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:
Pose a question, and then hand several students a piece of chalk with an invitation to write their answers up on the board. Other students can line up for a turn when they are ready to respond, or students may hand off the chalk to others in the class for responses. The best questions for this exercises are broad with short answers, like "What are some of the biggest myths about repentance?" With a this variety of statements, the teacher can choose a few to expand and emphasize. For example, if one student wrote "It's easy," the teacher would say "Tell me more about what you mean when you say that it's a myth that repentance is easy."
Adapted from Becoming a Great Gospel Teacher, Eaton and Beeche
Great for: Lesson opener, Encouraging student participation, Giving every person a turn, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Helping shy students participate
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text, SHARE feelings, thoughts, or personal experiences
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed: chalk and chalkboard
A literary foil is someone who highlights another character's trait, usually by contrast. The scriptures are full of these character foils. Examples include God/Christ v Satan, Cain v Abel, or Nephi and Sam v Laman and Lemuel. Often times a chapter or story will highlight events in two different people or groups of people. This is done on purpose and oftentimes there are direct differences that were meant to be discovered and noted by the reader to gain more meaning.
Look For: Look for two people or groups that seem opposites of each other. Then notice the specific differences and compare them to each other.
Example: Numbers 14 Caleb vs. Children of Israel. Compare how Caleb acted to how the Children of Israel acted when they were first going to enter the promise land. For example, the children of Israel murmur, but Caleb has another spirit--which means he had a different spirit than the rest of the children of Israel (v. 24). The children of Israel want another captain (v. 4), but Caleb remains the Lord's servant (v. 24). In the end, Caleb gets to go to the promised land while the children of Israel will suffer and die in the wilderness. Finding these comparisons can help us see what the end result of each direction is and determine what types of lives we wish to live.
Example: Isaiah 14:12-23 The Foil is in the comparison between what Lucifer wants (v. 13-14) and what he will receive (vv. 12, 15-23). Notice how perfectly correlated they are with each other. For example, Satan wants to "ascend into heaven" (v.13) but he will "fall from Heaven." Satan wants to "sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north" but he will "be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit" etc. What this shows is that if we don't put God first in our lives and trust in anything but Him, no matter what we desire, it will turn to the opposite.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Oftentimes the Lord makes a list of attributes or qualities that are worth noting and titling in our margins. Have students "mark a list' of items in their scriptures. Look for items set off by commas, or lists of things to get a certain result. The items may be contained in more than one verse.
EXAMPLE: While teaching Amos 4, I asked students to mark in their scriptures the ways that the Lord tried to call the people to repent found in Amos 4:6-11.
D&C 76 gives the list of characteristics and rewards of those who go to each of the three degrees of glory.
2 Nephi 32 has a very simple list of how to get back to our Heavenly Home.
Eaton and Beecher sometimes give students five minutes to prepare a 60-second talk on a verse from the day's reading. Students then present their talks. If student become long-winded, offer a prize for the student who comes the closest to 60-seconds without going over. Nothing helps students lean a principle so well as having to explain it on their feet.
Adapted from Becoming a Great Gospel Teacher, Eaton and Beecher
Great for: Lesson preparation, Encouraging student participation, Giving every person a turn, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Helping shy students participate
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text, SEE a gospel principle in action, SHARE feelings, thoughts, or personal experiences
Prep Time: 10+ minutes
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
Sometimes we get into the habit of saying that this particular chapter has nothing to do with us and there is no way to apply it to us or find something meaningful to our situations. But sometimes we must take a step back and look at the overview and then compare similarities to our lives.
Look For: Try to state the overall essence of what you read in the simplest form. Look for general patterns that are similar to your situation.
Example: Jeremiah preaches to his people in Jerusalem who are going to be destroyed and put into captivity for their wickedness. But they don't believe him because everything seems fine. There seems no immediate danger and no one is getting any consequences. When Pashur, the chief governor in the temple, puts Jeremiah in the stocks, Jeremiah gives Pashur a new name. Well, how could this relate to us? Can it teach us something? Are there ever times we or those around us put the prophet in the spiritual "stocks"? The reason Pashur put Jeremiah in the stocks was because he didn't like what the prophet said so he decided to not listen to him. Pashur in Hebrew means "free" and many of us think that we are "free" to choose what ever we want without consequences. But Jeremiah changes his name to Magor-missabib which means "terror all around." I'm sure Pashur protested and said, "No, I'm not surrounded by terror!. I'm Pashur--I'm free! You're the one in the stocks with all of your confining rules and standards!" But this prophet wisely points out that when we don't listen to the prophet it is like putting him in stocks to our hearts and though we may think we are free, actually when we are in a state of sin and rebellion, there is terror all around us even if we can't see it right away.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Ask students to find a scripture reference that answers a certain question.
