Most teaching callings in the Church consist of a weekly lesson, either Sunday School/Primary or Relief Society/Priesthood. Naturally, this gives about 1 week of preparation time for each lesson. I have found a way to prepare that works well for me. It maximizes the limited time that I have. I assume that I am not alone in that I don’t have a lot of discretionary time. After work, spouse, and children, my day is pretty much spent.
Let me walk you through what I would consider my ideal 1 week lesson preparation. I’ll explain it first, and in the next post I will illustrate with a hypothetical(ish) scenario.
My preparation starts immediately after my previous lesson. After the class, I try to engage some in the class regarding the topic and anything that was discussed during class. Maybe someone wanted to ask question that they were embarrassed to ask during class. Or, someone had a story that they wanted to share but didn’t due to time constraints. Either way, I like to talk about the lesson immediately afterwards to get realtime feedback from the most important people, those in the class. This typically lasts for no longer than 5 minutes.
After church, I will talk with my wife about the lesson I taught that day. Our drive to church is about 20 minutes. I’ll spend 10 of that discussing the lesson with my wife. We’ll discuss what went well. Before the lesson started, I had already discussed with her what I was hoping to accomplish with the lesson. We will discuss the positive aspects of the lesson first. Then, I will ask 2 questions. First, “If I could go back in time to immediately before the lesson, what would I do differently?” This allows me to critique my teaching techniques and methods, and evaluate if there was some room for improvement. The second question that I ask is, “If I could go back in time to a week ago, what would I do differently?” This allows me to critique my preparation. In answering these questions, I am able to hone my skills. Much like a professional athlete watching game film, this self assessment is a powerful way to improve your Gospel teaching.
We typically get home and eat a quick bite. Then, the kids run around like chimpanzees have some quiet play time. This gives me some time to myself. I’ll try to take 30 minutes to start the preparation for the next weeks lesson. Preferably, this would happen at the same place each week. This should be at a desk or table with some space to spread out. I usually have my scriptures, lesson manual, laptop, and my $100 noise cancelling headphones. I find that if I stay on task for 30 minutes, that’s all I need to accomplish the goal. What is that goal? To plan the preparation (I don’t know if that can be trademarked, but I call dibs). I will skim the entire lesson in the manual, identifying the scripture blocks, the main points, and the overall feel of the lesson. If you have been in the Church for at least 4 years, then you will already be familiar with the majority of the content in the manual. I will then plan out how I will prepare through the week. This is much simpler than it sounds. I try to read all the scripture blocks in the first 3 days, which is Wednesday for those keeping track at home. So, I basically divide the assigned reading in thirds- Monday’s reading, Tuesday’s reading, Wednesday’s reading. I am assuming that as a result of my reading and pondering, there will be additional scriptures or outside resources that I will want to study. I leave Thursday of Friday for that. In a nutshell, that is how to Plan the PreparationTM; review the lesson manual, divide the reading for Mon-Wed, leave Thur-Fri open. If I have any spare time on Sunday, I will start reading the scriptures for the lesson.
I feel that I need to insert here an explanation. To me, the magic happens during the week. I don’t spend much time formally preparing the lesson, about 10 minutes per day. I do, however, spend a significant amount of time pondering the lesson. If I can get some good source material in my head (ie scriptures), then I find myself thinking about it and getting flashes of inspiration throughout the day. I think I have received the majority of my inspiration while showering or driving. Washing dishes, mowing the lawn, and other low focus physical activities provide a great opportunity for pondering. Functional meditation, if you will (is that trademarke-able as well?).
Having said that, let’s move into the work week. Once Monday morning rolls around, life in general pretty much consumes every waking minute. I try to get a solid 10 minutes of study and prayer in the morning. That is enough to put it into conscious thought and allow the Spirit to work on it throughout the day. I usually get a few new or deeper insights each day. These insights often take my mind on a tangential thought, which can guide my preparation on a slightly different path than expected. Sometimes, it’s additional scriptures that I will want to incorporate, or a conference talk, or a life experience that supplements the lesson material.
After 5 days of this process, I usually have a significant amount of thoughts and ideas floating around my head. Hopefully, it is much more than could be conveyed in a 50 minute lesson. Note that I have not even mentioned teaching methods yet. At this point, I am formulating concrete thoughts and ideas. I am learning the truths that I will hope to convey to the class. I have not yet considered how I am going to do that. Okay, maybe a little bit, but I am intentionally trying to not box myself in at this point with some clever teaching technique that I want to do.
