Lesson 5: Methods for Good Teaching

At the beginning of a training program, there is excitement and expectation. Students do not know exactly what to expect, but they hope to get help from the group.

The first meeting of the class may be different from the later meetings because introductions and explanations about the class are necessary. However, the first meeting will set the style for future meetings. For example, if someone does not talk in the first meeting, that person will expect to be silent in the future. If someone dominates the discussion, the group will expect future discussions to be dominated by the same person. If the meeting is disorderly, they will expect the same in the future. If the class has little student participation, they will expect the same pattern.

Some students may drop out after a few meetings because the class is not what they expected. The class cannot be designed to please everyone, but it should be designed to satisfy the students who want to learn. It is important to lead the class properly so that the students who were expecting the right things will not be disappointed.

The ultimate results of our training should be effective ministries and consistent Christian lives. Effective pastors, teachers, evangelists, and missionaries are the ultimate products we want from our program.

Teachers must look for immediate, observable results in order to know if their classes are effective. They must know if their classes are effective without waiting to see if their students do well in ministry.

► What are some ways to immediately know whether or not your teaching is effective?

Good attention from the class is the first result a teacher must have. Teachers must maintain order so that students can give attention. Teachers cannot blame only the students if their attention is poor. Teachers must make the class interesting.

There are other signs that the class is succeeding. Signs include participation of the students in discussion, good questions from the students, good attendance, completion of assignments, and enthusiasm from the students about what they are learning. If teachers are not seeing these signs, they should find ways to improve the style of their classes.

1. Prepare well for teaching. Take time to make sure you understand everything in the lesson. Look for the material in the lesson that helps accomplish the listed objectives. Underline important statements and think about how to explain those statements more than one way. Add notes on the edges of the paper to remind you of how you plan to explain ideas.

2. Value the time. Respect the time of each student. Although each culture’s view of time may be different, teach the students to keep a schedule for class in the same way they respect a schedule for work.

3. Arrange student seating in a way that makes class discussion easier. Because discussion is important, seating should be arranged so that all students can be involved.

4. Listen well when students speak. Signs of good listening are eye contact, a concentrated facial expression, ignoring distractions, and responsiveness to the speaker's humor or other emotions.

5. Make sure all students are giving attention to and participating in the training. If a student seems to be uninvolved, ask a question to pull them into the discussion. Start with their name, so that they know they are being addressed with the question. (“Paul, what do you think about this?”) Your goal is not to embarrass them but to involve them in the training.

6. Ask questions that the students can answer to build their confidence. If someone gives a wrong answer, try to affirm something good about the answer before critiquing it.

7. Try to affirm every comment in some way before criticizing it. Students will gain confidence if their participation is affirmed.

8. Keep the attention of the students. Don’t depend on discipline and authority to make the students listen. Make the class interesting by changing your style, asking questions, telling stories, changing the emphasis in your voice, describing a problem to solve, or giving surprising facts.

9. Don’t let one student talk too much and answer all the questions. You can direct questions to specific students. Or you can ask, "What do the rest of you think?" In a discussion, you could say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken about this yet.”

If individual members still talk too much, leaders could talk to them outside of the meeting. A leader could say something like this: “Charles, you are a quick thinker and are able to respond quickly in discussions, but I’m concerned that some of the others will not participate if we answer everything quickly. Can you help me get everyone involved?”

10. Don’t let two or three students continue arguing while ignoring the group. If someone wants to keep arguing for a long time about something, tell that person that the discussion will have to be finished later.

11. Don't allow anyone to interrupt others. Raise your hand, assertively stop the interrupter, and allow the first speaker to finish. Otherwise, a discussion will always be dominated by the less mannered members. People who are less assertive will feel frustrated that they cannot finish their sentences.

12. Listen to complaints. Any complaint may show a problem that can be corrected. Don’t ignore signs of dissatisfaction. If someone is dissatisfied with the class, he or she may not understand the purpose, or may have a valid complaint.

13. Correct a disruptive student. If individual students persistently act hostile, disruptive, argumentative, or bored, they may not accept the purpose of the class. The class may not be what they expected. Talk to them privately to help them see the class’s purpose.

14. Do not pretend to know the answer if you don’t know. The teacher does not have to know everything. It is okay to tell students that you will look for the answer.

15. Don’t allow students to criticize their pastors. Because the students are learning, they will notice the faults of leaders.

16. Know your students. You can teach much more effectively if you know their family situation, ministry experience, academic background, current ministry position, and goals for the future. Try to learn these things in personal conversations.

Other directions for good teaching are given in Chapter 6.