40 GREAT TEACHING IDEAS
Jack Brown

 

GENERAL IDEAS

1. Tickler file – In order to use the ideas you have, a tickler file helps to remind you to put those ideas into action. This is simply a 3 x 5 file card box set up with monthly dividers, When you want to use an idea, you simply place it in the file box with the date you want to start in the upper right hand corner. Tickler files can not only help you organize, but they remove all the mental pressure of having to remember what has to be done next.

Set up your 3 x 5 card with the following form:

|—————————-|
| Idea Starting |
| date |
| |
| Where to find |
| detailed explanation |
|—————————-|

 

Using just one idea per day will help your year go so much more smoothly.

2. f your students get a little lax in a particular area, say spelling, make up a chart with your students names on it. Every time they get a 100 per cent, they get a star. Even the ones who don’t get stars will improve in their grades. The student with the highest average at the end of the month gets to teach for 5-10 minutes.

Areas where this type of procedure would work are:
Spelling
Bible memorization
Math facts, such as multiplication tables or measures.
Christian character traits.
Neat or exceptional penmanship papers
l00’s or A’s on tests in academic subjects
Completion of certain parts of a science project or particular folder.

3. Science Project – This year our students have started to work on a project which will be presented at the Science Fair in March. It is very important to get a start early in the year to make this successful. Complete information can be obtained by writing Abeka Books.

4. An excellent source of tapes are the CEA Conventions in the south. Enclosed is a sample of some of their topics and who to write to for information.

5. We have a series of different people in the community that we invite to school to tell us about their work. Some of the areas in which we have had speakers include:

A) Firemen
B) Paramedics
C) Highway Patrol
D) Safety Speaker
E) Fresno’s Mayor
F) Scientist
G) Lawyer
H) Judge

6. Always be positive in your comments toward a student’s work. A good comment encourages. You might say, “Now wait a minute, if you had done this and this correctly, you would have raised your grade to a C.” If a student does well, don’t say, “Yes that test was far too easy.” I’m sure you remember teachers in college who said that and it was such a put down after you had worked so hard.

7. Stickers – Children in elementary appreciate stickers for outstanding work. Even Junior and Senior High do, only in more infrequent basis.

8. Colorful papers – Make your school forms and report cards colorful and attractive.

 

PLAYGROUND AND RECREATION IDEAS

1. Participate with Students – You don’t have to slide into first base nor make a stead diet of it, but every so often, go out and tag in with the kids by playing a quick game of four square or basketball.

2. Caterpillar Dodge Ball – Place four or five students in the middle of a big circle. The students must hit the last person on the line with the ball. The last person then joins the circle when he is hit.

3. Blind Man’s Volleyball – Take a beach ball. String a rope between two trees or volleyball poles. Throw some sheets over the rope so that the students don’t see the other side of the net. Have the students sit down and play a regular game of volleyball.

4. Super ideas for youth groups – Zonderyan Publishing House puts out a superb series of books for young people. In them are games that are just plain fun, skits, service projects, and much, much more. Use these ideas when planning Sports Days, parties, Old Fashioned Day, and Spring Week.

5. Old Fashioned Day – This is a dress up day. Everyone dresses up in old time clothes. The Junior and Senior High have special old time activities at lunch. This usually takes place in the Fall. Spring Week
is another series of three days in the Spring where students wear clashing colors, hats, 1920’s clothes, and so on.

 

CHRISTIAN TRAINING

1. The Question Mark Tree – Students have a difficult time saying thank you. Put on your bulletin board a tree full of leaves.

Put a basket underneath for each child in the class. Tell them, “I’m listening and watching for something that you do. Each time you do this, I’m going to put a leaf in your basket. At the end of six weeks, we will see who has the most leaves in their basket.” Don’t tell them what it’s for. Every time they say thank you, put a leaf in their basket.

2. Thought A Week – On a weekly basis place sayings on the chalkboard or bulletin board that exemplify Christian traits. Some examples:

If you were arrested for being a Christian; would there be enough evidence to convict you?

When you’re down, look up.

One plus God equals a majority.

Character is doing what you’re supposed to whether you feel like it or not.

3. Praise Sheet – Praise something in every child, every day, Circle their name in green each time that you praise them. That doesn’t mean you praise everything they do, They will need some correction too, but
make it a habit of looking for something in every child every day to praise. You’ll be amazed at the change.

4. Tell It Like It Is – Each year we have a three day morning session with all of our Junior and Senior High students. For one hour on each of the three mornings, we discuss problems often perplexing to teenagers. Among them would be dating, inward and outward holiness, personal cleanliness and dress, and problems young people have with lust. It is not in any way, shape, or form a Sex Education Class, but we do get very close to home on some of our young people’s greatest difficulties in living for God.

