Ask a Question About Teaching: The Red Headed Hostess
So, we have really enjoyed some of the group posts we have done together…
So we decided to open it up for questions about teaching that you may have.
You can just leave a comment below and we will put together posts answering your questions, a few at a time.
These guys are super experienced, and have taught in tons of settings – home, seminary, youth groups, church groups, college, Time Out for Women, EFY, etc.
And check out their short bios so you know who you are sending your questions about teaching to:
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John Hilton III: John Hilton III is a popular speaker, best-selling author, former seminary teacher and current assistant professor of ancient scripture at BYU. You can check out all of his books HERE.
Anthony Sweat: Anthony Sweat is also a popular speaker, best-selling author, former seminary teacher and assistant professor in the department of Church History and Doctrine at BYU. You can see all of his books HERE.
Hank Smith: Hank Smith is ALSO a popular speaker with numerous talks on CD. And he is ALSO a seminary teacher and has taught religion at BYU. You can see all of his great things HERE.
Shannon Foster: Shannon taught seminary for 13 years before she retired to become a mamma to her sweet Hannah. If you want to find out more about her…. well, you are already on her website. 🙂
* Note: all three of these awesome guys are contributing authors in the FANTASTIC books Suit Up (for kids who are preparing for missions), and Armor Up (which helps youth to wear their spiritual armor).
Oh wow! What a cool thing to have access to your expertise!
Here are my questions:
– How can I approach electronics with my Young Women?
– How can I teach all of my children on their various age levels, without catering to certain ones all of the time?
– I really want to get more out of my study of the Book of Mormon, any ideas?
Thank you so much!!
Any ideas for seminary decor?
How can I teach my kids about the positive and negative powers of electronics?
How can I encourage more discussion with my sunday school class? Sometimes I ask a question and it is just awkward silence. Help!
How do you prepare for your lessons?
Any ideas to make family scripture study fun and meaningful?
How did/do you guys teach scripture mastery?
I am looking for ways to make my lessons (in seminary, YW and home) more exciting and powerful. Any tips would be great!
How do you discipline in the classroom?
Next year is the Book of Mormon – any ideas, themes, etc. to make it really impactful?
Oh, and how did you guys do grading?
Any ideas for parents with young kids? How do you teach them in family home evening?
I have an awesome group of students in my Seminary class, but it is a fight to get them to mark their scriptures or write in their journal/notebooks. Any ideas to help??
I’m in the primary presidency and this year we are challenging our primary to learn all the Articles of Faith. Then we are trying to teach th e kids what the real meaning and message is behind each one. But there’s not a lot of help found online that explains them orhow to teach them to kids. Any ideas? We just did 1-7 mini lessons so next will be 8-13 at the end of the year. Thanks so much!
I’m reading Bro. Hilton’s wonderful “Pass the Scriptures, Please” book right now (2nd time through.) He talks about going PRO (applying yourself, studying hard just as you’d practice hard if you wanted to be a pro football player.) As I read that part, I thought of my seminary class, who didn’t do well on daily reading last year (usually not even reading 10 min./day.) Even though they had been taught (many different times and in many different approaches) the great benefits of studying the scriptures, they didn’t do it. I don’t think they have the true DESIRE to be in the scriptures. I don’t think they realize or believe the miracles that will come if they put forth the effort. They feel busy and don’t see the need. Short of great trial that may motivate them to look to Christ and live, what else can I do to help them discover that need/desire/motivation in their personal life? THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERTISE WITH ME. I HAVE USED RESOURCES FROM EACH ONE OF YOU IN MY TEACHING AND FEEL DEEPLY GRATEFUL AND INDEBTED TO YOU FOR THE HELP.
I’m a YW advisor and we are having trouble getting the young women to do the weekly challenge that is issued at the end of each Sunday lesson. How can I get them motivated and excited to do the weekly challenge?
Which questions actually get seminary students to open their mouths and share. How do you draw them out. I get tired of answering my own questions. Thanks!
Desire plays a BIG role in how youth (including my teenage children) approach prayer, scripture study, strengthening their testimonies, keeping the commandments, and being engaged in wholesome activities. What are your ideas on how to help youth desire to be good and do good?
I think regardless of who it is that we teach (seminary students, our own children, primary, youth, or even adult sunday school classes), I think we would all agree that there is a definite learning curve for the teachers and as time passes our teaching evolves and we mature. When I was preparing to teach Seminary for the first time just a couple years ago I found a talk given by Pres. Eyring at a CES Symposium on the Old Testament in August 1999 where he talks about the very first seminary class he taught. In it, he describes what he would like to do if given the opportunity to teach that class again, how he would approach it differently and what he has learned since then that would affect his teaching. So, of the dozens and dozens of questions that I would really like to ask every single one of you, I will restrain myself and just as this one (because it’s a loaded question as it is): If you could go back to your first classroom, your very first time teaching a Seminary class on your own, just you and the students–what would you do differently?
I think teaching children to think and be positive people is a very important lesson. Any ideas on how to present this (especially with younger children)? The world views this so differently. Often kids think they need to be wild and crazy to be fun and happy people.
I love teaching scripture mastery in seminary, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it. I want the kids to memorize the scriptures, know the references and be familiar with the doctrines taught. I am looking for new ideas or maybe more of a plan to accomplish these objectives. How do you do it as you plan for the year?