Monday, January 25, 2016
Godly Play
We talked about Godly Play in class this Monday. We talked about parables and stories. Jenn used creative ways to tell us stories, and ways for us to interact with the story. How do you learn and interact best? In your future youth/children's ministry, students will all focus and learn in different ways. What are some game plans that could help when there are those three kids talking over you, that one kid doing cart wheels still, and the other one who asks to go to the bathroom every time you start the lesson. Ready set brainstorm.
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I personally am a visual and interactive learner. I learn best by seeing and participating. I also value and appreciate time for reflection and journaling as well. I think it's important to plan with all learners in mind, which can be somewhat difficult with the uniqueness of each student.
ReplyDeleteI think a good way of going about this would be to provide options for students to choose from that still teach and emphasize the same lesson and points. They don't have to be drastically different or complicated either. For example, when Jen had us reflect on the passage of scripture the other night, she gave us options of playing with play-doh, writing, or drawing with a variety of writing utensils. In addition, those who may learn best by listening had the opportunity to be still and quiet and just listen and reflect on the passage. Another method of doing this would be to provide different learning techniques throughout different segments of the lesson. If there is consistency in the segments (such as an active time, a quiet time, a hands-on time, etc.) students will eventually adapt to various styles and look forward to the specific times that best suit their needs.
Being intentional in the way we plan our lessons to incorporate opportunities for all types of learners to engage will not only help our lessons go smoother, but will help each individual learn and grow most effectively.
I think I am a visual learner. I can watch a task be performed and I'll have a greater comprehension of the steps that need to be taken so that it looks close to what I saw.
ReplyDeleteIn class we were able to experience different forms of learning to see what experiential learning looked like in practice. So whether it was through molding play-doh or writing, we had a close experience with the scriptures to learn not only what it meant to us, but to understand the deeper meaning of the text (world behind the text). So using those tools to reach students of all different learning styles will greatly benefit not only how we approach fun, but how we manage our lessons.
The lessons that we present, again, have to reach all across all spectrums to make sure that no child is becoming a problem for themselves and those around them. The greater we understand the group of students we are working with the greater we can plan and take on the challenge of working with kids that are unique in their learning styles.
I am a very interactive learner, I like being able to hear a lesson but also have something to look at or hold in my hands that relates to what is being taught.
ReplyDeleteSo for the kids and youth that I would be planning for, I would want to get them involved in the lesson. Sometimes this would involve some kind of activity that made the kids physically move from their seats and sometimes it would simply be giving them a handout that they could follow along on which also had pictures and things to “distract” them from the pastor/teacher but keeping them on the lesson. I think we also need to be ready to adapt quickly to having several learning styles and be ready to adjust our lesson plan on the fly to where it needs improvement to reach the majority of the group. Besides adapting on the fly we need to find out what improvement we need to help get the easily distracted students engaged in the lesson and try implementing ideas that you feel would help keep them engaged and interested in the lesson.
An idea for this would be giving out something small (like Dog Tags for the Armor of God and then have the kids customize them) that the kids bring back weekly while you are teaching the subject. Kids like receiving physical items and if you can make it special for them (1st -3rd Grade has different tags from the 4th-6th graders etc…) and relate it back into your lesson plan kids might be more likely to be interested in the lesson.
Another idea would simply be like we practiced in class on Monday, giving them something like play-doh and having them craft something that they picked out from lesson but giving them time to share their creation with the group if they wish to. If you know how your students learn best, then you can create the best experiential learning experience for them.
I learn best by listening to and seeing something. For example, when I read the Bible I like to read visually but also having it playing it my ears too. I love doing something hands on too. I guess I just like combining all ways of learning... This will probably help me when writing material because I can take a topic and explore all of the ways to teach it. For the kids talking over me, doing cart wheels, etc., I will be patient and try my best to get them engaged gain and keep them engaged. I can't be too serious and get mad/angry. I have to be nice and get them to settle down because of a respect for me that hopefully my actions will gain over time. Incorporating quiet reflection times will help the students who need quiet to do their best thinking. Discussion time helps those who need interaction. Using objects or a visualization helps the visual learners. Reading Scripture while students close their eyes can help the teen who learns best listening. I think the most important thing is to keep things interesting; don't be predictable.
ReplyDeleteI've always learned best through discussion and throwing ideas back and forth with people, so that way I'm testing my thoughts out with people while formulating them at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to do our best to mix things up when it comes to teaching. If we're going to be honest, there are always going to be distracted teens in our group. We have to do our best to keep them on their toes from week to week, that way they don't zone out immediately as soon as they walk in because they know it will be the same exact thing as the week before.
I am think that I learn best by listening, and then hearing an analogy or something to relate to to go along with it. It makes me think about what is being said, and at the same time makes it easy to put myself in the same position.
ReplyDeleteI think that the activity that Jen had us do was a good example of that. Not only was the use of listening, and participation taking place, but it made us connect with the story personally. A lot of the things that people decided to draw or make related to them in some way, which made the verse stand out more. There are many ways that you can do this in a group of kids, but one specific way would be to have a group meeting together and listen to what the verse is, and then split off into groups based on what learning technique works best for you. This way, all the visual learners, and the quiet ones can all be together and hear what each other are saying. Then at the end, they can all come back together as a group and discuss the points of view from the others perspective. I think it would be interesting to see how similar the outcomes turn out to be, even though the way it is learned are different.
I am a visual learner. Especially with words, I am very visual. That is, if I read something, it stays with me longer than when I just hear someone tell the story.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the ways to combat this confusion is to have diverse ways of teaching the story. Such as, interactive dramas or using playdough. Have the kids sing songs or create crafts to illustrate the principles. I do not think we should be telling the kids to "sit down and listen" or anything like that. I think we should instead embrace their energy and use it in productive ways.
I am a very visual and hands on learner. I love learning things while at the same time seeing it.
ReplyDeleteI loved when we talked about object lessons because you can take something we see everyday and connect it to Gods word.
With my future group I will be using many object lessons because I feel it will stick with kids longer as they look at every day objects.
As a auditory learner, I learn best when things are explained a) in person and b) in a variety of different styles. For example, listening to a lecture is not going to help me retain the information. However, a panel or discussion would help things stick in my brain a lot better.
ReplyDeleteOut of the majority of people that I know, auditory learners appear to be in the minority. I may not have factual statistics, but it seems to me that most people learn best when being hands-on. As teachers, we want all of the students to walk away with a clear idea of the subject that about which we were discussing. The different learning styles really give us a challenge because we want to accommodate everybody in our ministry. I believe that the best strategy is to attempt to incorporate all of the learning styles within the lesson. This concept sounds a lot easier on paper, and it is probably pretty difficult to actually execute. Not every lesson is going to be perfectly balanced. Some night may have a bigger focus on visual learning with small kinetic and auditory parts. As long as we are actively trying to include all within the span of learning, I think we are at a good starting point.
I thought the Godly play was kinda cool. I'm very much a visual learner, so hands-on learning works best for me. Knowing that, I try to use it a lot as well because most people enjoy it, and can retain the information better anyways.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of it being called Godly play, but it makes sense. I thought it was cool to see everyone grasping the idea at their own paces, but then to talk later and to hear that they remembered it was even better for me. I think with this learning style, it's easier to implement the other learning styles as well.