Not all learning in the classroom must be formal. In using Guided Conversation as a teaching method, the teacher speaks one-on-one with students as they engage in an activity. This kind of instruction promotes a more informal, relational type of learning.
Acrostic Showing How to Guide Conversation Purposefully
The following factors using the word GUIDED, make conversation purposeful and hence an effective means of promoting and reinforcing truth.
G – God-centered
purposefully pointing students to God as you converse
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.(1 Pet. 3:15)
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col. 4:6)
U – Unscripted
spontaneously conversing with students about what’s relevant in the moment
… be ready in season and out of season … (2 Tim. 4:2)
I – Insightful
taking learning to the next step by helping students grasp how what they’re doing relates to the truth learned
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives … (Col. 1:9)
D – Deliberate
purposefully looking for opportunities to guide students toward the Lord
And let us consider how we may spur one another on … (Heb. 10:24)
… making the most of every opportunity … (Eph. 5:15-16)
E – Engaging
not just dropping a truth on students but seeking two-way conversation
To answer before listening— that is folly and shame. (Prov. 18:13)
D – Discerning
personalizing the conversation to the individual’s needs, abilities, and interests
I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22)
More Help Using Guided Conversation as a Teaching Method
The Guided Conversation Worksheet also includes an acrostic with the word ‘Guided’ but it’s different from the one in this post. The worksheet can thus further add to your understanding of this method. This teacher training resource also asks some questions to help you think about your students and how you can use guided conversation with them.