Dear Teachers,

Please consider pondering these notes from previous meetings, even if you attended (but especially if you haven’t). Ask Heavenly Father to highlight parts that could be meaningful to you personally in your teaching.

Thanks for your continued service!

John Canaan

P.S. These notes are limited in their application with Primary teachers but still important.

a) Encouraging participation

You are called to teach, yes, but more so you are called to support and guide your class in study and conversation that will encourage their inspiration and participation.

“Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege.” D&C 88:122.

Creating class participation fulfills 2 objectives that each rely on the other:

Objective 1) Inspiring class members to live the gospel and

Objective 2) Foster relationship that make living the gospel more real in our ward. For instance “mourning with those that mourn” or “strengthening your brothers” is more likely if as we get to know each other and understand (at least a bit) what people are struggling with. Class participation is not just about learning the gospel, it’s about getting to know each other so we are more apt to live the gospel- right here in our neighborhood.

Ask open ended questions

Discovery Questions

1. What does this scripture mean to you, personally, just you? or How does this scripture (or story or principle) relate to your life, personally?

2. What do you feel as you consider this scripture?

3. How do you think the people in this scripture may have felt?

Encouraging subjective, personal feelings

1. In your opinion ______” or “what do you feel about ________” (i.e. tithing, or marriage, or the temple etc.)

2. How do you think the Apostles might have felt as they walked to the Garden of Gethsemane with the Savior?

3. How do you personally feel blessed by the Savior’s suffering in the garden?

Encouraging more (or having an individual add more)

1. Tell me more about that… or what you mean by _____

2. How do you think this applies to you personally Bob (if his name is Bob)
   
   

Ideas / possibilities

1. Divide class in half (each half big enough so that those who don’t want to share, don’t feel like they need to). Each half could have two semi circles again, so that some can always have a back row.

2. You could invite class members to write their thoughts or feelings and ask a few to share what they wrote.

3. You could say “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t shared yet” or “That’s an interesting comment. What do the rest of you think?”

4. If you are teaching children, you could think of a simple game that involves everyone.
   
   

Encouraging participation while still covering the lesson
…creating the balance between getting as many involved as possible and yet still gently moving the class toward the lessons objectives.

• Let people know where you’re going. Put the objectives or topics on the board, so they can see the road ahead.

• In whatever way you are moved on, keep leading the conversation along the tracks you feel inspired to go. Sometimes, by the way, you may be inspired to change directions at least for a while. But be inspired. Be the leader. Don’t just get dragged along by the current.

• As inspired, hand out a “Share Starter” sheet to each class member at the beginning of each class. This can create a better feel and vision for where the discussion is going
  
  

Share Starter Hand Out Note that the questions below (especially the “supplementary” ones) are designed to share the Gospel with each other in a way that helps us get to know each other- not just each other’s ideas. After all, how can feel inspired to bear each other’s burdens if we are strangers to each other?

Share Starters 

1) “Come Follow Me” question (As inspired, pick 1 or 2 “Come Follow Me” questions that are open ended, promote introspection, inspiration, revelation and sharing. For instance “How was fasting a blessing for Esther’s people?”

As inspired, include one or two standard supplementary “share starters” i.e.

2) Without sharing too many details that might be inappropriate for this setting, what does this scripture or principle mean to you personally or how would you apply this in your life? or

3) As we read and talk about this, what I’m beginning to see is ___________.

4) As we continue to discuss this, I see that doing ____________ or understanding ___________ could lead me closer to God and my Savior because ____________ (describe how).

5) In connection with this lesson, something I’m inspired to do going out of here today is ____________.

c) Ways of keeping the same people from making all the comments.

Basics (subtle) “Let’s hear from 2 or 3 people we haven’t heard from yet”, or “Let’s hear from someone this side of the room” or “Is there anyone that would like to add to that comment that hasn’t shared yet?” You could also say… “That’s an interesting comment. What do the rest of you think?” If you are teaching children, you could think of a simple game that involves everyone.

You may feel inspired to invite a specific person to share—perhaps because he or she has a perspective that others could benefit from hearing (Make sure this person doesn’t mind being called on).

More straight forward (at the beginning)… “As teachers we are always doing our best to navigate between 2 different tendencies- sometimes no one seems to want to participate (crickets). On the other end of the spectrum, some of you, in an effort to help me keep the ball rolling, will make the majority of the class comments. Navigating these two opposites is tricky and I want to think you all in advance for encouraging me in doing my best in this. Thank you!
How you could play this out is if there’s a lull and no hands are going up, instead of going back to the same person, you could say “Jenny, I’m going to hold off on your comment and I’m going to just wait a minute to see if something’s coming for someone else.”

Be willing to have some awkward silence (not too much, but a little).

