizable texts from the New Testament, without translating or turning to resources, with understanding. Greek language instruction turns more towards the actual content of the passages being studied, with grammar and so forth taking their proper, secondary place.

This focus on meaning allows, in turn, for spiritual formation to come front and center in study of the Scriptures, as it should, even – or especially – in the Greek classroom! Plus, more capable students are able to assist their instructors to help the other students develop. This can enable a kind of mentoring in teaching to take place. Their instructors not only teach more effectively, but also seem to have a better grasp of the biblical text, themselves. These winds of change have drawn you, too, to desire to make a profound switch in direction.

The Next Step

What you need is a program that will help you build fluency, provide you with a robust curriculum, focused on spiritual formation, and teach you how to teach using CLT, while also offering you a chance to practice teaching true beginners, before you go live at your institute. In addition you want a seasoned Greek instructor to come alongside you, consistently providing support and mentoring, during your first year of teaching a beginner’s Greek course, using CLT.

So let us introduce you to the διάβασις Program…

διάβασις Program

The διάβασις Program is a one-of-a-kind program for Koine Greek teachers, to bring them from traditional pedagogy (grammar translation) to using Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to independently teach beginner’s Greek courses, using Greek as the language of instruction.

The Program equips teachers with personal fluency in Koine Greek (in listening, speaking, reading and writing) to the level necessary for teaching a beginner Greek course. It successfully enables them to begin teaching, providing a training ground in a unique, in-person workshop, replete with a practicum, where teachers practice teaching true beginners. Finally, it comes alongside teachers for a full academic year, as they venture out to teach their first beginner Greek course, at their home institute, using CLT and the ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ curriculum.

phase 1 – fluency course

Meets weekly, for twenty four weeks. Participants learn to understand and express themselves in Koine Greek, while working through a number of core texts related to discipleship (four parables, 2 John, Matthew 8-9). The exact timing of the weekly 2-hour session is to be determined, based on participants’ schedules.

Learning Objectives

By the end of Phase 1, participants will be able to do the following, in Koine Greek:

·      Read, at the rate of speech, four parables, Math 8-9 and 2 John

·      Correctly answer comprehension questions, orally or in writing, based on these biblical texts

·      Without recourse to written aids, tell 2 parables and 3 miracle stories, using one’s own words

·      Summarize the content of 2 John, using one’s own words

·      Describe who Jesus is (an exposition of Jesus), drawing on the material learned from the biblical texts read

phase 2 – διαβασις workshop

Teaching teams (teachers, along with any assistants) from a select number of institutes in North America receive hands-on training in teaching using Communicative Language Teaching. This six-day workshop, called διάβασις, facilitates Greek teachers and their teams making a transition from traditional Greek pedagogy (Grammar Translation) to Communicative Language Teaching. The workshop offers instruction, interwoven with a multi-faceted practicum. For four of the eight hours, daily, teachers (and their teams) practice the skills they are learning. They teach true beginners, following a curriculum and lesson plans that are provided for them. The teachers then receive feedback from the workshop instructors.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of Phase 2, participants will be able to do the following:

·      Independently teach Koine Greek to true beginners, using communicative language teaching, for a total of 20 classroom hours

·      Navigate easily through ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ curriculum and teaching materials, including lesson plans and online learning platform

·      Prepare to teach a year-long beginner’s Greek course

phase 3 – year-long mentoring

Teachers (and their teams) receive weekly support from ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ mentors, as the teachers work their way successively through the ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ curriculum, teaching their first ever Koine Greek course using CLT. Mentors meet live, weekly, with teachers from a given institute via video conferencing, to discuss the week’s lesson plans, teaching strategies and integration with the online learning platform. Teachers and their mentors also connect via email and/or text, throughout the week, to get quicker answers to brief questions for clarification.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of Phase 3, participants will be able to do the following:

·      Independently teach Koine Greek to true beginners, using CLT, for a year-long course (80 instructional hours)

·      Proficiently utilize the ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ curriculum and teaching materials, including lesson plans and online learning platform

·      Introduce others to the world of understanding the content of the New Testament at high resolution, through teaching Koine Greek, to foster obedience to the Word of God and faithfulness to following Christ’s model

So why not register now?

The inspiration for the Program’s name comes from Jacob’s epic crossing over of the Jabok river, as he re-entered the Promised Land, after many difficult years spent, needlessly, in Paddan-aram. The crossing marked a new era in his own relationship with the God of Israel, just as it over-flowed with blessing for those close to him.

(Rahlfs-Hanhart)

The end goal for us at ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ is that, long term, other teachers, too, will be able to raise up and mentor other teachers (2 Tim 2:2). We hope that they will choose to use our curriculum and resources. The διάβασις Program is an initial, key step towards enabling other teachers to reach this goal.