Learning by Restating Truth

Many teachers struggle with incorporating discussions into their classes because they feel their job is to “teach,” i.e., give information. And when they don't give information, they feel guilty, as though they have not done what they are supposed to do. Let's begin this journey by emphasizing that you don't need to feel that you cannot share new information with your class. After all, you have studied the details of the lesson, and you feel that you have something to say. That is fine! Say it! But how do you know if your students understood what you said correctly? Or just as importantly, hopefully, your students have studied their lesson as well, and they have learned things in the process that they are excited about and want to share. Class involvement meets both of those needs. From the feedback you get, you will know if you have stated your points clearly, and you will also have the advantage of learning from your students. It is OK to be the “sage on the stage” part of the time. But balance that with being a “guide on the side.” Your students will retain most of what they have been allowed to restate in their own words!
Source: Snider, Gordon. "Tips for Teachers." The Church: God's People: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 9.

2017-06-06T09:14:00+00:00June 6th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

How to Have a More Engaged Sunday School Class

Every Sunday school teacher wants an engaged class – students who are active in the learning process. But what can the teacher do to encourage active learners? There is a catchy phrase common in educational circles today that says that a teacher should be “a guide on the side; not a sage on the stage.” Translated, that phrase means that teachers not only give good information, but they encourage their students to contribute information to the learning process as well. Group interaction in a class does carry some risks, and not every-one is comfortable with the process. So in the teaching tips for this quarter we will discuss some “do's and don'ts” for effective class discussions. My prayer is that if you have wanted more discussion, but did not know how to get it, these tips will result in opening the door to an active, engaged class.
"Tips for Teachers", by Gordon Snider.
Source: The Church: God's People. Adult Teacher's Insights, page 3.

2017-05-31T09:18:00+00:00May 31st, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Variety is the spice of life

There is an old saying, “Variety is the spice of life.” Throughout this quarter, these “Tips for Teachers” have suggested various techniques and methods to create variety in your class. Some of these techniques are not very new, even if they are not used often enough. Some suggestions may be considered a bit radical. The suggestions given are truly just a sample of the ideas that could be used to help your class learn God’s Word.
The point has been to give you ways to create variety in the classroom. Even the best-tasting meal gets old after eating it for a week. And so, regardless of the style of teaching you employ, always using the same pattern may lead to boredom.
How can you introduce even a small change to your technique this next week, in order to capture your students’ attention and help them to internalize God’s Word?

2017-05-23T09:00:00+00:00May 23rd, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Scrapbooking

Our next quarter is about “The Church: God’s People.” Asking your class now to begin looking for relevant articles, pictures, etc. that speak to the various topics of next quarter’s lessons. For example, collect different membership covenants for Lesson 4. Include spiritual gift inventories for Lesson 8. Find stories of successful evangelism efforts for Lesson 10.
Ask for someone who loves to scrapbook to collect the various snippets provided by class members for this project. Depending on your class makeup, you could create a shared document on an app (Google Docs, Evernote, Onenote, Dropbox Paper, etc.) in which your students could paste links, documents, images, etc.
At the end of the quarter, plan for a “big reveal” in which the scrapbook (analog or digital) is presented to the class. Ask the pastor for permission to display the scrapbook on a welcome table in the foyer. If you developed a digital version, do a presentation for your class or ask your pastor for permission to present it to the church.

2017-05-16T09:00:00+00:00May 16th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Make a Movie

Today’s technology gives the ordinary person the ability to create things once relegated to professionals. For example, with free or low-cost apps and your smartphone’s camera, it is relatively easy to make a “movie”, even if the final project is rough and amateurish.

The possibilities of making a movie to teach the scriptural principle of your lesson is truly limited only to one’s imagination. However, lessons that deal with stories in scripture may be easiest to handle, such as Lesson 3 of this quarter. Ask class members to role play the different characters in the Parable of the Talents. Consider a contemporary setting (CEO and middle managers in a office, trading in the stock market, and hiding money in a safe). Consider shooting the footage and compiling this “movie” in the week leading up to class. At an appropriate moment in your lesson, show the video and then lead the class in relevant discussion and application.

2017-05-09T09:00:00+00:00May 9th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Brainstorming

Too often, questions asked in church are given single, “pat” answers, given with little thought. There is a story of a junior teacher describing a squirrel, asking his class what it was, and a boy saying it sounded like a squirrel, “But … I’ll say it’s Jesus!” Adult classes sometimes mirror this type of thinking.

Following are a couple ways to encourage your class to learn by brainstorming:

Using a whiteboard, and writing down answers in a list can help students think more deeply about issues. (One technique this writer was taught was to always add a new bullet point after being given an answer; doing so creates a mindset that there are more possible answers.)

Depending on the question and type of lesson, creating a mind map (writing down various concepts, scattered on the board, then drawing lines indicating the relationships between them) may also be an effective way of exploring an issue.

2017-05-02T09:00:00+00:00May 2nd, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments
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