How to Teach a Better Bible Class: Start the Class by Requiring Thought from the Students by Josh Hardin

Class sessions that are the most successful require thought from the students. The earlier that thought is required, the better. When students have to think, when they are forced to take an active part in the lesson, they are more likely to pay attention and learn. Each class session should begin with something that requires thought from the students and focuses their minds on the lesson topic.

Many classes begin with lecture or a scripture reading. There is nothing wrong with either, but they do not require anything from the students except that they listen. Listening is the hardest thing for a student to do, especially at the very beginning of a class period. Students may have just gotten out of bed, or they may be thinking about what happened at school or work or what they must do for the next day. What they need is something that will bring their minds to the lesson at hand, and listening to another person talk will not do it.

It seems like a normal thing for a teacher to talk and to tell the students things they need to know. Most people, teenagers and even adults, tune out the drone of a lecture. Everyone who has sat through a class has done this. The teacher’s voice becomes just a dull roar in the background. Their words turn into nonsense sounds just like the teachers on Charlie Brown. (Wak wa wak wak wak, wa wa wak.) If a class period begins with the teacher talking for five minutes, a large number of students will stop paying attention. The teacher may not get it back for the rest of the class time. It is much better to get the students’ minds thinking right away. Once their attention is fixed, it is harder to lose it.

A student’s mind needs to be warmed up for the learning ahead. Just like an oven must be preheated or a car takes a few minutes after startup before it runs smooth, the brain has to “get going” on a train of thought in order to really work right. The teacher can help this by opening up the class with a small activity or thinking question that relates to the main point of the lesson.

These activities do not have to be complicated. For instance, if the lesson is on peace, the teacher might ask, “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘peace’?” Each answer can then be written on a chalkboard for reference later in the class. For a lesson on patience, the teacher can ask the class to think of people they know who are patient and what makes them patient. Some activities might require a little preparation before class, while others need none at all. In either case, the students’ minds will be focused on the topic and ready to think about the lesson. Not only is this easier on the teacher, but the students will learn more from the Bible study.