Teaching No Greater Call Part B: Lesson 2

Understanding Those You Teach

This lesson was another difficult lesson to prepare for me.  I made a goal to try and incorporate more scriptures into my lessons to help bring the spirit.  I do feel that teaching is sacred, consecrated and spiritual, but sometimes the nature of these lessons leans towards the secular instead of the spiritual.  I was also intimidated in this lesson because the stake president came to my lesson; it turned out being great though because he commented a lot and had a lot of insights that I thought really brought the spirit to the class.

Some of my questions towards the beginning of the lesson didn't generate as good of a discussion as I have had in previous weeks.  Maybe my questions were too simple?  I thought the lesson really started going well towards the second half when we looked at teachers from the scriptures.  HERE is the link to this lesson in the manual.  I followed the outline of the manual pretty exactly for this lesson.

Intro

• What does “understanding those you teach” mean? 
• How does understanding those you teach affect the way you prepare lessons?

Learn the common characteristics and experiences of those that we teach

• What are some things that all class members have in common? What are some characteristics that a lot of us here today have in common?
• How can we use the “common characteristics” of those in our classes to help guide our lessons? How can identifying similarities between class members help us customize and improve our approach to teaching?
• Examples of teachers from the scriptures/prophets.  Let's explore how the teacher uses the experiences of the student. 
• Alma 18: 24-28 - Teaching concepts and relating them to what people already know
• Luke 15: 8-10 Parables taught by Christ to help relate complex concepts simply
• Abraham 3:15/Facsimile #3 - The Lord taught Abraham about astronomy and the creation of the world.  Abraham used these truths to teach the Egyptians the gospel. (I had someone read the summary paragraph that I found at the beginning of the old testament seminary student study guide.) 
• Missionary work story at the beginning of the Teachings of George Albert Smith manual chapter #14 - look for the good and build upon it

Getting to know each person you teach

• Why does getting to know each person you teach help you in preparing lessons? 
• Does anyone have any experiences where they were able to help uplift someone (or someone was able to help them) because they got to know them better?

Goal of Gospel Teaching

I decided that I am going to reference this quote during most if not all of my teaching: no greater call lessons:

“The goal of gospel teaching … is not to ‘pour information’ into the minds of class members. … The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles.”

(Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 107)

Teaching No Greater Call Part A: Lesson 12

Obtaining Support From Your Leaders

This lesson was tough to prepare.  I felt inspired to stay strictly with the manual (after a while of searching for resources to "spice it up").  My lesson ended up going very well thanks to the spirit guiding me and the inspired class member discussion.

We had a lot of discussion during this lesson.  I used a story and quotes from the "Improving Gospel Teaching: A Leader's Guide" which seemed to be this lesson just, elongated a little bit.  I would have loved to work in more scriptures and testimony, which is my goal for next time.  HERE is the link to this lesson in the manual.

I felt the lesson (which was quite short) was divided up into the following two sections:

What leaders should be doing to help gospel teachers:

• Orientations for Teachers
• What should that orientation look like?  What should we teach our newly called teachers? Why?  What do you wish you might have been shown or taught when you first were called (Write ideas on chalkboard)
• How can a leader help new teachers understand the importance of the call to teach?
• How can you as a leader give support and encouragement to those that you teach?
• How can a leader break the barrier of feeling like they are uncomfortable or inadequate in counseling the teachers they are over? 
• Classroom Visits
• What are some ways that a leader could help you as the teacher while they were visiting or attending your class? (Write ideas on chalkboard)

How teachers should collaborate and counsel with leaders:

• Gordon B. Hinckley encouragement story from the "Improving Gospel Teaching: A Leader's Guide"
• How have your leaders been or how can they be a support to you in your teaching callings?  (Write ideas on chalkboard (4 ideas on page 3 in talk: offer suggestions, help teachers improve, help those who feel inadequate, expressing appreciation))
• How can we better give our leaders opportunities to serve us as teachers?

Teaching No Greater Call Part A: Lesson 11

Making a Plan to Improve Your Teaching

I loved the topic of this lesson because improving my teaching is something I am very passionate about.  I am a high school teacher during the week.  I think I am a good teacher not because I am naturally gifted at teaching, but because I can identify areas that I am weak and then I constantly work to improve them.

I used and referenced 2 conference talks this week as I prepared this lesson.  As we had a lot of discussion this week, I wrote all strengths and all weaknesses discussed on the board.  HERE is the link to this lesson in the manual.

Assessing Strengths

1. Think back to a lesson you may have taught.  What makes a lesson for you go really well? 
1. Sunday school general president Russell Osguthorpe's talk "Teaching Helps Saves Lives" gave me some good ideas and quotes for this part of the lesson.
2. What are some strengths you have as a teacher?  OR What makes you or someone you know an effective teacher in the church? (List strengths on the board)
3. Who are some examples of good teachers from the scriptures?  What makes them a good teacher? (List these strengths on the board as well)

Assessing Weakness

1. Be vulnerable. Think back to a lesson you may have taught.  What makes a lesson go not as well (List opposites of strengths on weaknesses column or add some new ones.)
2. Invite class to pick an area or two to work on improving.

Making a Plan for Improvement

1. What can I do now to improve as a teacher?
2. William D. Oswald (2nd counselor sunday school presidency) in his talk "Gospel Teaching - Our Most Important Calling" talked about 3 principles of good teaching by observing the way Moroni taught Joseph Smith.
3. The manual referenced 4 questions about essential qualities of teaching.  How we can do each of these?

Teaching No Greater Call Part A: Lesson 9

Called, Set Apart, and Magnified

I loved teaching this lesson and thought it went very well.  HERE is the link to this lesson in the lesson manual. Here are some discussion questions that I asked that really encouraged a lot of class discussion, as well as a link to a conference talk by President Hinckley.

Called

1. How can a calling influence the way that we live, governing our decisions and motivating us to be faithful and wise servants?
2. How has God qualified you in a calling that you have felt unprepared or incapable for?

Set Apart

1. “Set apart” - what does this really mean?
2. Have you had any experiences where you were blessed by being set apart?

Magnified

1. What does “magnify” or to “be magnified” mean? 
2. I brought in my macro lens from my camera and demonstrated what President Hinckley was talking about in his story in his talk called “Magnify Your Calling.” (instead of the binoculars)
3. (referring back to Jacob and Joseph from manual intro) What does it mean to magnify [their] office unto the Lord?
4. (if answers are different than questions above) Do you have any experiences where the Lord magnified you beyond your own talents and abilities in a calling?
5. HOW do we do this? How do we enlarge the power of our callings with which we have been called? (refer to Hinckley talk)

Intro

Hi - I'm a newly called LDS gospel doctrine teacher.  I've been assigned to teach every other week in the "Teaching: No Greater Call" sunday school class in my ward.  I have taught gospel doctrine before and have found wonderful church-approved resources and teaching guides online.  I have not found as many resources online for the "Teaching: No Greater Call" manual, so I decided to start this blog.  Here I will post my resources that I used to prepare my lesson and some discussion questions that I felt really lent themselves to the spirit for that particular lesson.  I know that we need to teach by the manual; however, some lessons are a short one page.  Classes need to be heavily discussion-based.  I like to think of myself as a "gospel moderator" using the lesson manual as my guide for the discussion that day.  Hopefully my efforts will help other gospel doctrine teachers in the future. 

Please feel free to share your resources and ideas with me as well.  Thanks for visiting!

- Ashley