The temptation in ministry is to always look for the next new thing. Newer must be better, right? Actually, recent studies are finding that two “old school” practices improve learning and retention of important educational content. Although, Bible content was not specifically studied, one would imagine these practices would improve learning in Bible classes, too.
The first practice to bring back to your ministry is the use of paper Bibles. While it’s understandable why ministries made the switch to Bible apps in their classes, it turns out students remember material read from paper books better than that read from ebooks. Having NIrV Bibles available means even struggling readers should be able to understand much of what they read. The NIrV now comes in “adult” covers making its use in teen Bible classes more acceptable.
The second “old school” practice that improves learning is handwriting key concepts. This practice is a bit trickier to execute in ministry Bible classes. We generally discourage activities that require writing because of the risk of embarrassment for struggling students. We have also found worksheets and copy sheets are boring for most students and are possibly counter productive.
To get the benefits of writing without risking the potential pitfalls, you will have to be creative. Why not give students a large white sheet of paper and lots of art supplies? Have them write what they think is the key verse from the Bible lesson on the paper and then create a work of art incorporating the scripture. Since the handwriting involves copying a scripture, there are fewer opportunities for embarrassment. The creative aspect should keep students engaged.
For teens, consider encouraging Bible journaling. The extra cost of a wide margin Bible and nice colored pencils can be offset by encouraging teens to think more deeply about important scriptures. If the handwriting you ask of students is part of a project they find engaging, they will be more likely to participate and benefit from handwriting important scriptures and concepts.
Try adding these “old school” practices back to your Bible classes. You may find there is still value to be found in some practices from the past.