On September 12, the First Presidency announced that there would be a new way for youth to learn in Sunday classes beginning in 2013.
Each month, LDS youth around the world will study a different doctrinal principle that is coordinated across Young Men, Young Women, and youth Sunday School classes. Rather than having a teacher stand and deliver a “lesson,” leaders will lead discussions where the youth teach each other from Come, Follow Me: Learning Resources for Youth. The goal is to help youth become more deeply converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The article “Helping Youth Become Powerful Learners and Teachers” in the January issue of the Ensign and Liahona magazines helps us understand more about this new way of learning. It recommends four ways that parents, teachers, and leaders can effectively help youth to learn: we need to prepare ourselves spiritually, focus on the needs of the youth, invite the youth to discover gospel truths, and then encourage conversion.
Parents, grandparents, siblings, and leaders can help the youth discover gospel truths if we learn the doctrines that the youth will study during the month and regularly discuss these doctrines with them during the month.
Therefore, at the beginning of each month during the year, I’ll post information on LDS365.com about the topic that youth will be discussing in their classes that month and give you references to prepare yourselves to help the youth. Look for the post about January’s theme tomorrow.
For more information about this new youth curriculum, see the following:
We were told about this last Sunday, and I will be interested to see how it plays out here in Japan where the youth all through their schooling are only ever taught “top down; teacher delivers a lesson” style and where questioning the teacher or offering another opinion is out (eg my hs age daughter had an exam where they were to write their opinion about something and the teacher told them what to write). I really hope it works as I think it is a brilliant idea. I also really like the idea of the youth teaching the class sometimes.
If we are going to have our children as LDS Missionaries, preaching the Gospel at the tender ages of 18 and 19, then it is in all of our interest to give them as much experience as possible. “Early Training” in the high school years gives us the best possible chance for “better performance” just a few short years later.
The teens don’t automatically undergo a transformation at their 18th birthday to know how to be “in charge” of leading a Gospel Discussion, or sharing their own personal testimonies in a group setting. The ones who do the best at this are those with prior experience.