My brain undergoes a significant change after work on Friday. I try my best to put work behind me and have a good weekend with my family. After some good quality kid time comes the best time of the week: date night! The typical date night is the clichéd dinner and a movie, but most important a chance to converse. I’ll leave the importance of communication in a marriage for another day, but as part of the conversation, I’ll talk about the lesson with my wife. Just a few minutes is all, the things that I have learned and ask for her thoughts on the topic. This actually helps a lot in my preparation. After 5 days of rumination, I can sometimes get lost in the weeds. Getting a fresh perspective helps at this point.
This brings us to Saturday. Blessed Saturday. The “special day that we get ready for Sunday.” By this stage of the game, I have 2-3 major ideas that have crystallized, with several related ideas and illustrations. I’ll get out a blank sheet of paper and a pen and start an outline. I really like the “mind mapping” approach. Basically, you write the main point in the center of the paper in a circle. Then, you write branches coming off the circle for the ideas, and sub-ideas. The website mindmapping.com is a great resource if you are new to the concept. This takes about 10 minutes to get on paper the thoughts that I have accumulated throughout the week. The task now is to convert these ideas into a lesson plan. Another way to look at it is to find a way to replicate the personal experience that you had (in preparing for the lesson) for the individuals inside the classroom. I like to start at the punchline and work my way backwards. What is the underlying doctrine or principle taught? How is this illustrated in the scriptures? What teaching method will be effective in allowing the students to extract the principle from the scripture passage?
I have a list of teaching methods that I keep handy while preparing lessons. A few examples include: stories, likening, chalkboard use, guest speakers, drawing activities, comparisons, object lessons, pictures, panel discussions, role playing, work sheets. The list can go on. I try to use a variety of methods in each lesson.
Another matter to consider when making a lesson plan is to find a balance between the intellectual and emotional aspect of teaching. Maintaining a good balance and alternating between the two are some principles of public speaking that apply to Gospel teaching. A powerful teacher will appeal to the mind and the heart, as the Holy Ghost does (DC 8:2).
After making a paper and pen outline, deciding on the teaching methods, considering the emotional and intellectual components, I will make an electronic outline. This exercise represents what I consider the most difficult challenge of Gospel teaching; taking something that is eternal (the Gospel), beyond space and time, and translating it into something very much bound by space and time (50 minutes in a classroom). By reconstructing the outline from a free-flowing mind map into a linear word document, it forces a degree of organization. I try not to kill all of the creativity, which is a risk we take by over-structuring a lesson plan.
This entire process takes up about an hour of my Saturday. Then, I let it sit on the computer and give it one last nights sleep before a final touch up on Sunday morning and printing out the outline. This final touch should include seeking a confirmation from the Lord that you have prepared the lesson that He would have you give. Once you receive that confirmation, you should feel more confident and the burden of preparation is lifted. Now all that is left is to get up and deliver.
A good practice that was recommended to me years ago is to picture in your mind some of those that you assume will be in the class. Think of their needs, wants, fears, desires. Try to see them the way the Savior sees them; as flawed individuals that are in need of love and service. How will this lesson heal their wounds? How will this help them to become better people? This outward focus will improve your teaching exponentially. Once you come to the realization that teaching is about the student, and not about the teacher, you will prepare and give much more powerful lessons.
I haven’t mentioned enough about the role of the Holy Ghost in this whole process. From start to finish, the Holy Ghost is critical. Only the Spirit can take your feeble efforts and take the teaching deep into the hearts of those in the class. When we bring an old horse yoke to class to illustrate how the Savior shares our burdens, we rely on the Holy Ghost to touch the hearts of the class. Only the Spirit can build testimony, build faith, and bring about a mighty change. Constant prayer, pondering, and seeking for inspiration and confirmation are vital components to lesson preparation. While gospel teaching has a lot in common with secular teaching, if you neglect the importance of the Holy Ghost you will never be able to fulfill your calling as a teacher. It is though the Holy Ghost that our words become the words of Christ. The Lord spoke to Orson Hyde, as well as to us: “And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation. Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.”