Coleen Machiel Castro I agree n I'm jealous at those who have space. But I may use this idea on a removable posterboard.
Use this tool to solve common problems you'll find in your gospel classroom. Select from the options below to find teaching techniques that will help you solve some of the most common problems in LDS gospel classrooms:
By Becky Edwards
#Teachingmethod Last night during my prayer a teaching idea came to my mind that had never used before. Today I posted a sign "pick a lesson" along with five topics. I let the kids know that THEY would be teaching five mini lessons today. One at a time, several students picked a topic and then led the discussion on that topic. I let each one have the power point clicker for their turn. They led the class in reading a scripture, a quote, an activity, asking questions, whatever was on their section of the power point. I asked each one to close with a testimony of their topic. I ended up teaching the last topic quickly. It went really well!! I plan on using this format again. Heavenly Father is brilliant. I love it when ideas come straight from heaven. This format would work for lots of lessons, but today I was teaching #DandC64.
Mark Congdon: I am finishing up a few topics from section 58 and then 59 too. I realized I had about 5 separate topics to hit and thought they could go in almost any order. Our Bishop actually did a choose-your-topic lesson for a 5th Sunday lesson a few months ago. It was a hit, so we'll give it a whirl!
Read more here:: Group wall post by Becky Mike Edwards
By Robyn Childers
Tried something today that worked well: My class isn't shy but they don't jump out of their seat when I ask a question of them. Today I wrote down the search questions from the manual onto individual 3x4 notecards and handed them out. When the question came up in the lesson...Mary would answer the question. No waiting to call on someone, no deer in the headlights, no hesitation. It was good.
Read more here:: Group wall post by Robyn Childers
By Adriene Olsen Murray
I used this idea from our Seminary Coordinator. It works best with a short section or block of scriptures. It was really fun. The kids found things that I had not thought of and explained what it meant to them.
Divide the board into four columns:
Give the kids 5-7 minutes to quietly study the block of scripture. As they find verses that fit into the different columns on the board, have them write the reference or comment on a "post it note" and place it in the proper column. It gets them up and moving around, which is a nice change.
When time is up, go through and talk about what they have found. We had kids that usually don't say much, share examples and talk....always a bonus!
I will use this again sometime. #effectiveteachingtool
Read more here:: Group wall post by Adriene Olsen Murray
By Beth Jervis Perazzo
#participation Well, I think I've finally found a way to get my freshman students to participate instead of just stare at me when I ask a question. I took the idea from a game called "Name 5." I have dry erase markers and boards for them to write on (which I took out of my game "Likewise" but any white board will do) and I have 2 to 3 on a team.
At various points in the lesson I will ask the questions in the form of something like "Try to name at least 5 ways we can strengthen our testimonies." They write down some answers and then share with each other what they put down, especially if it's an answer no one else has on their board. I've asked about 4 questions a lesson in this manner.
I have thrown in things not directly related to the lesson. For example, I started today's lesson with "Name 5 people in early LDS Church history" just to get them started.
The first day I brought little treats and the winning team got to choose first, but everyone got a treat. Yesterday and today I didn't really keep track of the score and no treats were given.
I don't know that I'll do this every day, but I have gotten many more answers from them this week than usual, so I'm counting it a success.
If anyone else has any other methods they use, I'd love to hear them.
Read more here:: Group wall post by Beth Jervis Perazzo
By Susie Waalkes Kershaw
I thought I would share how our class is doing the "what stuck with you" idea. We have our own "sacred grove" and every Friday they add a leaf on what they learned that week.
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Jeanette Brooks. We do the "what stuck with you" idea also. It so neat to look back on what stuck. I don't have the room or ability to do a great board like this but I think it's awesome. I share the RS room and have very limited wall space. I just wanted you to know how amazing I think his is. Good job with the inspiration.
Laura Buell Romig Thank you for the great idea!! We just finished our tree last week and love it!! Of course it's a little bare until the students start adding the leaves but so happy how it turned out. Thanks again
Diane Wilson Flanagan Here's our version. So excited to see what the kids write on their leaves! Thanks again for the wonderful idea!
From the Gospel Teaching and Learning Handbook:
There are some general principles to keep in mind that will help a teacher invite proper order and respect in the classroom. To have order does not always mean having complete silence; nor does it mean that a class cannot be enjoyable and fun. But a disorderly or irreverent student or group of students can have a negative impact on the learning process and hinder the influence of the Holy Ghost.
When a student or a group of students is misbehaving, it can be frustrating for the teacher and other students. At such times, it is especially important for teachers to keep control of their emotions and to seek the influence of the Spirit. How teachers respond to any given incident may be more important than the incident itself and can either increase or decrease the respect and trust of the students. As teachers correct improper behavior, they need to be firm but friendly, fair, and caring and then quickly return to the lesson. To ridicule a student publicly may correct a student’s behavior for a time but will not edify either the teacher or the student. It may also result in other students fearing or distrusting the teacher. Teachers should remember the righteous influence of persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, unfeigned love, and kindness (see D&C 121:41–42).
