What sort of class lessons appeal to you?

[Indy Coug]

Since 2/3 of the members at church have been members for 2.5 years or less, things are kept pretty simple. I find myself kind of in missionary mode with my comments in class, trying to simplify or clarify what is in the priesthood manual.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by Archaea

So far, I like the answers, and some follow up questions:

How much does knowledge of the instructor matter?

If not the knowledge of the instructor what other aspects of the instructor make the lesson enjoyable? Appropriate humor?

Familiarity with other members?

Knowledge of the instructor is less important than the ability to engage those who are knowledgeable, and to use those people to enhance the lesson.

The instructor should be able to A) keep things moving - to be able to close discussions tactfully and move it on rather than allowing it to stagnate, and B) end the bloody class on bloody time. I hate the RS for this reason - they're already five minutes over and STILL sing all five verses of the closing song.

Appropriate humor helps engage me in the lesson.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by Archaea

All of us have attended lessons we didn't appreciate and I assume we attended some we appreciated.

What characteristics do you find make for a good lesson?

other than preparation.

I like two things:

1. Someone who has studied the lesson material enough to teach me so things that I didn't know before, ie, they teach something beyond what is in the manual it self.

2. They ask good questions that spark discussion, ie, skip most of the questions in the manual.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Since 2/3 of the members at church have been members for 2.5 years or less, things are kept pretty simple. I find myself kind of in missionary mode with my comments in class, trying to simplify or clarify what is in the priesthood manual.

That can't be remotely true in North America. That is not the church experience almost anyone on this board has. I understand that is the rationale for keeping it simple though.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by UtahDan

That can't be remotely true in North America. That is not the church experience almost anyone on this board has. I understand that is the rationale for keeping it simple though.

Sorry, I wasn't clear here. I'm talking about my current branch, not the church in the US or in the world in general.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by UtahDan

I like two things:

1. Someone who has studied the lesson material enough to teach me so things that I didn't know before, ie, they teach something beyond what is in the manual it self.

2. They ask good questions that spark discussion, ie, skip most of the questions in the manual.

I agree. A teacher doesn't even have to be particularly knowledgeable if s/he knows how to skillfully involve people of varying interests and abilities.

When everyone feels like their contributions are valued and welcome, the classes will usually cruise along nicely.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ

I agree. A teacher doesn't even have to be particularly knowledgeable if s/he knows how to skillfully involve people of varying interests and abilities.

When everyone feels like their contributions are valued and welcome, the classes will usually cruise along nicely.

One of the things I have seen over and over is the inability of a teacher to control certain of their class members. In other words, one or two people take over the class and no one else raises their hand. Handling that situation requires a lot of tact, but it can be done.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by UtahDan

One of the things I have seen over and over is the inability of a teacher to control certain of their class members. In other words, one or two people take over the class and no one else raises their hand. Handling that situation requires a lot of tact, but it can be done.

This requires a member who knows the other members, but can do so tactfully. Not everybody can do it, and it may be why some less experienced members shouldn't teach GD.

[Gifted Fish]

The only thing that I truly dread is the time-wasting: "let's break into groups and then report back at the end of class with your group's conclusions on ___." Horribly boring, almost never insightful, and typically a sign that the teacher couldn't think of anything interesting to teach/discuss.

At least with boring, non-participatory lectures by the teacher, I can read something else or peruse the web on my phone.

[ERCougar]

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

I'm aware of the dangers but it's to bad we don't talk about current events in Priesthood. We were going over baptism Sunday and it was a rehash of everything I've heard since primary. It would have been a lot more interesting to talk about the FLDS and how this affected us as LDS. Perhaps the open forum of CG has ruined me.

Whenever our instructors start talking current events, it almost always is in the direction of the legalization of gay marriage or the decline of the media. One of my pet peeves is this sort of underlying theme that the 1950's culture was so much more righteous than ours.

Yeah, segregated schools, sending pregnant teenage girls out of town until they delivered their babies, women tending to every need of ours, McCarthyism....those were the days, weren't they? Back when you could openly hate a gay person and no one would look down on you for it.