Questions in the Bible Teacher's Handbook
The Bible Teacher's Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions responds to the following 153 questions covering 49 different teaching topics.
Topics & Questions in the Bible Teacher's Handbook
About Teaching Ministry
- What is the most important thing in a Bible teaching ministry?
- What’s the greatest challenge in Bible teaching?
- What spiritual gifts are best suited for a teaching ministry?
- How much of a teaching ministry is following natural process versus supernatural?
Adult Classes
- Isn’t children’s and youth ministry more important than adult Bible classes?
- Adults are pretty much set in their ways so how much can we really reach them?
- Shouldn’t we deal more with the real life experiences of adults than facts of the Bible?
- Which method is best to use with adults?
Age Levels
- Why is understanding age level characteristics of students we're teaching important?
- How does spiritual growth correspond with age level development?
- How do we teach multiple ages in one group?
Bulletin Boards
- Since our world is so high tech these days, should bulletin boards still be used?
- Are bulletin boards a teaching method or visual aid?
- How can we make bulletin boards interactive?
Classroom Set-Up
- How important is the classroom itself to the teaching-learning process?
- How important is it to decorate the classroom to match the content being taught?
- Is any particular classroom seating arrangement better than others?
- What can be done if we have to share space with other classes?
Crafts
- What guidelines should be followed in choosing crafts?
- How can we get students to follow instructions when making crafts?
- How should we handle the perfectionist who gets upset if it isn’t just right?
- What do we do with students who finish far in advance of others?
Creativity
- What's the purpose of creative Bible teaching?
- Why does creativity seem so hard for some teachers?
- What are some ways to become a more creative Bible teacher?
Crisis in Students' Lives
- How much responsibility should a teacher have in crisis intervention?
- What warning should we heed when helping students in crisis?
- What if a student is really depressed, maybe even suicidal?
Curriculum
- Is it really necessary to follow a set curriculum?
- If using a curriculum that has everything written out, why spend time preparing?
- What’s the best way to prepare lessons when using a pre-fab curriculum?
Discipleship
- Why isn’t teaching a Bible lesson enough?
- What’s the ultimate goal of discipleship?
- What if students don’t want to be discipled?
- What if I don’t have time to work with students one-on-one?
Discipline
- What's the best approach for disciplining?
- How do I deal with ______ ?
- What kind of consequences should be used for misbehavior?
- I’ve tried everything and nothing works, so now what do I do?
Discussion
- Is discussion the best method for Bible teachers to use?
- How structured should discussion be?
- How can discussion be used with a large group?
- Why did my discussion flop?
Drama
- Isn’t drama a worldly type of method?
- Doesn’t cost prohibit many Bible classroom teachers from using drama?
- How does the age of students factor in to use of drama in the classroom?
- What if I don't have a flair for the dramatic?
Early Childhood Classes
- How important is teaching the Bible to this age when it's content is so far beyond them?
- Is it okay to change parts of the Bible story to better suit this age?
- How do we deal with the short attention spans of young children?
- Will children in early childhood classes really retain what they learn?
Games
- Isn’t the use of games in Bible classes just a time filler?
- Does competition really have a place in Bible classes?
- How can we keep the game from flopping?
Goals
- If a curriculum has goals, why should Bible teachers to be concerned about goals?
- How do we know what goals to aim toward when developing our own lessons?
- Is there an ultimate goal under which all else falls?
Grade School Classes
- How do we keep the attention of grade school students in such a high tech world?
- Do younger grade school students need to be engaged more than older ones?
- How do we reach all students when our grade school class includes a wide age span?
Guided Conversation
- Why should we learn guided conversation? Shouldn’t talking just come naturally?
- How can we know when to use guided conversation?
- How can Guided Conversation be used in a large class?
Holidays
- How might the holidays affect teaching?
- Aren’t teaching times around holidays basically throw-away sessions?
Holy Spirit
- How essential is it for the Spirit to work through us as teachers?
- How do we pull on the Spirit's power in our teaching?
- How much focus should Bible teachers put on the Holy Spirit?
Learning Centers
- What are the benefits of using learning centers?
- What’s most important to remember when using learning centers?
- What if our curriculum doesn’t use learning centers?
Learning Styles
- How can we identify the learning styles of our students?
- Why is it important for teachers to identify their own learning style?
- How do I learn to teach in a way that makes me step out of my own learning style?
- Is it possible to teach for different learning styles in a digital classroom?
