TIME SPENT THIS WEEK:
4/6/08: 1 hour Sunday school
3 hours Kid’s Church in the evening
CLASS THIS WEEK:
This week, for my final observations, I went back into the young adult Sunday school because there were no kids for the 3rd-6th grade class. This is the same class I attended a few weeks ago and it was a similar structure, only they took a little more time for fellowship and discussing the verses they were looking at this week. There were also an additional number of students which was great to see!
Much of the conversation that took place was between the teacher, Mike, and a student, Dave. We were looking at the last few verses of Romans 12. We discussed evil, peace, war, and many other topics that were very debate-able. It was nice to see that we could openly discuss these issues, and Mike would continually encourage that any opinion is appreciated, but it is sometimes difficult for people to share in these types of situations. If it wasn’t Mike and Dave talking, there were about three other students who would talk and everyone else listened. I don’t think this was a bad thing, but I find it difficult in those situations for everyone to share. Also, when only a few people are talking, others seem to lose focus on the topic and do not really pay attention. Even though I feel like this is an amazing way of studying the Bible, it is also difficult to get everyone involved.
I do have to give props to Mike for preparing for the lesson. So often when you are not following a curriculum, and only doing a Bible study, it can become easy to just slack off and not put much effort into it. By the insights and questions Mike brings to the table, it is evident he is very well prepared. It is also evident that the students who are there are on regular basis are prepared for this lesson also. I have enjoyed observing this class and can see that the students are learning in this situation.
QUESTIONS THIS WEEK:
1. How much time should a Sunday school teacher put into lesson preparation?
2. What is a good way of getting students to talk and put input into a discussion, without offending others?
3. How do you feel about a Sunday school program that doesn’t use curriculum – even for the adult ages?
1 comment:
I would say it all depends on the experience of the teacher. It is going to definitely come easier to them as time goes along. The time needed for a preparation is a difficult one to answer. I'm not quite sure but I would guess approximately 1 1/2 - 3 hrs maybe.
Without a Curriculum
It all depends how you construct the class. If you have a different person teaching every week and they bring something on their heart then that works. But I cant see a group a whole year without anything set before coming. Organization and structure is so vital. But yes there is room for spontaneity . But in everything we should do it up to the fullest
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