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    teaching 101
kurt johnston
If your junior high ministry is like most, about 1/3 of your typical meeting time is dedicated to some sort of bible study and discussion time. And, if you are like most junior high youth workers you spend WAY more time coming up with a creative game, crowd breaker or video than you do thinking about your lesson.
It’s funny… I have never tried to ‘wing’ a game, I’ve never left a video to chance, and I always take my crowd breaker through a dry run. But I honestly can’t say the same for my lesson time. I hate to admit this, but because I’m a decent communicator with an above-average grasp on scripture I can freestyle a junior high lesson well enough to be tempted to do so far too often. But don’t students deserve better? Shouldn’t God’s word be given, at the very least, the same amount of care and preparation as a silly game or goofy video? But where to start? What are some tips? While I can’t guarantee you’ll hit a home run every time you teach, I do have a few things I’d encourage you to keep in mind next time you prepare a lesson for your students.
First, I’ll share my little TEACHING 101 list and then I’ll comment on a few of the points:
TEACHING 101
- The first minute is the most important minute
- It doesn’t need to be long to be good
- If it’s going to be long, it better be good
- Students like to laugh
- Students like stories
- Be real
- Be relevant
- Include active and interactive elements
- Offer specific application steps
- The last minute is also the most important minute
The first and last minute:
Use the first minute to grab their attention. Junior highers may have shorter attention spans than most humans, but if you can figure out a way to prick their interest in the first minute, you will hold their attention much longer. Because students have a hard time remembering the lesson once they leave your meeting room, look for a creative way to wrap up the final minute. Use the final minute to ‘cement’ the lesson in their minds.
Length of lesson:
As a rule, I try not to go more than 20 minutes in any given teaching setting. This would include interaction, active learning exercises etc. I’ve never heard a student complain that a lesson was too long, but I’ve seen them yawning and smacking themselves in the head trying to stay awake during lessons that were too long.
Stories, laughter etc.
Junior highers love stories. They like stories from store-bought illustration books, but they like real-life stories even better. Better yet, they like your real life stories…especially the goofy ones they can relate to. Remember, a little laughter is a good thing, but too much can de-rail your lesson and actually begin to work against you. I don’t think you need to be a stand up comedian to be funny, but a good junior high communicator looks for places to sprinkle in a bit of humor.
Humor tip:
NEVER use humor as a weapon to ridicule, embarrass or single students out. Students are exposed to plenty of sarcastic, hurtful humor at home and school…it shouldn’t be part of their youth group experience.
Application steps:
A junior high lesson that has no specific application steps or ‘handles’ that help them carry it with them in the real world is, in my opinion, a wasted lesson. Yes, students need to memorize scripture, yes it God’s word stands alone and is sharper than any two-edged sword. But in order for it to impact the life of a junior higher, it needs to be able to be put in motion. Junior highers desperately need help understanding how God’s word make sense in their world.
I love games. I love crowd breakers. I love silly videos. But I love God’s word more and I’m humbled that I’m allowed to present it to young teens. Writing this article has been a good reminder to me. I hope it has been to you, too.
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-kurt-s-thoughts.html
kurt johnston
If your junior high ministry is like most, about 1/3 of your typical meeting time is dedicated to some sort of bible study and discussion time. And, if you are like most junior high youth workers you spend WAY more time coming up with a creative game, crowd breaker or video than you do thinking about your lesson.
It’s funny… I have never tried to ‘wing’ a game, I’ve never left a video to chance, and I always take my crowd breaker through a dry run. But I honestly can’t say the same for my lesson time. I hate to admit this, but because I’m a decent communicator with an above-average grasp on scripture I can freestyle a junior high lesson well enough to be tempted to do so far too often. But don’t students deserve better? Shouldn’t God’s word be given, at the very least, the same amount of care and preparation as a silly game or goofy video? But where to start? What are some tips? While I can’t guarantee you’ll hit a home run every time you teach, I do have a few things I’d encourage you to keep in mind next time you prepare a lesson for your students.
First, I’ll share my little TEACHING 101 list and then I’ll comment on a few of the points:
TEACHING 101
- The first minute is the most important minute
- It doesn’t need to be long to be good
- If it’s going to be long, it better be good
- Students like to laugh
- Students like stories
- Be real
- Be relevant
- Include active and interactive elements
- Offer specific application steps
- The last minute is also the most important minute
The first and last minute:
Use the first minute to grab their attention. Junior highers may have shorter attention spans than most humans, but if you can figure out a way to prick their interest in the first minute, you will hold their attention much longer. Because students have a hard time remembering the lesson once they leave your meeting room, look for a creative way to wrap up the final minute. Use the final minute to ‘cement’ the lesson in their minds.
Length of lesson:
As a rule, I try not to go more than 20 minutes in any given teaching setting. This would include interaction, active learning exercises etc. I’ve never heard a student complain that a lesson was too long, but I’ve seen them yawning and smacking themselves in the head trying to stay awake during lessons that were too long.
Stories, laughter etc.
Junior highers love stories. They like stories from store-bought illustration books, but they like real-life stories even better. Better yet, they like your real life stories…especially the goofy ones they can relate to. Remember, a little laughter is a good thing, but too much can de-rail your lesson and actually begin to work against you. I don’t think you need to be a stand up comedian to be funny, but a good junior high communicator looks for places to sprinkle in a bit of humor.
Humor tip:
NEVER use humor as a weapon to ridicule, embarrass or single students out. Students are exposed to plenty of sarcastic, hurtful humor at home and school…it shouldn’t be part of their youth group experience.
Application steps:
A junior high lesson that has no specific application steps or ‘handles’ that help them carry it with them in the real world is, in my opinion, a wasted lesson. Yes, students need to memorize scripture, yes it God’s word stands alone and is sharper than any two-edged sword. But in order for it to impact the life of a junior higher, it needs to be able to be put in motion. Junior highers desperately need help understanding how God’s word make sense in their world.
I love games. I love crowd breakers. I love silly videos. But I love God’s word more and I’m humbled that I’m allowed to present it to young teens. Writing this article has been a good reminder to me. I hope it has been to you, too. |
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