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”
(Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 86)
There are some specific steps teachers can take to handle problems as they occur. These are possible approaches to discipline problems that may not work the same way with every student or situation:
There may be times when students do not respond to these less direct efforts and continue to disrupt the class. Following are some additional, more direct steps a teacher can take to maintain order:
Before asking a student to leave class for any extended period of time, the teacher should counsel with the parents, seminary and institute supervisors, and appropriate priesthood leaders. In such circumstances it is important that the teacher help the students and the parents understand that the student is choosing to leave seminary by not choosing to behave in an acceptable manner. It is the disruption that is unacceptable, not the student. When he or she chooses otherwise, the student will be welcome to return to class.
“If those [students] are unresponsive, maybe you can’t teach them yet, but you can love them. And if you love them today, maybe you can teach them tomorrow.”
(Jeffrey R. Holland, “Teaching and Learning in the Church,” 102)
By Scott Knecht It is satisfying at the end of a class to sit back and think how well I covered the material for the students. Teachers love to cover things and to say things like "we covered that really well in class today and the students are all ready for the test." I think we feel victorious when we can acknowledge that our coverage was great.
But here is the problem with that thought: we really don't cover much of anything and to continue to think we do leads us to a place where we are not teaching well. We tend to pull back and soften our teaching because we feel so confident in our coverage.
For example, I've read the New Testament multiple times and feel comfortable that I understand what it says about the life of Christ. Beyond the New Testament I have in my bookcase many books about the life of Christ. There are well over 3000 pages of material on His life written by men who have studied and know much more than I do. I've read those books. Is it safe for me to say that I have now 'covered' the life of Christ in my personal study? Not by a long shot. In another year, or two, or five, someone will publish another book about His life and there will be more to know. Indeed, the very last verse of the Gospel of John says that if all that Jesus did was written down, "I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."
Why does the idea of coverage cause us to not teach well? Because it leads us as teachers to stop asking questions which results in no thinking, just mechanical teaching. When you believe that you have written a lesson plan that covers the material for the day, then your thinking usually stops. Even if you think the lesson does what it should do, how do you react when a student raises a question that you had never even thought of ? What do you do when a student gives a wonderful answer to one of your questions but it is an answer that you never considered? Suddenly, there is more to cover.
I read an essay once about the proper way to travel. The author said that most people are satisfied to quickly see the thing they came to see and then leave, grateful that they can now say "I've seen the Grand Canyon" or whatever it was. His suggestion was that unless you spend some time with something and look at it from multiple angles you've never really seen it.
We went to Mt. Rushmore with some friends a few years back. We arrived in the area very late in the afternoon and by the time we got to the monument it was almost dark. We saw what we could see with the remaining light and then watched as the faces on the mountain were artificially illuminated. It was very impressive but we all decided to come back the next day and see it in the sunlight, which we did. It looked quite different and I was grateful that we saw it in another way. We were able to hike around the area and experience more and come to understand it better with more time.
We could have been satisfied with the night time visit and could have honestly said that we had seen it. But to see more of it differently gave me another experience, for which I was grateful.
So it is in the classroom. You can teach a lesson and feel like you've adequately covered things, or you can understand that coverage is an illusion.
So if you can't honestly cover things what then can you do? You can 'expose' your students to new ideas and thoughts. You can 'address' the ideas found in the material for the day. To address means "to direct to the attention of" or "to deal with or discuss". That's what I want my students to do, to learn to deal with things, to think and to act and to make responsible and valid judgments about issues. They will never learn to do that if I'm busy covering things for them.
Rather than having you the teacher try to cover things, how about this thought: don't try to cover things; rather, seek to have your students 'uncover' some of the material each day, so that they can learn for themselves.
Find More of Scott's Posts at: http://teachtolearn1.blogspot.com/2014/11/are-you-sure-you-covered-topic.html
By Scott Knecht
I only use the technique 3-4 times per semester because I don't want it to become stale but when used well it is a wonderful tool to get things going.
More ideas at: http://teachtolearn1.blogspot.com/
By noreply@blogger.com (Pam Mueller)
I have done this activity before to capture the attention of the students, have them involved and basically giving the lesson.
On the board I put a picture of the person we will be studying under the rectangle of paper.
Behind the circles are clues
I pick a student to start us off, that person will choose a circle and read the description. Then choose another student to come up and pick a circle....
Of course after the first one was read, several of them guessed Joseph Smith. We kept choosing and reading until all of them were read. They kept guessing different people, because these were little known facts about his life they were reading.
Source:: Seminary Moments – Pam Mueller
I have a new favorite tool for getting my students to participate! I have had way too many times when I have asked a soul searching question and they just look at me with blank stares and no matter how long I wait (I am good at waiting) I get no response. I know they have the knowledge and insight required -- they are Juniors and Seniors -- so today after we identified that "crying repentance simply means helping others return to God," I asked "How can you go about 'crying repentance' to the people in your life," and I got that blank stare, so I decided on the spot to have them find a scripture to answer the question and write the reference on the board. Every student did it, and we then went through and had them read the ones they had written on the board and identify the action they can take from the scripture and we made a list, it was awesome.
I have also done this in pairs and small groups with the same great results.
(idea from Cathy N.)
