MR. D'S NOTES ON TEACHING
Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.
COPYRIGHT 2001

Chapter 10

LESSON PREPARATION

All of the following should be done well in advance of the first session if there is more than one session.

If you are teaching on a weekly basis begin the new lesson Sunday afternoon. Take a full week to develop the lesson and prepare for its presentation.

I know of many pastors that begin their Sunday morning sermon on Saturday morning - this is not proper preparation for most people.

DETERMINE THE FACTS

1. What age group am I teaching?

a. This will help you determine the method that you want to use.

b. This will help you determine the visuals that you want to use.

c. This will help you determine some of the items such as aim and purpose.

d. This will give you some guidelines in how to pray properly.

2. What lesson am I teaching?

a. Is there a lesson quarterly that I am to follow?

b. Is there a prescribed topic for me?

3. Why am I teaching?

a. Am I a substitute for a sick teacher?

b. Do I have the whole session or just part of it?

4. What is the purpose of my teaching?

a. Is this a regular class that I will be working with?

b. Is this a single quarter class situation?

Now that you know a little about where and why you are going you can begin to get down to specifics.

1. What is the theme of this lesson that I am about to prepare?

2. What do I desire God to do in this lesson for me?

3. What do I desire God to do in this lesson for my students?

4. Read through the text that the lesson is based on several times.

5. Read through any related texts that might help in the preparation.

6. If there is a quarterly read through it and be sure it is going to fulfill your aim for the lesson. Be sure it is Biblical.

7. Begin, if you haven't already, to pray about the lesson and what you feel you want the Lord to accomplish. Be sure that you are open to his leading to change directions a bit if He so directs. At times I am prepared for Sunday and Saturday night the Lord directs me to do something totally different. I allow Him to lead in topics and preparations.

8. Begin to look for more information to help with the lesson.

Bible atlas
Encyclopedia
Concordance
Bible dictionary

9. As things progress spend some time preparing the lesson plan. Begin to form in your mind the outline and conclusion or application.

10. Begin to give thought to the visuals that might assist in getting your story or lesson across to the students. Be sure they are an assistance to learning and not just something to fill the time.

11. Ask yourself questions about the lesson and the text.

12. Heaven forbid that you use this one but you might even apply some of what you are learning in Bible Study Methods class.

This is a free-bee and is only my opinion but here it is anyway. Your knowledge of how to study the Bible is key to your success. There are a number of different ways to study the Word and you should know them to give variety to your teaching as well as your own understanding of the Word.

Most Bible colleges offer courses in Bible study methods. I would recommend that anyone teaching in the church make every effort to take one of these classes. I suspect you could find the class online or by extension as well as on campus. Some of them will not look useful at all, yet in your future study you will begin to use them!

13. Just what is that passage trying to get at?

Look at it and
study it and
think about it and
consider it and
chew it up and
mull it over and
find out what God is trying to tell YOU.

THEN

and only then can you really try to relate it to the student.

14. Consider if you need to have handwork. If it is a childrens class you will need it.

15. The key is the Word of God and the prayer!

16. Put your information into a proper order and build your lesson.

17. The method and age group will determine the particulars of this process.

18. The application is the key.

You must know your students and their needs before you can be explicit yet if you don't know these things you can make general applications to the age group.

Sin is a problem for all ages and peoples so that is a good area to apply in.

19. When you are teaching be looking for feedback to know how you are doing.

If you see someone leaning way over with his hand cupped to his ear you might try speaking a little louder.

If someone is plugging their ears try reducing your volume. I saw a man with a hearing aid turn his aid completely off one day when the music was getting a bit loud.

If you see someone that is acting indifferent, do what you can to gain his interest. If it continues, you can bank on one of two things.

a. The student is being cool - listening and learning, but keeping a good COLD exterior. When interim pastor at a small church we had a unique man and his four children begin to attend - he wanted the kids to have a proper spiritual education. He, however, did not need to pay attention. He would sit in the car and wait or if it was cold would go to the church library and pick up a book to read while he sat in Sunday school and church. He never paid attention - however a number of his comments after church let me know he was listening quite intently.

b. The student has a bad attitude.

If it is a, then let him be cool. If it is b there's not much you can do - try to talk to them and pray that the Lord will work.

20. Take time soon after you give the lesson to think over the way the lesson progressed etc. Determine if there were things that you could do that would improve the lesson. Was that paper airplane in the ear an indicator of something? Was there anything you did wrong or did not do? Are there ways that you can involve the students more? Were there things that you did correctly that you want to plan into your next lesson?

Evaluate what you have done and see if you can improve. For example I gave a large handout to a class and ask them to read it. I gave a pop quiz to see if they learned what I wanted them to learn. As I evaluated the outcome of the quiz I decided that the handout was not a good way to communicate this information. I immediately made a note not to do that again!

Evaluation is necessary for you to learn how to teach more effectively.

After awhile you will tend to do this automatically and you won't have to sit down to do it - it will just happen in your mind. Don't be so automatic about it however that you forget to do it!

Teaching takes time! Spend time! It's a great investment.

A proper lesson or sermon from the average pastor takes ten hours to prepare and then the time to go over it and prepare to give it. If you plan visuals then there will be added time.

If you are in teaching to fill an opening then you ought to make an opening. If you are in teaching to make a difference in lives, then you need to take time to prepare for such an important ministry.

Paul, tells us what teaching is all about in Ephesians 4.11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:"