Teaching Style Based on Thinking in Nahojlbalagheh

Abstract

Teaching style based on thinking is the most effective kind of teaching today, and has been the focus of many scholars. This kind of teaching removes the learner from a passive state and motivates him/her to think about the subject. In Islam, thinking is a matter of prime importance and it has repeatedly been recommended in the Holy Quran. Accordingly, in his book Nahjolbalagheh, Imam Ali (PBUH) has based his teaching on thinking. This survey has extracted the styles of teaching-based on thinking from Nahjolbalagheh and answers two questions: 1. Which kind of styles of teaching based on thinking has been used by Imam Ali (p) in Nahjolbalagheh? 2. Which dimension of thinking has been considered in teaching style based on thinking in Nahjolbalagheh? The writer examined all the sermons (khotba), letters, and sagacity (hikmat) of Nahjolbalagheh by using the descriptive- analytical method. As a result, twelve styles of teaching based on thinking such as illustration, asking questions preparing situation for decision making, asking for research classification and using cryptic phrases were extracted. Analyses suggest that all aspects of thinking such as morale, logic and critics have been considered in these styles and each one is somehow effective in making the learner to think. Finally, out of all the methods, the writer introduces a method, "Aala", to be used in the educational system "Aala" is taken from Imam Ali's (p) name.

Keywords

• teaching
• thinking
• style
• nahjalbalagha