Teaching Methods
Lecture
What is it?
- When the teacher simply lists and presents facts that he/she wishes to impart to the student
- Easy to do
- Most students are accustomed to this method and know how to take notes
- Can be boring/routine/monotonous
- Very challenging for those from other cultural/language backgrounds
- Simply do the research, organize and talk.
Discussion
What is it?
- Dialog takes place between students and/or teacher in ascertaining or applying principles
- Excellent for helping students realize truth on their own
- Keeps students engaged
- Sharing wealth of knowledge and experiences
- See different perspectives
- Not all topics are conducive to discussion
- Can get out of control with “hot” topics, miscommunications, and judgey students
- Can get off topic easily
- Research information and present only what is necessary to provide a foundation for discussion.
- Create several OPEN ENDED questions and allow the discussion to happen
- Be sure to allow lots of silence for students to formulate responses.
Panel Discussion
What is it?
- Bring in a variety of different perspectives to talk/dialog/debate on a topic
- The teacher or students pose questions or topics for the panel to address
- Provides a variety of perspectives
- Allows “experts” to take the heat, so the teacher isn’t responsible to present all different perspectives with the same expertise
- Breaks up the monotony of one teacher
- Great for hot topics and gray areas
- Can be difficult to orchestrate
- Not applicable to all topics
- Prep the questions or have the students do so
- Find experts and prepare them for the types of questions that will come.
- Set up a table so all can address the class, and preferably see one another as well.
Reading
What is it?
- Having students read a passage from a book/worksheet etc. either to themselves or aloud
- Reading aloud to students
- Can be done in nearly any environment
- Can be done in a variety of ways
- Challenges reading skills
- Requires little preparation for the teacher
- Difficult for ESL students or students with other learning disadvantages.
- Students read at different paces
- Select a chapter or a passage or a book – and have at it!
Choral Reading
What is it?
- When students all read aloud together in unison (Seder “It would have been enough…”)
- Creates an environment of unity
- Reinforces words that are read and heard together
- Helps out students who would have difficulty reading on their own
- Doesn’t apply to all passages. Only for shorter ones or one liners
- Can be difficult to encourage universal participation
- Select portions to be read aloud by all and instruct them when to do so.
- Have them follow along and say the words/phrases when appropriate
Journaling
What is it?
- When students engage with the material on a personal letter and respond or apply it in the form of writing in a journal
- Excellent for applying information presented by other methods
- Great for critical thinking and reflection
- Can be time consuming.
- Can be difficult to grade and to encourage all to participate on the same level
- After material is presented, create an open ended question or concept for students to write in a journal. Encourage the format to be free. Some may prefer poetry, others bullet points, others essays, and still others may prefer to draw their responses.
Storytelling
What is it?
- Telling stories aloud to others
- Great for making history come to life
- Everyone loves a good story
- Captivating for all ages/cultures
- Requires creativity on the storyteller’s part: costumes, voices etc. really make it come alive!
- Read the story/history behind what you want to tell and write/rewrite a script or basic storyline without changing the heart of the story.
- Look the part/play the part and tell the story in a captivating way
Debates
What is it?
- Staged “arguments” or discussions over controversial topics
- Requires the students to become passionately engaged in their perspective
- Not all students are up to the challenge of going toe to toe against one another
- Set a topic and ask the students to prepare on each side of the topic.
- In class have them present opening arguments, responses to key questions/scenarios, and closing arguments
Classifying/Categorizing
What is it?
- Organizing material in a structured way
- Easy to evaluate
- Uses critical thinking skills
- Causes comparison between items and forces an objective evaluation against the material presented
- Not applicable to all topics
- Create a list of items to sort into pertinent categories, or simply true/false based on the material
Problem Solving and Case Studies
What is it?
- Real life or life-like examples are presented with a problem to be studied, contemplated and/or resolved through critical thinking and application
- Very close to home. Life-like scenarios demonstrate the reality of the issue being taught
- Uses critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Takes the material from fact to reality
- Time consuming
- Careful preparation of the case study or problem is necessary.
- Think through more details than you need, in case clarification must be made
- Prepare a list of “how would you…” questions to be sure the mission is accomplished
Socratic Questioning
What is it?
- Posing a series of questions to help a student arrive at a truth on their own.
- Discovered truth is more powerful/meaningful than truth simply told
- Uses critical thinking skills
- Causes students to by necessity build on the information they already know
- Pace is set by student’s ability to think their way to the next level
- Can slow pace if not regulated
- Can leave gaps in knowledge if used exclusively
- Be an expert on the concept and ready to answer students’ questions appropriately.
Charts/Graphs/Diagrams/Maps
What is it?
- Using graphics and pictures to illustrate concepts
- Makes a concept more real
- Big impact
- Not everything is applicable
- Many programs make this easy for you: Microsoft word, PowerPoint etc. Just plug in the numbers and it makes the chart for you
- Make sure everyone can see the images. Use handouts or projectors where possible
Videos
What is it?
- DVDs or the like which demonstrate the principle being taught
- Allows students to learn the idea in a professional form that is relevant
- Can cut in to only appropriate scenes, if desired
- May require editing
- Can be a stretch
- Make sure the video is clear in what you are trying to teach.
