A Teachable Heart

1. A Teachable Heart Teacher’s Training Seminar Part Three- Present the Word Prepared by N.H. Beaman, based on the book What Every Sunday School Teacher Should know by Elmer Towns

2. Different students learn at different rates and at different levels. There are six levels of learning. Knowledge- to recall Comprehension- to restate Application- relating Analysis- breaking down ideas into parts (example the character of Christ) Synthesis- putting pieces together to create Evaluation- determining value in light of a standard or law Your students will learn different things, at different speeds, in different amounts, for different reasons. Know your students (their needs and condition).

3. Teaching Methods DISCUSSION METHOD • Learner-centered, expressing in their own language • Ask good comprehension questions (what do you think it means to…), and application questions (how could you…) • Use questions to guide the discussion toward a goal • Keep questions open ended, short and simple

4. The pitfalls • Best with groups of 6-12 students- larger groups require more discipline. • Shy students don’t want to share • Overbearing students don’t like to take turns • Arises the need to work on improving the quality of fellowship within the group- teaching them to respect and value each member of the group.

5. LECTURING • Effective when balanced with other methods • Introduction, discussion, conclusion • Works well with large groups • Built around outline (Q&A, raising the kind of questions your class member might ask & answering them, series of statements, following a logical argument to prove your point, or events in a passage)

6. Even young children (grades 3-6) can benefit from the lecture method in the form of object lessons. OBJECT LESSONS • GUIDE LEARNERS THROUGH SPECIFIC POINTS • MAINTAIN INTEREST • 3-5 MINUTES • ENRICH OTHER TEACHING METHODS

7. VISUAL AIDS • Objects, symbols, materials and methods that appeal to our sense of sight • Children remember 50% of what they see • Most effectively used as a tool • Use scale- small resources in small groups, larger ones in larger groups • Consider storage, durability, interest, attractiveness, and age appropriate • Educational and not merely entertaining • Test and practice using the resource- how it works, the key points illustrated

8. STORY TELLING • Can be used anytime anywhere • Used as part of a class, as illustrations, during discussions, or part of worship • to present salvation, create and hold interest, introduce new ideas, or role-playing in different situations, clarify wrong ideas, give solutions, illustrate moral conduct, present abstract truths

9. Some guidelines… • Be enthusiastic • Emphasize lesson central truth • One minute duration for each year of age • Use suitable vocabulary for your audience Suitable Subjects- Young children- use concrete thoughts, Junior aged kids- heroes and action Teens- details, little repetition, and strong climax

10. LEARNING ACTIVITIES Kids learn by doing! • Introduce a new activity every five minutes • Introduce variety in the classroom • Consider the following list of activities collected over many years from various Children’s Ministry Conferences and workshops

11. acrostics, assignments, banners, book reviews, brainstorming, bulletin boards, buzz groups, case study, cds, chalk boards, charts, choral reading, circular response, colloquy, contests, creative lighting, costumes, debate, demonstrations, dioramas, dramatic reading, dyads, exhibits, field trips, flannel graph, flash cards, flip chart, forum, games, graphs, handicrafts, hymns, illusions, illustration, imagination machines, inductive Bible Study, interest centers, interview, journaling, lecture, letter writing, listening teams, maps, mime, memory work, mobiles, models, monologue, multimedia, murals, music, mystery bags, neighbor-nudge, object lessons, projection (overhead, LCD), oral reports, painting, panel discussion, papier-mâché, paraphrasing, photographs, posters, power point, prayer, projects, props, puppets, puzzles, question and answer, rebus, recitation, research, review games, role-playing, room decoration, scripture search, seminar, skits, song writing, storytelling, surveys, symposium, testimony, web pages, word association, workshop, video

12. Choosing an Appropriate Method • Select a method that best helps accomplish your teaching aim or goal • Consider age level • Consider the size of your group • Consider finances • Consider the availability of equipment • Consider how often a method is used, time limits, and learning styles of your students

13. Evaluating Teaching Methods • A method is only a tool to help you in the teaching process, in the end judge the effectiveness by how well the job gets done • Did you get the children's attention and keep it? • Was there any “dead” time- any time that was wasted? Any time less effective? Or missing the mark?

14. Life Application Learning takes place when students: • Connect the facts to their lifestyle • Life is changed in direct proportion to his or her involvement in the lesson • Review is effective in retaining the knowledge (not merely reciting the facts but viewing knowledge as power, influence and life)

15. 8 steps to Practical Life Application • Relate passage to the whole scripture • Relate each lesson to the students life • Use real illustrations from modern life • Use positive role models from scripture • Identify role models in modern life • Solve problems • Point out how facts relate to each other from the lesson • Point out the Biblical principle or truth

16. Good teaching will always relate fact to fact, fact to life and life to life.

17. A Teachable Heart Teacher’s Training Seminar Part Four- Persevere to the End Prepared by N.H. Beaman, based on the book What Every Sunday School Teacher Should know by Elmer Towns