Most of us know that it’s important to have good participation in our lessons. The Church seems to recognize this, as evidenced by the shift towards having more discussion and counseling during lessons. Here are a few ways to improve student participation.
Create A Comfortable Environment
I am naturally shy. If I am in a new environment, or if I feel uncomfortable in the group I am in, I close off. I don’t participate by sharing comments, or asking questions, or even volunteer to read. I usually will sit near the edges towards the back of the room, folding my arms and avoiding eye contact.
The opposite holds true if I am comfortable. I’ll make small talk with those around me. I’ll share my thoughts and feelings, and volunteer to participate. And this doesn’t only apply to church classes, but to any social setting. I have often thought about what it is that flips this switch between comfortable and uncomfortable. There are a few factors that I have come up with. One is knowing at least one or two people in the room, at least superficially enough that I have had a good conversation with them previously. Another factor is that I need to warm up a little bit with some small talk. If I have just sat through a sacrament meeting and am already fifteen minutes into class without talking, I’m not about to spontaneously start now.
As a teacher, you can assume that there are some in your class that are like this. So, try to start the class by encouraging some small talk. Even before the opening prayer, you can ask questions about the sacrament talks or the previous lesson. One thing that I have seen work well is to have the class talk to the person to the left, the right, in front, and behind them. They can share something about them, like their favorite superhero or ice cream flavor. Just something that lets them hear their own voice and interact with another person. Be creative and keep it light. You may see that this sets the tone for the rest of the lesson. Yes, it may create a little more chaos, but generally that’s a small price to pay to have the class open up for the lesson.
Ask Better Questions
A well placed, thought provoking question can turn a dud into a great lesson. Remember to make it open-ended, not too easy or too hard, and not fishing for a specific answer.
There are times in a class when I can’t help but share my thoughts. This is usually due to excellent questions posed by the teacher. Recently, I attended a class where the topic had something to do with the importance of the scriptures. The teacher asked the following, “What is your favorite scripture, and why?” This led to some great testimony and personal feelings being shared. As more people shared, it snowballed. Each person in the class took about 1-2 minutes and shared pure testimony. By the time the class ended, the spirit was palpable. Testimonies were strengthened, and hearts were knit together in love. To share such a spiritual experience with others goes a long way in preventing some of the major issues that wards face.
Use Variety in Teaching Methods
There are many different teaching methods, some of which tend to better class participation. Brainstorming can be a great way to get things going. For example, if you are teaching about the temple, try asking, “How can we show our children the way we feel about the temple?” Let people throw out whatever ideas they have and list them on the board. Don’t spend much time discussing any idea at first; just get a board full of ideas. Then, you can circle back and spend additional time on any idea as needed. Sure, you could have made the list yourself and presented it to the class, but people tend to “buy in” to an idea that they came up with rather than what they are told.
Demonstrations can also be used to increase participation. I remember a class many years ago, where two teachers, husband and wife, demonstrated how to hold a family council. They first demonstrated how not to do it, and then allowed comments from the class. They then demonstrated a successful family council, and again gave time for comments. There was a lively discussion, and I still remember the things I learned that day. If you can teach a lesson that stays with someone for years, you’re doing something right!
Participation Helps Bring The Spirit
Remember that class participation is not the end goal. However, an engaged class is a class that is more receptive to the Spirit. I believe that as you have more participation, you will also have more open and honest lessons, and more spiritual lessons. Please comment and share any tips that you have to increase class participation.