How much of your Bible lesson did your students miss
because they were distracted?
And how much of that distraction is really your fault, dear
teacher?
If you want to improve the quality and effectiveness of
your teaching -- so that you are teaching to change lives!
-- then stop being a distraction or creating them. You
can't stop every possible distraction in the room, but you
can make sure YOU are not the distraction.
Let me give you two ways that you can be a huge distraction
to your students.
First, get rid of anything that "amplifys" your nervous
tics.
True story: One Sunday morning, I was really zinging this
lesson out, totally "on," and full of zeal. My lesson
points were sharp and the life application was perfect for
this class.
It was c-o-o-l to see how God had brought all this together!
After I dismissed the class, one nice lady came up and
complimented me on my car keys. I was horrified to learn
that she and others had hardly heard what I said, because I
had been playing with my keys in my pocket and distracting
EVERYONE.
Take everything that makes noise out of your pockets before
you teach. Keys, coins, pens, trinkets. And don't click
ballpoint pens or pop on and off whiteboard marker caps,
either. Give your students every reason to focus on the
Word of God and you.
Second, don't make your students juggle. What am I talking
about?
Many times our teaching environment gives a student a chair
to sit on, and not much else. If they are trying to juggle
your handout sheets, a Bible, maybe something to drink and
eat, a pen or pencil, well -- it's a recipe for distraction.
(Now if your teaching situation includes a table, keep
reading, because it's as much about juggling *attention* as
it is physical items.)
You want the people in your class to be paying attention to
the Word of God and the class discussion. So don't
intentionally give them eight items to juggle. Keep the
handout simple, and preferably one page. (Or skip the
handout if you believe the class can go without it and
still get the key points. After all, Jesus never used
handouts :-)
Also, if you can work it out so that there is a little bit
of space between chairs, that helps a lot, too! People
don't learn well (at any age) when they're jammed together.
Many Americans, in particular, have a deep dislike to be
touched by others, even accidental shoulder brushing. So
space the chairs out a little bit, and it will help them to
keep their attention on the lesson.
Great Bible teachers pay attention to the learning
environment. What's causing distractions in your class?
See if you can cut them out, and watch the learning improve.
----------------------------------------------------
Looking for more information about Bible teaching? Glenn
Brooke is the author of 3 books and has coached over 10,000
Bible teachers around the world. Get a free package of
helps for Bible teachers
==> http://www.teachtochangelives.com/gift
