[Teachldsseminary] OFF TOPIC-Lesson idea

Tue Aug 1 17:40:09 MDT 2006

I was recently asked (I'm a supervisor) to provide some training on the
first week of seminary, with the focus on "training" the students to become
the "ideal" student.
I've included an outline of what was covered, along with suggestions for
some of the ideas, and insights. Maybe something in the outline might be
helpful...?

*

Setting the Stage - the First Week of Seminary   -     July Faculty meeting
**

Norm setting should be done in the VERY first classroom session. An even
better application might be at your parents meeting. Involving the parents
as stakeholders in their children's success has real power. The other power
behind norm setting is this proven principle: People support what they help
create.

Here are the steps in a nutshell:

Set goals for the coming year. Ask the students what they want to get out of
class in the coming school year. Or you may ask them why they are attending
seminary.

Reinforce worthy goals and suggest others to build final list. Discuss those
like 'my parents make me come' and help students formulate ideas about how
they will benefit from seminary participation. Reinforce the positive
aspects and help the students to form goals.

Help students determine what they must do to accomplish those goals. Ask
them questions like "What do you need to do and will be willing to do to
help accomplish these goals? List.

Set teacher goals and behaviors. Ask what you should do as a teacher to help
them accomplish their goals. List. Add those to the list you think are
important.

Identify consequences. Discuss the consequences if students and teacher do
not follow through on commitments. List.

The order in which you present the first four is not that important. The
fifth, consequences, is crucial. It's the yardstick you can use all year to
expect good actions. "Remember, we all agreed to …."
*

Importance of "training" your students early

What areas might need to be address in creating a model classroom? List on
board

( behavior, attendance, daily reading expectations, SM expec*tations*,
Awards -goals, marking scriptures,

journal keeping, devotionals, etc)

Create a list specific to your classroom and your goals for your class.

Divide this list up into small 3-minute segments - one for the first few
weeks of seminary

Suggested by an Institute Instructor - Gary Poll- that mini training
sessions over the course of the first week or so is often more successful
than one lesson where the rules are laid out (boring, no fun, seminary
stinks, etc)

The First week of seminary should be interesting, active, attention-getting
so that the students feel like maybe, just maybe seminary will be OK after
all.

Lesson prep idea - ask "what will my kids do to learn this principle, rather
than what will I teach?"

Also, the first Fast Sunday after seminary starts, ask to fast about what
they would be willing to give to the seminary program for the coming year
*

Day 1 *- Don't worry about devotionals, specific attendance directions, etc.

Have kids put a check next to their name, have them find a seat.

First day lesson - overview

Assignment -

*List 5 things they expect to get out of seminary this year

List 5 things they are going to do to achieve questions #1

List 5 things they expect of their teacher
*

Who's missing? Who will make it a point to call / talk to these students?
*

Day 2 *- mini lesson on devotionals - assign tomorrow's devotional

3 posters - take 15 minutes to list expectations for seminary; student goals
for seminary; teacher

expectations for seminary (student lead- ask questions)

Stanley D Stewart - "I started into my norm setting activity by giving the
students in my class an assignment. It was during my first week of student
teaching. I asked then to write down on a piece of paper five reasons why
they were in Seminary, five things they expected of me as a teacher, and
five things I could expect of them as students.

The next day we took the class period and discussed the things they'd
written, and listed them on the board. The reasons why they were in Seminary
were varied, and typical of what I thought they'd be. They ranged from
strengthening of testimony and preparing for missions to pressure from
family or church leaders and lack of anything else to take. We discussed the
reasons and came to the conclusion that everybody there could see some
positive outcome from taking Seminary.

Next we listed the things I could expect of them, to which I added, by means
of having them say them, a couple of things they hadn't mentioned
previously. I could expect them to be prepared, to participate, to speak one
at a time, and so on.

The next category, the things they expected of me, was really amazing to me.
I thought they were never going to finish, and this list was by far the most
extensive. They asked me to help them learn the scriptures, to teach on
their level, to keep their attention, to know the material, to be exciting,
to involve them, to have a sense of humor, to enjoy the students and the
class, to share personal experiences, have serious moments, to expect the
best of them, to help them with their problems, to maintain discipline, to
be patient, to be spiritual, to be straight forward, to be unhypocritical,
to be worthy, and many more.

All they wanted was for me to be a perfect teacher. I had the list copied
down and told the class that I would honestly do my best in all of those
areas. They also told me they would comply with their part of the bargain. I
went home pretty humbled, and knew it was going to require an immense amount
of effort on my part.

I feel that the major result of the norm setting was the difference in my
teaching. I spent a great deal of time preparing, studying the lesson
outline and the list they had made of their expectations, and did my best to
live up to my side of the agreement. I felt that my teaching was much more
effective as a result, with a side effect of having a better class. They
reacted well and fulfilled their part, and I feel the class and the norm
setting was a major success."
*

Don't hesitate to include quotes from the Brethren about they expect from
the seminary students
*

Lesson on scripture study guides - various stations around the gym or house

Who's missing? Who will make it a point to call / talk to these students?

Tomorrow is class pictures - come prepared!
*

Day 3*- opening includes devotional

Mini lesson on reading every day incentives- marking charts, moving wagons
around room…

Lesson on Plan of Salvation - make it interactive (save bridge and 3 pillars
lesson for next year OT. This year, one room could be the pre-existence -
mini lesson, walking down the hall could be birth and through veil, another
room could be mortality (mini lesson), walking down a dark hallway to a lit
room could be death; then 3 more rooms each representing a glory. (cracker
and sip of water; juice and bagel; pancakes, sausage, juice and milk)

Class picture
*

Day 4 *- devotional

Mini lesson on *journaling* - *a class journal , daily journal, weekly
journal

Class Journal: Every day a different "Scribe" records various things in it.

The page has the list of all of the students in our class and so the Scribe
simply records the attendance.

Here's the great part that provides a nice journal and instant feedback to
the teacher as to how the lesson and learning went that day.

The Scribe answers these questions:

Today's lesson was about:

Today's lesson made me feel:

The best part of today's lesson was:

A question I would like answered about today's lesson is:

Sometimes the Scribe draws pictures or doodles, which can be fairly
enlightening for the teacher to see and entertaining for the other students
when it's their turn as Scribe.

I'll always start the next day's lesson by answering the question from the
Journal from the day before and thanking that person for keeping the record.
They really get a kick out of it.
*

Lesson on D&C Overview and video
*

Day 5 *- Mini lesson….D&C section 1 - The Lord's Preface

On 8/1/06, Debbie Ditto <kgditto at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have been asked to teach a class at our annual CES Conference.  I have
> chosen to teach the seminary teachers about what they can do to really get
> their class off to a good start.  That first contact and the first lesson
> go
> a long way in determining the rest of the year.  I do have the lesson plan
> suggestions from Bro Dan Bell that are available at ldsces.org. and I will
> be sharing those.  But I was hoping that you wonderful seasoned teachers
> would share with me what you have found over the years to be your most
> successful tools in getting the year off to a great beginning. Thanks so
> much for your ideas........... deb
>
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