Teacher Training Lesson Three

Phil Benedict

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

United Indian Mission

Greeley, Colorado

Preparing to Teach—Lesson Preparation

The first step in preparing to teach is to prepare yourself to teach. Remember that our purpose in teaching is to equip our students to be good servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Remember Matthew 28:16-18, Ephesians 4:11-12, and 2 Timothy 4:15-17) This is a spiritual goal. It is a something that only God can do. In our own strength and our own abilities we cannot accomplish a spiritual goal. No matter how talented we may be, we cannot do God’s work by ourselves.

God works through us, his people, to teach the knowledge of Him. (2 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21) It is important for us to realize that it is God doing the work, but He works through us. Our part is to submit to God and allow Him to do his work through us. We must be individuals who want God to work through us. The closer we walk with God, the more effective we will be as teachers of the Word of God.

We do not have to be a spiritual "giant" to be used by God. Most of God’s work on earth is done through very ordinary people.

There is no magic formula to use or prayer to pray. It all a matter of attitude. As you prepare to teach, here are some things you need to recognize.

1. Sin that has not been confessed will hinder the work of God.

2. Things such as pride, anger, worry, and fear will hinder the work of God.

3. Recognize that you are human and that helping another person to greater spiritual maturity is something that only God can do. In prayer, tell God that you are completely helpless and unable to do his work and then ask Him to work through you to accomplish his own will and purpose.

4. Now pray for each student by name and ask God to enable you to be an effective teacher of that student.

Every lesson needs to be well prepared. Being unprepared leads to sloppy and unproductive teaching. We recognize that there are times when God will work in spite of our lack of preparation, and there are also times that we will be led to change our lesson plans when we get to class. However, these are the exceptions and we should not allow ourselves to be habitually unprepared when we come to class. This is true of both new and experienced teachers.

Again, there is no magic formula or pattern to use in lesson preparation. We are all different and there are all different kinds of teaching situations. Each individual will develop his own ways of preparing to teach. Yet in spite of our individual differences, there are some principles of lesson preparation that are important to almost all of us. Following are some of these principles.

Don’t wait until the last minute to begin preparing your next lesson. If you start early, you will have time to think and meditate on your lesson and you are allowing God to direct your thoughts. This is very important. It can mean the difference between teaching a lesson that God has directed and teaching a lesson that you have hurriedly thrown together. If you wait until the last minute, it may leave you feeling rattled, frustrated, fearful, or insecure as you teach your lesson.

2. Regularly ask God for wisdom and direction, as you prepare to teach the next lesson.

It is God who works through us, but that does not mean that we do not use our mental abilities. God gives wisdom and understanding. These are major themes in Scripture. Ask God for wisdom and direction, and then use the understanding and wisdom He gives you to make good decisions as you prepare to teach.

Remember you are teaching people, not just teaching a lesson. Every student is different. They come from different backgrounds; they have different levels of comprehension; they are at different levels of spiritual maturity, etc., etc., etc. As you prepare, gear your lesson to meet the needs of students in your class. Most classes in churches are fairly small so that this is a realistic goal. It may be harder in larger classes.

Read the Scripture passage to be taught until you absorb it and it becomes part of you. Spend time thinking about it. Come to understand and deeply appreciate the truths taught in the passage. Put them into practice in your own life. It is very doubtful that you will be able to teach a passage in such a way as to bring spiritual growth in the life of your students if you yourself have not grown because of the truths taught in the passage. If you are not blessed by a passage, you can’t pass a blessing on to someone else.

Look up any words you are not sure about the meaning. To look up the meaning of Biblical words, you need to use a good Bible dictionary. English dictionaries (such as Webster’s), most of the time, do not accurately explain a word’s Biblical usage or meaning.

Following are some key questions that you can ask about a passage of Scripture.

a. What are the major truths in this Scripture passage?

b. What are the instructions or principles for living?

c. Are there any direct or implied promises or warnings?

d. What can I learn about God?

As you ask yourself these questions; think about how you can grow; and how it can help your students to grow.

You will seldom be able to cover all the truths in a passage. Based on your understanding of your own students you need to decide which truths to emphasize as you teach a passage.

Lesson guides or "quarterlies" can be very helpful if used right. They are a valuable resource. Many have a lot of ideas that can be used in your teaching. The problem comes when we simply take them to class and try to follow them without ever preparing ourselves or the lesson. When we do this, it can lead to sterile and unproductive teaching and may very well lead to bored students. Quarterlies were never meant to be read to a class.

Good lessons are taught from a Scripture passage. There is power in the Word of God, but our talk doesn’t necessarily carry much weight. From the Scripture passage, it may be helpful to pick out a verse or two to emphasize or to memorize. Memorizing Scripture is a very good thing to do. Time spent memorizing Scripture is time very well spent in teaching Biblical truth.

It is important to use good teaching methods. This will be a topic in future training sessions.

Normally lecture and discussion are the primary methods of teaching used with adults. You may wish to try some new ideas from time to time. Don’t change just to change. Sometimes a new idea may help people understand and apply a Biblical truth.

Discussion certainly has a place in classrooms; however sometimes it becomes a goal in itself and does little to encourage genuine growth or understanding. Many many discussions are unproductive and totally off base. They can be simply a pooling of idle or even ignorant talk. They can also be an excuse for lack of preparation on the part of the teacher. "I don’t need to prepare, we will have a discussion today." God appointed people to be teachers who are to teach, not just try to get people to talk. Often discussions can led to the presentation of many wrong ideas being promoted, and no one is willing to point out those incorrect or unbiblical conclusions. Again, a well led discussion can be a very profitable teaching tool, but don’t let it be a waste of precious time or a pooling of idle talk.

Jesus was a master at asking key questions in his teaching. Asking the right kind of questions is an excellent teaching tool. However, these questions need to be thought out ahead of time and asked at the right time in the lesson. There are times when spontaneous questions bring about good results, but they should not be relied on to teach the lesson.

The younger the students in your class, the greater the variety is needed in your teaching. Preschool teachers need to change activities every few minutes throughout the lesson. A preschooler’s’s attention span is very short. Again, be careful that you have a teaching purpose in each activity. Teachers are not babysitters, they are teachers. As students get older, it will not be necessary to change activities as often. With adults one or two activity changes may be sufficient.

Jesus was a master illustrator and storyteller. Good illustrations are a must in good teaching. Our brains will remember a truth that is illustrated longer than a truth simply stated as a fact.

True personal illustrations tactfully told are often very effective teaching tools. Stories that are short and to the point are also very effective tools for good teaching.

12. Make or find some visual aids.

It will enhance almost all lessons if we find some good visual aids to use in teaching. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Often some very simple visual aids are very effective. Pictures, flannel graph, charts, anything to help focus attention and increase memory time can be very useful.

A good introduction will catch attention and focus attention on the coming lesson. Many times we will lose a student before the lesson even begins unless we have a good introduction to catch their attention. A good closing is also important. It should reinforce the truth taught and impress the truths on an individual mind.

Now you pull everything together into a lesson outline to follow, and then stick to it unless there is a compelling reason to change as the lesson is being taught.

Getting to your class early allows you to talk to your students as they arrive. This is valuable relaxed time to talk freely with your students and find out what’s going on in their lives. It also allows you to relax and have a final prayer for your lesson.

Now teach with confidence and with the power of the Spirit of God, after you have thoroughly prepared your lesson.

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September, 2003