Elder Richard G. Scott taught, "Never, and I mean never, give a lecture where there is no student participation. A 'talking head' is the weakest form of classroom instruction." (Address to CES Religious Educators, February 4, 2005)
Lecture has its place in teaching, but teacher presentation or lecture should not be your entire lesson. It should not, in my opinion, make up the majority of your lesson either. I learned a great thing from a veteran seminary teacher. He said, "A lot of times you hear teachers in the church say 'I learned more from this lesson than you will.' If you're learning more than the students you're doing it wrong." I love that. When we prepare lessons we're looking for ways to help students discover truths THEMSELVES, rather than pushing our own idea of what is important or cool on them.
Elder Bednar has said, "any faculty member at BYU-Idaho who does not believe that he or she can learn something from a student does not deserve to be a faculty member at BYU-Idaho." While Encouraging student participation, develop some positive Classroom management skills that you "let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege." D&C 88:122
