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

Have you ever attended a Sunday school that was just a reading session? You know what I mean, don't you? First one person reads a verse and its commentary. Then the next person reads the second verse and commentary. And so the class continues until time is up or the material in the Sunday school quarterly is exhausted.
Please don't misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with reading a verse and its comments. Our lessons have been prepared so that you can easily read both scripture and its commentary. And, a good lesson may include reviewing a good amount of this commentary. But a true lesson is not made up of just reading material that anyone could read any time. Rather, a lesson includes information, exploration, discussion, collaboration, and application.
A question we should always ask ourselves is: how will my students' lives be changed as a result of this lesson?

"Which is more important in Christian teaching - dealing with real-life issues or communicating Bible content?" If you think this is a trick question, you're right! Both elements are essential for faithful Christian teaching. If the Bible is not taught, we have little authority for what we teach. If we fail to address life issues, then our lesson risks becoming stale theology. In truth, the Gospel separated from real life is truly not Good News.
These lessons have been developed with the purpose of both addressing real-life issues and communicating the timeless truth of God's Word. Yet you may need to tailor these lessons to address your students' specific needs. Furthermore, while this lesson has been developed with the intention of giving you more than enough material to teach the week's Scripture passage, further study made be needed to understand what God's Word is saying to you and your class.
Source: Haystead, Wes (2005). The 21st Century Sunday School: Strategies for Today and Tomorrow. Cincinnati, OH: The Standard Publishing Company. p.16