Ideas for Gospel Instruction
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:04 am
It somewhat amazes me that, with all the technological advances of the last few decades, our Sunday School, Priesthood, Relief Society, Primary, AP, and YW classes are still conducted using, principally, a printed lesson manual and a chalkboard, with the occasional picture or brief video. Here are a few ideas for improvements: At a one time cost of a few hundred dollars per classroom, each
chapel can be equipped with a small netbook laptop, attached to a low end projector. These could be kept in the meetinghouse library or some safe place when not in use. Lessons can be prepared in the form of a combination of powerpoint slides, jpeg images, and short video / audio clips. The slides can include scriptural passages, references from the study aids, and, most importantly - discussion stimulating questions. The instructor's role would be, with the guidance of the Spirit, to select which slides to hide, which optional slides to include, to moderate / lead discussions, answer questions, and to move on to the next slide after a question or comment or discussion time has completed. Basically, to moderate the class's learning experience, and give the Spirit the opportunity to bear witness.
Some advantages to this idea are:
* multi-media lessons involve more of the physical senses,
improving learning and retention
* avoids heavy printing costs
* lesson updates / corrections are much easier. They can be
downloaded from a webpage on the lds.org website at any time.
In locations without reliable internet. they can be downloaded
via a 56K modem and a phone line or sent by mail on a CD or
thumb drive.
* new, midyear lesson could be provided to wards / branches in
response to current events or special local needs.
* the church curriculum department could provide several
age group-tailored versions of the same lesson by simply
selecting which slides to include or hide, while still leaving
final decisions to local leaders and class instructors, under the
guidance of the spirit
* it would also be easier to provide lessons tailored to the local
culture in various parts of the world
* Several years worth of lessons can be kept on the hard drive of
a laptop. Thus, the idea adapts well to places in the world
where internet access is undependable or non-existent.
* Without a projector, lessons can still be accessible to small
groups or even to individuals who are in a part of the world
where there are no organized wards or branches, via the
netbook's computer screen.
* The software costs could be very minimal as it could all be
accomplished using the Linux operating system, the VLC media
player, and the OpenOffice suite (which has a powerpoint
equivalent), all of which are open source.
* hardware costs could be minimized by purchasing in volume,
and perhaps by contracting with a reputable electronics
manufacturer to create a combination netbook / projector
(with all needed software and data files preloaded on the hard
drive) so they need not be purchased separately.
* A pilot test could be done, using this method of classroom
instruction for 3 - 6 months in a few selected stakes in order
to get feedback from local leaders, auxiliary heads,
experienced classroom instructors, etc. and to flush out
any unanticipated details / issues.
If anyone reading this has any contacts in the church curriculum department, I'd appreciate you passing the idea on to the appropriate people there.
Thanks.
chapel can be equipped with a small netbook laptop, attached to a low end projector. These could be kept in the meetinghouse library or some safe place when not in use. Lessons can be prepared in the form of a combination of powerpoint slides, jpeg images, and short video / audio clips. The slides can include scriptural passages, references from the study aids, and, most importantly - discussion stimulating questions. The instructor's role would be, with the guidance of the Spirit, to select which slides to hide, which optional slides to include, to moderate / lead discussions, answer questions, and to move on to the next slide after a question or comment or discussion time has completed. Basically, to moderate the class's learning experience, and give the Spirit the opportunity to bear witness.
Some advantages to this idea are:
* multi-media lessons involve more of the physical senses,
improving learning and retention
* avoids heavy printing costs
* lesson updates / corrections are much easier. They can be
downloaded from a webpage on the lds.org website at any time.
In locations without reliable internet. they can be downloaded
via a 56K modem and a phone line or sent by mail on a CD or
thumb drive.
* new, midyear lesson could be provided to wards / branches in
response to current events or special local needs.
* the church curriculum department could provide several
age group-tailored versions of the same lesson by simply
selecting which slides to include or hide, while still leaving
final decisions to local leaders and class instructors, under the
guidance of the spirit
* it would also be easier to provide lessons tailored to the local
culture in various parts of the world
* Several years worth of lessons can be kept on the hard drive of
a laptop. Thus, the idea adapts well to places in the world
where internet access is undependable or non-existent.
* Without a projector, lessons can still be accessible to small
groups or even to individuals who are in a part of the world
where there are no organized wards or branches, via the
netbook's computer screen.
* The software costs could be very minimal as it could all be
accomplished using the Linux operating system, the VLC media
player, and the OpenOffice suite (which has a powerpoint
equivalent), all of which are open source.
* hardware costs could be minimized by purchasing in volume,
and perhaps by contracting with a reputable electronics
manufacturer to create a combination netbook / projector
(with all needed software and data files preloaded on the hard
drive) so they need not be purchased separately.
* A pilot test could be done, using this method of classroom
instruction for 3 - 6 months in a few selected stakes in order
to get feedback from local leaders, auxiliary heads,
experienced classroom instructors, etc. and to flush out
any unanticipated details / issues.
If anyone reading this has any contacts in the church curriculum department, I'd appreciate you passing the idea on to the appropriate people there.
Thanks.