Everyone needs to be actively involved in the Bible learning process. That even includes our senior adults.
Once students get to their adult years, however, the activity becomes primarily mental. Yet, do not rule out using physically active types of methodology on occasion.
Methodology Good to Use with Adults:
Guard against using lecture as your primary or sole method in adult classes. Even in large groups, there are ways to engage students. A more passive or one-directional method such as lecture or using a video presentation, can be followed by discussion. Also, learn ways to vary the presentation so it isn’t always one person standing in the front talking.
While you certainly can use more of this impressional, one-way communication, with adults than with younger ages, you won’t take your students to higher levels of learning unless you also incorporate methods that get them more actively involved in the process.
- Use methods that allow for two-way or multi-directional communication in your class.
- Use methods that allow for more expression, at least on occasion.
- And most certainly guide your adult students in studying God’s Word using methods like inductive Bible study.
This article is included as a handout in the Reaching All Age Levels Resource with some of the methods that fit the above criteria for adults. The resource also includes other articles for all the age groups and PowerPoint slides to use for a group teacher training session.
I want to learn adult methods
How good, Dorris, that you have a desire to learn more about methods good for using with adults. As communicated in this post, we need to try to get beyond merely using one-way, teacher-oriented communication like lecture. That doesn’t mean it can never be used but rather it shouldn’t always be used. Rather, try to also use two-way methods that require a response from students like question/answer, circle response, neighbor nudging, etc. Also use multidirectional methods which would be more like discussion in it’s various formats. We can even at times use methods with adults that allow for more expression like drama, drawing, writing, projects, etc. — Let me suggest you go to the training resources page on methods. If you scroll down on that page, you will find help on some different methods.