Grow in Teaching Adult Bible Studies
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Featured Article:
Educational Technology - Is It "Kid's Stuff"?
April 2022, Volume 7.8You might occasionally hear about educational technology being used more and more as a tool for teaching younger Christians. But are there ways we can harness tech’s engagement potential in adult Bible classes? This month’s article suggests using Google Forms as one way to better tailor your class to the unique needs of adult learners.
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Teach the Word is a collaboration of WELS Discipleship, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary & NPH.
Adult Education: Additum ▾
Curriculum Connection ▾
| 04-2022 | Here We Stand Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 03-2022 | Grand Themes and Key Words Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 02-2022 | 10 Lies About God Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 01-2022 | 5-Minute Bible Studies for Families Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 11-2021 | Civil Government: God's Other Kingdom Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 09-2021 | Prayer Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 08-2021 | Reformation: Grace, Faith, Scripture Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 07-2021 | The Bloodstained Path To God Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 06-2021 | 5-minute Bible Studies For Families Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 04-2021 | Flowers In The Desert Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 03-2021 | Jonah: A Prophet in Spite of Himself Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 02-2021 | 19-Minutes With Luther Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 12-2020 | 5-Minute Bible Studies: For Families Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 10-2020 | In God’s Orchard: Cultivating the Fruit of a Spirit-Filled Life Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 09-2020 | Bible Symbols Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 08-2020 | Bible Parables and Word Pictures Download Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 07-2020 | Civil Government Small Group Study Sample Lesson PDF | |
| 06-2020 | God's Word—The Foundation for Our Family Download Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 02-2020 | 5-Minute Bible Studies: For Teens Sample File PDF | |
| 01-2020 | My Brother's Keeper Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 12-2019 | Politics Is Driving Me Crazy! Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 11-2019 | Luther's Large Catechism Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 10-2019 | Growing In Grace: Adult Bible Information Course Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 09-2019 | End Times: Jesus Is Coming Soon Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 08-2019 | Predestination: Chosen in Christ Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 07-2019 | Reformation and Martin Luther Reformation: Grace, Faith, Scripture The Word Endures: Lessons From Luther Yesterday and Today The Word Endures: Lessons From the Lives of Powerful Politicians A Return to Grace: Luther’s Life and Legacy | |
| 06-2019 | Pray, Praise, and Give Thanks Teacher's Guide PDF | |
| 05-2019 | Training Christians for Ministry | |
| 04-2019 | Sing to the Lord: A Study of Lutheran Hymnody Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 03-2019 | Lord's Supper: The Lamb's High Feast Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 02-2019 | Growing in the Word Teacher's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 01-2019 | Growing in Grace Teacher's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 12-2018 | From Promise to Glory Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF - Time Line Sample | |
| 11-2018 | The Lyrics of Love - Solomon's Song of Songs Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / RTF | |
| 10-2018 | We Still Believe and Confess Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / RTF | |
| 09-2018 | The Glory of Living Under the Cross Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / RTF | |
| 08-2018 | Lifestyle Witnessing Teacher's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / RTF | |
| 07-2018 | The Narrow Lutheran Middle Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF | |
| 06-2018 | Great Gospel Events in the Lives of Elijah and Elisha Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / RTF | |
| 05-2018 | 19 Minutes With the Messiah Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 04-2018 | Influencing God's Children Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson PDF / .rtf | |
| 03-2018 | God's People Discussion Guides Leader's Guide PDF - Sample Lesson PDF / .rtf | |
| 02-2018 | How Can They Teach That: And Still Claim to Believe the Bible? Leader's Guide PDF - Sample Lesson PDF / .rtf | |
| 01-2018 | The Glory of Jesus' Suffering, Death, and Resurrection Leader's Guide PDF / .rtf | |
| 12-2017 | 19 Minute Bible Studies Sample Lesson PDF / .rtf | |
