Category Archives: Miscellaneous Teaching Skills Needed

We know that God can work in any setting, by His Spirit, as we faithfully teach His Word (Rom. 10:17). So, why do teachers need to pay attention to the classroom? Does the classroom really matter?

In Titus 2:10, slaves were told to be respectful and honest with their masters “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” (Titus 2:10). While this verse doesn’t speak directly to us as Bible teachers, albeit our classrooms, the principle does. It’s about building an environment that supports the very essence of what we’re teaching, that’s conducive to learning and not distracting or detracting from the message.

An Acrostic About What Makes a Classroom a Conducive Learning Environment

The Greek word for “attractive” in Titus 2:10, kosmeo, primarily means to arrange or put in order. Slaves were being asked to align their lives with Truth so their unbelieving masters would find a consistency that pulled them toward Christ and not away from Him.

Similarly, we can do some things to arrange our classrooms, or put order into them, so as to promote the message in every way, to keep the focus on God and His Word. The following acrostic, using the word CLASSROOM, suggests how to use our classroom in ways that complement our teaching rather than detract from it.

Make the classroom . . .

C – Comfortable

good lighting (glare-free), adequate ventilation, and a comfortable temperature

L – Luring

appealing and attractive, drawing people in; well decorated, creative use of walls, doors, floor, furniture, etc.

A – Accessible

everyone and any one can get into the classroom and is able to get around and participate without difficulty, making all feel welcomed and included

S – Safe & Sanitary

eliminate hazards, keep the room and everything in it clean

S – Supplied

equipment and materials available and ready

R – Relevant

old and outdated visuals removed; furniture and decor appropriate to age being taught

O – Organized & Orderly

clutter-free, everything in its place and easy to find when needed, minimizing distractions

O – Optimized

chairs and other furniture strategically arranged to best accomplish goals, set up to be most conducive to learning

M – Mood-Setting

when possible decorated to set the stage for what is to come, gives the idea that something good or interesting is about to happen here

You can also find help about effectively using the classroom in the Keys to Unlocking the Door for Good First Impressions Worksheet. Please note that this training resource does not include this acrostic but many of the suggestions are included in it plus more.

Do we truly grasp how essential the Holy Spirit is to effective Bible teaching? We can’t make students accept the Truth of God’s Word or trust the Lord. We can’t change their hearts. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Take time to read the following:

• Not Happening Without the Holy Spirit
• Without the Holy Spirit Teachers Don’t Learn
• Without the Holy Spirit Teachers Can’t Explain
• Without the Holy Spirit Students Can’t Accept

Reflecting on how even Jesus and the Early Church served through the Spirit’s empowerment should reinforce the reality of our need of the Holy Spirit in order to be effective.

Holy Spirit Essential in Jesus’ Earthly Ministry

The Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Jesus at the start of His earthly ministry. Of Jesus, Isaiah 11:2 says, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

As teachers we continue His work of discipling people using His Word. If Jesus, in human form, served through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we need the Spirit to effectively communicate? We need the Spirit to work in and through our lives to make an eternal difference.

Power of the Spirit Critical for the Early Church

Jesus had promised His disciples the gift of His Spirit to help, guide, teach, and remind them of all He had taught them (Jn. 14:16-17, 26).

They so needed the Spirit’s power to be His witness that, before ascending to heaven, Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit before advancing (Acts 1:4). Even though they had just spent three years with Jesus Himself, they weren’t to rely on their own ability to carry on His work. Having an eternal impact would take more than training.

If the early church needed such supernatural power for ministry, certainly we must conclude that the Spirit’s work is still essential to effective Bible teaching in today’s world. Teacher training is important but not enough. We need the Spirit to be effective in ways that really count.

Bible Teachers, Rely on That Same Helper for Effective Teaching

We have lessons to prepare and present that will touch lives. We have relationships to build and maintain with our students. To get the most out of our lessons, students need to come with prepared hearts. They need help understanding the Truth presented to them. And, they need to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their lives.

The Spirit comes alongside of us as our Helper (parakletos) who is not only with us but in us (Jn. 14:16-17). Consequently, we can always rely on the Spirit to work in and through us. But, we must walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26) and be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18-20). We must be careful not to quench His work (1 Thess. 5:19) which can happen when we aren’t abiding in the Lord (Jn. 15:1-5).

Continue Reflecting on the Role of the Spirit in This Teacher Training Resource: The Holy Spirit & My Teaching Devotional

God makes it clear that He wants us to be more than “hearers” of His Word. He commands us to be “doers” as well (James 1:22-25; 2:17-26). That means Bible teachers need to seriously incorporate ways to help students apply what they’re learning into their lesson plans. We need to promote application of truth, not just teach for head knowledge.

An Acrostic to Help Teachers Promote Application of Truth into Lessons

The following acrostic provides suggestions of what Bible teachers can incorporate into their teaching to increase the potential of students applying the truth to life.

A  –  Action Steps

Helping students set a goal of an actual step they will take will increase the potential of them doing something with what they learned.

P  –  Practice Exercises

Letting students experience the application of the truth in a contrived situation reinforces what they should do in real life.

P  –  Prayer for God’s Help

Never assume students will live out the Word based on good intent and in their own strength.

L  –  Limited Focus of Lessons Learned

When we try to teach too much in one lesson, students often tend to apply little or nothing.

I  –  Implications of Truth to Life

Don’t assume students will understand how truth relates to their lives but rather help them grasp its relevancy.

C  –  Challenge to Commit

While planning an action step and practicing it in class certainly helps, there also needs to be a commitment to follow through with God’s help.

A  –  Accountability Plan

Students will be more likely to follow through with their commitment to apply truth if they know the teacher will be following-up in some way.

T  –  Tailored Objectives

A one-size-fits-all plan rarely works as individual needs, backgrounds, and life responsibilities vary.

I  –  Illustrations of Truth Applied

We all tend to learn from and get inspired by stories of how God’s Word changed lives.

O  –  Options

Help students think through a variety of ways they might have opportunity to apply the truth so they don’t get so narrowed in how the truth might apply that they miss it in real life.

N  –  Nudging with encouragement

Accountability certainly helps but so does spurring students on through positive feedback, encouraging them along the way.

Training Resource: Application: It’s God’s Idea, Not Merely a Good Idea Worksheet (does not include the above acrostic)

We teach the Word of God that is useful and able to equip people for life (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Is our teaching keeping students’ attention so they’re able to come to that realization? Are we helping them keep the focus on the truth that will set them free (Jn. 8:32)?

An Acrostic to Help Us Remember What We Need to Incorporate into our Teaching to Keep Students’ Attention

It’s important to not only get students’ attention but to keep it throughout the session. That means we begin with an introduction to the lesson that will pull them in but then follow through with similar, as the lesson proceeds. As we do that which increases the potential for relevancy to their lives, we will tend to gain more and more attention. As we get them involved and interested in the learning process, we will be more likely to keep students’ attention.

Look at your teaching in light of the above acrostic. What will you do to help your students be more attentive to the teaching of God’s Word?

Training Resource: Check out the Out of the World and into the Word Worksheet which guides you into developing lesson introductions to get students’ attention and includes the above acrostic on keeping their attention along with a brief explanation of each word.