President Russell T. Osguthorpe, General Sunday School President, spoke to leaders and teachers in the New Albany Stake on October 24, 2009. He challenged leaders to orient all new teachers. He promised that teaching and learning would improve as a result.
These are the steps he outlined for teacher orientation:
1. Discuss the needs of the learners
a. Focus first on who they will teach not on what they will teach
b. Talk about the needs of their specific class members
2. Introduce Teaching No Greater Call.
a. Open the book and review the table of contents, point out the many types of resources included
b. Turn to page 24, "Making a Plan to Improve Your Teaching," and discuss goal setting
3. Invite the new teacher to set goals
4. Show them the class manual and discuss how to prepare a lesson
a. Show them an example of how to use the manual
b. Encourage them to use examples and suggest applications (action) from the lives of the learners.
Additional resources for orienting new teachers can be found at lds.org:
"Ward priesthood and auxiliary leaders meet individually with each newly called teacher in their organizations, preferably before the teacher's first class, to provide a brief orientation. As part of each orientation, the leader should:
- Help the teacher understand the importance of the call to teach.
- Discuss the principles of effective teaching outlined on pages 300-304 of "Gospel Teaching and Leadership," section 16 of the Church Handbook of Instructions Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders (1998).
- Ensure that the teacher receives all the materials needed to be able to teach successfully, including the lesson materials for the class and a roll listing every Church member who should attend the class.
- Ensure that the teacher has copies of the "Gospel Teaching and Leadership" section of the Church Handbook of Instructions and Teaching, No Greater Call. Conduct a brief review of these materials to help the teacher understand how to use them effectively.
- Offer ongoing support. After a newly called teacher has taught his or her first lesson, a leader should contact the teacher to answer questions and give encouragement".
This training video about orienting and giving on-going support to teachers is provided by the General Sunday School. The Sunday School organization has been charged to assist all priesthood and auxiliary leaders in training and improving gospel teaching.