Lesson Application
- How important is the application part of the lesson?
- What if the lesson doesn’t have any obvious application for my students?
- What do we do if the same truth applies differently to individual students?
- What if I run out of class time before I get to the application?
Lesson Introduction
- What should the introduction do?
- What means can be used?
- What about reviewing the previous lesson?
- How long should the lesson introduction be?
Lesson Preparation
- Why spend time preparing when we have the Holy Spirit? Isn’t the Spirit enough?
- Why study Scripture when preparing a lesson if the curriculum does it for us?
- If just teaching children, why would we need to invest much time into preparing lessons?
- How do we prepare a lesson from scratch, without a curriculum guide?
Loving Students
- What’s the best way to show students we love them?
- What if we struggle with the hard-to-love students?
Manipulative Teaching Tools
- Other than time fillers, why use blocks, puzzles, or manipulatives with children?
- Aren’t blocks, puzzles, and other manipulatives primarily for preschool aged children?
- How can we maximize time when using blocks, puzzles, or other manipulatives?
Media
- How do we compete for the hearts and minds of people in a media-saturated world?
- How might our media-saturated world affect learning?
- What tips should we follow for effective online Bible teaching?
Memorization
- What’s the benefit of rote memorization?
- What age should we start having students memorize Scripture?
- Is there a downside to memorization?
Methods
- What criteria should we use in choosing Bible teaching methods?
- If session time is short, what alternative is there other than lecture?
- What if my students only want discussion and not other methods?
Motivation
- How do we know what will motivate our students to learn?
- How can we motivate students if we don’t know what’s truly in their hearts?
- What if it seems like all I'm doing is pushing and pulling people to learn?
Music
- What if students don’t want to sing?
- Is it okay for Bible teachers to use music to set a mood?
- What if I’m not musically inclined?
Object Lessons
- Where can I get ideas for object lessons?
- Is it possible to use object lessons with large groups?
- Aren't object lessons mainly a method for children?
- What are some tips for developing an object lesson?
Outreach
- Why be concerned about outreach in a class full of Christians?
- Won’t cramming the Gospel down people’s throats do more harm than good?
- How do I lead students to salvation in Christ?
Parent-Teacher Relationships
- Why is building relationships with parents important?
- What if parents aren’t fulfilling their responsibility to spiritually nurture their children?
Play Time
- Class time is so short. Shouldn’t teaching the Bible be our top priority?
- Doesn’t playing and having fun give children the wrong impression about church life?
Prayer Time in Class
- What do we do if students view prayer time as dull or boring?
- How can we get shy people to pray aloud?
Puppets
- Kids seem to love puppets so isn’t it good to always use them as the teaching method?
- How should puppets be used in the Bible classroom?
- Is it possible for puppets to become a distraction?
- What kind of puppets should be used?
Question & Answer
- Is there value in a catechismal approach to using questions in Bible learning?
- How does question and answer methodology differ from questions for discussions?
- When is it best to use a question and answer approach in teaching?
Relationship Building in Class
- Why is relationship building in the classroom important?
- How will we have enough time for the lesson if we incorporate relationship building?
Safety Issues
- Why is it important for parents to know their children are safe in the classroom?
- What safety issues do we need to be aware of?
Small Group Instruction
- Why teach in small groups when you can reach more in a larger group?
- How can a church provide both large and small group studies?
Storytelling
- What can we do to make a Bible story more interesting?
- What can we do to make a Bible story more palatable?
- What are some tips for becoming better Bible storytellers?
Students with Special Needs
- Should we have a separate class for students with special needs?
- How should the classroom be designed so it’s inclusive of students with special needs?
Teacher Qualities
- How much does a teacher’s life really matter?
- Is there one top quality a Bible teacher should possess?
- How can I become more of the kind of teacher who will make a difference?
Teacher Roles
- Isn’t a teacher’s primary role to communicate God’s Word enough?
- What’s more important, a teacher’s role or qualities?
- What kind of role should a teacher take if students are hurting or struggling?
Teaching-Learning Process
- Is there a set process that should be followed in teaching the Bible?
- Are factors other than lesson structure a part of the process?
- What's the significance of using a process?
Visuals
- What's the purpose of using visuals?
- What are the best kinds of visuals to use in today’s world?
- What would be the top tip for using visuals in the Bible classroom?
Youth Classes
- What do teens most need from us?
- How can we get them interested in studying God's Word?
- What's most important in teaching youth, the lesson or the environment we foster?