Purpose Driven Motherhood
has an excellent article on improving class participation. Below are her points but visit her site for a complete description of each and more!
1. When someone makes a comment, make sure they feel safe and appreciated.
2. Openly invite participation.
3. Have them discuss with a neighbor or small group what a scripture or quote means to them, how it applies to their lives, or a time when it has blessed their lives.
4. Have a student read a verse aloud then paraphrase it in his own words.
5. Have a student read a verse aloud then tell how it applies to a certain principle, or how it applies to her life.
6. Invite students to share a personal experience that relates to the topic.
7. Invite a student to bear his or her testimony about a principle. Or ask a person after giving a comment, "Would you put an "I know" statement at the end of that?"
8. When reading a passage, stop and ask questions along the way to make sure everyone follows the story or sermon.
9. Have students brainstorm ways to apply a principle and list their ideas on the board. Invite them to set a goal by choosing one item that they plan to use to improve their own lives.
10. Play pass the chalk. One or two students can write on the board one way to apply the principle, and they pass the chalk to the next person until everyone has a chance to write their idea on the board.
11. Invite them to write a short journal entry to paraphrase a verse into their own words, then write their thoughts about it, and how it applies to them. You may want to play instrumental hymn music as they write.
12. Ask questions before reading a scripture or quote such as:
Look for...
Notice...
Find...
13. Ask open-ended questions after reading a scripture or quote, such as:
What is the Lord trying to teach us here?
What does it mean to you? How you feel about it?
How does this scripture or story or principle relate to your life?
Why do you think...
What did you find...
What do you think, In your opinion...
Why is it, How is it...
What is the difference...
What are some ways...
What life lessons can we draw from this?
Who’s willing to summarize the story so far?
What blessings have you seen when you have...
(Notice what three words most of these questions start with)
14. When someone asks a question, rather than answering it yourself, invite the class to give answers.
15. What if you get too much participation from one or two people so other class members don't get a chance? “We have time for two people to share.”
16. At the end of a lesson I sometimes invite a student to close with their testimony of a principle or truth they learned today. These have been awesome! I gave my seminary students notice when I was going to start inviting them, and told them to come tell me privately if they didn't want me to call on them. Another option is to ask, "Who is willing to stand up and share with us what you learned about prayer today?"
17. Here is a method of class participation you can use if you have an emergency with no prep time, which happened once in Relief Society. I asked everyone to pull out their paper or digital manual, and assigned a section of the lesson to each row. I gave them several minutes to silently read their section and mark things they might like to share. I scanned the whole lesson while they read, and of course prayed for guidance that we'd all say what God would have us say. It turned out awesome! As we moved through each section of the lesson, that row shared what stood out to them and their thoughts or experiences about it. Sometimes I chimed in responses and sometimes others did. At the end I summarized the main point of the lesson in a testimony and we were all well nourished by the Spirit and a great discussion.
1. When someone makes a comment, make sure they feel safe and appreciated.
2. Openly invite participation.
3. Have them discuss with a neighbor or small group what a scripture or quote means to them, how it applies to their lives, or a time when it has blessed their lives.
4. Have a student read a verse aloud then paraphrase it in his own words.
5. Have a student read a verse aloud then tell how it applies to a certain principle, or how it applies to her life.
6. Invite students to share a personal experience that relates to the topic.
7. Invite a student to bear his or her testimony about a principle. Or ask a person after giving a comment, "Would you put an "I know" statement at the end of that?"
8. When reading a passage, stop and ask questions along the way to make sure everyone follows the story or sermon.
9. Have students brainstorm ways to apply a principle and list their ideas on the board. Invite them to set a goal by choosing one item that they plan to use to improve their own lives.
10. Play pass the chalk. One or two students can write on the board one way to apply the principle, and they pass the chalk to the next person until everyone has a chance to write their idea on the board.
11. Invite them to write a short journal entry to paraphrase a verse into their own words, then write their thoughts about it, and how it applies to them. You may want to play instrumental hymn music as they write.
12. Ask questions before reading a scripture or quote such as:
Look for...
Notice...
Find...
13. Ask open-ended questions after reading a scripture or quote, such as:
What is the Lord trying to teach us here?
What does it mean to you? How you feel about it?
How does this scripture or story or principle relate to your life?
Why do you think...
What did you find...
What do you think, In your opinion...
Why is it, How is it...
What is the difference...
What are some ways...
What life lessons can we draw from this?
Who’s willing to summarize the story so far?
What blessings have you seen when you have...
(Notice what three words most of these questions start with)
14. When someone asks a question, rather than answering it yourself, invite the class to give answers.
15. What if you get too much participation from one or two people so other class members don't get a chance? “We have time for two people to share.”
16. At the end of a lesson I sometimes invite a student to close with their testimony of a principle or truth they learned today. These have been awesome! I gave my seminary students notice when I was going to start inviting them, and told them to come tell me privately if they didn't want me to call on them. Another option is to ask, "Who is willing to stand up and share with us what you learned about prayer today?"
17. Here is a method of class participation you can use if you have an emergency with no prep time, which happened once in Relief Society. I asked everyone to pull out their paper or digital manual, and assigned a section of the lesson to each row. I gave them several minutes to silently read their section and mark things they might like to share. I scanned the whole lesson while they read, and of course prayed for guidance that we'd all say what God would have us say. It turned out awesome! As we moved through each section of the lesson, that row shared what stood out to them and their thoughts or experiences about it. Sometimes I chimed in responses and sometimes others did. At the end I summarized the main point of the lesson in a testimony and we were all well nourished by the Spirit and a great discussion.
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