One of the key strategies of the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) is to incorporate a different method of teaching called the “LePSAS” method.
Learner Focused
Problem Posing
Self Discovery
Action Oriented
Spirit Guided
Learner Focused
Learner focused means the lessons are more focused on the learner. Instead of the lesson being dominated by the teacher who lectures while standing at the front, the teacher acts as more of a facilitator, sitting in a circle with the rest of the group. Instead of doing most of the talking, the facilitator primarily asks questions and has someone else write the group’s answers (if most are able to read).
Problem Posing
Each lesson introduces a relatable problem with a role-play or a story or a picture or some other interactive, engaging way. The rest of the lesson then is focused on helping the group to brainstorm and discover for themselves solutions to a particular problem, a problem that they have seen in THEIR contexts. If they don’t see it as a problem, or they cannot relate to the problem in their day to day lives, the lesson is much less relevant and unlikely to be remembered or acted upon.
Self – Discovery
The goal of the facilitator is to ask questions and lead the group towards discovering the answers for themselves. You might have heard this called “The Socratic Method”. Or perhaps you are familiar with the way that the Jewish Rabbis tend to teach: with stories (parables) and questions. You might notice how often Jesus responded to a question … with a question of his own! Lessons tend to be internalized in a much deeper way, when the person or group discovers the truth for themselves.
Action Oriented
The expectation is that at the end, the group will come up with practical action items that the group will then implement. When a person or group comes up with their OWN plan, they are MUCH more likely to actually follow through on their commitments.
Spirit Led
Sources of wisdom and inspiration for dealing with these problems always include the scriptures and prayer for the enlightenment and help of the Holy Spirit to give them wisdom.
