Snowflakes and Smarts: Teaching the Way Your Students Learn (Part 5)

Written by Bill Craig

Part Five in a Five-Part Series

If you've been reading these tips for the last few weeks, you know we're discussing the different ways teenagers learn -- each of these ways represents a different way that people are “smart.” Let me introduce you to two teens I know who are smart in completely different ways.

Learning by Doing
Meet Christine, she's a physical learner -- a real "doer." Christine is a very active teenager. She is an excellent athlete and has good coordination. She learns by getting involved physically, and really likes to be a part of mission projects and dramas. Any learning method that allows Christine to get her hands into action helps her learn.

In the Bible, I think Thomas may have been a physical learner. When confronted with the news of Jesus' resurrection, Thomas said, "I'll believe when I can touch the nail prints in His hands, and put my hand in the wound in His side." That's physical involvement. Learning methods that involve physical learners include:

Movement methods, such as moving to an agree/disagree posters;
Putting together items to form a display;
Creating or recreating;
Drama

Learning by Thinking
Now, meet David, he's a reflective learner--a real thinker. David knows who he is and how he feels about things. He has a high level of comfort with his own identity, and he likes to work alone. He chooses learning activities that allow self-expression. He likes to meditate and think on questions before he answers them.

In the New Testament, Mary, the mother of Jesus, seems to be a reflective learner. The Bible says she pondered things in her heart--she thought them over, and cherished them. She engaged in private worship and reflection (see Luke 1:46-55).

Learning methods that involve reflective learners include:

Meditating: thinking about what they are thankful for;
Contemplation: considering alternatives and consequences of a decision;
Study: spending time reading and thinking about a subject
Personalizing: applying Scriptural truths to their lives.

Review your teaching plan from last Sunday morning. Did you include any activities that would involve physical learners? What were they? Did you include methods that would engage a reflective learner? Consider who those learners are in your class. How can you provide an activity for each type of learner this Sunday?

We hope that this "Snowflakes and Smarts" series has better equipped you to truly teach in the way your students learn. Once you know all the different ways your teenagers learn, you can adapt your teaching to best communicate God's truths to them and how they can apply them in daily living. God bless you for your service!

Find more teaching helps in Teaching Youth: Leaders, Lessons, and Lifestyles . This in-depth guide allows student teachers and leaders to examine the who, what, why, and how of teaching teenagers. Purchase your copy of this resource today from Online Catalog .

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