EXAMPLE: During a discussion on the word of wisdom in Daniel 1, I asked students to find a scripture reference to prove THAT God gives blessings to the obedient or WHY He does so, or HOW he blesses the obedient. They all found such great scripture references for this. I was shocked. Only a few came up with D&C 89:18-21, which was the one I used.
"What do you do when you have a student who answers all the questions or who speaks up just because it's quiet?" one teacher asked.
Bro B taught us that teachers should first determine if you are dealing with a smart kid or a smartaleck kid. Your response to interruptions will be different based on the reason the student is always responding.
Bro B said you can set up the question to allow for a silent moment afterward: "After I ask this question, I want you all to pause for a moment and think silently about your answer. Your first idea might not be your best. After a moment, I will call on class members to respond..." or something similar.
Another technique I use is to say, "When you find the answer to this question, put your finger on it and raise your hand."
You might also ask the student privately for help teaching in a way that allows the Holy Ghost to be present. During pauses, people can feel the holy ghost or can focus inwardly.
This is an area where I have some first hand experience. When I was in elementary school, my teachers would ask stupid questions. Seriously, dumb yes/no type responses and then wait interminably long for someone to respond. I got into the habit of answering so as to move the lesson along. I thought I was being helpful. One teacher asked me to wait and see if anyone else would respond before I answered, so I started doing that. If no one would, I would answer. Finally my teacher told me not to answer at all because she felt the others didn't have a chance to respond because of me. It poisoned me for a long time. I did what she wanted, and I was still shot down. From that day on, I never once answered a question at school without being called on by name. I spent the next 8 years of school being that sullen kid scowling in the back.
One thing teachers need to do, too then, is make sure that we're asking good questions -- ones that don't just require yes/no or recall responses. Ask questions that require some thoughtful reflection before being answered. Interrupting student may actually think that he or she is helping you move class along by answering overly simple questions quickly.
Great for: Avoiding disruptions, Handling disruptions, Classroom management
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students:
Prep Time:
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
Read the same verse(s) 3 times looking for something new each time you read it.
Finally, look over everything and draw some final conclusions.
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Using the chalkboard or an easel to show a brief lesson outline can help you cover material efficiently and effectively. You'll find that writing verses on the board will help students follow and anticipate the direction of your lesson, resulting in better discussion. It will also help you stay on task and more easily cover material, fast.
EXAMPLE: When teaching the second coming from Isaiah 26, I had written on the easel:
v 1 - What will happen
v 2 - Who
v 5 - Why
vv 6, 11 - How will earth/men feel
vv 13-15 - But the righteous... (see footnote)
vv 16-18 - Isaiah is still sad (What does this tell us about Isaiah's personality)
vv 19-22 - "visited" (more prophecies)
v 23 - Jesus comes in glory, cf 23a
Instruct students to look for and circle/highlight words that are especially motivating, inspiring, comforting, thought-provoking, etc.
SAY "As you read, be aware of words and phrases that really stand out to you. They may seem powerful, motivating, comforting, though-provoking, etc."
Example: Hebrews 7:25 One night while reading Hebrews I came upon this verse and one word really stuck out to me and caused me to ponder its significance for the verse. The verse says that Christ is able to save to the "uttermost." It was this word that I focused on. What does it mean that Christ saves to the "uttermost"? It gives me hope that Christ can not only change the big things in my life, but also even the tiniest of bad habits or most enduring weakness that seems impossible for me to get rid of. It also means that Christ will be with us not just everyday, but every hour, even every second. He can save us to the "uttermost"
(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)
Great for: Helping students find meaning in the scriptures
Class size: Any class size
Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text
Prep Time:
Student Age: Any age
Equipment needed:
