Methodical Principles
PREPARING
Methodical Principles
PREPARING
“I have gained wonderful blessings studying the Word, but I don’t know how to share with others what I’ve learned. What do I do? Is there a methodical procedure in determining how to teach a lesson?”
The Bible teacher experiences two Kinds of joy: discovering wonderful truths through personal study; and helping students become explorers and discoverers as they study the Holy Word. By denying students the privilege of self-discovery the teacher is denied a special blessing.
How to Share
If you have been following the procedures described in the previous chapters, if you have worked on the practical exercises, you should have gained some new skills in Bible study and some new insights into the Word itself. You may have become enthusiastic about some of the study techniques because they have helped you experience joy in discovering Biblical truths.
Now you desire to share your new discoveries with others.
What will you do? What should be your next step?
First, you must learn to distinguish between “teaching” and “study” techniques. Mixing the two may create confusion in the minds of those with whom you wish to share the Word. Through personal study, you have copied passages, diagramed paragraphs, asked yourself interpretive questions, considered logical relationships, analyzed grammatical constructions, and noted significant connectives. These are all study techniques. If you carry them over into your teaching as you used them in personal study, your lessons may become “grammarish” and boring.
It may be true that through hours of study, these techniques have helped open the Word to you, but now you desire that others may also discover these truths. However, as a teacher you will share the fruit of your labors and not the techniques which produced the fruit. Those whom you teach will become the benefactors of your hard digging. Because your teaching time is usually limited, you will have to guide your group to the treasure spots of the passage.
Then you face two general possibilities regarding the way you can share what you have discovered. You can tell others about the discoveries which you have made, or you can help them dig out some of the main truths for themselves. There are several factors to consider as you plan how to share a Bible portion with others.
Determine Your Type of Presentation
The truths of the Bible can be presented in many ways. You can give a Bible‑centered sermon, a Bible‑centered devotional talk, a Bible‑centered lecture or a Bible‑centered group study. Your preparation can be the same for all of them, but your presentation will differ. They should all have as their over‑all purpose the building of spiritual life. Below is a brief attempt to describe each:
Bible-centered sermon
This is a formal type of talk. Your sermon will be based on a portion of Scripture, but you will not spend too much time observing facts in the passage. Instead, you will use it as a foundation on which to build other thoughts and ideas. Your aim will be to challenge listeners to make decisions, accept new attitudes, and ideas.
Bible-centered devotional talk
This is an informal type of talk, based on a Scriptural passage or several related passages. Your aim: to show people how, if applied, these Biblical truths will build spiritual lives.
Bible-centered lecture
In this type you will closely follow the Bible text. Your aim: to teach what the Bible says, emphasizing observation, interpretation and application. By means of explanation and exposition you will share what you have learned in your study.
Bible-centered group study
This is the informal type of study in which you have more group participation than in other types. The word study is defined as: “The art or process of acquiring by one’s own efforts knowledge of a subject.” Therefore, the term Bible study implies that there should be some type of class activity. Unless the members put forth effort in the study, it can hardly be called a study. In the truest sense, the group must have some part in the observing, interpreting and applying.
Determine Your Procedure
Suppose you are to teach one of the passages in the book of James. You feel that you have made a thorough study of your passage. Possibly you have even worked out a summary diagram or outline giving a graphic view of the primary teachings of the Bible passage. You feel that you have learned much from your study, having gained many new insights which you can share with others.
What next?
Although you may have been thorough in your preparation, you are not ready to teach what you have learned. You must also plan the lesson procedure. There are eight factors that you must be considered: aim, approach, lesson content, methods of presentation, visual aids, illustrations, assignment, and conclusion. Below are some questions to help in planning your procedure:
Factors to consider
1. Aim: What will be your general and specific aims for this lesson? What do you want to accomplish through this lesson?
2. Approach: How will you introduce the portion of Scripture you plan to teach? Will you start with a review? A survey of the material? How will you catch the interest of your group and prepare them for what is coming?
3. Content: What will you include in your lesson? How much time will you have to teach? What portions will you emphasize? What parts to omit? What can be covered with a brief survey?
4. Method: What methods will you use? Lecture? Discussion? How will you encourage group participation? What questions will you ask? How can you involve your group in the process of interpretation?
5. Visual Aids: What visual aids will you use? Chalkboard? Chart? Diagram? Pictures? Map?
6. Illustrations: What illustrations will help explain some of the more difficult portions?
7. Assignment: Will you make an assignment? Will you plan a study sheet for your assignment?
8. Conclusion: How will you conclude your lesson? With a story? Verse from a hymn? A poem? A Bible verse?
Where to start
Use your summary statement, chart or outline as the focal point for planning your Bible presentation. Your summary should include the major teachings in the passage; therefore, it can serve as the skeleton or foundation on which to build your lesson. From this summary, develop a lesson theme. Sometimes it helps to state your theme in question form.
