|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:35 pm
So, who has been/currently is called as a SS/RS/EQ/Primary/YW/YM teacher?
as a question for everyone, what suggestions do you have for teachers to make teaching better? How can you keep the teens/kids involved and interested in learning the lessons?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:47 pm
Well, it would help if they didn't teach "out of the manual", because their activites suck. If a whole lesson ends up talking about your favorite bands or something, then do that. Don't try to change the subject to much. If they want to go outside, let them. So teach them the lesson, make it fun, but if they just won't learn then don't force them. >.< I've seen people go nearly-inactive because their SS teacher forced them in on everything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:52 pm
Mahonri Moriancumer Well, it would help if they didn't teach "out of the manual", because their activites suck. If a whole lesson ends up talking about your favorite bands or something, then do that. Don't try to change the subject to much. If they want to go outside, let them. So teach them the lesson, make it fun, but if they just won't learn then don't force them. >.< I've seen people go nearly-inactive because their SS teacher forced them in on everything. *sad sigh* i guess that would be why my husband's a better teacher than i am....granted he's an RM and this is my first teaching opportunity.... how can you force them in on everything? if they don't want to learn they won't learn, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:53 pm
Maki Minakoaino Mahonri Moriancumer Well, it would help if they didn't teach "out of the manual", because their activites suck. If a whole lesson ends up talking about your favorite bands or something, then do that. Don't try to change the subject to much. If they want to go outside, let them. So teach them the lesson, make it fun, but if they just won't learn then don't force them. >.< I've seen people go nearly-inactive because their SS teacher forced them in on everything. *sad sigh* i guess that would be why my husband's a better teacher than i am....granted he's an RM and this is my first teaching opportunity.... how can you force them in on everything? if they don't want to learn they won't learn, right? You can force them to shut up and "listen". edit: one of my ex-teachers plays gaia. RoninInferno. Sometimes all we would talk about is "Knigts of the Old Republic" for a WHOLE CLASS PERIOD eek . And other times we learned alot. Like that scripture in Alma that I'm too lazy to look up. Amulek said something along the lines of "First I'll win their hearts, then I'll convert them." Same idea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:56 am
okie. then i'll just have to come up with some fun activities...hehe...my husband will randomly come up with an activity for them to do--does it on the spot...me, i have to think and think and think about stuff....
What would be some good activities to do, basically no matter what lesson it is that week?
I teach 14-16 yr olds, btw...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:52 am
I teach 8-10 (in theory) year olds. I would not say to ignore the manual. I would also say not to just sit there and read from it. Do things to make the room seem like "theirs." Make a sign, have posters about the kids and their favorite activities and such; these things really help them connect with each other. Make a game out of as much as you can. Post questions on brightly colored pieces of paper in strange places, like on the walls, ceiling, door, window, etc. Especially with older students, let them help you as much as you can-- maybe have one read the scripture account and have another draw what happenes as the account is read. Discussing "Knights of the Old Republic" (awesome as the game is) is not the best use of Sunday School time. In terms of the kids feeling connected and like an adult is actually interested in the things in their life it's great and I'm not discouraging it totally. However, I would say to try to keep such classes to a minimum. I don't know how many students you have or what their interests are but I guarantee you that, as much as Mahonri Moriancumer enjoyed that lesson, if I (at that age) had been there I would have felt bored and left out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 8:04 pm
Itesa I teach 8-10 (in theory) year olds. I would not say to ignore the manual. I would also say not to just sit there and read from it. Do things to make the room seem like "theirs." Make a sign, have posters about the kids and their favorite activities and such; these things really help them connect with each other. Make a game out of as much as you can. Post questions on brightly colored pieces of paper in strange places, like on the walls, ceiling, door, window, etc. Especially with older students, let them help you as much as you can-- maybe have one read the scripture account and have another draw what happenes as the account is read. Discussing "Knights of the Old Republic" (awesome as the game is) is not the best use of Sunday School time. In terms of the kids feeling connected and like an adult is actually interested in the things in their life it's great and I'm not discouraging it totally. However, I would say to try to keep such classes to a minimum. I don't know how many students you have or what their interests are but I guarantee you that, as much as Mahonri Moriancumer enjoyed that lesson, if I (at that age) had been there I would have felt bored and left out. That is EXACTLY what my teachers do. And it bores the living fool out of everyone. BLUE: Only happened once. And that's because everybody there enjoyed it. We only talked about what EVERYONE wanted to talk about. And we still got through the whole manual on time at the end of the year. The point is, If the students are dissinterested for more than 60 seconds, chances are, you've lost them for the whole lesson. (14-16.. My age group...) well, I'd say it depends on the kids. Find out what they're interested in, just don't ask them. Then they won't give you a proper answer. Maybe one week let your lesson drag a little, and maybe they'll start talking off subject. See what they talk about. If they talk about their bf/gf, then next week tell a funny acount of when you were dating. Got the idea?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:32 am
Then instead of fussing about how boring you find everything why don't you try to talk to your teachers about finding ways to make the class interesting?
