The first few months that I taught, I felt like the teaching time during Sunday School class was chaotic. I studied for hours to build a cohesive lesson, but somehow the class always got off track and started down all number of rabbit trails. My efforts to bring the class back on target usually failed and class would end without us covering what I had hoped.
Some teachers don't mind getting off on rabbit trails and are more than willing to throw a lesson out the window to go wherever the Spirit leads, so to speak. This may be valid sometimes, but I've found that it isn't always the Holy Spirit that gets us off track. A lot of the time the rabbit trails are fruitless and boil down to just chit-chat that may not have any spiritual relevance. And those that were interested in the lesson and wanted to see where it was going leave frustrated with the people that dominated the conversation and pushed it into unexpected territory.
I lean toward another "philosophy" for class time - sticking to the lesson. I bathe lesson preparation in much prayer, not just for my understanding of Scripture, but also for the Holy Spirit to reveal to me the the one major topic or point that the class should focus on. I then build the entire lesson around that point. Straying completely from the lesson is, in my mind, disobedient to the Holy Spirit.
So how do we stay on track?
Providing the class with a fill-in-the-blank lesson handout will help the class stay on track. This works because:
- People like to see blanks filled in. The handout with empty blanks is like a little mystery, and your attendees will want to see the mystery solved.
- Visual learners may become more engaged. Some people just need to see the words written down. Listening to someone talk isn't enough.
- Filling in blanks gives attendees something to focus on. If you don't give them a focus, they'll find their own focus, which may or may not have anything to do with the lesson.
- The discussion is more "intelligent." Since everybody has the same points written out for them and are able to review those points during class, the discussion is more fruitful and on topic than it would be otherwise.
- Seeing the major points laid out in front of them gives the attendees an idea of how much more there is to cover. Let's say you have five major points. If there is a long discussion around point two, leaving only ten minutes left in class, the class attendees will understand when you choose to move the discussion on to the next point and not fight the change in focus. They'll "help" you finish class with all points covered. As a matter of fact, they'll probably insist on having all their blanks filled in.
What should be on the lesson handout?
Some basic information for the lesson handout:
- Date - some class members will want to keep all of their lesson handouts. Putting the date on the handout will help them to keep things in order.
- Lesson name - this should be something that captures the essence of the lesson. Don't worry about making it too catchy.
- Major verses that will be covered - so that your class members can turn to them before class begins.
- Major points to cover in class.
Below are some of examples of handouts that I used during a study of Matthew Hopefully they'll give you an idea of what worked for me. I also kept a version with the blanks filled in to email to people that couldn't make it to class on a particular Sunday, but wanted to stay up-to-date.
Download matthew_27_handout.doc
Download matthew_15_part_3_handout.doc
Download matthew_18_part_2_handout.doc
Now it's your turn - what have you found to be a good way to stay on track during class?
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