Mar
8
Written by:
Different Voice
3/8/2010 7:00 AM
I recently had a discussion with a youth Sunday School teacher concerning his frustration with how youth Sunday School was going. He was out of ideas about how to engage the youth and maintain their interest and attention. During our discussion, he admitted that the activities the class had done consisted mostly of presentation of a topic and discussion, with an occasional video thrown in. This didn’t surprise me. First of all, I know this teacher well, and these methods are his preferred learning styles. (I don’t fault him or any teacher for favoring activities that appeal to his or her learning methods. It is a natural tendency, but one of which we must be aware.) Secondly, many youth and adult classes use these methods of learning.
I have previously written about the nine identified multiple intelligences or learning styles and the importance of keeping these intelligences in mind when planning Sunday School or any small group study. (Ideally, worship planning would also include an awareness of multiple intelligences.) We all have each of the nine intelligences that have been identified. Most persons exhibit a preference for two or three of the intelligences. It’s not that we cannot learn through other learning styles, but we learn best through activities that appeal to our preferred intelligences. Curriculum written for children has evolved over the last twenty-five years to include multiple learning styles. Studies for youth and adults have been slower to address the identification of multiple intelligences. Yet there is no evidence that at a magical age all persons suddenly become verbal/linguistic and interpersonal learners! What can one do to insure that classes are inclusive to all learners at all ages?
The first step is evaluation. Have each Sunday School and small group leader write down everything that the class has done in the past month or six weeks. Or have them keep a log and write down every activity that the class does for the next six weeks. Once you have the list for each class, print off information about the nine identified intelligences, or grab a copy of Teaching Today’s Teachers to Teach by Donald L. Griggs, which contains a reproducible overview of Eight Ways of Learning. (The book was published prior to the description of existential intelligence.) Next to each activity, jot down which intelligences the activity appeals to most. One activity can appeal to more than one learning style. For example, a children’s Sunday School class might sing a song together while doing actions that accompany the words. This activity would mostly appeal to persons who favor musical/rhythmic intelligence, but would also appeal to the following intelligences: verbal/linguistic and bodily/kinesthetic. Remember that it is not necessary that activities appealing to each of the nine intelligences be offered every week. Rather, the hope is that over the course of four to six weeks, a variety of activities will have met the needs of all learners.
Rather than doing the evaluation yourself, consider holding a teacher training event where each teacher evaluates the class they lead. When you have finished, look at the list for each class. Is there a variety of activities offered? Are activities that appeal to all nine intelligences included? This is the first step. Next Monday – Youth and Adult activities that include all learners.
~Sally Hoelscher
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