I was a teen once too. We spent most of our time hiding in the stairwell or in empty classrooms and goofing off. Except for when the teachers remembered to bring donuts.
Now that I've been a Sunday School teacher and wracked my brain and soul for ways to make these lessons interesting and meaningful to my students, I'm heartilly ashamed for my past behaviour. When I'm in town again next month to visit my family I'm going walk up to my old teacher and apologize.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:08 pm
I don't fuss!! It's just if it isn't interesting, my mind wanders of to other....subjects.... oooh! BUTTERFLY!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 4:23 pm
and that's exactly the reason i posted this thread, so i could get ideas to keep the kids interested in learning about the gospel, or teach it more effectively....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:41 am
The kids who want to learn and want to listen will do just that. Not only that but they deserve to learn if they want to. I have to agree with Itesa. I am in the 14-16 age group, and yes, we have some kids who really would rather spend the hour discussing games, but some of us there want to learn.
The kids who don't want to learn, won't. You can't make them. However in interest of the kids who do want to learn, they should be kept at least semi-quiet. In my class there are 23 of us. In that group there are about 2-7 who really want to learn, depending on the lesson of course. The whole purpose of sunday school is to teach and be taught. My favorite teachers have been the ones who have taught us, encouraged us to question, and stretched what we knew to it's very limits. They are the ones I learned from.
Please, teach the class. Even if there is only one person in the whole class who wants to learn, that one deserves to learn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:15 pm
My post seems to have been taken the wrong way...
Like they both said, Those game-type things should happen very RARELY.
If the kids want to learn, then it doesn't need to be interesting.
If the kids don't want to learn, make it interesting for THEM. You can't make the whole class like the lesson.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 3:29 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:11 am
Making it fun for the students does help keep interest. But some teachers are better at fun classes than others and that's okay. It doesn't make them any better of a teacher. What makes you a good teacher is if you genuinely care about your students and they know that. The rest is your own personal style. Don't worry about it. Just make sure they know you care.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 9:15 am
Mahonri Moriancumer If the kids want to learn, then it doesn't need to be interesting. I guess that's true, but it is SOO much better if the lesson is interesting. I was one of those people that actually wanted to learn in class, and though sometimes the lesson wasn't interesting all the time, I REALLY learned a lot when it was and it was easier to pay attention. One MAJOR suggestion I would give, is to know the material for that week. Try not to just study it the night before, because the kids can tell, especially if they are in the 14-16 age group. I would try to get as much information from the scriptures as I can, because as good as the manual may be, the scriptures are from God. Try to avoid contention in the classroom, because it drives away the spirit. If you know your student's intrests, try and play on those. Try to apply the gospel to the things they are most interested in, but also remember those that are not a vocal, they somtimes have a lot to say if you know how to get it out of them. It's ok to let people go on small tangents, but try to rein it in before it moves away from the spirit. That's another thing, try and always have the spirit in the classroom, pray for it, etc. Part of the reason I suggested to know your material is because the students aren't stupid, especially at that age. They already know the basics, they probably already KNOW the whole lesson before you even finish your first sentence, if you are going from the manual. Do some research if you can, find out some information that you didn't know before, get things from church approved sources, and expand your knowledge as well as theirs. I found the classes that I was able to pay the most attention in were those that the teacher had something NEW to teach me, something that I didn't know before, and so I actually had to pay attention in order to get the answers to the questions they asked right, instead of the primary answers that people usually give. I know that is really hard, but even when my teacher only had ONE new thing to teach me that I didn't know before, I was glad and was able to pay attention better. (All this I am doing from the prospective of being a student, I have only ever taught primary children on mothers day)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