| 11-2017 | 364 Days of Thanksgiving Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .rtf | |
| 10-2017 | End Times - Jesus Is Coming Soon Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .rtf | |
| 10-2017 | 19-Minutes With Luther: Baptism PDF - RTF | |
| 09-2017 | Reformation: Grace, Faith, Scripture Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc Leader's Guide Full Study: PDF - Student Lesson: .doc - Video Segment: Video Segment | |
| 06-2017 | Timely Topics, Timeless Truths, Set 2 Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 04-2017 | The Word Endures Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 03-2017 | A Study of World Religions Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 02-2017 | Conversion Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 01-2017 | Civil Government Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 12-2016 | The People in David’s Life and in Yours Leader's Guide PDF - Student Lesson: PDF / .doc | |
| 11-2016 | Our Christian Response to Blessings and Challenges, Part 1 Table of Contents and Lesson 4 of Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 10-2016 | The Word Endures: Lessons From the Lives of Powerful Politicians Table of Contents and Lesson 1 of Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 09-2016 | The Word Endures: Lessons From Luther Yesterday and Today Leader's Guide Sample PDF | |
| 08-2016 | Flowers in the Desert Lesson One (before class)PDF - Lesson One (during class)PDF | |
| 07-2016 | Idols We Never Knew We Had Student Lesson PDF / .doc - Leader's Guide PDF / .doc | |
| 06-2016 | Timely Topics, Timeless Truths (Set 1) Student Lesson PDF / .docx - Leader's Guide PDF / .docx | |
| 05-2016 | God's People Discussion Guides - David Student Lesson PDF - Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 04-2016 | Families of the Bible Student Lesson PDF / .rtf - Leader's Guide PDF / .rtf Devotional Readings PDF / .rtf | |
| 03-2016 | My Vocation in Christ - Kenneth Cherney Lesson 1 - My Vocation Is the Role in Life to Which God Has Called Me Student Lesson PDF / .rtf - Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 02-2016 | The Bloodstained Path to God - Daniel Habben Lesson 6 - The Sabbath, the Spring Festivals Student Lesson PDF / .rtf - Leader's Guide PDF Torah Symmetry Chart | |
| 01-2016 | The Glory of Jesus' Suffering, Death, and Resurrection - Richard Gurgel Lesson 1 - Jesus and His Disciples in the Upper Room Student Lesson PDF / .rtf - Leader's Guide PDF / .rtf | |
| 12-2015 | Families Under God - Kenneth Kramer Set 3, Lesson 4 - Be Patient with Members of Your Family Student Lesson PDF - Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 11-2015 | Prayer - Kenneth Cherney Lesson 3 - Elements of a Well-Rounded Prayer Life Student Lesson PDF / .doc - Leader's Guide PDF / .doc | |
| 10-2015 | The Gospel to Share - Robert Koester Lesson 1 - The Good News We Have to Share: Heaven Student Lesson PDF / .doc - Leader's Guide PDF / .doc | |
| 09-2015 | Hard Sayings of Jesus - Joel Siefert Lesson 3 - The Upside-Down Kingdom Student Lesson PDF / .doc - Leader's Guide PDF / .doc - Promotional Toolkit Samples PDF | |
| 08-2015 | Baptism - John Koelpin Lesson 2 - The Baptismal Service Student Lesson PDF / .rtf - Leader's Guide PDF | |
| 07-2015 | Fruit of the Spirit - James Aderman Lesson 9 - Seof Control Student Leson .doc - Leader's Guide & Promotional Material PDF | |
| 06-2015 | Teaching Christian Values to Our Children - Mark Zarling Lesson 1 - Esteemed in Christ Sample PDF |
Teaching Toolbox ▾
Archive ▾
Video Extras ▾
Teaching Tips ▾
| 04-2022 | Effortful retrieval makes for stronger learning and retention. We’re easily seduced into believing that learning is better when it’s easier, but the research shows the opposite: When the mind has to work, learning sticks better. | Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel in their book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning |
| 03-2022 | If information is important, provide it for your learners. Why make them guess? Instead, ask them open questions about the information you give them so they can make personal meaning of it. Why spend valuable time undoing guesses when learners could be doing something more meaningful? | Dr. Joye Norris from her book "Telling to Teaching: A Dialogue Approach to Adult Learning" |
| 02-2022 | Formative Assessment expert Dylan William says that educators need less table tennis and more basketball in their classrooms. By “table tennis” he means the back and forth that exists between teacher and students. The teacher initiates by asking the question, a student responds, the teacher evaluates the answer (I-R-E). Can you see how “basketball” teaching might be different? The teacher passes the question to one student and then the conversation is passed to another student who builds off that answer and then the conversation is passed to still another student who builds off that answer. “I’ll ask you a question. Then I’ll ask (another student) what you think of his answer. Then I’ll go to (another student) for an explanation.” William refers to the teaching strategy as Pose (ask the question), Pause (wait for a bit), Pounce (call on one student), Bounce (send the conversation to another student). It’s a way to encourage student voice and to curb the temptation for the teacher to jump in too quickly and explain everything. This short video shows William explaining the strategy and others that can help remedy I-R-E. | |
