HOW TO TEACH THE LESSON.
By Ella King Sanders
For a limited time it is allotted to us to deal with the art of teaching, which has to do with the plan, the method, by means of which the science of teaching is put into practice. First, let us ask, What is teaching?—It is helping one to know that of which he is ignorant, or, speaking figuratively, it is sowing seed. If seeds are to be sown, the first, and one of the most important steps, is to prepare the soil. So in teaching, one of the most important steps is that the mind of the pupil be in a receptive condition. If there is whispering and disorder, the mind is unprepared for the lesson, and the teaching will be fruitless. Need we say, then, that discipline is the foundation of this preparation? It is the work of the Sabbath-school teacher to impart knowledge. Every Sabbath-school pupil knows something, and the unknown is to be understood and grasped by the known. Paul says, “The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” This was the great Teacher’s method, as will be seen by a careful study of His teachings. When He wished to teach His disciples His great work for the children of men, He took the sower in the field as an object lesson,—something with which they were familiar, something right before their eyes. The stony ground, the birds to catch away the seeds, and the weeds to choke out the life of the tender plants, were all before their eyes. With these things, so well known to them all, He sought to teach the great unknown truth of His mission on earth. Nicodemus thought he understood the things of God. How did Jesus teach him that he did not?—He took the wind, the effects of which Nicodemus well knew; but just as its source was a mystery, so is the working of the Spirit of God. Recall how He taught the people that He had power to forgive sins. He said to the palsied man, “Arise and walk.” By the known, they were to see and understand the unknown. Another point in the method of the great Teacher was the simplicity of His language. With teachers of little ones especially, we plead that they speak in a known tongue. Look at things and speak from the child’s standpoint. Recall how vague and unsatisfactory were many of your ideas received in childhood. A friend told me of her experience when a child in understanding the Fourth Commandment: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is.” She understood it to be “all that in the miz.” So everything that she did not understand thereafter was in the “miz,” that is, a mystery. A teacher once told a class of boys that the children of Israel worshiped God “through the golden calf.” Afterward when the boys were talking about the “golden calf,” they concluded that it must have been hollow, for the children of Israel worshiped God through it. We need to be plain and simple in our language. Had these children been taught to read the Word for themselves, they would have understood these lessons much more readily. Right here let us plead for a reformation in the study of the Sabbath-school lessons. Let them be studied from the Bible by old and young. Lesson helps are good and useful, but we all need to go to the fountain head—the Bible. Even the little ones may be taught to read the lesson right from the Bible. Each day of the week let there be an earnest effort on the part of the parents to prepare the soil by helping the children to read the lesson from the Bible. Let the blessed Book be opened with reverence, and with a deep and hallowed consciousness of the presence of God. We often hear it said that the lesson goes in at one ear and out at the other. Well, suppose we send the message to the soul, direct from the source, through the eyes. That is, let the child read for himself the pure words. Then use the other senses to impress the lesson. The psalmist says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Think how eager little hands are to touch that they may know. Yes, and even older ones are inclined that way. This is evident from the necessary signs in museums, “Hands Off.” Objects, pictures, and blackboards are indispensable in making the lessons impressive and lasting, but let there be the constant use of the Bible. Here are some steps for each lesson which may help some:— 1. Preparation; that is, questioning on things known, arousing old ideas, thus producing a condition of thoughtfulness. 2. Presentation; that is, taking up the new lesson. 3. Summary, the gathering up of the central truths of the lesson. 4. Application, the bringing out of the lessons to be carried into every-day life. The first step might be said to be the creating of an intellectual appetite. It prepares the child’s mind for the assimilation of the new knowledge. In each lesson, ask yourself the question, What is there in nature, pictures, or blackboard exercise by which I can better impress this lesson upon the minds of my pupils? Simply telling the story is not teaching the lesson, or simply asking the questions on the lesson sheet is not teaching it. Questions are to stimulate mental action. They should be simple and clear, but seldom so worded that the answer may be yes or no. To illustrate: “Did Abraham show faith in God when he offered up Isaac?” “Were Joseph’s brethren angry when they sold him?” Such questions do not stimulate mental action. To hold the attention of all the class, it is better that no pupil knows to whom the question is to be put. Hence, ask the question before calling the name. If a pupil is listless, do not say, “We would like the attention of John,” or “Mary,” but put some interesting question to that pupil, thus arousing his interest. Speak distinctly, and let the pupils understand that questions are not to be repeated. Repeating questions only encourages the habit of inattention. One of the most important requisites in teaching is that questions be asked with animation, not loud and noisy, but with a pleasing, spirited manner. Dull, slow questioning wearies pupils. When a teacher says he is prepared to teach a lesson, to our mind that means he has so mastered it that his attention will not be divided between his pupils and his lesson sheet. The pupils are worthy of all his attention. Here is still another very important part of teaching the Sabbath-school lesson,—the bringing out of the practical lessons to be carried into daily life. Instruction should generate knowledge that incites to action. No superficial, careless study will bring out these lessons so as to make lasting impressions. The utmost tact and skill are needed in this part of the work. The divine Teacher alone can give the needed wisdom. This brings us to the question, Can we teach what we do not know? If we do not know God, can we help others to know Him? The aim of the Sabbath-school is the salvation of its pupils. They must know God and the power of His salvation. Here is a thought from the pen of another: “Lessons should be taught in the Sabbath-school that will shed light into the chambers of the heart and mind; and that this may be accomplished, the teacher must be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.” If we walk with Jesus, He will teach us as He did the disciples on their way to Emmaus. Then shall we be able to lead others to the fountain of life.