TEACHING THE LESSON

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · January 15, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 3

TEACHING THE LESSON.

THE successful ways of teaching any lesson are probably almost as many and varied as are the teachers engaged in Sabbath-school work. No one method can be pointed out as adapted to all, nor that would be satisfactory to the same teacher at different times. And yet some plan, however defective, is vastly better than none. Teaching which aims at something is likely to be effective; teaching without a purpose is usually teaching without results. An English teacher of large experience recently gave the following hints on this subject to his fellow-laborers:—

“Do not read a long passage around first. Begin by referring to the previous lesson, or introduce the subject by an illustration. 1. As to language: Be simple, and see that your words are understood. 2. As to questioning: Do no preaching. . . . 3. As to illustrations: Let them be simple, of every-day life, clearly put. 4. As to lessons, etc.: Let them be fresh. Some are continually giving the same thing over again. Do not lay yourselves open to such a remark as that given by a keen boy to his teacher, ‘You ain’t going to cut down that there fig-tree again, are you?’ 5. As to application: It may be incidental all through; yet there should be a point to which all is made to converge. Let it be definite, practical, conversational. Question in such a manner that the scholars themselves shall apply the lesson, in this respect imitating the example of our Lord.”—S. S. World.