For example, if you were planning to teach a lesson on James 3:13‑18 (two kinds of wisdom), you could summarize the truths found in that paragraph with several kinds of questions, each bringing out a special approach to the lesson; for instance: What are the characteristics of a wise and understanding person? How do you reveal godly wisdom? Are you a wise person? Studying these questions, it is evident that any one of them could serve as your theme around which a lesson could be build. Your theme can also be stated in a declarative sentence or phrase. For instance: The characteristics of a wise person; Contrasts of wisdom; or How to reveal godly wisdom. Your theme should become one of your aims for teaching the lesson.
Theme: What are the characteristics of a wise person?
Aim for lesson: To help the class analyze characteristics of a wise person in order to apply these characteristics in life.
How to develop your presentation
In planning a Bible presentation, whether it is a devotional talk, Bible lecture or group Bible study, there are three aspects of Bible study that must always be considered: how to help your group observe the significant facts; how to help them understand and interpret the facts; how to help them apply the Biblical truths to their lives.
If you plan to develop these aspects through the means of a lecture, you will need to plan only what you are going to say and do. If you plan to develop the aspects through discussion as well as lecture, you will have to prepare three types of leading questions: observation questions to bring out the facts; interpretation questions to stimulate discussion about the meaning and significance of the facts; application ones to challenge the group to apply the truths.
If you plan to use a chalkboard, you will have to decide how to develop your board work and how to use it in connection with the phases of your lesson. If a chalkboard is not used, you must emphasize your main points in such a way that your class or group can visualize them even though the points are not written on a board.
Preparation for a Bible study course
If you are teaching a Bible course already prepared with questions and study helps, you will need to determine how to present the lesson. After you have thoroughly studied the material and worked out the answers on a study sheet, plan your approach, procedure and conclusion.
Use the study course as a guide; not an end in itself. Plan how you will handle it with your group. Just following question after question can be very monotonous. Think of how you might divide the questions among the members, perhaps using smaller group discussions or neighbor-sharing for discussion.
Determine Your Assignment
If you are teaching a class for several sessions, it is always good to give them some type of assignment. If nothing more, suggest the Scriptural portion they should read and study before the next meeting.
The best way to encourage a class to study is by giving them assignment questions to answer. If you do this, you will have to work out your lessons several weeks in advance in order to provide an assignment sheet at each meeting. The following suggestions may help in planning a study sheet:
Suggestions for assignment sheet
1. Reasons for studying – Introduce your lesson with a brief statement giving the lesson theme and aim.
2. Something for which to look – List a few observation questions to help them become aware of important facts of the passage. Try to make these questions purposeful by relating them to your objectives – provide references with the questions.
3. Something about which to think – List some of your key interpretive questions to help them analyze the meaning of the facts. Encourage them to look up words in a dictionary, compare translations, and consult other resources.
4. Something about which to meditate and pray – List a few application questions to help them apply the truths to their lives. Suggest areas for prayer.
Use of assignment sheet
If you have a group that will work out assignments, then class discussion should center on what they have studied. The purpose of an assignment is to guide the student in study, preparing for participation during the class period. However, if you do not discuss material in the assignments, class members will lose incentive to do homework.
Determine Your Teaching Possibilities
In planning a lesson, there are certain factors a teacher must consider in order to determine teaching possibilities. Usually these factors limit the teacher’s approach and what will be accomplished.
First determinate
Time is always the watchful sentinel, setting inevitable limits to any lesson. Therefore, the teacher must determine which part of the Bible passage will be stressed and which part(s) will be skimmed. No one can emphasize all of the important truths in a lesson. If you are not conscious of the importance of planning your lesson within the limitations of available time, you may spend too much time observing unimportant facts, resulting in little time for meaningful interpretations. Or you may try to cover too much and go so fast that the class becomes lost in the rush. It is better to teach a little that the class can grasp than trying to cover too much, ending with frustration.
Second determinate
Personnel of the class is your second determinate. In planning a lesson you must take into consideration the size of the class, their age level, background, interests, and Christian experience. Are they old or young, Christian or non‑Christian, mature or immature, well established in Christianity or do they have little or no foundation?
Third determinate
Circumstances under which you teach the class is the third determinate. The place where you teach the class may limit your teaching activity. Will a chalkboard be available? Does the class size or conditions in the room limit informal discussions? Also the extent of class preparation will determine your approach to the lesson. Will class members have studied the lesson before the meeting? Will most of the studying be done in class?
Determine Your Written Lesson Plan
It is possible to teach a Bible lesson without a written plan, but few people are capable of teaching very well without formulating some kind of teaching outline. The more carefully your lesson is planned the better will be your teaching session. Your lesson outline should include your approach, key questions, chalkboard work, illustrations, and conclusions.