From Uctdorf (Teaching the Savior’s Way). Teach Council Highlights

Teaching in the Savior's Way with Elder Uchtdorf

1) Love Those You Teach

Teachers must see each student for the unique child of God that they are. And teachers must speak the universal language of love.

• Ideas in “loving those you teach”

  1. Pray by Name for Those You Teach

  2. Follow class members on Facebook, give comments & likes and/or just text from time to time i.e. “Thanks for being in class. Look forward to seeing you next week!” or “Thanks for your comment” etc.

  3. Encourage class members to drop by homes of those who haven’t been coming with some healthy treats (or unhealthy). You could go with them- right after church or sometime through the week. You could create game plans of this nature toward the end of each lesson.

  4. Ask open ended questions in class to encourage getting to know each other.

  5. Be open and vulnerable yourself about your Gospel journey (without sharing anything inappropriate).

  6. Consider the Getting to Know You attendance rolls above (in “Extra Stuff”). Remember that the more you know someone, you more you naturally love him or her.

• Visiting Those You Love (particularly for youth classes)

  1. Why: To let them know their welcome and that it's a fun group they would enjoy.

  2. Who: Possibilities - Sunday School Teacher and spouse and ideally someone from the class that knows the young person you're going to visit (or if know one knows him or her, just whoever wants to come with you).

  3. How: You could chat in class at the beginning or end of class for a bit to see who knows who first and who would be willing to come and when.

How loving those you teach relates to class participation

Quoting C.S. Lewis, Elder Uchtdorf said “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. … it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal… everlasting splendors.”

As we become attuned to the eternal wonder of each class member, we are more prone to hold a space for *their* inspiration and *their* contribution to the class (Note: This is also why we use “open ended questions”, to make a space for others to feel inspired and to share). Additionally, as you reverence and encourage each person participation and even their presence in your class, he or she will tend to rise to becoming the person you seen and love in him or her.

• Love Those You Teach - More Reading from Come Follow Me

2) Teach by the Spirit

No teacher’s efforts, as good as they may be, will ever convert a person to Christ. “Only the Holy Ghost can do that,” Elder Uctdorf said. “We don’t have to ‘be’ anything more or less than who we really are — and that is children of God and followers of Jesus Christ. Can you, with rejoicing, express your love for the Savior, His gospel, and His Church? If you do your part, the Spirit will do His. That is the way we ‘teach by the Spirit.”

3) Teach the Doctrine (The Gospel of Jesus Christ)

“As teachers, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Elder Uctdorf. “Rather, we must joyfully raise our voices in teaching His doctrine even when it may seem a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others. ‘For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth’ (Romans 1:16).”

Idols (like fast cars, Facebook “likes”, fame, fortune etc.) are shiny and attractive to the human mind. The doctrine of Christ, unlike idols, are foreign to our human egos and can only be discerned by the power of the spirit. But these doctrines, unlike idols, lead to a higher realm- a realm of faith, which faith stirs us toward repentance and change. This is why we teach “the doctrine.”

Focus on Christ

To focus on the Savior in teaching is to hit the small center of a target, Elder Uchtdorf said. And what is that target? The example Jesus set of loving God and loving others.

“As teachers, we may speak with the tongues of angels; we may entertain, delight, amuse, astound,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “But if we have failed in keeping our focus on Jesus Christ, we have missed the mark and our teaching is only a shadow of what it ought to be. Always keep the focus on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”

“If we have failed in keeping our focus on Jesus Christ, we have missed the mark and our teaching is only a shadow of what it ought to be. Always keep the focus on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.” —Elder Uchtdorf

The reason focusing on Jesus Christ is so important is that He is our only hope. Try as we will, our human frailty seems so permanent!  Only through the grace of God through His Son, so we have a chance at repenting and finding deep happiness.

4) Invite Diligent Learning

“To paraphrase a proverb,” Elder Uchtdorf said, “teach a man the gospel and you have blessed him for a day. Teach a man to feast upon the word of God and connect with the Holy Spirit, and you have blessed him for a lifetime. … Teaching the gospel is important. Teaching others to immerse themselves in prayer, seek the Spirit, and apply what they have learned is at least equally important.”

We get better at straight and narrow as we get **diligent** in our study & prayer habits. The more diligent we are, the **straighter** our path forward. *Don’t start your day until you’ve started your life. This is our message to our classes. Insure your future by solidifying your Gospel habits! (starting Monday morning). Your life will be no better or happier than the strength of Gospel habits.* 

Teaching the Savior’s Way - Ongoing Study

These notes (above) are highlights from “Teaching the Savior’s Way”, Eastlake 8th Ward Teacher Council meetings.

Your ongoing study from “Teaching the Savior’s Way” (click here) will be a powerful resource for insuring a great experience in your calling.