I said in Part 1, if attenders are asleep, not interested, or the lesson does not “feel” like it applies to them, they will learn less. If they are bored, their attention is not in the room, they are not involved in the class, or the same teaching method is used week after week, they will learn less. I mentioned Marlene Lefever’s article entitled 38 Ways to Wake Up Your Class (which is no longer available). In Part 1, I shared the first ten of her suggested ways to wake up your class. Now, consider which of the second ten of her suggestions (in all capitals followed by my commentary) you could use with your class this week:
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MIMING ALLOWS TEENS AND ADULTS TO SYMBOLICALLY ACT OUT DIFFICULT CONCEPTS. Some learners will avoid drama because of speaking parts. Remember that not every attender has to be involved in the miming, but all need to struggle through the passage and the concepts toward better understanding and application. I like Lefever’s suggestion to “work in groups of three to five to develop a mime that lasts fifteen seconds and demonstrates through actions rather than words.”
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ACT OUT THE BIBLE STORY AS THE TEACHER REVIEWS IT. Again, don’t force all attenders to have to speak or act, but allow the group to determine how they will utitlize the group. Get everyone involved in considering the passage, the background, the attitudes, and then how to express it. It may be that brining in a group to the class may capture the interest of participants as well. I remember a single adult class that had their Easter lesson in a cemetary with Mary coming over a hill to tell about having seen Jesus–they remembered the lesson forever.
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AUGMENT ROLE-PLAYING BY ASSIGNING “ATTITUDES” TO THE PARTICIPANTS. Again, I liked Lefever’s suggestions to draw “expressions on little round faces and assign the players the attitude on their face. Have them apply that attitude to their role in the exercise.” Help them to think through the attitudes that Bible characters might have had. Encourage them to put themselves in the role of the Bible person.
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ASK PEOPLE TO EXPRESS ANSWERS IN COLORS AND EXPLAIN WHY THEY PICKED THE COLOR THEY DID.Colors may seem strange, but it can encourage some to participate who fear their answer might be wrong. This is true because there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to color. This can serve as a good icebreaker activity as well. It also helps those who know the “right answers” to think about a passage a little differently.
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MAKE MORE EFFECTIVE USE OF PICTURES…BECAUSE PICTURES INCREASE RETENTION. Today, 60% of people are visual learners. They will pay more attention to and remember more from visual input. Use pictures, maps, and video. Ask questions about what the images. This may be a written set of questions in advance or a verbal set after. Get attenders to draw images (includes kinesthetic and increases retention even more). I remember using a clip from The Ten Commandments in which I asked attenders to tell me differences between the video and the biblical account.
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CREATIVE HOMEWORK MAKE CAPTURE THE IMAGINATIONS OF YOUR STUDENTS. First of all, expect learning to continue between Sundays! Second, make creative assignments (rather than only read th e lesson or Bible passage). I like Lefever’s suggestions to go out individually or as teams to audio, video, or photographically record people, places, thin gs, and events that would be relevant to next week’s lesson. Third, make assignments for learners to apply the truth of this week’s lesson and return next Sunday with a testimony of how they did so!
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DON’T IGNORE THE SENSE OF SMELL IN TEACHING.Because it is so seldom tapped in teaching-learning situations, smell can be a powerful tool. Bake bread together or have a lesson where they are baking bread. Cut fresh fruit and refer to biblical food. Use perfume and talk about the rose of Sharon and lily of the valley. Have a lesson in the middle of a garden.
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USE PATTERNS OF POETRY FOUND IN THE BIBLE TO HELPS TEENS AND ADULTS RESPOND TO WHAT THEY HAVE STUDIED. You can find much balance, simile, contrast, and other elements in the writing of the Bible. Lefever mentions using acrostics; synonymous parallelism poetry (first line states a complete fact; second line expresses the same thought through the use of synonyms); and antithetical parallelism poetry (first line is the opposite of the second line). Read her article for more.
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USE A SPEAKERPHONE TO EXPAND YOUR TEACHING.Wow, this is a great suggestion. In this day of technology, why not bring some expertise into the classroom? Call a missionary. Call an absentee. Call a class member on a trip. Prepare questions as a class in advance of the call. Help attenders prepare to interact with the call.
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ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO PHONE A PRAYER PARTNER ONCE A WEEK. Again, continue the learning beyond the Sunday morning session. Assign a topic for the prayer partners to pray about together. Ask them to check on their memorization of an assigned verse or passage of scripture. Encourage them to check on opportunities to apply the truth of Sunday’s lesson. Pray together about the class, members and prospects, goals, etc. This can increase trust and deepen sharing during class.
Which one of these can you use in your lesson this week to generate even more interest? Don’t forget to review Part 1. In Part 3 and Part 4, eighteen more of Lefever’s suggestions will be shared. Make the Bible study session exciting! Get learners involved. Shake them out of their boredom! Capture their attention. Teach them to listen and apply. Be revolutionary!
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