I used this acronym as my "classroom rules" for Seminary.  They are Thou Shalts, instead of Thou Shalt Nots.  I find this creates a positive atmosphere in the classroom, where I'm asking them to behave a certain way as opposed to constantly telling students to stop, stop, stop.  SLAMM Stands for  Sit up Look at […]

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.53  Jeanette Brooks. We do the "what stuck with you" idea also. It so neat to look back […]

By Scott Knecht One night in graduate school I went to the opening session of a new class. It was a bit of a different schedule - 2 nights a week for 4 hours per night for 4 weeks - so I had to get mentally prepared to endure the length each night. Little did […]

From Jamon C: This is a little bit like a nuclear weapon .... I have 5 active seminary students, so this works better in small environment. I had a college professor give every student a red card and if they wanted to take over the class for 20 minutes they can (as long as gospel […]

If you're struggling with students getting into sidebar or off-topic conversations during your lesson, you may try teaching them this phrase that has worked for me: "between the prayers". The concept is that once we've said the opening prayer, our time has been consecrated for the worship of God. We focus on the lesson at […]

The following is a report I wrote after a Seminary inservice meeting where I attended a class on Asking Better Questions: I had the good fortune of being in Brother Baraclough's class on Asking Better Questions. Watching him teach was at least as instructive as the material, if not more, and so I really enjoyed […]

In Luke 10:25-37, we find a lawyer trying to trip up the Savior with his disruptive questions and justify himself in sin: And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He [Christ] said unto him [the lawyer], What is written in the law? […]

"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 […]

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 […]

When I present a lesson, I try to direct my lessons so that ANTICIPATED student questions drive the discussion. When I'm reading my lesson text or scripture block, I ask myself some of the following things: - Does this passage have any unusual words or difficult phrasing? - Do I understand the background of this […]