There are questions you don’t know the answer to, and for which you know no answer has been revealed. One of the most powerful skills a teacher can develop is the self-control is to say, ‘I don’t know’, and STOP. It takes a lot of self-control to achieve this top-level teaching skill. Most teachers have […]

Teaching students to use the Gospel Library to answer questions is one of my very favorite teaching techniques. In my opinion taking the time to teach students how to look up and answer when you can easily answer it yourself, separates good teachers from excellent ones. Using this method will take more time in class, […]

Most of us talk too much when we answer a question. It is our natural reaction to share all the information we have on a subject before finding out what the student already knows or how anxious he or she is to know it. In order to answer briefly, you should first ensure you understand […]

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 […]

Vanessa S. shared this on the Come Follow Me Facebook Group, and I asked her permission to share it here.  She said: "[A]fter some initially rather disastrous experiments having my girls teach, I eventually came around to this handout, which the girls told me has been very helpful. It outlines the steps for preparing a […]

Movie watching during class can be dull and non-interactive, and -- let's be real -- sleep-inducing, when you're teaching seminary early in the morning. I like this quote: Showing movies in class should not be a Friday fun day activity.  Okay, I don’t mind if you show them on Friday or even if students enjoy […]

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 […]

When a weasel finds an egg, he punctures it and sucks the life out of the shell. In a similar way, some words in the scriptures suck the life out of a story or verse. Look For: Look for words that seem to deflate everything that was said before or after. Example: Jeremiah 6:14 "They […]

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. […]

These words say a lot without a lot of letters. And they are meant to draw our attention in a hurry--just like a billboard--and usually there is a message just after them that we were intended to focus on. Look for "Wo"(especially double or triple Wos), "O," "Thus," "And Thus we see," "Behold," "Nevertheless," "Therefore," […]