Session: Cognitive Growth

Preparation

• Tape a large sheet of paper to the focal wall in your meeting room. You will need a marker.
  
  
• Cut out of a magazine a picture of a teenager.
  
  
• Collect four boxes that will nest inside one another and colorful wrapping paper. The smallest box needs to be large enough for the magazine picture to fit inside.
  
  
• Make three photocopies 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. They are my favorite! Mom yells from the kitchen, "No dinner until your homework is finished." Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be doing my homework.
2. My teacher insists that we sit still in class and repeat memory verses. I cannot do it. I knew the verses. I practiced them many times. The kids laughed at me. My teacher said I should have been paying attention. I was!
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? "What did you say, Mrs. Clark? Finish my worksheet? Yes, Mam." I hate worksheets!
   
   
• Place the magazine picture in the smallest box and wrap it. Place this box in the next sized box with paragraph 1 on top. Wrap it, then place it in the next size box with paragraph 2. 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. Pick up the wrapped box. Say, "Inside each box we will discover a clue to help us understand how teenagers 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 teenager prefers?" (This teenager likes to have music in the background to help him concentrate.) Facilitate a group discussion about learning environments in light of multiple intelligences.
   
   
3. Hand the next wrapped box to another participant to unwrap and read the enclosed paragraph. Ask, "How do you think this teenager prefers to take in information?" (This teenager likes to move while she learns. She is a kinesthetic learner.) Let the group discuss ways teenagers take in information in their groups. Use information on kinesthetic learning as a guide.
   
   
4. Ask another participant to open the next box and read the enclosed paragraph. Ask, "Does this teenager prefer creativity?" Facilitate a discussion about ways to use creativity. Refer participants to the section on Creativity as a guide.
   
   
5. Hand the last box to a volunteer to open it to discover the picture. Say, "As we have unwrapped the boxes and discussed learning, we have more clues than we had before about our teenagers. With a partner, share your observations about your teenagers that help you understand how God uniquely created them.
   
   
6. Ask, "Why is the ability to think in abstract terms important?" (Faith and spiritual growth depends on this skill.) "How can we encourage the development of abstract thought with our teens?"
   
   
7. As a group, develop a strategy or plan to use to create a thinking environment in your home and church.
   
   
8. Close the session with prayer for the teenagers in your groups. Remind your participants to read the article for the next session