Do you feel like you're always on the verge of losing control of your classroom?
Is "ssshhhhh" your go-to -sound while you're teaching?
If the answer is "yes" then don't worry, you're not a bad teacher. You're simply asking kids to do something that they're not wired to do.
What do kids really need to get God's Word embedded in their hearts? What do kids really need to move truth from their short term memory to their long term memory?
The standard answer would be to put them in chairs, keep them as organized as possible and try to keep a lid on their natural enthusiasm. Basically a riot-controlled situation. Welcome to a kids' class in the average church.
But a group of child education leaders in Japan had a different idea. They realized that kids get anxious when they feel walled-in or constrained. They realized that kids thrive in environments where there is a lot of noise. They realized that kids learn best when they are allowed to move and explore.
Based on this thought, they created the most radical learning environment I've ever seen. It's the total opposite of "sit still and be quiet." And the results have been outstanding. Want to know what they did? Watch the video below and prepare to be amazed. It's worth every second of the 9:52. Below the video are some of my initial thoughts about how this could translate into children's ministry.
- We are forcing kids to sit still which is the opposite of their natural wiring. This causes them to disengage and get bored. Then we accuse them of "misbehaving." It's not their fault...it's ours.
- Effective teaching incorporates lots of active learning. You can read more about this in the article "The More They Wiggle...the More They Learn."
- Boxing kids in hinders their learning. What if children's ministries swapped out their chairs for wide open rooms with lots of learning options for kids to choose from?
- Quiet classrooms are not effective classrooms. Just because a child is sitting quietly doesn't mean he or she is learning. In fact, the opposite is usually happening.
- We've made learning too safe. Kids want challenge and exploration that takes them out of their comfort zone.
- Video certainly has it's place in learning, but nothing is a substitute for hands on learning. Curriculum that is predominately video based is missing a vital part of learning.
