4 Tips for successful Classroom Discussions
Story Time
My favorite moment of class had come. I just finished the Bible story and all the eyes were on me. The class was silent and attentive, taking in the truth just presented. This Sunday I was teaching about Jesus walking on water in front of his disciples. The gospel was at work in their hearts in different ways and it was time to transition to a class discussion.
Class discussions can be challenging for teachers, especially with a broad range of ages sharing a classroom. My class had kids from preschool through fifth grade, a wide range of ages to keep focused in a discussion. One preschooler was convinced Jesus was a superhero. “Jesus is my new favorite superhero!” he said confidently. Only Superman had the gravity-defying, weather-controlling powers Jesus had just demonstrated. His older classmates reminded him, “Jesus wasn’t a make-believe superhero. He’s real!”
Beth, an older girl, was moved by a different part of the story. It was clear she was in thought, so I asked if she would share. She spoke up, “I like the part when Peter falls in the water and Jesus grabs him. He controls bad moments and makes them good.” It sounded simple, but to her this moment in the story had profound implications. Beth’s parents had recently gone through a divorce, and her heart was going through its own storm of sadness and “bad moments.” Life was more confusing and disruptive than she could understand, but talking through our story helped her start to make sense of everything. Her words kicked off the rest of our class discussion that morning.
Looking back on that morning reminds me of how important these classroom discussions can be in the Sunday School setting. They serve as intentional time for kids to talk through the truths of the gospel, share their thoughts and struggles, and ask questions about what the Bible actually teaches on a topic. These conversations are vital to children having a real and robust faith of their own, but lesson plans often skip them altogether and instead fill time with games, activities, and songs. Variety in the classroom is great, but these opportunities for gospel conversation are indispensable. Let’s dig deeper into classroom discussions, explore why they’re so valuable, and talk through some strategies to ensure that this time with your students is beneficial.
“These conversations are vital to children having a real and robust faith of their own.”
Why Conversation Matters
The goal of any Sunday morning class discussion is to produce a deeper understanding of the gospel. We want kids walking away each week knowing more about Jesus, themselves, and the world they live in. A teacher going through a Bible story is a great place to start, but it shouldn’t be where learning stops. Educator Linda B. Nilson observes that class discussions are “a collective exploration of issues involving higher-order thinking.”
It’s that “collective exploration” that has so much to offer. We see this play out in the story I shared to open. The preschooler spoke up with something he thought was cool from the story. While it did serve as a connection point for the young boy, he needed some help making sense of the heroic things he’d just seen Jesus do in the story. Thankfully, his older classmate spoke up to get him back on track. Similarly, Beth speaking up about what stuck out to her from the story spurred more conversation among the class. Would these conversations have happened if I had spent the rest of the morning covering bullet-points from the story, or skipping straight to play time? Probably not.
Classroom discussions provide moments of learner-centered facilitation, that both assess the students collective understanding of a topic (in our case, the gospel) and provide opportunity to ask questions, make connections, and think creatively about what they just heard. These discussions also provide students an opportunity to listen to one another, build friendships as they grow together, and help to retain the material being covered in ways that make sense to them.
All that said, facilitating classroom discussions can be challenging. Even if it’s something you’re good at, you’re still likely to have Sundays where conversations go off the rails or kids have trouble listening. Thankfully, we can work on some skills to help us make this time fruitful for our students.
How We Make It Happen
Set Classroom Expectations or “Ground Rules”
“Everyone has good ideas, and there’s space for anyone to speak up, so try to encourage even the quiet voices to share.”
Setting the proper expectations for student involvement is critical to success in classroom discussions. First, let your students know when classroom discussion is starting. They can’t participate if they’re not sure when or where they can speak up. The goal is for them to be willing to participate without you having to pressure them into it. Everyone has good ideas, and there’s space for anyone to speak up, so try to encourage even the quiet voices to share.
Integrate Class Discussions Into Your Lessons Regularly
For classroom discussions to be fruitful, they have to happen regularly enough for the kids to know how they work. That means you’ll want to consistently include them in your Sunday morning lesson plans. Class discussions provide a plethora of learning opportunities and often provide extemporaneous moments of question and answer in the class.
Make It Easy For Students To Participate
Participating in class discussions will be easy for some and difficult for others. Many students have a fear of public speaking and feel vulnerable about their level of knowledge on the subject at hand. You can lower social barriers by calling students by name, arranging seats in a circle, or casually talking to students before and after class. This helps reduce social anxiety and shyness. When a student shares, show them respect by addressing their statement or using it to fuel another talking point.
Organize Questions to Engage Discussion, Not to Fill Time.
Your students have not thought as deeply about the subject as you have. It’s important for you to organize the questions in a purposeful way, guiding students toward an understanding of the topic at hand as well as ways to connect it to their own lives. So instead of asking questions that provoke easy answers, prepare open-ended questions that lead students to the correct answer. Instead of asking questions simply to fill time, consider what questions will engage students to connect to what you’ve been learning about together. They can tell the difference, so put in the time to make the time meaningful.
Grace Goes First
It’s important for us to remember that God uses multiple methods and moments to demonstrate the truths of his gospel to our students. Each child learns differently, but these discussions are one way God can use to draw children to himself. It’s God who does this work, and we must rest in his grace as we serve where he’s called us. We’ll make mistakes along the way, and that’s okay! As you implement these strategies, enjoy the time your students are offered to talk through the truths of the gospel. I pray you find joy in connecting the good news of the gospel to the hearts of your kids.