Teaching Problem Solution Finder

Paradoxes are two seemingly different things that are put together in a way that teaches a lesson or truth.

Look For: Look for a statement or joining of two things that teach a truth but seem to differ from each other.

Example: Matt. 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it..
(Sometimes the paradox is implied and we need to see how it is a paradox) ex. Jeremiah 23:24 "Can any man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?" The paradox is that men do try hide themselves from God and think they are fine. But the truth is if you try to hide anything from the Lord, you are still obvious to Him.

Discussing a paradox as a group may help students understand a difficult concept better. This is also a poetic form for giving emphasis to a principle. Watch for chiasm, parallelism, repetition, and amplification.

(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, Lesson preparation

Class size: Any class size

Helps Students: SEARCH the scriptures or text

Prep Time:

Student Age: Any age

Equipment needed:

Jigsaw was first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California.

To teach using the Jigsaw method, “divide a topic up into, say, four sub-topics. For example childhood diseases could be divided into mumps, measles, whooping cough and German measles. Alternatively students can be given four different key questions or ‘spectacles’ that require students to analyze the same materials from a different point of view.

For example all students are given the same information about the beliefs and policies of the Nazi party, and different groups look at this from the point of view of women, the working class, the middle class and the church.

"Divide students into four groups. The teacher chooses the groups and they should be mixed ability, experience, ethnicity gender etc. Don’t use friendship groups. Students may complain at first but will soon accept it if you are insistent.

"Each group studies one disease or question with the help of texts and worksheets etc. This is usually done in class time, though you might be able to adapt the method for students to do their learning outside of class time.

"The students now form new groups. Each new group is a ‘jigsaw’, with one student from each of the four original groups. Any students left over act as pairs in a full group. Each group now has one ‘expert’ in each of the four childhood diseases. (They may have two experts in one disease)

"The new group now completes an activity that requires them to Peer Teach each other about their disease, and requires them to cooperate with the rest of the group over a combined task that requires them to integrate the four topics. For example they could be asked to:

"Explain your disease to the rest of your new group, using the same headings as for the earlier tasks. (incubation time, mode of transmission etc)

- Cooperate to find three things all the diseases have in common

- Cooperate to find, for each of the four diseases, four unique characteristics.

- Design a leaflet on childhood diseases.

In your leaflet:

- Place the four diseases in order of:

- Severity of potential consequences

- Ease of protection

How to decide groupings with jigsaw

"You can do jigsaw with any group size and with any number of ‘subtopics’ if the following rules are followed: If you have N students and X subtopics then:

"You must start with X groups, (with N/X students in each group.) These then jigsaw to N/X groups (with X students in each group.) "Obviously N>X. Ideally N>2X so all groups have at least two students.

"Help! I have a remainder when I divide N by X.

"Doesn’t matter!. Let some subtopic groups be one student bigger than the others. Then pair students up in these larger sub-topic groups. For example if the remainder is two, you will have two subtopic groups that are one bigger than the others. Pair up two students in each of these groups and let them share the tasks. This pairing up strategy will always work, whatever the remainder. Alternatively, if the remainder is large, and you want to avoid pairing up too many students then consider the following: Again allow some of your sub-topic groups to be one larger than the others. Number off and form ‘teaching groups’ in the usual way. You will find that some of the teaching groups are one ‘expert’ short. You can take the place of these missing experts by visiting these groups in turn.

If you would like a fuller explanation of how to group with jigsaw you can email Geoff Petty through his website at http://GeoffPetty.com/.

(See the document 25 Ways for Teaching Without Talking at http://GeoffPetty.com/ and the Jigsaw Classroom at http://www.jigsaw.org/)

Great for: Avoiding disruptions, Building class unity, Eliciting thoughtful responses, Getting the attention of uninterested students, Giving every person a turn, Helping shy students participate, Helping students find meaning in the scriptures

Class size: 4 or more students

Think of ways to group your text to help you cover material effectively. Then WRITE VERSES ON THE BOARD to help students get through the material efficiently during your lesson.

