Episode 8: Actively Engaging Learners (Tyler Griffin & Anthony Sweat)

Y Religion

BYU Religious Education

Whyreligion, Religiouseducation, Religion & Spirituality, Brighamyoung, Lds, Education, Mormon, Yreligion, Byu, Religion, Yreligionpodcast, Christianity, Churchofjesuschrist

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

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Summary

What do we want learners to know, feel, and do with each lesson? In this episode professors Tyler Griffin and Anthony Sweat discuss strategies for incorporating active learning—ways to boost learning, motivation, and critical thinking by engaging participants in the educational process. By incorporating a variety of active learning techniques, teachers can lead students to intentional and meaningful ways of learning and participation.

Y Religion Presents: Gospel Teaching is a limited series podcast where, each week during summer 2025, expert teachers share insights that highlight key principles and practices of effective gospel teaching.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everybody, this is Casey Griffiths and welcome to another episode of gospel teaching.
0:05.0	Now, it might not be surprising to you to say that I loved my religious education classes growing up.
0:12.0	I even became a religious educator after all.
0:15.0	But even though I loved and admired my seminary teachers and my religion teachers once I came to college,
0:22.1	very few of their lessons still linger in my memory.
0:25.4	I remember that they loved the scriptures, that they lived good lives, and that I wanted
0:30.0	to emulate their efforts to be like Jesus Christ, but I just can't recall a lot of lesson
0:35.0	specifics.
0:36.5	The one exception to this is a lesson taught by one of my seminary teachers, Alan Rao.
0:42.2	I remember Brother Rao inviting us to come in, take a huge piece of butcher paper, then
0:47.7	break into teams, study Lehi's dream in First Nephi 8, and then draw what we saw.
0:53.5	We had about 20 minutes to draw, and then each team presented to the class. I don't think we shared any insights that were particularly stunning, but I remember being involved and really excited to search out the details and then interpret them for the other students. There might be a good reason why that lesson stands out in my memory.
1:12.6	I was doing something active the whole time.
1:15.6	My teacher had the faith to let go a little bit and hand the lesson over to me and my friends.
1:20.6	I have no doubt that he had a better grasp on the passage than I did,
1:24.6	but he allowed me to take my own steps into understanding Lehigh's dream,
1:28.6	and I came out with a greater understanding because of it. I actively participated, and that helped
1:34.5	increase my conversion and testimony. Well, today, active participation is the subject of this episode,
1:42.4	and we are talking with two grade teachers who have studied it deeply, Anthony Sweat and Tyler Griffin.
1:49.4	Anthony and Tyler will each walk us through their process of active learning and then offer a few tips along the way.
1:56.6	That's the focus on this episode of gospel teaching.
2:06.0	Music That's the focus on this episode of Gospel Teaching. Every disciple of Christ is a teacher.
	...

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