[Teachldsseminary] TEACH - Cold Weather Strategies

[Julee Bernhisel]

I have done a silent lesson each of the past three years of teaching.  They 
are ALWAYS effective and very powerful.  And as Tim said, you do have to be 
COMPLETELY silent.  I plan on doing my own version of the Gethsemane lesson 
the Friday before Easter.
I highly recommend them.
Julee
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Holder" <webmaster at latter-dayvillage.com>
To: "'Free Email list for LDS Seminary Teachers'" 
<teachldsseminary at latter-dayvillage.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:40 AM
Subject: [Teachldsseminary] TEACH - Cold Weather Strategies


> Below is a text only portion of my last newsletter to LDV seminary
> subscribers.  I thought it perhaps worthwhile to share with the list.
> Please note that there are no links included as anyone without a
> subscription could not get to them, so I did not include them.  NOTE: If 
> you
> are a filing cabinet subscriber and did not read this portion of the
> newsletter, you can access it on your membership page, in the newsletter
> archive section (lower left corner).
>
> If you are a list member without a subscription and would like details of 
> an
> example email to you, correspond directly with me
>
> webmaster at latter-dayvillage.com
>
> please do not reply to the list requesting that information.
>
> COLD WEATHER STRATEGIES
>
> Are you struggling with colder weather, morning darkness, and lack of
> student attention?  It's the wintertime blahs.  Warmer weather and 
> sunlight
> always help to solve these problems, but what co you do in the mean time. 
> We
> present just a few teaching strategies here that can shake things up 
> enough
> in your class to re-stimulate those young minds you are nurturing, and 
> help
> both you and your students have meaningful teaching moments.
>
> Remember, telling is not teaching. Teaching is 'presiding' over learning.
> You preside and are charged with orchestrating learning classroom
> situations.  Here a few suggestions to change up your normal teaching
> routine; in essence shed to bright light on what can be learned and taught
> at such an early hour.
>
> SEMINARY HIGH SCHOOL
>
> Seminary High School is a method of presenting your lesson concepts using 
> a
> rotating class schedule, based on 'subjects' that you students might be
> studying during their regular school coursework. E.g., teach a mini class 
> in
> History, going over the historical settings and happenings in your lesson
> block.  Then teach another mini class in English, reviewing the writing
> techniques employed by the author in several verses.  Get into the meaning
> of words, any similes, metaphors, etc. Give a vocabulary quiz.  Teach
> another mini class - PE. Go to the gym for a short session of Sm Messy
> Basketball or SM Broom Hockey.
>
> Well maybe you get the idea. Yes, this takes lots of prep time, but spring
> it on a Monday and your students will be engaged differently for the rest 
> of
> the week.  Follow up with mini-high school class sessions for the 
> remainder
> of the years.
>
> Here are several example outlines to help you plan your Seminary High
> School:
> 1. Isaiah 36-47 Seminary High School
> 2. Seminary High School - Sections 129 and 130
> 3. Isaiah 48 - 52 Seminary High School
>
> SILENT LESSON
>
> Can you teach an entire lesson without uttering a word? Silence is golden,
> especially as a change up from the sometimes normal boisterous seminary
> classroom.  Key to this type of lesson; you NEVER utter a word, but give
> directions to your students through overheads, flashcards, or a PowerPoint
> presentation. But NEVER SAY A WORD. E.g., create flashcards with 
> pre-printed
> questions and answers, such as "Read Verse :12 and tell me what Joseph was
> instructed to do."  The silent lesson is most effective if you maintain 
> the
> silence throughout the class period.  Here are a couple of examples:
> 1. PowerPoint: Gethsemane Silent Lesson
> 2. Silent Lesson
>
> Be sure and close with your written testimony, perhaps in a handout or 
> card
> that they students can take with them.
>
> I can tell you from personal experience that this technique can also work
> with a group of stodgy old High Priests.  After I once taught a silent
> lesson to our HP group, several came up afterwards and thanked me for the
> most spiritual lesson in years.  This can really work!
>
> OUTSIDE TEACHER
>
> Students tire of the same droning voice day after day (did I really write
> that? You don't drone on do you?  Remember, telling isn't teaching, in 
> many
> cases it is droning). Well change the voice at the head of the class.  If
> you have a special topic and there is a spiritual giant or giantess in 
> your
> midst, get them to each your lesson for one day. You could use your Bishop
> or a bishopric member, a member of the Stake Presidency, a Relief Society
> president, a Ward Mission leader, or even full time missionaries. The most
> important points are to
>
> * Select the topic well in advance.
> * Provide lesson materials, even photocopy the manual pages if necessary,
> * Announce for several days prior that a special teacher is coming on
> (insert day).
> * Make sure you are there to introduce the guest teacher and to help with
> class discipline (chances are there will no problems out of respect to the
> new teacher).