- Be sure the students know what exactly they are looking for as they watch.
Visualization
What is it?
- Asking students to close their eyes and imagine a scene or item
- Gives students a break from words and allows them to be creative without the limitation of skill
- Brings a scene to life
- Not always applicable.
- Think about all the senses when you ask students to visualize.
- Good visualizing involves sounds, sights, scents, touch and sometimes even taste.
Body Answers
What is it?
- Letting students answer questions posed in class with bodily movement
- Keeps students actively engaged
- Requires full attention
- Keeps them from having to sit still all class long
- Can be somewhat limiting depending on the classroom
- Just forethought.
- Be sure students have rules about personal space
Skits/Dramas
What is it?
- Providing students with a script to either read or memorize and perform in front of other students.
- Gets students involved in real life situations that illustrate the material.
- Not all students are interested in acting
- A well written script, complete with actions/direction is essential
- Casting can be tricky
Cooking/Gardening/Messy Stuff
What is it?
- Allowing the students to learn/apply knowledge by using their hands, and/or getting dirty.
- Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I’ll remember. Let me do it, I’ll understand
- Messy!
- Depends on the project
Crafts
What is it?
- Creating something from basic supplies that the students can take home with them.
- Should either teach something as it’s being made, or serve as a reminder of the lesson in time to come.
- Reminder drives home the teaching
- Widely applicable
- Can be messy
- Can require $$
- Think about flow, it will be hard to get attention back to something else after an activity like this
- Be sure you have all the supplies in advance and do whatever prep work beforehand that you can.
- Make sure you have enough supplies for everyone
Field Trips
What is it?
- Going to another place to learn about a topic
- New environment usually gets students excited about learning
- More resources available to you that you couldn’t bring into the classroom
- Logistical organization can be a challenge
- $$ factors
- Keeping students focused on the topic can be difficult
- If there is someplace else where learning this concept would be easier – go there!
- Be sure and use permission slips etc.
Singing
What is it?
- Singing songs that are relevant to the topic
- Music speaks to the soul and ushers people into the presence of God
- Selecting songs that are well known can help ensure participation by all
- Some people just don’t like singing
- New songs can be a challenge
- Find a relevant song and teach it.
- Sing along yourself.
- Don’t be afraid to use accompaniment or sing along to a CD if live music isn’t an option
Linking Songs With Concepts
What is it?
- Taking songs that are popular or well known and using them to illustrate a concept lyrically
- Music is common in all cultures. Most everyone is comfortable with music of some kind
- Brings songs to life
- Not all songs are 100% theologically sound. BEWARE what you get into!
- Find a relevant song and do some exegetical/historical research on it. Look up passages that may be referenced. Bring out cultural elements.
- Make the song teach the lesson
Playing Instruments
What is it?
- Making rhythm/music with homemade or manufactured musical instruments
- Gives students a chance to break out of the quiet, still mold by playing and being loud
- Can get out of control fast!
- Find lessons that are pertinent to music/noise/rhythm and make it a part
- Be sure you have something for everyone to use, or a system for taking turns.
Board Games
What is it?
- Using existing board games (or new ones created by you) to illustrate a concepts
- Often considered to be FUN
- Time consuming
- Some competition can go overboard
- Think honestly about how a game could illustrate your concept.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust rules to existing games to get your point across
- Give PLENTY of time for the game
Group Work
What is it?
- Having students work in teams/groups to accomplish a goal
- Teaches cooperation and conflict/negotiating skills
- Offers a wealth of opportunity: creative students paired with those less creative, organized students with the disorganized etc.
- Everyone brings their strengths to the table
- Provides different perspectives
- Encourages leadership
- Difficult to encourage all members to participate equally
- Assign a task (brainstorming/presentation/research etc.) for a group to work on together. Give them class time to meet and work things out
One Minute Reflection Periods
What is it?
- Giving the students brief, timed periods where they are guided to reflect personally on a topic/application you are studying
- Allows the student to shut out distraction and focus on applying the truth personally
- Gives them time to engage which might otherwise be lost in the hustle of classes/church etc.
- Prepares students for a change of pace in the classroom (calms a wild class etc.)
- Not all students are quick to reflect honestly
- Difficult to gauge whether the students are truly reflecting
- After demonstrating a fact worthy of introspection, ask students to clear their desks/table etc. close their eyes and think about the topic. You may want to have a question or concept you want them to ask themselves about.
- You may want to follow this up by having them journal their reflections, or share with the class.
Nature Walks
What is it?
- Going outside into nature as a means to learn a topic
- God speaks through nature!
- Variety of topics can be illustrated through nature
- Appeals to most all students
- Climate dependant
- Can provide distractions
- Seek out ways nature itself demonstrates a principle you want your students to learn.
- Have them go out and find it, or take them yourself and demonstrate.
- Have them explore and discover additional facts that contribute to the main idea.
Animals
What is it?
- Using real, live animals to illustrate a concept
- Definitely breaks up the monotony
- Appeals to those who love animals
- God speaks through His creation
- Not appealing for those who don’t like animals
- Limited topics
- When the topic calls for an illustration nature can provide call zoos/friends/neighbors and other agencies to bring in an animal to demonstrate.
- Leave AMPLE time for this, as animals can be unpredictable