You’re not the pastor/teacher.
In continuing my read through What the Best College Teachers Do, I have come to one of the important principles of effective teachers: focus on the student rather than the discipline (page 110). Teaching should be student-centered, not discipline-centered or teacher-centered. Teachers must focus on the interests of the students, what they care about, what they know, what they think they know instead of simply giving them an outline of information. In a sense, the students are the teachers. When involved in the lessons and encouraged to participate in the discussions, then they will listen, think, and respond and reach conclusions on their own understanding and reason.
This technique is often easier to accomplish in a small group Bible study rather than in a large worship service. In this Bible study group, students (or participants) should be comfortably allowed to think and talk about the topic, even if their ideas aren’t the most correct answers. Teachers can use warm language, which is actually story telling, to effectively explain ideas and concepts (page 122).
The most effective teachers guide students into discussing ideas that may help them in solving their problems. Overall, the teacher and the students are learning together from each other.
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