Grouping for Effective Learning
Q. When Jesus fed 5,000 people from a child’s sack lunch, why did He have the disciples organize the crowd into groups of 50?
A. So the disciples could distribute the food in an orderly fashion and make sure no one was overlooked.
Q. Why should a church that wants to build and maintain an effective teaching ministry be concerned about how it organizes (groups) people?
A. So the teachers can distribute the Word in an orderly fashion and make sure no one is overlooked.
While that is a good answer, far more is involved in organizing (grouping) learners than simply trying to fit everyone into a slot. People today defy most attempts to cram them into categories. For example:
- "Let’s have a class for single adults and a class for married adults. Oh, maybe we’ll need two married classes—one for younger married people and one for older married people."
- "I’m single and I feel more comfortable with some of my married friends."
- "We’re older, but we just got married, and we think we fit better with the younger group."
- "Well, I just graduated from high school, and I don’t fit in with the single adults or the married ones. I don’t belong with the high school group anymore. I think I’ll check out the church down the street."
- "I think we should promote our preschoolers on their birthdays. If the sign on the door says 3-year-olds, we can’t keep someone in there who has turned four."
- "My child is so much more advanced than the others in there. She needs the challenge of being with older children. "
- "If her kid gets to move up, then my kid’s moving up, too."
- "At least we can set a policy for school-aged children. Just put them with their school grade and let it go at that."
- "My son was kept back and is old enough to be in seventh grade. Since that’s where all his friends are, we think he should be able to be with them."
- "We’ve been home schooling our daughter, and she’s so much more advanced than other kids her age."
You get the picture. Human beings are not easily categorized. We arrive as rugged individualists with no sense of group identity. Modem society goes to great lengths to encourage the former and discourage the latter.
Grouping Elements
While there are problems, church can benefit from having a clearly defined plan for providing people with productive, enjoyable groups for learning, fellowship, and service. Consider these factors:
Group Size: When groups of any age get too large, the overall effectiveness of the group experience diminishes. This is very noticeable with children, since groups that are too large quickly turn chaotic. While teens and adults don’t start running amok when their groups are too large, negatives exist when their groups consistently exceed optimum size.
- Learning efficiency drops as group members become spectators instead of active learners.
- Accountability diminishes as leaders are unable to interact personally with learners about their understanding and application of what is being taught.
- Relationships either narrow or tend toward superficial levels. In a large group it is not possible to know everyone well, so most people focus on the few people they do know well, or "graze" genially among the many they know slightly, or withdraw from interaction all together.
On the other hand, there are positive aspects to large groups, mainly for adults and youth learners:
- Large groups generate a level of energy that is exciting and motivating.
- They offer an attractive variety of people to get to know (very appealing to older youth and single adults).
- They provide the safety of anonymity to people who are hesitant about getting involved.
When recognizing the benefits of small groups and the attraction of large groups, youth and adult ministries can seek a balance between both group experiences. With all other things being equal (which, of course, they never are), a learner is better served in a small group than in a group that is too large.
Teacher-to-Learner Ratio
The number of learners for every teacher (leader, counselor, aide) in a group has a significant impact on the total effectiveness of that group. Occasionally, a leader with exceptional abilities will succeed with a large group and no visible supporting cast. A church should be very cautious about building a structure that will demand exceptional leadership in order to succeed. The age-level sections that follow present guidelines for the number of leadership personnel needed for the number of learners being reached. With all other things being equal (which they still are not), a learner is better served in a group that has enough leadership to provide personal attention than in a group that is understaffed.
Comfort and Crowding Factors
Numerous other factors contribute to a group’s feeling comfortable, crowded, or disconnected. A room is too small for the number of people when it is difficult for people to interact with one another and to participate as active learners. A room is too large for the number of people when people are scattered or surrounded by unused space. Crowding can be enjoyable and exciting for brief periods, but the time comes when people become uncomfortable.
Furnishings and their arrangement have a significant impact on how long people can remain positive about a crowded situation.
