Guidelines for mentors about classes

As we create this scholar environment for our youth, let us be mindful of the following:

Oliver DeMille, in his article “Force vs. Rigor” :

The tone of youth seminars for those 13 and above could be summed up as:

-You have important things to accomplish in your life, and you need a world-class education

-Push yourselves a lot harder!  Work! Work!  Work!

-What you have to contribute is unique and world-altering

-A great education is a fabulous thing, and it us up to you to go earn one!

-Study, study, prepare!  The world needs what you were born to do.

-Learn more about the areas that interest you, and dig so much deeper into the areas that haven't yet excited you.  You just haven't learned enough about them yet.

-All knowledge is fun, Study a lot more!  How exciting!

What each class should contain:

-At least one scripture

-At least one piece of information to add to their time-line

-your testimony about truth and the Savior

What each class can also contain:

-A Word study

-Music that is wholesome, uplifting, and inspiring

-Reflection moment after particularly impactful experience

-connection to the leadership theme for the month

-something that references the period of history we are studying for the year.

I would like to see us use a method I learned about called “the four R's” either in reflections or word studies:

-Research: study it out using scriptures, words of the prophets, the Noah 1828 dictionary, and other sources of truth

-Reason: write/verbalize your own conclusion of what the truth of that matter is based upon your research

-Relate: figure out how it relates to you in your life

-Record: write or draw your conclusions in your commonplace book

Please try to keep your material within the time frame allotted...going over often makes students restless and makes it harder to learn.

Julie had these great thoughts:

Classes:

Purpose?   Why does the student need to learn this?  As a mentor am I teaching to the purpose or am I just teaching to the subject?  For example if the purpose of constitution is to Help the student understand and apply the principles of freedom in their own life then every time we should be discussing how what we are learning applies to self...how rewriting the emancipation proclamation teaches us about freedom....perhaps by specifically looking for principles of freedom in the document, perhaps by writing a essay after about how the proclamation applies to you.   It gives the student and the subject purpose...rather than just work to be done.  We should always teach to the purpose.    Each class should have a specifically stated purpose and a wise mentor would reflect upon that purpose while planning and preparing for class time

 

Example...In speech my purpose is to help them be used to public speaking so that it is not so intimidating to them, to help them be better at speaking in public and to help them learn to think quickly and to have virtuous thought so that they always have something important to say.  I teach to the purpose by giving them time to speak, by giving them feedback about their speaking, by sharing scriptures that relate to speaking and elevating our thoughts, and by giving short lessons about skills such as eye contact and projection, etc.  as mentors we should always teach to the purpose or we loose or focus and become knowledge based rather than principle based

Value?  This goes along with purpose, but the youth need to see the value in the things they are learning.  This is really the application part.  At some points in our lives it is good to get knowledge just for knowledges sake, but it is so much more valuable to have knowledge for wisdoms sake.  If I can't apply what I'm learning to my life right now, my mission, or my foreseeable future I have a hard time motivating myself to want to continue gaining knowledge.  This is both the job of the mentor and the student to find value.  I think value comes from reading classics and from discussion of them with peers who are finding their own value.

Engagement? Are the student engaging?  Are they participating, are they sharing ah has, are they excited to learn, are they cheating, are they skimming the surface, are they just doing the minimums to get by?  As mentor we need to look at the level of engagement to see when we may have lost our purpose or our value.  Are the students responding by doing more than is required because we have given purpose and they have found value and are now willing to do the hard work.  

Example...Megan has mentioned that sometimes in the geography game there is cheating.  I mentioned that maybe that it was okay with the mentors to keep the game moving.  I was upset with myself later for saying this to her as I don't ever want to teach my children that it is okay to cheat or okay to allow others to cheat.  If students are compromising their virtue...and even just meeting minimums sometimes can be compromising virtue....then we may need to go back to purpose and value....please don't take this as an attack on geography :). That was not my intent only to show that engagement is a reflection of the level of purpose and value being discussed in the class.

I think if we are seeking always for purpose and value in the things we are teaching and looking for signs of engagement from the students then we are truly growing in light and truth not just knowledge.