| 01-2022 | When universally designing a [math] lesson, a teacher would ensure there were numerous options and choices to support learners, including access to a calculator, math reference sheets, opportunities to collaborate, a word bank, “done problems” to use as models, and opportunities to work with the teacher in small groups. Additionally, the teacher would ensure there are more challenging problems, opportunities to apply mathematics, and enrichment opportunities. All of these supports, scaffolds, and challenges would be provided as options for all learners. Think of them as a buffet of resources. | Pastor Donald W. Patterson, Teaching Like Jesus WLS Symposium, 2005 |
| 11-2021 | What does that mean for our teaching? It means that we must live with our people. If our contact with the families in our congregations is only in the sanctuary, fellowship hall, or classroom, then we have diminished our ability to teach them. "Whoever gives the time gets the heart." So here are some suggestions for living with your people. Go to some of the games the children of your congregation play at the local soccer fields on Saturday. Comment on their performance. Praise only, please. Be sad with them when they lose. Jump up and down and hug them when they win. Other thoughts: bring cookies to school for other staff members. Play golf and go fishing even if it is not your thing. Visit your members at their work for lunch. Phone them on their birthdays. Stop by their homes for no reason at all. | Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning |
| 09-2021 | Those who engage with a new concept only once or twice typically won't recall it at a later time, while those who engage with it three or more times typically will. You might therefore assume that if you simply repeat an idea three times it is bound to stick. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Just think of the hundreds of radio commercials that repeat a phone number three times in quick succession; I doubt you remember the details from very many. This means pure repetition is not enough. In order for the concept to be learned, each exposure must be deliberate and explicit. If people do not consciously think about and/or interact with information, they will never learn it. | Jared Cooney Horvath, Stop Talking Start Influencing |
| 08-2021 | One more simple (but oh so smart!) bit of advice from Doug Lemov on learning objectives: Once your objective is complete, POST IT in a visible location in your room—the same location every day—so everyone who walks into the room, your students as well as peers and administrators, can identify your purpose for teaching that day in as plain English as possible. | Doug Lemov, Teach Like a Champion |
| 07-2021 | One way to incorporate more relevant communicate activities into your lessons is to anticipate the hard questions that might come out of the passages or the topic you’re studying during your lesson prep. Ask your adult learners to share their thoughts on how to answer those hard questions as a specific communicate learning activity. This technique turns an “I talk, you listen” into a collaboration where “they talk, you listen/comment/ correct/synthesize.” It takes the pressure off of you as the sage on the stage while also honoring the experience and thoughts of your adult learners. | |
| 06-2021 | “In students’ eyes an important component of a successful learning is regarding the teacher as both an authority and an ally. As an authority, students want to know that their teachers have something useful and important to offer and that they know their stuff. As an ally, students want to know that their teachers are genuinely concerned with helping them learn and that classroom activities, grading rubrics, and homework assignments are all designed with that in mind . . . all of which is to say they want to feel that you're dealing with them honestly in an adult way.” | Stephen Brookfield from his book “The Skillful Teacher” |
| 04-2021 | "In his book When Students Have Power (1996), Ira Shor describes the Siberia zone that exists in every college classroom. This is the part of the classroom farthest away from the teacher’s body, usually the last row of the auditorium or the seat in class by the door at the back of the room. If the teacher’s body or desk represents Moscow, the center of party authority, then the seat by the door represents Siberia, the territorial area furthest from central authority. . . . Ira describes how he deals with Siberia by moving there and speaking from that zone. Simply walking to the back of a lecture theater and giving a lecture from that location is a dramatic, powerful gesture, one that breaks with the thousands of hours students have experienced listening to, or ignoring, the teacher standing or sitting at the front of the room by the chalkboard." | Stephen Brookfield from his book “The Skillful Teacher” |