With all other things being equal (and they are not equal yet), a learner is better served in a group where the setting is comfortable than in a group where the setting is uncomfortable.
Commonalities
People tend to feel most comfortable in groups of people who share similar life experiences and interests. The most obvious common factors are age, gender, and race.
- The only freshman in a high school group dominated by seniors will tend to feel out of place.
- A fourth grade girl looking into a room filled with fourth grade boys will think twice—maybe three or four times—about going inside.
- A person is likely to feel conspicuous in a group where everyone else is from a different racial background
While the Scriptures clearly teach that all these human differences are not to be barriers that separate Christians (Romans 10:12; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3: 11), and while most of us have established deep kinships with others in spite of differences in age, gender, and race, we know that people tend to respond most readily to those with whom they easily identify.
With all other things being equal (dream on), a learner is better served in a group of similar age, interest, or other common factor than in a group where common bonds are lacking. (For example, our lone fourth grade girl might be better off in the fifth, or third, grade group with other girls, than in a class with all boys.)
Personal Needs and Flexibility
Thinking of our lone fourth grade girl, or that intimidated freshman boy, or any person in our churches and communities who does not fit easily into rigid structure, we discover that any church that seeks to build an effective teaching ministry must have a significant degree of organizational flexibility in order to meet personal needs. This is not a declaration to do away with a grouping plan, but to be willing, even eager, to adapt the plan to fit your people. Consider these problems:
Problem 1: It’s time to promote children into the 4-year-old group. If all those who fit the age range are moved, the group will be too large.
Solution: Narrow the age range this year for this group, either retaining some of the young 4s in a 3’s and 4’s group or moving some older 4 ahead into an older group. (It is usually more politically expedient to advance some children to the next group a little early rather than to retain children with a younger group. All parents believe their children deserve to be moved ahead.)
Problem 2: A couple doesn’t enjoy the group that the bulletin defines as the one where they "belong." They feel uncomfortable about going to a class for a different category of people, even though some of their best friends are in that group.
Solution: Explain that the class descriptions are guidelines, not limits. Their purpose is to assist new people in identifying a group in which they will find common ground. Descriptions also give each group a segment of the congregation and community on which to focus outreach efforts. Individuals are encouraged to find the group in which they feel most comfortable and in which they sense the greatest potential for growth and ministry.
Problem 3: A boy is a year older than most others in his grade. He wants to be with kids his own age rather than his own grade.
Solution: Based on the preceding examples, one might expect to be told that the boy should be free to pick whichever group he wants. Not necessarily. Here’s a time when it is important to look beyond the immediate and consider the long-term implications. Allowing a child to move ahead of his grade level may seem like the best option now, but problems can loom ahead in the middle school and high school years. Unless the child is significantly out-of-step with the rest of the group at that grade level (i.e., the only boy among all girls, the only athlete among a class of computer nerds), it is usually better in the long run for school-age children and youth to remain in the group for their grade.
With all other things being equal (what do you think?), a learner is better served in a group he/she has chosen than in a group he/she does not like.
Definition of Terms
Class:A group of learners with one or two teachers working together on the same lesson.
Department:A group of learners with three or more teachers working together. One of the teachers provides leadership (department leader, department superintendent, lead teacher). Part of each session usually involves some time in smaller class groupings.
Division:A major age level grouping consisting of the classes and departments that follow the same basic teaching and organizational plans. The four major divisions follow:
- Early Childhood (birth to age 6)
- Children (grades 1-6)
- Youth (grades 6-12)
- Adult (ages 18 and up)
Follow the dominant pattern of the schools in your area to determine the age and grade limits of each division. As the number of departments grow, create new divisions (usually no more than four to six departments per division). For example:
- Babies and Toddlers (birth to 2 years)
- Preschool (2 to 4 years)
- Kindergarten (4 to 6 years)
©2003 Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO. Permission to duplicate for local church use only. Wes Haystead, author of The 21st Century Sunday School, is also co-author, with his wife Sheryl, of How to Have a Great Sunday School, available from Gospel Publishing House.