EXAMPLE: On the easel I wrote the following for Deuteronomy 8:

Blessings of REMEMBERING
v 2
v3
v4
v5

Dangers of FORGETTING
v11
vv12-14
v17
v19

Here's what I had in my notes to help us find answers:

Blessings of REMEMBERING
v 2 - God led thee, proved thee
v3 - God humbled thee, fed thee, taught thee
v4 - clothes lasted
v5 - chastened thee

Dangers of FORGETTING
v11 - not keeping the commandment
vv12-14 - when you're satisfied, you be become prideful and forget miracles God has wrought for you
v17 - you'll think you did it yourself
v19 - forget God and perish

Divide students into pairs and have one student tell [or write] a story from memory in as much detail as possible, with the second student adding in as much missing detail as possible. Now, the entire class looks over the story in the scriptures and adds in any additional details. The teacher and students work together to answer any questions that comes up.

This activity could be done on a chalk board.

Adapted from Becoming a Great Gospel Teacher, Eaton and Beecher

Sometimes the way the Lord uses verbs, or action words, is very specific and powerful. Look for words that describe actions, what people are doing or to do, etc. Ponder why the Lord chose such language and not another similar but different word.

Look For: Look for the words that are action words--that describes what someone or something is doing, etc.

Example: John 14:15 "If you love me, keep the commandments. Why not honor, obey, etc? Why did the Lord use the word "keep"? The use of this word should make us reflect on how we view the commandments. Do we obey them or follow them because they are a duty or "have-to's" for us? Or do we feel personally about them, like they were a treasure that we want to guard or protect from being broken. In Portuguese, the verb for this verse is guardar, which means to guard or protect. Do I "keep" the commandments out of love and devotion to the Lord, or do I view the commandments as requirements and distant from my heart?

Sometimes I have my students underline action words that show a characteristic of a person in the scriptures. For example, when teaching Luke 19, I said, "Look at verses 3-6 and mark the words that show that Zacchaeus was very anxious to see the Lord."

You can use this technique with adjectives and adverbs, too. Look specifically for how the Lord describes something or someone.

Look For: Look for words that describe someone or something, or that indicate the extent to which action was taken.

Example: Adjectives--D&C 138:12-24 Mark all the words and phrases that describe the righteous spirits Jesus visited in the afterlife. Then do the same for the wicked, to whom he did not visit. Righteous = gathered, just, faithful in the testimony of Jesus, offered sacrifice, suffered tribulation, firm in the hope, filled with joy and gladness, rejoicing, assembled, etc Wicked = ungodly, unrepentant, had defiled themselves, rebellious, rejected the testimonies and warnings of the prophets, did not look upon Jesus' face, darkness reigned, etc. These descriptions help us realize what type of attitude and behavior we have to have to be wicked or righteous.

3 Nephi 17:5 When the Savior was about to leave the people, the people looked at him which encouraged Him to stay. Well, how did they look at Him that made Him want to stay. The verse says "steadfastly." Imagine in your mind what that means to steadfastly look at the Savior "as if they would ask him to tarry." Where were all their eyes focused on? What direction was each face? What was their body language communicating? Makes us wonder why the Savior isn't more often present in our meetings with people looking everywhere but the speaker, their minds elsewhere, their body language communicating boredom. How could we more steadfastly look at our Savior? D&C 88:67-68.

(Adapted from Panning for Gold: Various Methods to Understand and Apply the Scriptures to Ourselves by Eric Bacon, Northwest Area Seminaries)

Our SI rep has been teaching us that when you separate into groups you should assign every member of the group a role. This helps each student participate in the group learning process. No matter the size of your group, you should assign a role to each student. Assignments may be given by the teacher, by a group/zone leader, or randomly. Here are some roles you might use in your small groups:

