Micro-Training # 28

Illustrate

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared this familiar saying: “Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime.” He then taught, “As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help [those we teach] learn ‘to fish’ and to become spiritually steadfast.”

While your teacher’s role is important, your students are ultimately responsible for their own learning. As you prepare how you will teach, you should stay focused on your students and not just on what you will do. Rather than merely asking, “What will I do in class today?” or “What will I teach my students?” you should also approach lesson preparation thinking, “What will my students do in class today?” or “How will I help my students discover what they need to know?”

You should have faith that with proper guidance and encouragement, your students can understand the scriptures, learn to identify doctrine and principles, explain the gospel to others, and apply gospel teachings in their lives. For many students, putting forth such effort to learn from the scriptures may seem unfamiliar and somewhat difficult. However, you can help them understand, accept, and fulfill their role in gospel learning.

You can help your students learn how to take an active role in their spiritual learning, both in class and at home, by encouraging them to:

• Develop a habit of daily scripture study.

• Prepare their hearts and minds for the influence of the Spirit.

• Discover how doctrine and principles are relevant to their personal lives.

• Deepen understanding of the scriptures through diligent study, meditation, and prayer.

• Ask questions and seek for answers that help them better understand the gospel and how it applies to their lives.

• Share insights, experiences, and feelings.

• Explain gospel doctrine and principles to others and testify of their truthfulness.

• Develop scripture study skills, such as marking, cross-referencing, and using the scripture study aids.

Students are edified when they are led to search the word of God to discover truths about Jesus Christ and His gospel for themselves. They should be given opportunities to explain the gospel in their own words and to share and testify of what they know and feel. This helps to bring the gospel from their heads down into their hearts. As students consistently experience learning the gospel in this way, they gain confidence in their ability to study the scriptures for themselves and learn by the Spirit. They feel a desire to apply what they are learning in their lives. They are also better prepared to explain what they believe to others and to bear testimony of the doctrine and principles of the gospel.

You should remember that the most meaningful relevance comes through the Holy Ghost to the individual hearts and minds of your students as they engage in the learning process and work to discover for themselves how truths of the gospel connect with their personal needs and circumstances.

Quote from our Church leaders:

Invitation to act

When preparing your next lessons, think about what you are going to have your students do to get them more involved in the learning process. Then share your ideas and experiences with other teachers.

To practice your skills on this subject, you can do the following exercises:

• Skill: Create invitations that help learners prepare for the next learning experience.

• Skill: Create a meaningful invitation connected to the lesson outcome to be used at the beginning of each lesson.