A Discrepancy Assessment Model for Evaluation of Church Education Ministries

To help plan and evaluate the presentations we make in educational contexts, a very useful tool has been designed by educator Robert E. Stake. This tool is a helpful model for equipping us with what we need to do to answer the questions we have that will prepare us to function most effectively and facilitate the most desired outcome in the teaching we have the opportunity to do.

Furthermore, most teachers have developed one or more lessons on different occasions and then, upon arriving at the location for the class, discovered that the expected circumstances in which he or she would be teaching are significantly different from the actual circumstances in that location, which differences have resulted in the necessity to make hurried changes in the plans that have impacted the lesson outcomes. Stake’s model helps teachers prepare for such circumstances and accomplish the planned teaching even when unexpected situations arise. The model includes guidelines for planning and evaluating a lesson plan and that plan’s outcome. This essay presents, explains, and applies to Christian education Stake’s insightful model for constructing and evaluating a lesson plan, or a program, and that plan’s outcome, so that what is intended is more likely to occur, even when the actual situation is different from what was expected and for which the lesson plan or program was designed.