• Leader - The leader is responsible for keeping the group on the assigned task at hand. S/he also makes sure that all members of the group have an opportunity to participate, learn and have the respect of their team members. The leader may also want to check to make sure that all of the group members have mastered the learning points of a group exercise.
• Recorder/scribe - The recorder or scribe keeps written records of all group activities and conclusions, including the material contributed by each group member. The recorder writes out the solutions to problems for the group to use as notes or to submit to the instructor. The recorder may also prepare presentation materials when the group makes oral presentations to the class. Depending on the activity, instructions might read: “Your role is to summarize the key points that your group is making, check that the whole group agrees with them, and then write them down. You may also be expected to explain your group’s findings to the rest of the class. There is much more to being a Scribe than just writing!”
• Reporter/Presenter - The reporter gives oral responses to the class about the group's activities or conclusions.
• Monitor - The monitor is responsible for making sure that the group's work area is left the way it was found and acts as a timekeeper for timed activities. Instructions might read: “The teacher will choose students at random from your group to report back on what your group has learned and decided. The teacher may ask questions of more than one student from your group. They may also set a quiz or test on the material. Your role is to check that all the students in your group understand your group’s findings, and can report it to the rest of the class clearly. Do this by preparing and asking questions of your group. You are allowed a full (five?) minutes to do this. If one of your group can’t answer the teacher’s questions - guess whose fault this will be!”
• Wildcard (in groups of five) - The wildcard acts as an assistant to the group leader and assumes the role of any member that may be missing.
• Questioner - Instructions for this role might read: “Your role is to ‘skim’ the resources and then decide on important questions that the resources should answer. For example, “Who believed Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision and why?” The aim is to focus the group’s attention on the key points. You then give your questions to the group for it (including you!) to answer. You can add to, or change your questions as you get more familiar with the materials. You may also ask supportive and clarifying questions to help the group complete its task(s)”.
• Correlation Committee/Vocabulary Chief - “There is some difficult vocabulary in this material. Your role is to research and explain the meaning of all the difficult terms. You could devise a ‘glossary’ for your group if you think this would help using the Bible Dictionary, Topical Guide, True to the Faith, etc. You will need to run a quiz with your group to check everyone can explain each technical term.”
• Artist - The artist could take the material presented and make a poster or slogan that summarizes the groups finding. The poster could be a drawing, a flow chart, a graph, or nicely illustrated text.

The roles in your small groups will vary according to the material you're studying. Generally, small groups are not larger than 5 students. Your class may consist of only one small group. If your class is small, consider inviting in a trusted adult or another classroom to hear your class presentation. This type of study may occur over multiple class periods so that students may have time to prepare and present material. (See http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/methods.html and the document 25 Ways for Teaching Without Talking at http://GeoffPetty.com/)

Great for: Eliciting thoughtful responses, Giving every person a turn, Helping shy students participate, Helping students find meaning in the scriptures, Teaching students to use study helps

When I am about to ask my students a difficult question, I say, "And here's the AP Seminary question..." They know this means that I am about to stretch them a little bit. I think the little verbal cue helps the students buckle down and recognize that a serious question is coming. They up their game and are prepared to respond to these more difficult questions.

EXAMPLE: While teaching the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11, I asked "Have you ever prayed for something that you didn't get?" They all admitted they had. "Now here's the AP seminary question: doesn't that contradict the JST footnote for Luke 11:5a? Why not?"

Asking difficult questions helps students learn that there are answers to many of life's difficult questions. Sometimes we have to think through them a little bit more or ask a friend for help, but it's okay to ask hard questions.

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)

Each student has a Styrofoam plate, a wet wipe, and a regular water cleanup (not permanent) marker. Ask students questions that can be answered in a few short phrases. They write their answers and flip over their plates. After a few moments, ask everybody to display their plates.

I have used this as a lesson review quiz and as a Lesson opener to help me determine what students already understand about a topic. When I know a little bit about what students already understand about a topic, I know where to begin our discussion.

You can also use this to have students search for answers in the scriptures, and then write them down.

Sometimes you can get real dry erase slates at the dollar store inexpensively. Styrofoam plates are inexpensive, readily available, and can be reused several times before tossing.