Teaching Tip of the Week

4/22/96
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Making Your Teaching More Personal


Have you ever sat in church in the middle of the congregation listening to a sermon and somehow the thought never crosses your mind that the pastor is preaching to YOU? It's easy in a group setting to have that attitude. But there are two simple things that you can do to help your students realize that what you are saying is for them.

1. Eye Contact

As you teach, don't look at the class but look at your students. Look each one in the eye, one by one for several seconds. They will not be able to avoid the satisying feeling that you are teaching them.

(However, this can only be done if you have done your lesson preparation well: The unprepared teacher tends to look off while trying to come up with what he has to say next!)


2. The Personal "You"

The tendency on the part of many teachers is to use words such as "us," "we," and "our" instead of "you" and "your." This all but says to the child "everyone but you."

The next time you teach, take a mental note of how many times you use the more general pronouns instead of the specific ones. Make a conscious effort to change this habit. Using the personal "you" will communicate that your lesson is for the individual.


Try these two methods out and let us know how they work for you as you teach God's Word.
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