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What practices do you currently use in your classroom to help your students learn concepts on a deeper level? Do you feel these are effective? Why or why not?
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Because I am an intervention teacher and work one on one with a middle school student, we are fortunate to have the time and flexibility to always stop what we are learning and talk about what God’s word says about it and have deep discussions, look up scripture, visually post the content and then what the Bible says about a particular topic (especially when teaching/learning about world history).
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I use the senses to help my students gain a deeper level of understanding. They can write describing how the topic affects all five senses. This helps them to get a better sense of the topic and of what the assignment is asking. It also allows them to use a talent that God has given them to show them that they have a talent that is not being recognized but is highly used for so many things.
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One thing I do to help my students understand on a deeper level is have them play “teacher”. They volunteer to come to the board and they must reteach the course the concept we’ve been learning. They can’t just go up there and answer or solve the problem though, they have to tell me the “why” behind everything they do. I find this very effective, especially in the area of math. Another thing I have students do is brainstorm different scenarios in which they might one day use the concept we’re learning. They take turns making up stories about their future selves using the knowledge they just acquired.
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I teach about the use of music in scripture and how a lot of songs are from the Word. I help the students learn scripture by putting it to song. I helps the students learn life lessons and memorize scripture.
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Currently, my classroom uses reflection journaling during and after reading or learning content that is infused with Biblical concepts. They, in their own words, have to write down what they learned, how it applies to their lives, and what they think God’s Word has to say about it. Some of the responses that students write are very heartfelt and point on even at 7-8 years old. There are others that have not been raised in a Christian home and the information or reasoning is immature or based only on what they have learned from God’s Word since they have been enrolled in my classroom. However, they are using their reasoning skills to try to figure out what they think and how they have processed the information that was covered in the lesson.