Article 1 of 4 in a series from Neil MacQueen, www.sundayresources.net
Insights for Sunday School gleaned from the book Teach Like a Champion (TLAC, D. Lemov).
Doug Lemov spent thousand of hours observing, interviewing, and videotaping great teachers in public schools, and distilled their characteristics and strategies in his book, Teach Like a Champion. This series of articles by Neil MacQueen summarizes many of those traits and practices from a Sunday School point of view.
Q: How can you get your kids to attend 6+ more hours of Sunday School every year?
A: Stop Wasting Time in your classroom.
One of the strategies that good teachers use that results in better student performance is better classroom management. Example: If each teacher were able to save a minute or two each class period for quality instruction, the small time gains made each day would add up to 63 more hours of instruction over the year, –10 extra public school days.
In one dramatic example, Lemov observed a teacher who taught his students how to pass out papers quickly. He timed it and gained 1 minute of teaching each day by making it quick and making sure everyone got what they needed. It translated into 6 hours of additional instruction time over the year for that class, -just by improving the efficiency of one simple daily process.
Corollary: Sunday School classes waste a lot of time -a little bit at a time:
- -scrambling for supplies
- -waiting for latecomers (or allowing them to disrupt the class when they come in)
- -ending the lesson before class is over
- -not having the video cued-up or snacks ready
- -interruptions at the door
- -wasting a little too much time in a “fun” activity
- -allowing pre-class events/gatherings to bloat and eat into instruction time (a major offender)
If you picked up just FIVE MINUTES every week in your Sunday School class by starting and ending on time, then over the course of 40 weeks you’d gain 200 minutes of instruction each year. That’s 3 1/2 extra classes a year. Imagine if you had that time to spend on reinforcing content or bible verses or prayer?
Now DOUBLE that by SHARPENING your lesson plan, reducing time spent on wasteful activities (coloring?), keeping announcements short, —-and you gain 400 minutes, —ALMOST SEVEN EXTRA HOURS A YEAR of quality Sunday School instruction for your children without adding classes or events or additional volunteers, or expense.
This isn’t about becoming a Drill Sargeant. It’s about making the most out of our limited time with our kids.
Suggestion: Start observing your schedule and classrooms looking for time-wasters.
<>< Neil
Feel free to post your “time wasting” observations and solutions here.