![]() ![]() He said that this approach would help student teachers “work with pupils in a way which was different to the way in which they had normally worked with pupils up to that point in time. Hewitt works in teacher education and taught his students to utilize silent lessons when teaching their own students. Dave Hewitt also wrote about using silent lessons when teaching math. This lesson, which focused on mathematical functions, was based on students working on the board and receiving silent feedback from their instructor on their performance. Smith discussed using a silent lesson when teaching math to students in China. ![]() More recently, an educator named Eugene P. have an occasional silent lesson.” A book entitled First Spelling Book, published in 1914, also encouraged teachers to employ silent lessons. The article states, “The watchers have probably learned more in the course of that silent lesson than during three times the amount of verbal instruction.” In 1912, a journal entitled Primary Education encouraged educators to, “for a change, have a silent ‘lesson.’” In 1915, the Ohio Educational Monthly similarly stated, “For variety. An article published in 1883 advocated an approach in art instruction in which the learners were completely silent and learned only from observation. Several writers have advocated this approach, for at least a century. An occasional silent lesson can provide some of that variety. In many instances within a Latter-day Saint context, the teacher prepares thought-provoking questions along with images and passages of scriptures so that students can silently ponder these during the class period.Įducators generally agree that variety is an important part of good pedagogy. ![]() In other versions, only the students do not speak and in still others, only teachers do not speak, but students can. In some versions of silent lessons, neither teachers nor students speak. Before discussing silent lessons in a Latter-day Saint context, it might be helpful to recognize that this approach has been used in other contexts for some time.Ī silent lesson is just what its name implies-a lesson in which there is no talking. In this article, I will define silent lessons, explain how they can fit into the context of Latter-day Saint gospel classrooms, provide an example of a silent lesson, and suggest how to navigate around potential pitfalls associated with this pedagogical approach. While some teachers already use silent lessons, many may not be familiar with this approach. Silent lessons provide a unique way to help students have an in-class experience that helps them connect directly with the scriptures and the Spirit. He obliged, and I began regularly using them in a variety of gospel settings, including seminary lessons, Young Men and Young Women classes, institute courses, BYU religion classes, Especially for Youth sessions, and Education Week classes. Wanting to be a good seminary teacher, I approached Brother Kirkham and asked him to teach me about silent lessons. One day during my second semester as a part-time seminary teacher, a student named Mindy came into class and asked, “Brother Hilton, are we going to do a silent lesson this year?” When I told her that I had never heard of a silent lesson, she said, “Brother Kirkham just taught a silent lesson, and I heard it was really awesome. And what I get out of the class might be completely different from what somebody else gets." Craig W. "What I like about silent lessons is that the Spirit teaches me directly. John Hilton III was an assistant professor of ancient scripture at BYU when this article was published. ![]()
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