Teacher Development Skills
Bear testimony often and invite learners to share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies.

“Bear testimony often and invite learners to share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies,” Teacher Development Skills: Teach by the Spirit (2023)

“Bear testimony often and invite learners to share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies,” Teacher Development Skills: Teach by the Spirit

Principles of Christlike Teaching: Teach by the Spirit

Bear testimony often and invite learners to share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies.

Skill

Create prompts that help students verbalize their feelings, experiences, and testimony.

Define

As students share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies, the Holy Ghost will bear witness of the truth of what they are saying, both to their own minds and hearts as well as to others. Prompts are one way to help them to share. These prompts typically include two parts: The first part invites students to ponder their feelings, experiences, and testimonies and can be connected to other teaching tools, such as pictures, questions, case studies, video clips, and hymns. The second part provides an opportunity for students to begin sharing. This might be done by inviting students to consider how they would complete a partial phrase. The essential feature of these prompts is that they help students connect with the Holy Ghost to help them begin thinking about a way to verbalize their feelings, experiences, and testimonies.

The models and practices below are general examples. Training will be more effective if models and practice opportunities are connected to the next lessons that will be covered in the curriculum.

Model

Picture Model

depiction of Jesus Christ

You are teaching Doctrine and Covenants 45:1–5, and the principle is “Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father.” You show students this picture of Jesus Christ and use the prompt “If I could tell Jesus Christ one reason why I love Him, I would share …”

Hymn Model

You are singing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” together as a class. You invite students to look for their favorite lines that help them complete this phrase: “I know that Jesus Christ lives to …”

Click here to see a video of this model.

1:22

Practice

  • Take the next five minutes and identify a picture, hymn, or video clip about Jesus Christ that connects to a principle or doctrine in an upcoming scripture block. Come up with a prompt that will help students think through and then share their feelings for, experiences with, or testimonies of Jesus Christ related to the selected principle or doctrine.

Discuss or Ponder

  • How can providing a prompt help learners share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies?

  • What have you learned about helping learners feel more confident in sharing meaningful testimonies and feelings?

Incorporate

  • Develop a prompt for each lesson this week that helps students share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies.

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Skill

Testify more frequently and more powerfully of Jesus Christ.

man teaching in classroom

Define

Elder Neil L. Andersen invited Church Education System teachers and leaders to “testify more frequently and more powerfully of Jesus Christ” (“The Power of Jesus Christ and Pure Doctrine” [address to Church Educational System religious educators, June 11, 2023], Gospel Library). Opportunities to bear testimony can come throughout the class period as truths about the Savior are shared, not just at the beginning or end of class. You can use the following questions to help you identify a simple and powerful witness you can share:

  • What do I personally know about what is being taught about the Savior?

  • How have I felt this power of Jesus Christ in my life?

  • What is a simple and heartfelt way I can share what I know about Jesus Christ?

Sharing your simple and frequent witness of the Savior can create an environment where your students feel more comfortable sharing and can help them feel the Holy Ghost confirming your witness of the truth.

The models and practices below are general examples. Training will be more effective if models and practice opportunities are connected to the next lessons that will be covered in the curriculum.

Model

During a lesson on the birth of Jesus Christ, Brother Chandler thinks about what he knows about the Savior and who His Father is and simply says, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Other phrases to consider and use are:

  • I have learned for myself that Jesus Christ …

  • I know that the Savior …

  • I have felt the Savior’s power to … in my life when …

Click here to see a video of this model.

1:18

Practice

For each of the following truths, write a simple and powerful witness you could share. You can use the questions or prompts from the definition and model above to help you.

  • Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

  • Jesus Christ suffered to save me from sin and death and to help me through the challenges of mortality.

  • A truth that will be taught in your next lesson.

Discuss or Ponder

  • What are you learning as you practice these simple and powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ?

  • What can you do to ensure that bearing your testimony frequently remains sincere and heartfelt?

Incorporate

  • As you prepare and teach your lesson or lessons this coming week, look for opportunities to testify of Jesus Christ. Then share your simple and sincere witness of Him.

Want More?