Group Study Guide

Session: Learning Approaches and Multiple Intelligences

Preparation

• Tape a large sheet of paper to the focal wall in your meeting room. You will need a marker.
  
  
• Collect pictures of the children you parent or teach. Display the photographs on a table or on the floor in the meeting room.
  
  
• Cut out of a magazine a picture of a child who is in grades one through six.
  
  
• Collect five boxes that will nest inside of one another and colorful wrapping paper. The smallest box needs to be large enough for the magazine picture to fit inside.
  
  
• Make one photocopy of this page. Cut out each of the following paragraphs:
1. My Mom says: "Turn that music off. You can’t do your homework with that noise distracting you." Now my room is quiet. All I can think about now is what TV program I hear coming from the living room. What is my brother doing in his room? I wonder what Mom is making for dinner? It sounds like she is cooking something on the stove. Maybe it is tacos. That’s my favorite! Mom yells from the kitchen, "No dinner until your homework is finished." Oh yea, I’m supposed to be doing my homework.
2. My teacher asked me to stand straight and still in front of the class to repeat the memory verse. I could not do it. I knew the verse. I had practiced it many times. The kids laughed. My teacher said I should have been paying attention. I was! As I walked back to my chair, the words came into my mind. It was too late. I sat down in my spot and wanted to cry.
3. Another worksheet! I hate worksheets. I’m always the last one to finish. I hate being last. Why doesn’t Mrs. Clark just ask me to tell the Bible story to my friends? I like telling stories, especially when we get together in a group and act out the Bible story. "What did you say, Mrs. Clark? Finish my worksheet? Yes, Ma’am." I hate worksheets!
4. My teacher said to draw a picture of the Bible story. I love to draw. I drew a picture of the garden of Eden. It had trees and flowers and animals. I asked the teacher if I could use the paint I saw in the cabinet. She told me, "No, we don’t have time." She said we were only keeping busy until our parents come for us. I wish we could paint every week. · 
         
• Place the magazine picture in the smallest box and wrap it. Place this box in the next sized box with paragraph 4 on top. Wrap it, then place it in the next size box with paragraph 3. Proceed with this process until you have one large wrapped box. Be sure to place the paragraphs on top of the enclosed boxes where the participants can easily find them.

Reflect and Practice

1. Begin the session with a time of fellowship and prayer.
   
   
2. Invite participants to choose a picture from the display. Say, "The child you choose will become your friend and prayer concern for the duration of the study."
   
   
3. As a group, list common characteristics of the children in the pictures. Write the characteristics on the large sheet of paper with a marker. Say, "Though children have many common characteristics, God has designed each child in unique and special ways." Suggest that teachers and parents observe boys and girls for clues that help them understand the way God created them so that God can guide them to the best ways to teach children.
   
   
4. Pick up the wrapped box. Say, "Inside each box we will discover a clue to help us understand how children learn." Ask one of the participants to unwrap the large box and read the enclosed paragraph. Ask, "What kind of learning environment do you believe this child prefers?"(This child likes to have music in the background to help him concentrate.) Facilitate a group discussion about learning environments.
   
   
5. Give the next wrapped box to another participant to unwrap it and read the enclosed paragraph. Ask, "How do you think this child prefers to take in information?" (This child likes to wiggle while she learns. She is a kinesthetic learner.) Let the group discuss ways children take in information in their groups.
   
   
6. Ask another participant to open the next box and read the enclosed paragraph. Ask, "Does this child prefer working alone or with others?" Facilitate a discussion about ways they can teach children who have different likes and dislikes regarding group work.
   
   
7. Ask for a volunteer to open the fourth box and read the paragraph. Ask, "How is this child smart?" (This child has visual/spatial intelligence.) Discuss with your participants the implications of the article on multiple intelligences.
   
   
8. Give the last box to a volunteer to open it to discover the picture. Say, "As we have unwrapped the boxes and discussed learning and multiple intelligences, we have more clues than we had before about our children. Take the picture you selected when you arrived and find a partner. Together, share your observations about this child that help you understand how God uniquely created her or him."
   
   
9. Close the session with a time of prayer for the children in your groups. Remind your participants to read the article(s) for the next session