Efforts. New effort this week: I will help my students apply doctrines and principles. BUT! But, I intend to incorporate helping my students feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles (see previous post for more information, posted 31 October 2013). The Gospel Teaching & Learning manual for Seminaries & Institutes of Religion instructors states, "Application takes place when students think, speak, and live according to the principles they have learned" (p. 30). I would like to see more of this in my classes as well as across the institute. What can we do just a little more of to assist our students in applying gospel doctrines and principles? Lets explore this some.
Here is one of those experiences from last week in my Thursday evening Book of Mormon class, it came in an effort to help my students feel the importance of doctrines and principles. We read a passage and I simply asked my students to consider what they thought those verses, in context, actually meant. Then, to add to that, I asked them to consider what the Spirit was teaching them about what we had just read. Silence reigned for the space of a time. My natural inclination was to say something to fill the void, but I felt I should not. I looked across the room at the faces and could see there was learning occurring I should not disrupt. Then one by one students raised their hands and shared their thoughts. What came was interesting because it was a mixture of both feeling the truth of the principles and doctrines and natural applications to their lives and the lives of their families. We were all blessed by what was shared, felt and packaged for application to our lives.
The "how." The Gospel Teaching & Learning manual says, "...Teachers should encourage students to ask for guidance and direction from the Lord" (p. 31) as to how to apply doctrines and principles to their lives. I like this idea, I have never thought of asking students to simply offer a prayer in their heart in class and ask
Conclusion. I know, whew, lets wrap this up and get to work! This week I will probably not post a lot of different information about gospel teaching and learning, I will share how things go with, 1. Helping my students feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles; and 2. For the Lord to show them how to apply doctrines and principles in their lives; in both efforts I will ask my students to use the "supernal gift of prayer" (Elder Richard G. Scott, General Conference, Apr. 2007). I am excited to share what I learned. I am confident the Lord will bless my efforts as I seek to improve. May I invite you to join me in becoming a better gospel teacher? Come try some principles and lets improve together. I know the Lord will bless our efforts!
Alright, quick follow-up note on my class last night at the AFA. We covered JS-H 1:1-26. It was one of my favorite classes I have been able to be part of this entire year. It was interesting because I did not do two things: 1. I did not ask them to pray and ask the Lord to help them feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles, and 2. I did not ask them to pray and ask the Lord to show unto them how to apply doctrines and principles in their lives. In that regard, I totally, without question failed!
ReplyDeleteBUT! BUT...what a class. I asked them to search through the block of scripture in clusters: 1-10, 11-20, & 21-26, searching for principles which were readily applicable to their lives. Whoa! I was deeply impressed by their thoughts and findings. I noticed many of them writing down notes in the corners of scriptures or in a little notebook. Students participated who usually keep quiet, it was very edifying. I had one young lady share a thought on both the importance of James 1:5 to Joseph Smith, and how each of us need a scripture like that, one that we turn to when we need help; she also talked about the timing of the scripture, that the Lord had prepared that one verse to impact Joseph Smith at just the right time, and then she went on to point out how the scriptures impact us at the right times too, but we must be reading them! Amen, sister, amen!
I have three more classes this week, and I am going to write the two points on the board prior to class and tell the students what I am trying to do, and see how it turns out.
As for last night's class, I will label it a successful failure. Success because we accomplished the desired outcomes anyway, a failure because I did not specifically articulate what I was trying to do. But I am left to wonder, if I had given them the specific guidance I set out to do, how might it have been better? Successful failure!
Ah ha! Some success today in my UCCS institute class. Prior to starting class I wrote the following on the board: Pray in class in about the following: 1. Feeling the importance of doctrines and principles, and 2. Application of the doctrines and principles we learn. Our topic of study was Abraham 4-5, which contains the pre-creation plan and then the execution of the plan of creation. I asked them to be ready to respond to the two points on the board during class. It took some patience and a tiny bit of coaxing, but they came up with some awesome thoughts as to how they were "feeling the truth and importance of doctrines and principles." One student noted that she has been feeling impatient with some things in her life, she was impressed by how even the Gods "watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed" (Abr. 4:18); in other words, even the Gods had to wait patiently until they were obeyed.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked about application, there were many responses, but one stood out to me most, she said, "I feel like I need to spend more time pondering what I read in the scriptures each day." I asked her why she thought the Spirit might be whispering that to her and she said, "I read the scriptures, I have read Abraham 4-5 before, but there was so much more taught here today that I wonder how I might have missed it all! So I am going to take more time to ponder what I read to see if I can catch more of these insights." I like that!
At the end of class I asked each of my student to text me their daily reads and what is one thing they are going to do to apply the impressions of the Spirit from feeling and understanding doctrines and principles today. Here are their responses:
-"I am going to ponder the scriptures more fully and integrate what I read into more of my daily life." After class this student told me she wanted to seek to find more connections between her scripture study and daily activities, to see what the Lord is teaching her through her experiences and scripture connections.
-"Understand and notice why I am doing the things I am doing. Understand why I am put into specific situations and learn more from them." It is interesting to note that this student noted in class that she thought it was very interesting that the Creation was very deliberate and planned.
-"Work on humbling myself in order to cultivate patience." Bet you can't guess what student made the interesting point of God's patience mentioned previously. :)
-"Pray more often." This student I challenged to develop a more specific plan, like morning and nightly prayer, more family prayer, more how....
There are others, but that is all for now. This is just way too much fun! I will share one last thing. At the end of class, when I asked them to identify doctrines and principles which they felt, I did two things: First I let them chat through their findings in pairs; Second, since we were already in a circle, I asked them to share one doctrine or principle in a succinct sentence, we went around the circle twice, and I was amazed as to what was learned as we went around.
This is too much fun.
Alright, so last week I continued to attempt to accomplish both the feel and apply part I have been harping on. I am going to continue to try this week. Just not feeling "there" yet.
ReplyDeleteStill not "there" yet. Not so sure I ever will be either, but I think conscientious, consistent practice at implementing a teaching technique is the key. So even though I am going to drive on to practice a new teaching principle, this exercise has assisted me in implementing more effective practices in helping my students more fully "feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles" as well as helping them to "apply doctrines and principles." One last thought: Having spent the last two weeks focusing on the items just written, I am more and more impressed with how important it is to invite the Holy Ghost to help the students accomplish them. The Holy Ghost is the only effective mechanism to enable students to feel doctrines and principles and know how to appropriately apply them.
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