Teaching is not... . The tips for teachers in this quarter has thus far focused on the negative, explaining what teaching is by what it is not. The following weeks' tips will focus on the positive, defining several characteristics of teaching. At this mid-way point, then, let us seek a simple definition of teaching.
Consider this summary of one teacher's philosophy of teaching: the teacher is one who has Faith in the future, knows and understands students, who understands motivation and the effects on learning interacting with other students has, who knows the subject and how to help students learn the subject, who is a continual learner, who sees herself or himself as a role model, who teaches students how to think and asks questions, and who lives to serve. (http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/my-philosophy-of-teaching/)
What is your purpose in teaching? Why do you do what you do?

Another extreme teachers may veer into, in their desire to encourage discussion and thought, is simply to allow their students to drive the lesson's conversation. Admittedly, this extreme may also be the result of the teacher's lack of preparation. They don't know what to say, so they just ask their students to say what's on their mind.
Regardless, this point might sound contradictory to what has been suggested in this quarter's previous tips. If teaching is not about lecturing and we need to encourage discussion, doesn't that mean listening? Furthermore, isn't it true that the teacher often feels like they learn more from the lesson than are able to teach their students?
The problem comes in the extreme; the teacher should guide the discussion at the least. Ideally, the teacher should have good understanding of the biblical principles in question and be able to help students replace worldly concepts, faulty reasoning, or uninformed thinking with God's truth.

Everybody likes a good show, right? Another temptation we face as teachers is to put on a show to entertain our students. No, we might not call it such. But the intention is the same. How does this happen?
Sometimes, the teacher is trying to engage the curiosity of their students. So they launch off into a highly animated one-person skit. The class is entertained, but other than telling their friends what an enjoyable class they had this Sunday, are not prepared to live any differently. At other times, the teacher may be so animated by a certain topic that they put on a show, even unintentionally, expressing their frustration, disgust, etc. with the issue at hand. Again, the students may applaud the teacher for voicing their own irritation. But the end effect is a rant.
Passion in teaching is important; how can you use passion to reinforce the lesson, instead of replacing the lesson?

When I was a young boy, the church we attended had a vibrant men's class. It was a good group of men, and they had enjoyable class sessions, but the discussion was often on anything besides the lesson. The teacher would start the class off with scripture, but the culture of this group was such that one topic would dissolve into another, and that one into yet another. These men might "solve" the problems of the world, but never seriously consider the assigned scripture.
It might be too much to ask for a class never to get off on a tangent. In fact, tangents might be helpful at times. But if this happens too much, the integrity of the teaching moment can be lost. Our lessons are designed with a specific spiritual truth and objective. At the end of your lesson, do your students know both the truth and how to apply it in their lives?

If you have taught much at all, and especially if you have invited students to dialogue with you or each other during the lesson, you most likely have discovered that certain people like to dominate the discussion. What you may have overlooked, however, is your own potential to be overbearing. Sometimes we want to avoid certain people from hijacking the conversation. Sometimes, we are intent on making a certain point. Sometimes, we just want everyone else to listen to us. The end effect, though, is a stifled discussion and lack of reflective thought.
There will be certain points that you need to press home to the students. There will be those who will take over the conversation if you are not careful. This requires extra preparation. Who can you plan to call on to give an extra voice, so one or a few don't take over? How can you teach that essential point by asking questions, rather than just giving the answer?

If teaching is not reading, as suggested in last week's tip, some might assume that to teach means to lecture. Indeed, some Sunday school lessons rival the pastor's sermon in tone, delivery, and length. However, the most effective lessons are typically not lectures. In fact, a study in the secular realm reveals that "undergraduate students in classes with traditional stand-and-deliver lectures are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in classes that use more stimulating, so-called active learning methods." (news.sciencemag.org)
Why is this true?
A lecture assumes that students learn best by listening, but requires passivity. Some learners are more visually oriented. Others internalize by writing. Some learn best through dialogue. Lectures may be important, but only utilizing this method of learning may shortchange many of our students. Why? Most often, we learn best through activity.
How can you design your lesson so that your students do not only hear the Word, but also begin to put it into practice?
Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/education/2014/05/lectures-arent-just-boring-theyre-ineffective-too-study-finds