Part 1: Explain

My next area of emphasis for institute for the next couple of weeks is "Explain" from fundamentals of gospel teaching and learning (see pp. 10 & 31-32 in the Gospel Teaching and Learning Handbook for Teachers and Leaders in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion). Typically, explain is closely associated with share and testify. But I am going to tease them out a bit, look at them one by one. Here are some lines from the Gospel Teaching and Learning Handbook for S&I which have stood out to me this morning as I considered explain:

"Explaining doctrines and principles, sharing insights and relevant experiences, and testifying of divine truth clarifies a person's understanding of gospel principles and improves their ability to teach the gospel to others....

"Teachers who thoughtfully and prayerfully study, prepare, and teach a lesson tend to learn a great deal. This same principle holds true for students....

"Understanding of scripture is increased when students and teachers explain the scriptures to each other. Preparing to clearly and simply tell what a passage of scripture or what a doctrine or principle means encourages teachers and students to ponder verses, organize their thoughts, and invite the Holy Ghost to teach them....

"Giving students the opportunity to explain a doctrine or principle to someone else encourages them to think more deeply and seek greater understanding before teaching others what they have learned" (pp. 31-32).

Ruminating on Explain. I love the idea of asking students to explain doctrines and principles to each, which facilitates the role of the Holy Ghost as a teacher. Last night in my AFA institute class, I asked the students to write one item down they were going to practice from what they had learned from a recent General Authority visit. After writing it down, I asked them to turn and share (note the word share) what they had written with their neighbor. My intent in having them do this was to help them feel like they clearly explained in their hearts and minds what they were really going to do. If I could turn back time, I would have asked them to turn to their neighbor and explain what they were going to do rather than share. I may be splitting hairs here, but I believe there is a difference between sharing and explaining. The leads me to what I want to do next....

What I want to do this week with my classes is give them the opportunity to explain passages of scripture to each other, clearly identifying principles, and searching for what the Holy Ghost is prompting them to do while explaining their understandings to a peer. Share and testify, I think, will naturally follow, but they are not part of my emphasis; yet it will be interesting to see how share and testify may naturally follow in the explaining process; I will watch for this.

Here is what I think I will do in my classes this week: 1. Tell them I am working on helping myself and students explain doctrines and principles. 2. Demonstrate explaining a passage of scripture by clearly identifying principles on my own first; this might be done by actually taking a passage of scripture and identifying a doctrine or principle by writing it down; then ask my students to try the same thing, ie, clearly write out a principle or doctrine from a different passage of scripture. 3. Then I will try to explain the doctrine or principle I identified to another person and ask the students to do the same thing. And 4. Debrief it: Discuss with students how my efforts went, what they saw that went well and not so well, and then have them debrief each other on their efforts.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "We learn by doing" (as found in the Gospel Teaching and Learning Manual for S&I Teachers and Leaders, p. 32). So it is now time for me to do, and I invite you to do as well.


*****Disclaimer: Please note I use this blog page to share what I am working on as an institute instructor. I am always hoping to improve and do better as a instructor. If you are one of our Colorado Springs Institute of Religion faculty or missionaries teaching a class for us, please join me in a collective effort to improve. Search the Gospel Teaching and Learning manual for your own ways to improve as well. *****