5. Eyewitness – Show students how things can get twisted and warped so easily. Have ten students leave the room, the first one returns and is read a story, Then another one comes in and he retells that story. Then
the third one comes in and the second one retells the story. By the time you get through the whole line, your students can see how easily stories get twisted and how that they had better be careful what they say about somebody that they’ve heard about somebody else.

6. In order to teach Christian character, you’ve got to have it. It’s not something that you can put on. Teaching character is teaching control, teaching obedience. The major area where a child shows spirituality is in their obedience. Teach principles, not rules. A principle will tell you with examples – common horse sense.

 

EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS

1. Bright students are often so good that we just let them sit there and finally get bored. Let’s not neglect, but challenge good students. Don’t just push them on to the next higher book and the next higher book
and so on. Expand what they are working on. Praise good students, don’t let them be common.

Keep ideas in a file card box or buy some ideas from a school supply store. Put the number of the card in the upper right hand corner so that the next time they do this activity they can go right on to the next number.

2. Collect quotations – have students collect quotations and present them to the class.

3. Duplicate special materials when something exceptionally good has been done (essays, poems, compositions, etc.). Let others know by running them off and passing them out. Get a collection of these
together and pass them out to parents in a booklet form.

4. Who’s Who Book – This is a resume and digest of important people. Have each student do a Who’s Who Book on a certain field, maybe pioneers or musicians or Pentecostal preachers. This also teaches them critical thinking.

5. Scrambling word games like Scrabble, Yahtzee, and Double Yahtzee. Excite exceptional students. Don’t play just your noneducational games, but emphasize those that help them to learn.

 

BIBLE

1. Bible verses can be made more fun if they are cut up word by word and then passed out to students. Each student then tries to find his place in the scripture.

2. Emphasize Bible verses as a regular part of Chapel service. Concentrate on doctrinal scriptures.

3. Have the first person you chose say the first word and the second person the second word, etc., until the whole verse has been said.

4. Stop Light – When students are memorizing Bible verses, students go or stop according to your hand signals. When you point to a row then that row and that row alone says part of the verse.

5. Missionary Emphasis – Students should know about missionaries. Take a can with a slit in the top and place it in the room, When there is enough money, go and buy the missionary something and send it to him. Have a Faith Promise with your children.

6. Memory Treasures – Each time the student learns a poem or Bible verses, etc., he would write the name of it on a card and then get to put their card in their envelope. At the end of the quarter they get to compare and possibly a little reward could be offered.

 

ACADEMICS

1. Liberty Bell or American Flag – To encourage students to read, have team contest. Every time a student reads a book a student from that team will place a star on the bell or flag. They can put up a ribbon and a
star for a special effect. You can also do this with footballs, elephants. space ships, or anything your students might be excited about.

2. Honor Roll – Anyone on the ‘A’ Honor Roll deserves a shake and a hamburger at McDonald’s. Anyone on the ‘B’ Honor Roll deserves an ice cream cone. Take the students out at lunch time. Students who try very
hard should also be rewarded.

3. Have your students write their own opinions about current events. You will be surprised what kind of discernment your kids have, not only will your students learn to think and write, but it will show you what you are teaching them concerning Christian principles. If they don’t come up with ideas that will make you stop and think, perhaps you need to stress character training a little more.

4. Pass-It-On Stories – Have one student begin writing a story and after a certain length of time, pass it on to the next person and let them continue. They must read the idea there and carry out that idea or thought.

 

SCHOOL PROMOTION

1. Don’t ever miss golden opportunities to encourage people in church about your school. Some ideas along these lines involve: A) Have a school bulletin board in some corner of your church. Keep it attractive and announce school activities on it. B) Put school activities and your logo in the church bulletin.

2. Yearbooks – Yearbooks do not have to be fancy, They can be as simple as a 10 page mimeograph with pictures Xeroxed by the local Xerox company. They are, however, almost a necessity. They contain memories for students and teachers alike.

3. Parent Letters – Send letters home to parents informing them of activities and academics going on in your class. It not only clears the mind of parents to the point that they aren’t calling you all the time,
but it also is good insurance in the area of public relations. Informed parents will want their children to return to your school next year.

4. School Calendar – Send a school calendar home each month. List activities and programs and important dates, such as: school picture day, yearbook sign up day, and school program practice.

5. Green tickets – Reward those who often don’t get recognized by giving them a green ticket which can be redeemed for a coke or candy.

6. 21 Great Ideas – Get together 21 great ideas from your notes of previous conventions. You will find things you never thought of before. Just pretend that you have a workshop to give on great ideas. Just see all of the material you can come up with.

 

(The above material was published by the Truth Tabernacle Christian School in Fresno, CA.)

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