Edification Through Participation

In our first round of teacher development, we discussed the purpose of a Sunday School (or YM/YW/EQ/HP/RS/Primary) class, and came up with several ideas:

• Edification
• Feel inspired (ie, have questions answered, learn new things, feel motivated to be better)
• Gain spiritual strength for the week
• Develop friendships and unity

We talked about some paradigm shifts that might be necessary to make this happen. "As a teacher,

• I teach students, not lessons.
  I should think about their needs while I prepare my lesson, not just what interests me. It's not about me.
• I should never feel like I need to "get through" a lesson.
  I realize I have more information in my lesson than I could ever cover in the 40 minutes that I have. I feel comfortable with my lesson preparation, and can let the students take up time in the class and invite the Spirit through discussion. If I am just moving "through" points on my outline, I am probably presenting gospel "facts" and not taking time to bring a "feeling level" into the classroom by exploring the gospel principles.
• I need to help the students personalize and internalize gospel principles.
  I can do this by asking questions that require a response with a personal pronoun, and by inviting students to share experiences from their lives.

Edification (and its corresponding feelings of the Spirit and desires for improvement and drawing closer to Christ) should be the overarching goal of our classes, not merely imparting gospel facts. Our students should leave the classroom having felt and recognized the Spirit, having testified of gospel truths, and feeling personal inspiration on how they should act on the gospel principle taught that day.

A pattern for edification is found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:122. Look for the repeated word or words:

Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege.

All and one (in various forms, a, the, one) appear multiple times in this verse. Who is the one? Is it always the same person? Who are the all? What then is the relationship between the one, the all, and edification?

"According to this verse, learning is enhanced and class members are edified when they have the opportunity to participate, and one of the best ways teachers can help class members participate is by asking questions that encourage students to think, feel, and share. ...

"How much should students participate in class? A teacher who takes up most of the class time speaking is likely talking too much. In many lessons, student participation can [and should] fill about half of the lesson time."**

By involving the students in the lesson, you begin to focus on them and their needs. Their participation brings about a learning experience, which will stay with them longer than a presentation that does not involve them. Since we as teachers may readily agree that we don't have the corner on the insight-market, allowing students to participate opens up the class to new insights, new experiences, and more "witnesses."

Edification in the gospel classroom comes through participation. Our lessons will be greatly enhanced by planning participation opportunities and our students' lives will be blessed.