| 03-2021 | Multi-level classes are hard and every class is multi-level. Students in every class have a range of ability. Structure the course to engage everyone, taking advantage of students’ differences rather than ignoring them. For an explicitly multi-level class, such as martial arts or ESL class with beginning through advanced students, you can start by having students work with others of the same level, and then switch to working with students of other levels for a while. You can even pair up advanced and beginning students for in-class tutoring. | Dan Spalding |
| 02-2021 | Whether they know it or not, students come to you because they’ve hit the limit of what they can learn in their comfort zone. This leads me to conclude that, in order to maximize student learning, teachers must make students uncomfortable. Your job is to create a thoughtful, supportive environment that invites (or forces) students to attempt new challenges and learn from them. . . . Get students into the discomfort zone as much as possible. That’s where learning lives. | Dan Spalding |
| 12-2020 | Your lessons should include visual, kinesthetic and auditory elements to make sure all types of learners are included. Handouts and graphs, in-depth classroom discussions, and role-playing should all form a part of your lesson planning in order to achieve this. Basically, you need to get adult students involved in the process of learning on as many levels as you can. | |
| 10-2020 | Adults, even more than children, need to be in an environment that is conducive to learning. That means good lighting, good line of sight for all students to the whiteboard or teacher, and appropriate use of technology. Even comfortable chairs will make a difference. | |
| 09-2020 | Regarding the flipped classroom: Reviewing materials beforehand and turning a lecture into an interactive working session yields statistically significant improvements in engagement, test scores, and overall long-term learning. | Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching |
| 08-2020 | As you begin to incorporate active learning practices, it’s a good idea to explain to your students why you’re doing so. Talking to your students about their learning not only helps build a supportive classroom environment, but can also help them develop their metacognitive skills (and thus their ability to become independent learners). | adapted from a quote by Cynthia J. Brame – Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching |
| 07-2020 | When beginning a new study or new topic, solicit feedback from learners to find out what they already know or need to know to understand what you want them to learn. Distribute a brief questionnaire about the upcoming topic, or ask for a show of hands or thumbs-up to gauge what’s already known. | |
| 06-2020 | To serve today’s students well, it is incumbent upon teachers to understand if, when, and how to incorporate technology into the classroom. While some measure of technology is not only beneficial but necessary for optimizing the education of today’s digital natives, it must be used with care, deliberation, and strategy if the reality is to live up to the promise. | Sam Bowman |
| 02-2020 | Stand when presenting new content, sit when facilitating dialogue. One should probably be sitting more than standing if this guideline is followed. Sit down with your students when possible and become a learner among learners. Although with large groups this may not be possible (as you need to be able to see everyone), the desired shift in power can still be communicated by inviting learners to engage with the learning rather than only the teacher, and encouraging dialogue with each other and themselves rather than only with you. | Jeanette Romkema and Dan Haase from Global Learning Partners |
| 01-2020 | Learners need to know when they will need to use the new content. If you can highlight that they will need it this week when they are at work, in their home, or out with their friends, engagement will be higher. You help this by: 1) always being specific about the time and place something can be used i.e. “This week when you are at work, you could…” 2) making final decisions at the end of a session specific to their day-to-day life. i.e. “Think of decision you need to make at the end of this week, …” | |
| 12-2019 | Remember what it is like to learn something for the first time. Give students time to process information and answer questions. Know that it is fine for students to make mistakes if they can learn from them. Realize that learning can be hard work, even for the most motivated students. | |
| 11-2019 | When the blahs strike, I try to look for a way to completely—albeit temporarily—abandon correctness, coverage, consistency, or control in favor of getting students engaged. Besides all the good learning that results, I feel a pedagogical rush when my students turn on their brains and produce new knowledge. We all get engaged, and we all move a bit closer to learning “happily ever after.” | E. Shelly Reid, Assoc. Prof. and Dir. of Composition George Mason University |
