9 rules for teaching

1. One of the complaints I have heard from many men is that their wives have “too many rules.”

2. Wives usually think that their “rules” are just the “right way to do things.”

3. Husbands usually look at the “right way to do things” from the standpoint of rules.

RULES FALL INTO ALL TYPES OF CATEGORIES: THERE ARE GOOD RULES, BAD RULES, TOO MANY RULES, TOO FEW RULES, ESSENTIAL RULES, GENERAL RULES, SPECIFIC RULES, AND EVEN OVER REGULATION.

a) Tonight we want to think about rules for teachers.

b) The intention is to set forth “9 rules for teaching.”

c) We may be trying to teach our children about the Bible.

d) We may be trying to teach a Bible class, or another adult, or maybe we are a potential teacher.

e) There are 9 rules that will be helpful to us as we try to teach others.

f) The first rule is “know what is to be taught.”

2) This rule may be applied in a secular classroom setting, in the home, or in a Bible class.

a) Good teachers have a plan; they have a purpose behind the instruction they want to impart.

b) As parents we may teach our children how to tie their shoes.

c) We teach that little task because we have a purpose.

d) We do not want to be tying our child’s shoes when he or she is an adult.

3) Bible class teachers should be people who make use of some planning skills.

a) We might liken the matter to someone who has a loaded weapon.

b) Rather than just randomly pointing the weapon and hoping we hit the right thing, we aim the gun.

c) Good teachers have an aim (intent/purpose) in their classes.

4) Perhaps the best illustration of this rule is found in Jesus’ life.

5) The Lord “aimed” His teachings. Much of His teaching was aimed at the coming kingdom.

6) He wanted people to know the New Testament era descried in Jer. 31 was about to be unveiled.

7) He taught so people were informed about who He was and how the Old Testament would be replaced.

8) We should engage in a similar thing when we teach.

a) If we are trying to convey facts to someone, we should know what those facts are.

b) If we are trying to make points of application, we construct our class to reach that goal.

c) We do not want to “shoot blind” with those we are trying to teach.

d) Without a plan it will be difficult to have a firm goal.

e) If we do not have a goal, we will never know if we accomplishing anything.

f) We need an objective because that allows us to see if we are hitting or missing the goal.

9) Rule 2 is built is an expansion one: Know what changes we hope to help our students make.

a) Some learning is designed to convey facts and facts are good.

b) Some teaching is designed to change behavior.

c) Parents teach children how to tie shoes so behavior is changed – kids learn to tie their own shoes.

d) Much of Christianity involves changing a person’s life and changing for the better.

e) We should ask how our instruction will help people change their lives.

1) In some cases our teaching may help people improve their worship.

2) Or, we may be trying to help them better understand God so they will be more appreciative of God.

3) We may teach people with the goal of helping them live better Christian lives.

4) Much of the information in the New Testament epistles deals with this second rule.

5) In letters such as 1 Cor. we find that Paul knew the problems being faced by the Corinthians.

6) He dealt with specific issues so these Christians could make the needed changes.

7) He taught these brethren things that would help them draw closer to God and His will.

8) Other New Testament books, especially James, fall into this same category.

9) Lesson 3 is gaining and keeping a student’s attention span on the lesson.

a) If you were present last week we went through things associated with various age groups.

b) One of the things we discussed was attention span.

c) In the earlier years, attention span often lasts for just a few minutes.

d) There is a need to keep things moving and teachers have to really be on the ball in the younger classes.

10) Attention span can also be a problem in the later years – even with adults.

11) In an hour worship service even the attention span of adults can wander.

12) Some congregations have adults that fall asleep during the service.

13) Some can’t make it through a single song, prayer or the Lord’s Supper without thinking about other things.

a) Teachers must face that fact that keeping a student’s attention will sometimes be difficult.

b) Jesus often got the attention of people by using many different techniques.

c) He offered a wide variety of illustrations, He made startling statements, and He asked questions.

14) Teresa and I worshipped at a congregation who had a preacher who was a wonderful man.

15) As a teacher, this good brother had what I would consider a serious defect.

16) He did not do much to keep the attention span of people in classes and sermons.

17) The class members knew how the first several minutes of every class would go.

18) Class members could “tune in” about 10 minutes after he started and not miss anything.

19) If we make it a rule to try to keep the attention of our students, everyone will benefit.

