When we talk of "Levels of Learning" we don't indicate by "grade level" or even a specific age. We've chosen to pattern our Learning levels after the 3 Seasons of human development of Childhood, Youth, and Adulthood, and correlate them to the 3 types of Learning portrayed in the Bible - Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom. We call these the 3 Seasons of Learning - of Wonder, Why, and Wisdom, and indicate them by the Hebrew terms used throughout Scripture - Da'at (Knowledge), Binah (Understanding), and Chochmah (Wisdom).

When we speak of the Da'at Season, we are talking of the Childhood years, up to puberty. These are the years of Wonder. There is much change and growth during these years, but they are all characterized by taking in the Wonder and Knowledge of all of Life around the child. Learning what is out there. As Christians, we don't just expose our children to the World of God, but primarily to the Word of God. We set a foundation of knowing God, then knowing His Creation through Him and His Word. We call this Principled Knowledge. It's not just pouring in tidbits and facts, but soaking in God's ways and His Word and exploring all of Life through that. During the Da'at Season we teach our children informally as we give them a sense of the Big Picture of Life. We focus on their Development of Relationships - with God, us and others, as well as with God's Creation, through the Word, being "with them", character and service training, reading and exploration.

The Binah years are the years of Youth, the "teen" years. About the time of puberty a child begins a Season in their development when they can comprehend the underlying causes, and begin the see "behind the scenes". These are the Why years and the years of their Formal Lessons. This is the Season of Deepening Relationships, and gaining an Understanding of all of Life. OK, that's a tall order, but we're talking about Understanding God and their Faith in Him, Understanding their Relationships with others, Understanding their own lives and purpose, and Understanding the connection of Creation, HisStory - God's plan for His Creation and how it all inter-relates. We also are going beyond just Understanding those relationships, to forging them, both with God and others. Sending down the strong roots needed for those relationships to grow and flourish. These Study years are filled with Reading & Research, Recording the information, Ruminating - thinking about it, Relating & Reasoning - coming to Truthful conclusions, Responding to the material and Releasing those conclusions. What does all of that mean? Basically that they will do a lot of reading and essay writing.

When a Youth reaches his late teens to early twenties, if he has grown in his Binah Season, he is capable of entering the Season of Chochmah or Wisdom. Now obviously not all teens and twenties enter this Season. Many adults have never entered Chochmah; some never progressed very far into the Binah Season. But this is the Season where God would like all of us. This is the Season where we not only have "taken in" and understood but we also know how to wisely apply our Learning. We are able to take God's Truths that we've learned and make application through them to other areas of Life. This is a Season of maturity where we "rightly divide the Word of Truth". In the Chochmah Season we are Designing Relationships by making these applications of His Word and His ways. We are leading others into the Truths we have learned. We are not only able to Learn, but also to Teach. It is the Season of Release of Life Message, going forward in our God given purpose, taking our place in His Plan.

As we enter each progressive Season, we are not "graduating" from one and leaving it behind. We are adding to it. God doesn't want us to ever lose our child-like Wonder. He never wants us to stop asking and Learning Why? But He does want us to become mature and Wise. He wants us to walk in His Truths, as well as know and understand them. We are to continue to Learn and grow in all three Levels throughout all of Life. Many did not take their own Binah Season seriously, or weren't given proper opportunity, or correct answers to the questions of Life and they still struggle with Why? They still, as adults, don't know their own purpose in Life, nor understand God's Plan - HisStory. We can all go back and take the necessary steps in our own education, that we may progress in Understanding and Wisdom, and even Knowledge. And as we Learn, we can take our children's hands and lead them in God's paths through the Seasons of Learning.