Lesson Handouts

A well-timed and appropriate handout can add to a gospel lesson and provide students with something to help trigger feelings and thoughts after the class has ended. But they should be used sparingly.

I recently attended a training meeting in which the speaker absolutely buried us with handouts.

It became quite humorous as the instructor tried to communicate with us which of the myriad handouts he wanted us to find and read with him. Most of us left the meeting feeling confused.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks shared his thoughts regarding handouts in the April 2001 General Conference (Ensign, May 2001, p. 82):

"Teachers can download bales of information on any subject. When highly focused, a handout can enrich. But a bale of handouts can detract from our attempt to teach gospel principles with clarity and testimony. Stacks of supplementary material can impoverish rather than enrich, because they can blur students’ focus on the assigned principles and draw them away from prayerfully seeking to apply those principles in their own lives."

Please note Elder Oaks' use of the phrase "highly focused."

Handouts are like rubbing blush on cheeks -- best when used sparingly.

Best wishes,

Ken

www.KenAlford.com