The carpenter in me sees the word \u201cthreshold\u201d and immediately a transition strip or door trim of some kind comes to mind. The Kinesiologist in me sees \u201cthreshold\u201d as a maximum output or delineation of a new system in the body activating.\u00a0 The student in me sees something completely unique in regard to learning and understanding and I am drawn to the word \u201cthreshold\u201d because of its multi-dimensional identity.<\/p>\n
I like to break barriers in many ways and see what is on the other side. Understanding a concept that was previously unknown to me feels good. It also inspires me to continue to learn and not give up when I\u2019m approached by a learning threshold or barrier. Studying the Concept of Thresholds this week has opened my eyes to the unique boundaries that surround me and the people I lead and influence. \u00a0When analyzing learning concepts and thresholds, I find it interesting that people learn in so many different ways, and in some cases, I find it frustrating.\u00a0 I often wonder how can someone miss something so obvious?\u00a0 My wife is a perfect example of active learning and her thresholds on certain subjects can be 180 degrees different from mine. Even though she is the smartest person I know, she misses a lot of what I would consider common sense and does not \u201csee the Dalmatian\u201d in the picture or even get the joke in most cases that my daughter and I inherently can\u2019t stop laughing at.<\/p>\n
The reading from Meyer and Land, \u201cOvercoming Barriers to Student Understanding,\u201d opened up my eyes in many ways to identifying threshold concepts. [1]<\/a> Chapter five put a halt on my reading and writing and sent me down a rabbit hole of processing for a lot of my day. I was reminded of the quote from Socrates, \u201cyou don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know\u201d and realized there have been many philosophers who share similar yet slightly different views on knowledge and thresholds. Aristotle famously wrote, \u201cThe more you know, the more you realize you don\u2019t know.\u201d Confucius is quoted saying \u201cto know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.\u201d\u00a0 I believe these quotes are true but often individuals including myself fall into the trap of assumptions and naive opinions that we perceive as fact. This is dangerous and will get us in trouble according to Mark Twain, \u201cit ain\u2019t what you don\u2019t know that gets you in trouble. It\u2019s what you know for sure that just ain\u2019t so.\u201d<\/p>\n In my own life, I have noticed I am naturally drawn to creative learning however I do enjoy active and social learning by myself or with a small group. \u00a0Regardless of the method, I need to arrive at an understanding that lies on the other side of the barrier somehow. If I\u2019m stuck on a concept, for example, a Biblical view that is deep and obscure; \u00a0I have noticed that I am often forced to change my method and point of reference and in many cases invite the Spirit into the struggle so my eyes might be opened to see something I\u2019ve missed. I believe spiritual learning is a concept that also helps overcome barriers and offers understanding and interpretation that will limit thresholds or barriers.\u00a0 I am finding myself using this technique more often in my life than in the traditional disciplines. \u00a0Recognizing these barriers and thresholds is the key to unlocking the door to new understandings. Inviting the Spirit into the learning process for wisdom and guidance is an essential step that is often overlooked.<\/p>\n In the video \u201cBreaking Through: Threshold Concepts as a Key to Understanding\u201d by Robert Coven, he mentioned approximately 4:44 seconds in, that \u201cthere is a paradox in time when you know what you\u2019re looking for and you can forget the time in which you didn\u2019t know. You can\u2019t go back.\u201d[2]<\/a> \u00a0He explains that once you have crossed a certain threshold, you can\u2019t unlearn it. It\u2019s also the reason \u201cteachers can\u2019t truly empathize with their students.\u201d[3]<\/a> We can\u2019t un-see something or unlearn something. Therefore we can\u2019t truly relate to the behaviors in which students learn until they have crossed the threshold themselves. \u00a0I agree with this philosophy and immediately started to contemplate faith and thresholds in Christianity, however, I\u2019m still struggling with individuals who have faith and then lose it somehow? Did they unlearn faith, not practice it, or some other reason that made them revert in their knowledge of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?<\/p>\n I believe Christians or people with a sense of Christianity settle too often when faced with a barrier in their understanding.\u00a0 Sometimes we settle for a misunderstanding of a subject and do not pursue the crossing of the threshold. Why do some people reach a certain threshold and accept the barrier as impossible?\u00a0 Why do we give up instead of pressing forward or write it off as an unidentifiable interpretation, error, or as cultural understanding that doesn\u2019t impact us today? It\u2019s because our world settles. Our western culture settles. \u00a0We want whatever we want, we want it now and we don\u2019t want to dig deep. The world is easily influenced and also lazy in many ways. I believe it\u2019s our job as leaders to anticipate barriers, understand methods for overcoming obstacles, teach in a manner that many can understand, and seek the Kingdom as our number one priority in life and in knowledge so we can gain the Spirit\u2019s perspective first.<\/p>\n The problem is that many who call themselves Christians have settled and do not realize they are just at a threshold than can be overcome. The awareness of the threshold or obstacle is half the battle yet too often we move on and do not optimize our knowledge or understanding. \u00a0Just like in exercise there is a new system that gets turned on but we ignore it. People in the gym assume that the harder they work on a cardio machine, the greater the benefit; although study after study proves that awareness of our thresholds through heart rates will produce greater results. This is the same for Christianity. Most study what they want, not where they\u2019re led. Most read the Bible on the surface instead of with deep hermeneutic techniques. \u00a0We do not dive deep enough into the Word, we don\u2019t invite the Spirit in, and we settle for assumptions and superficial Christianity. \u00a0Jim Morrison may have said it best. We need to \u201cbreak on through to the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ______________<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Meyer, Jan, and Ray Land. 2012. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding : Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge<\/em>. London ; Mew York: Routledge.<\/p>\n