Teaching That Includes Everyone

I am not a fan of learning about history… unless I’m watching a movie about a historical event or reading historical fiction. Learning dates and locations of battles and the political climate of the time are simply not my jam, but if you give me some characters to engage in – a military wife delivering telegrams to notify the families of soldiers who didn’t make it through the battle or a young woman hiding in a church library making fake identification to smuggle Jewish children out of a war zone – then I care an awful lot about history. It’s not that the facts or information has changed; it’s that it’s being presented to me in a way that I can easily understand it.

My husband, Brandon, and I used to volunteer with the youth group at our church and the youth pastor, Andy, really understood the concept of teaching in a way that would be inclusive and understood by everyone. When Andy taught, he used a lot of facts and background information; he had a lecture style of teaching.

While that was great for some of the youth, it wasn’t great for all of them, and Andy knew that. So, he recruited the youth leaders to rotate teaching on Wednesday nights. On the nights my husband Brandon taught you could count on there being some sort of game or sport, when I taught, we were more than likely going to do a skit, and when the other volunteers taught, we would have a craft, a story, or a project.

Andy could have been prideful and said, “My teaching style is the best and if you don’t like it, you can just deal with it.” But he didn’t say that. He knew that rotating the styles would allow each student to get what they needed.

Some weeks would resonate with one student more than others; but knowing that the next week they would be learning in a style they preferred made “putting up with” a different teaching approach every now and then worth it. It also taught them that it’s ok to learn in a different way than your best friend learns. And that there isn’t only one way to teach.

This approach can easily translate into other areas of ministry – especially disability ministry. This can be done by providing headphones during worship or fidgets during group time or alternative seating in Sunday School classrooms. It can also be done by incorporating more interactive messages or creating an area to stand during the service instead of having to sit. Or perhaps having a translator available if members of your congregation are hearing impaired. The possibilities are endless if we’re willing to incorporate an “Andy Style” of ministry.

Want To Know How?

If you’d like to know more about how to teach in a way that includes everyone, see our resources on Universal Design for Learning. It is full of practical ways to teach the Bible to people of all abilities!

About the Author

Mandy Smith (Master of Arts in Christian Education, Midwestern Theological Seminary) is a wife, a daughter, a sister, a mom and a follower of Jesus.  Her husband, Brandon, is a wonderful fellow who has put up with the craziness of being married to her for twenty years now.  They have five kids, James (15-years-old), Katie (14-years-old), Shawn (12-years-old), Maggie (11-years-old) and Sarah (11-years-old).  Writing about the hilarious antics in her household has been a sanity saver for years.  Mandy enjoys serving with children, youth, college students, women and in drama ministry.  She also loves reading a good book while eating cookie dough ice cream.