| 10-2019 | “Find out what your group knows about a topic before you begin a new lesson. Divide them into teams of four and present the topic. Ask them to brainstorm and list as many ideas or questions as they can come up with in a given amount of time.” | Catherine Rasmussen, Extension Professor University of Minnesota |
| 09-2019 | “To promote effective retrieval, at the end of class ask students to put their notes away and force themselves to remember what was covered.” | James Lang, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College |
| 08-2019 | When advertising and promoting an upcoming Bible study, present specific benefits the learners will get through the course. Growing in faith and knowledge of the Word are obvious gains of a Bible study, but naming some blessings might help. For example, when promoting a study of 1 Corinthians, you might list what kind of problems can exist within a Christian congregation and note that the study will teach how God handles them. | |
| 07-2019 | Moving around the room in three-dimensional space is something that a flat image on a screen can never achieve. The enthusiasm and energy of a teacher who is moving around to be close to the students send a clear message: “This is great material that is worth learning.” | |
| 06-2019 | If you don’t have a suitable answer to a learner’s question, don’t try to stumble through an inaccurate response. Simply say, “I don’t know—let me get back to you.” Then, after class, you can take the time you need to determine the proper answer and return with it for the next study. Trying to fake that you know an answer when you truly do not causes your credibility to crumble, and you can end up making a big mess of things. Being honest about not knowing shows that you are human, and coming back with a solid answer shows that you care. | Modified from an article at Teaching for Learning at McGill University |
| 05-2019 | To tap into people’s experiences and to encourage them to more thoroughly explore a text and how it applies, ask questions that have multiple correct answers. For example, “Which verses from 1 Corinthians 15 give you the most encouragement?” will generate more discussion than “What does 1 Corinthians 15:58 say?” | |
| 04-2019 | In order to avoid becoming a stuck and stubborn teacher, a successful educator takes time to reflect on their methods, their delivery, and the way they connect with their students. Reflection is necessary to uncover those weaknesses that can be strengthened with a bit of resolve and understanding. | |
| 03-2019 | When teaching adults, youth, and older children, try to ask “open-ended” questions: questions that may not have a single answer. Stay away from “closed-ended” questions: questions that can be answered with a simple, regurgitated answer, or a “yes” or “no.” For example, instead of asking, ‘How many loaves of bread and how many fish did Jesus have when he fed the 5000’ (a closed question), ask, ‘Jesus had only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish when he fed the 5000. For what reasons might God have told us the exact amount of food he had at the beginning?’ (an open question). Be patient when waiting for answers. Count to five or ten slowly to yourself. If you answer your own question, then learners will learn to let you do so always! Give your learners time to think before they answer the question. | |
| 02-2019 | Make a list of favorite practices of your past teachers that helped you to learn. Make another list of your least favorite practices of your past teachers. Incorporate the former ideas and avoid the latter, unless it would help the teaching process to bring in some of the unpleasant practices. | |
| 01-2019 | Don’t fear silence! Learners will eventually talk. While we may think the silence is long, learners need time to process your questions and come up with answers. Give them a chance to think and they will eventually talk. In fact, you may want to silently count slowly to 10 or 15 to force yourself to wait long enough for students to think and respond. | |
| 12-2018 | One of the principles of learning is that immediate application improves learning. As soon as possible after you teach new content, have the students think about and verbalize how they can apply the new and relevant information to their lives. | |
| 11-2018 | Most adults have job and family responsibilities that keep their schedules full. Though you want the class to be comfortable and conversational, don’t waste a lot of time on small talk. Be prepared to move the class along so students won’t feel that you are wasting their time. | |
| 10-2018 | Many of the people you will teach may not have been in school for many years. They might be hesitant to ask questions. Experienced teachers have found that asking, “What questions do you have?” elicits many more questions than asking, “Do you have any questions?” That slight change in wording implies you are expecting questions. Then pause for seven seconds to give people the opportunity to construct their questions. | |