20) Rule 4 is related to everyone understanding things in the same manner.

a) In 1 Cor. 14:9 Paul spoke of things easy to be understood.”

b) Those who teach a first grade class probably know words like “justification” and “salvation.”

c) Some of the students at this class level will surely not know what those words mean.

21) Last year I was a bit surprised at a professor who teaches at the Freed Hardeman lectures.

22) This fellow is a very bright guy. I do not know what is iq is, but he is very, very smart.

23) He said one of his children had just completed her work for a doctorate degree.

24) He tried to read it, but it he could not understand the document. The language was too difficult.

25) Here is a highly educated man who could not understand a graduate school paper.

26) This fellow then identified what the problem was.

27) His daughter used a lot of technical jargon that specifically applied to her field.
Even though the girl’s father is a well educated adult, he did not know the meanings of many words.

a) When we teach, we need to work at being sure our class understands the words we use.

b) Sometimes we are going to fail in this area. In these cases…

c) Students should feel comfortable enough in their class to ask what these strange words mean.

d) It is important to try and make our speech appropriate for those we are trying to teach.

e) Jesus certainly did this. He used simple words to teach those who came to hear Him.

28) Rule 5 is trying to help students move from the known to the unknown.

a) Some teaching is repetitive; people will hear things they have already learned.

b) There is no harm in having some things repeated.

c) Teachers also want to help their students learn some new things.

d) As a teacher this is how Jesus behaved; He spoke about the “mysteries of the kingdom.”

e) These mysteries were things that people did not yet understand.

f) Jesus was moving people from what they knew to some things they did not know.

g) This is another mark of good teaching.

29) In Lk. 24:44-45 we also find that Jesus “opened the minds” of some people.

30) The Lord moved some men from things they knew to things they did not know.

31) Rule 6 is stimulating a student’s mind to action.

a) With small children, this is not very hard to do as small children always seem ready for action.

b) As people get older, this becomes more of a challenge.

c) Teacher should try to move their students to think about what is being taught.

d) Some Bible classes and classes in public school rooms seem to have zombies in the classroom.

e) People come, they seem lifeless for about 45 minutes, and then they wake up and leave.

32) Jesus’ teaching caused people to ask questions. His teaching caused people to react.

33) The way the Lord taught moved minds into action.

34) This is another sign of a good Bible class teacher.

35) Lighting a spark or creating a fire in someone’s mind can sometimes be a bad thing.

36) Generally this is a good thing because students become involved with the lesson.

37) They begin to see how information can be related to their life and the lives of others.

38) Bringing students into a discussion or class participation is important at all levels of teaching.

39) Rule 7 is related to rule6 – try to involve students in the learning process.

a) For instance, we might ask students to research something.

b) Let them know a topic will be covered the following week and ask them to think about it.

c) I have met brethren who got upset with people who sent home “Bible homework” with kids.

d) There are times when “Bible homework” is a good thing.

e) People sometimes retain some of what we taught by studying some things out on their own.

f) If the devil really is the spiritual predator we spoke of this morning, we want to impress the Bible on the mind.

g) A proven way to do this is get students directly involved with the teaching process.

40) Rule 8 deals with retention—getting students to remember things.

a) In the smaller grades teachers may do a “recap” at the end of class.

b) Teachers might ask, “What did we learn in today’s class?” and the students then answer.

c) These same teachers might ask a similar question next week.

d) Good teachers try to reinforce what they have taught.

41) With adults, especially in textual classes, this is an especially useful tool.

42) A teacher may offer a key piece of information at the beginning of a class.

43) He then refers back to that information half way through the class and asks what was said earlier.

44) Sometimes the students will not remember. Maybe only a few recall what was said.

45) Having to go back and mentally recall that earlier information helps reinforce what was taught.

46) There are many ways for students to help students recall what they were taught.

47) Most repetition techniques are also a sign of effective teaching.

48) We now come to rule 9 and this rule is also about repetition.

49) Somehow we want to repeat, review, or reproduce the lesson with students.

50) We might interject some new thoughts.

51) We might contrast what was learned with something that is false.

52) We might offer additional points of applications.

53) We want people to know the word of God of God and know it well.

54) Paul said the “gospel is God’s power to salvation” (Rom. 1:16), so this is what we teach.

55) Tonight we hope this is what you have been taught—nothing more or less—and what you follow.