Quotes and informational nuggets from Education Week

BYU Education Week is always my favorite place to be in August. Here is a quick list of things that I learned or loved this year. Ask me if your interested in hearing more. I've got lots of notes!

Teaching Adults by Kevin R. Miller:
- Adult learners need to be actively engaged in the first 2-3 minutes.
- Adult learners have life experiences to share.
- "We hope that in your educational pursuits you will learn wisdom . . .Wisdom is not just learning, but intelligent application of learning." President Ezra Taft Benson
(Our Sunday school lesson today from Proverbs discussed the meaning of wisdom as well.)

From series about Abraham Lincoln by Ron L. Andersen:
- "Some legal rights are moral wrongs." Abraham Lincoln
- November 1861, Lincoln checks out several books from the Library of Congress, one being the Book of Mormon. Returned it 8 months later.
- Of eleven proclamations given as president, nine called for a day of fasting and prayer.

From Devotional with Elder Snow:
- "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." Nelson Mendela
- Seekers of truth never stop learning.

From education director of the MOA, Rita Wright:
- Regarding symbolism; it is important to teach children the value of symbols, both literary and visual. The teaching we receive in the temple is symbolic.
- Part of the brain atrophies if not feed by higher things such as art, music, and literature.
- 1 Nephi 11:21 "And the angel said unto me: Behold the ^aLamb of God, yea, even the ^bSon of the Eternal ^cFather!" Beholding involves considering, contemplating, and understanding.
- "Ponder them in your heart. . ." Luke 2:19
- "rest upon our minds" D&C 43:34
- "The pure soul of the child must be considered sacred."

Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible by David LeFevre:
- Joseph Smith called it the "New Translation." NT didn't work when they were footnoting the new cross referenced quad in the 1970's (New Testament - NT) so Robert Matthews suggested JST.
- To learn about Robert Matthews and the relationship he formed with the RLDS or Community of Christ, see BYU Studies, Vol. 49, Number 2, 2010 (I have a copy.) It was through this relationship that the church was able to get permission to include the JST verses in our current scriptures.
-Worked on the translation from June 1830 - February 1833
- In 1830, "Mormon Doctrine" could have been a pamphlet. By the end of the translation, all the doctrine was in place. The JST is directly tied into the D&C as Joseph studied, pondered and asked.
- Joseph Smith had a daily revelatory experience during the translation while reading the Bible. As we read our scriptures, so can we!

-LaFevre also explained that when Martin Harris lost the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon, Joseph and Oliver started again at what was Mosiah 3. It is now Mosiah 1 and you will notice that there are no introductory notes for the book of Mosiah. They continued until Moroni and then went back and translated the small plates (1 & 2 Nephi, etc. to Mosiah.)
- Now that there is once again access to the original manuscripts of Joseph Smith through the Community of Christ (Emma kept these in her possession when the Saints left Nauvoo) it is known that the chapter markings were part of the translation from the plates.

A Book of Commandments and Revelations, BCR, by Grant Underwood:
- Background information can be found in BYU Studies, Volume 48, Number 3, 2009 (I have a copy.) The BCR has been published as part of the Joseph Smith Papers with very high resolution pictures of each page. BCR is in very fragile condition, now can be studied without handling the original.
- Commandments = Revelations. Today we might title the D&C, "Book of Revelations."
- When Joseph Smith started his journal in 1832, there were already over 70 sections or revelations.
- Lends great insight into the early history of the church.

There are always so many classes from which to pick. I also attended classes by Brent L. Top and David Ridges and spent time in the Museum of Art enjoying the exhibit "James Tissot: The Life of Christ." More about Rita Wright's class and the MOA exhibits of paintings of Christ in another post.

Every day as I came up out of the basement of the Joseph Fielding Smith Building looking east, the view of the mountains just took my breath away! What a blessing it is to spend time on this beautiful campus every year.