| 09-2018 | Take five minutes at the end of each class to ask students to summarize the ideas presented, to apply information to a new situation, or to write their reactions to the day's class. Doing so throughout the course can help you know what you can do to strengthen your teaching. | |
| 08-2018 | Consider using e-mail or text messages between class sessions to generate comments or questions for discussion. Out-of-class discussions can increase the interest level and class participation. | |
| 07-2018 | Take advantage of the pre-class lull by posting a thought-provoking question or statement for students to see as they're filing in. This helps get them ready to learn, so that when the class starts, you're off and running. | |
| 06-2018 | Many television series start each week's episode with a recap of what happened the previous week. It's a good strategy for faculty as well, and it can help refocus students' attention and get them ready to learn. | |
| 05-2018 | Be well organized. A lesson that flows logically will be easier to follow. Hand out a list of ideas for topics that you plan to cover so that students can see where you have been and where you are going. | |
| 04-2018 | Respect the fact that the members of your class will have differing learning styles. Learn about the various styles, and try to include questions and activities that will appeal to people with a variety of learning styles. | |
| 03-2018 | When you are concluding your presentation of a section of Scripture, ask real questions that guide the students to dig into the content of the section. Use "Does anyone have any questions?" only occasionally. | |
| 02-2018 | Consider using e-mail to encourage class participation. Send one question for class participants to consider during the week and to whet their appetites for the next session. | |
| 01-2018 | In class discussion, when no amount of rephrasing a question or waiting for a student response elicits any, say, "Help me understand what makes that a difficult question to answer." | |
| 11-2017 | Good teachers take time to learn. It not only broadens the pool of knowledge they can share and thus makes their classes more interesting, but it inspires enthusiasm for the topic. Enthusiasm tends to be contagious. | |
| 10-2017 | Shift your focus from "covering" to "uncovering" content. In the process, you'll get students engaged in analysis, application, and problem-solving. | |
| 10-2017 | About 75% of what we learn comes through the sense of sight. About 13% comes through the sense of hearing. When an instructor uses words alone, students will remember some facts. When the instructor uses pictures alone, students remember more than three times as much information. But if the instructor uses both words and pictures, students will retain more than six times as much information. | |
| 09-2017 | The article accessed in the Additum section discusses the development of lessons by looking first at your goals for the lesson. Today’s teaching tip is that you discuss your goal for each session with the class. Adults will be motivated to study a particular course if they understand how they will benefit from the study. For example: If your goal for a lesson on the Lord’s Supper is that the students will understand and be able to articulate the rationale for the doctrine of close Communion, express that goal. You might do that by giving an example of a time when that knowledge could be important to them. | |
| 06-2017 | Remembering Information. At the end of the class, ask class members to summarize key thoughts that you taught or discussed. This activity helps move class content into the long-term memory. | |
| 04-2017 | If the class material is weighty and detailed, adults will benefit if you "chunk" the information. Chunking refers to the approach of breaking long strings of information into chunks or smaller units so that the short-term memory is better able to assimilate the information. | |
| 03-2017 | To encourage class members to think about the Bible study throughout the week, consider giving a take-home assignment. It may simply be a thoughtful question that will serve as a hook to lead into the next lesson. It could be an assignment to look for applications to what they discussed in class in the news stories of the week. You might want to send the question/assignment home on a small note that participants could put up on their refrigerators. You may also take it one step further and use this as an impetus for spiritual discussion within the family. Ask the participants to discuss a question with a spouse, friend, or family member. To make this most effective, you may need to make it a regular practice so the class members get into the habit. | |
| 02-2017 | If the subject of your Bible class is rather complex or requires a lot of context, such as an explanation of the historical setting, avoid cognitive overload. If student pages contain long text sections, try to incorporate numbered or bulleted lists. Or, you may be able to break these sections into smaller units that students can process more easily. | |
