Biblical Teaching for Students

by Dennis McCallum
This was presented at the Jr. and Sr. High Workers' Seminar 2/22/97.

"The key is to generate power! Flatness is a sinful contradiction -
if this stuff is so important, why does the teacher not seem to care all that much?"

Content:

depth...

· yes, you can go deep! A lot of talk about how xers won't listen to content - not true. Just can't go long.

· don't be too simple; want to be seen and treated as adults. Can really patronize and lose their respect.

· #1 challenge is to keep from boring them; what a shame to get them to a meeting and then to bore them with Biblical truth!

· 1, maybe 2 points that you hit hard.

discussion...

· discussion can be good, or can be very bad. Students can really bore each other - some Ideas Exchange just meander or get weird. Need to have couple points in the teaching where allow students to react & give their opinions, impressions. Question that is really challenging.

· don't confuse discussion with recitation : "And Jesus said that if our eye causes us to stumble we should what?" and they say, "gouge it out." This is not discussion, and it only appeals to those with some knowledge of the bible - will alienate pagans.

Thesis/Antithesis Teaching

· very key at this age to use this method: they like a sense of violence and a good fight; they are hormonal and aggressive

· enjoy seeing the teacher getting into a fight with someone (the antithesis)

· got to find an antithesis they can relate to and understand (not neo-orthodoxy)

Delivery:

Emotion...

· they want to feel something while they sit there

· some people get into one emotion; need to experience a whole range of emotion during the teaching : anger, humor, intrigue, contempt, awe,...

· "catch fire and let people watch you burn!"

Eccentricity is good...

· weird figures of speech; strange pronunciations; contorted facial expressions. They really remember these!

Physical activity...

· at certain points in the teaching, need to stimulate them visibly - not just a listening experience.

· jumping at a student; waving; one teacher lied down on the ground

· physical contact can be good - beating a student on the head as you emphasize a point. Of course, needs to be appropriate.

Volume

· may seem to you like you are shouting, but you need to be loud

· not just so others can hear - can't rely on PA for that - there is a sense of urgency and intensity that is communicated through a loud, even strained voice; may need to turn PA down, but don't tell teacher to be more quiet

Appearance

· what looks good to adults may not look good to students; there is a balance here : can't dress like students, you'll look stupid to them and everyone else. Look casual.

· they are intolerant of obesity; you are discredited off the bat if you are too fat to them

Humor

· of course it is great to get them laughing, but many teachers use humor exclusively. Loses its effect if used too much; again, they need to experience a range of emotion.

Illustrations

· the ones we use are not always appropriate to the age - story about getting frustrated with kids or spouse - they can't relate to that.

· need to be earthy (God was in OT, Jesus was)

· no need to get into profanity

· find illustrations that fit into their lives & meet them where they are at (job, car stuff, dealing with parents, friends)

Heroic Thinking

· they are not idealistic, more cynical; they are suspicious of heroes, but still thirst for them

· need to play off their loathing of being controlled; the boundaries their peers put on them are the most limiting and frustrating to them - they will rebel against this and be their own person if they have a good reason to.

· Need to gradually build a thirst for non-conformity

Black & White Thinking

· we as adults know there are usually shades of gray involved with most issues; but when you qualify your points, they lose all their fizz.

· lay out teaching in stark, black and white manner - will get more reaction & involvement; qualify later, if needed; every once in awhile you'll get a sharp kid who questions you, and then you can qualify your point, but most won't.      

©Dennis McCallum 1997