Some Straight Answers to Questions About Responses

Should I read the response to my class if they don't come up with the answer?

No. Responses are not designed to be read in class. They are a guide or help for you, as a teacher, and not intended to be read verbatim.

Do I have to use the responses?

No. Responses are given as a suggestion only. They have been designed to build toward the objective or main point of the lesson. But there may be other appropriate ways to teach that objective for your particular class.

Should I use all of the responses? Sometimes I just don't have enough time to develop each question fully.

When you prepare your lesson, look over all the questions and decide which ones are the most important to meet the needs of your individual students. On the other questions, you may want to use just the answer part of the response.

What do you mean by "The answer part of the response"?

Most of the responses have two parts. The first part gives the answer to the question in SEARCH. The second part is a suggestion for further development in class. By suggesting a possibility for further discussion, this part of the response often reveals why the original question was asked.

Many times the responses say, "Help your students understand . . . " or "Discuss with your class . . . " How do I do this?

This is where good planning comes in. In studying the point to be made, a creative teacher will come up with a question/thought that will start the discussion based on the understanding of his students. Consider the following question and response.

SEARCH question: Which verse of our text answers the question, Who is the Light of the world? Explain what this means.

Teacher's Guide response: John 8:12. Knowing who their source of Light is, discuss with your students why it is important to follow Him and how this is accomplished. Jesus, in explaining His statement, assured us that one will no longer have to walk in darkness or be ignorant of the ways of salvation, but following Him would cause one to walk in the Light of His way.

A teacher could simply ask, "Why is it important to follow Him? How is this accomplished?" in order to initiate the discussion. But there are some other options which might fit the needs of your class better.

For instance, with an adult Christian class you might ask: "What are some of the benefits you have found by walking in the Light? Could you give personal examples from your own experience?"

With a class of non-Christians, you might try: "Why do we use a physical light? What does it do for us? What are the disadvantages of doing without it?" Then you could use their answers to show how Christians rely on Christ as an "illumination" of how they should behave, the course of action they should take, etc.

With a young class: "Have you ever tried walking in the dark through an unfamiliar room full of furniture? What happened? So, why is light important? Compare this to their need for spiritual Light.

With a class of students unfamiliar with our culture: Show a candle. Briefly explain how they provide illumination. Ask students if they have met anyone since they carne to this country who has made a special effort to explain something or assist them in some way. Compare that help to illumination, showing how that help "lit up" or illuminated their understanding. Then show a picture of Jesus, the Light of the world, explaining that He is the One who illuminates or makes clear how Christians should live.

After several opinions have been offered as we are discussing a question, how do I move on to the next question?

Rather than just collecting opinions and then going on to the next question, sum up what has been said or state some conclusion to the question with which you have been working. Otherwise your class will have an unsettled feeling, perhaps wondering which answer was right or the one with which you agreed. It is the responsibility of the teacher/moderator to be sure each question arrives at a conclusion.

Does the last response have to be my wrap-up to the lesson?

Not necessarily. The class session should be concluded in the way that most clearly reinforces the direction you have guided the discussion in. Ideally, if you asked your students what the lesson was about at the end of class time, they should be able to come up with a statement very ciose to the objective as stated in the Teacher's Guide.