> * Follow up in the days following the lesson with quizzes and quotes from
> the presentation.
>
> STUDENTS TEACH THE LESSON
>
> Assigning a student to teach a particular lesson has multiple benefits. 
> Your
> students will pay different attention to a peer who is teaching, you can 
> get
> a small break, and the student assigned will gain more from preparation 
> and
> teaching than will ever get from just being a student.  It is a proven 
> fact
> that teaching a subject dramatically increases retention.  If you have a
> student who might be struggling with a topic, assigning them to teach is a
> perfect opportunity to gain special knowledge.
>
> Lots of advance preparation is required; you must provide a full set of
> lesson materials and lots of follow up as the student prepares to teach.
> You must also be there to provide classroom help and reinforcement.  Any
> student who acts up during the presentation is a perfect candidate for the
> next student presentation, which is something you might announce to a more
> rambunctious class.
>
> Lots of praise in front of the other students is very positive, as well as 
> a
> private 'atta boy or atta girl.'
>
> Here's how I solved a problem using this strategy. I had a particular 
> female
> in one of my classes who was so bright, articulate, and dynamic, that she
> could frequently hijack an entire class period. She reveled in asking
> obscure questions that lead the class into off-subject discussions. She 
> was
> a handful. I asked her to teach a lesson. She accepted the challenge with
> the look on her face of "this will be a piece of cake."  It was, until I
> asked her patented kind of obscure, off-topic question from the back of 
> the
> room.  In an instant I could tell from the look on her face that she got 
> it.
> Her actions were causing chaos in the classroom and disrupting my efforts 
> to
> lead her class though teaching moments. She now felt it. In the simple 
> turn
> of the tables, and without a word being spoken between us, she changed
> completely and never again did lead us off the path.  She turned out to be 
> a
> wonderful contributor from that point forward and her lesson was pretty
> great too!
>
> Examples:
> Outline: Helping Students Teach Lessons
> Students Teach Prophets
> Student Taught Object Lesson
>
> You can use this method to bring out some of your shy students as well as
> give your prospective missionaries a taste of teaching the gospel.  It
> works!
>
> MARCH MADNESS
>
> If you have not started already, March Madness is a scripture mastery
> activity from Linda Harper, a master teacher in South Carolina.  I will 
> not
> take the time here to explain all of the rules, but here is a link to the
> Old Testament version: OT SM March Madness Scripture Chase.  I will say 
> that
> the March Madness theme plays on the NCAA (and high school to some point)
> basketball tournament and the way that some Cinderella teams can make it
> through the bracket.
>
> Classes that I used March Madness on got  so caught up in learning the
> scripture masteries and their subject in general, that is was like a shot 
> of
> nitrous oxide into our classroom (that's NOS in student language).  NOS
> supercharges are engine for a short powerful burst: March Madness can do 
> the
> same for scripture mastery in your classroom.
>
> The most important things I have learned in using March Madness:
> * Make it a reward.  It is so fun and chaotic that I used it as an end of
> day activity when the class was engaged and cooperative.  If they weren't,
> no MM.
> * The more Madness the better; nothing causes more fun and confusion than
> outrageous consequences. If you class is super competitive, MM is ideal,
> teams are so much in flux that strong students are always paired with 
> weaker
> students.  Make them participate together.
> * Use a nerf basketball and something to shoot into. It has to be real, 
> the
> basketball portion. I had a basketball team starter that could NOT get 
> that
> nerf ball into the waste basket from three feet.  He could hit three
> pointers on the court all day long, but was completely inept with the nerf
> ball. That just added to the madness and thrilled non-athletic kids who
> could outshoot the star, in a good natured way.  It is all in how you 
> handle
> the class.
> * Have a good reward for the winning team.  I usually hosted the wining 
> team
> for breakfast at my house, with mini-candy bars for everyone else. Of 
> course
> that winning team and it's members was not decided until the very last 
> shot
> and question, so everyone stayed in engaged.
>
> Well, that's it enough for now.  I hope these ideas will give you 
> something
> to try with your classes and that you will have some special experiences 
> in
> the coming months!
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Tim Holder, Webmaster
> http://latter-dayvillage.com
> webmaster at latter-dayvillage.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> FREE teachldsseminary email list sponsored by Latter-dayVillage.com
> teachldsseminary at latter-dayvillage.com
> http://latter-dayvillage.com/mailman/listinfo/teachldsseminary_latter-dayvillage.com
> or http://tinyurl.com/bemmh
>
> List archives at 
> http://latter-dayvillage.com/pipermail/teachldsseminary_latter-dayvillage.com/
> or http://tinyurl.com/7dpqf
>
> List FAQ:
> http://latter-dayvillage.com/support/users/kb.php?category_id=3