| 01-2017 | At the end of your class, you might ask the participants to take five minutes to write a summary of what they learned or to write a reaction to the class. An alternative would be to present a hypothetical situation and ask them to apply what they learned to that situation. As they think through the class discussion and write their responses, they will be transferring what they heard into long-term memory. | |
| 12-2016 | Vary your daily presentation. One-way communication holds your audience's attention for about 20 minutes. Vary what you do (talk, listen, move about, use materials, etc.) and what your students are asked to do (talk, listen, move about, use materials, etc.). | From the U of Nebraska-Lincoln, Office of Graduate Studies |
| 11-2016 | Adjust your teaching speed to meet the needs of the older learner. . .be conscious of the rate at which material is presented. Be aware of offering too much information too fast; regulate the flow of information accordingly. | Deborah Davis in The Adult Learner's Companion: A Guide for the Adult College Student, 2nd ed. |
| 10-2016 | Think/pair/share is always a good standby for engaging students. Take it a step further with think/pair/share/square in which two groups then have to reach agreement with the other groups. | Ken Alford in What Works and What Doesn't When Teaching Large Classes |
| 09-2016 | In class discussion, when no amount of rephrasing a question or waiting for a student response elicits any, ask, "Help me understand what makes that a difficult question to answer?" | Linda Shadiow, Teaching Professor Conference Advisory Board |
| 08-2016 | Most television series start each week's episode with a recap of what happened the previous week. It's a good strategy for faculty as well, and it can help refocus students' attention and get them ready to learn. | Ike Shibley in 23 Practical Strategies to Help New Teachers Thrive? |
| 07-2016 | Take advantage of the pre-class lull by posting a thought-provoking question or statement for students to see as they're filing in. This helps get them ready to learn, so that when the class starts, you're off and running. | Tyler Griffin in What Works and What Doesn't When Teaching Large Classes? |
| 06-2016 | Lower-level questions need not be simple yes-no questions. For example, if the content describes a four-step process, rather than getting students to simply restate those steps, you can have them select which step is their favorite or state which they think is the most important and why. | Online Classroom |
| 05-2016 | Doing group work well requires planning, maintenance, closure, and reflection. It also requires problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. Research shows that it can be worth the effort, as it improves outcomes and satisfaction. | Claire Howell Major in Choosing and Using Group Work Activities in the College Classroom |
| 04-2016 | Shift your focus from "covering" to "uncovering" content. In the process, you'll get students engaged in analysis, application, and problem-solving. | Nicki Monahan in Taming the Monster: Rethinking the Role of Content |
| 03-2016 | Use your eyes to encourage more student interaction and engagement during discussions. When a student begins talking, if they are only looking at you while making their point, start with eye contact and nodding to them, but then start looking at other students. This has four benefits: (1) It cues them to consider other students as they talk. (2) You can see how well other students are tracking the discussion. (3) The student who's talking receives subtle feedback on when to stop. (4) It encourages other students to reply directly to their peer's comment. | Ray Cramer, IslandWood |
| 02-2016 | Allow chaos. Students should learn to tolerate some uncertainty and vagueness in the learning process. "Figuring it out" is part of the learning. | Berlin Fang in "How to Avoid Being a Helicopter Professor" |
| 01-2016 | When it comes to integrating technology into your teaching, don't use the most complex technology available, but rather use the simplest technology to accomplish what you need. | Tyler Griffin in "How Can I Use technology to Improve Learning?" |
| 10-2015 | Other Guidelines for Writing and Setting a Learning Task | Paul Nitz |
| 08-2015 | Group work in the classroom: types of small groups | Univ. of Waterloo |
| 08-2015 | 4 Tips for Working With Small Groups | Daniel Schroeder |
Miscellaneous ▾
| 05-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 7 | Stephen Geiger |
| 05-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 6 | Stephen Geiger |
| 04-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 5 | Stephen Geiger |
| 03-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 4 | Stephen Geiger |
| 02-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 3 | Stephen Geiger |
| 02-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 2 | Stephen Geiger |
| 01-2016 | Revelation 1-3, Lesson 1 | Stephen Geiger |
| 07-2015 | Same Sex Marriage Bible Study (1 Lesson) Student Lesson PDF / .doc - Leader's Guide PDF / .doc | William Monday |
| 04-2015 | Treasure in Jars of Clay: The Synergy Between the Instrumental and Ministerial Causes in God's Plan of Salvation | Jonathan Hein |