Training Meeting May 29, 2014

Weekly Training Meeting

May 29, 2014

Driving personal insights to revelation through The Book Of Mormon. 

Training Meeting May 22, 2014

Weekly Training Meeting

May 22, 2014

Evaluate how you have been with the invitation extended 2 weeks ago, to do weekly and daily planning. 

Think of what you learned from Brian Kohler’s meeting last week

• are we living everything that we are teaching
• if the missionaries aren’t helping their investigators, are we helping the missionaries
• teach lessons in chapter 3 as simply as possible. Simple, Powerful and Clear

Verily I say unto you my friends, I speak unto you with my voice, even the voice of my Spirit, that I may show unto you my will concerning your brethren in the land of Zion,many of whom are truly humble and are seeking diligently to learn wisdom and to find truth. 

-D&C 97:1

Objectives:

• Help you to understand the role that agency play in your personal learning
• Help you to understand how to cultivate an environment where true learning can take place for your missionaries

The object of our mortal existence is to learn

-Brigham Young

The plan of salvation is composed of two elements 1 learning by faith and 2 learning by experience 

-Elder David A. Bednar

Take this Survey

On a scale of 1-10 rate yourself 1-10 rate yourself 1-very little 5-somewhat 10-always

Secularly

• I thoroughly enjoy the learning process I am immersed in at college?
• I act in a school setting and am not acted upon?
• I am a active participant in my current classes?
• I understand how the Lord views my whole education?

Spiritually

• Throughout the day I ponder about what I studied earlier?
• As I study my scripts, ideas come to my mind that have not occurred to me before?
• I record my spiritual impressions and ideas?
• I fall asleep as I study?

I look forward to my personal religious studies?

MTC

• I am an agent that acts instead of being acted upon in the classroom?
• I am an active participant in zone meetings?
• I am an active participant in weekly training?
• My missionaries take responsibility for their learning?
• My missionaries Learning occurs by the Holy Ghost?
• My missionaries expect to learn from the Holy Ghost?
• My missionaries are aware of how they can improve their learning?
• My missionaries have a vision of what they need to learn?
• My missionaries learn from one another and I learn from them?

What are trends you are seeing? 

Look at your two lowest scores, think about why they are and how you can improve. 

Quotes:

Write any descriptors or adjectives about these quotes that define or describe true learning

“The Holy ghost is the teacher who kindles within us an abiding love of and for learning.”

“None of us… knows enough. The learning process is an endless process. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. You cannot afford to stop. You must not rest in your development… there is so much to learn and so little time in which to learn it.”

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Learning always requires action

“Learning and living the gospel of Jesus Christ requires us to:

• read and study the scriptures and the teachings of living prophets and apostles- as agents not objects.
• pray and ask in faith and submit to the will of the father as agents and not objects
• worship and serve God with all of our heart, might, mind and strength- as agents and not objects,”

“I do not know of a principle more central, important, or essential to spiritual learning that the principle of acting as agents and not being acted upon as objects.”

“Joseph loved learning. He loved knowledge for its righteous power. Through the tribulations which had surrounded from the day when first he made known to a skeptical world his communion with the heavens, he had been ever advancing in the acquisition of intelligence. The Lord had commanded him to study, and he was obeying… His mind, quickened by the Holy Spirit, grasped with readiness all true principles, and one by one he mastered these branches and become in them a teacher.”

-George Q. Cannon

“Paint” a picture of two things (maybe discuss with someone):

• What you looked like and how you felt in your last zone meeting 
• What you looked like and how you felt in your least favorite college class

• The best teachers in the world are those that are the best learners. Great learners know what the learning process looks like and when it is and isn’t happening. 
• As the best teachers you should know what true learning looks like.
• What can we do when missionaries aren’t truly learning?

What are true indicators of learning? 

(Class Insight)

• excitement
• creativity 
• discovery is happening
• participation (with class and companion)
• humility
• gratitude
• willingness to help
• edification between learner and teacher

3 components that will allow for true learning to take place:

Capturing 

Expanding 

Teaching

What does it mean to capture?

(Class Insight)

• Missionaries are engaged and focused
• Retaining information
• grasped with readiness
• preparation
• in the moment
• flow- totally in the moment and everything else is completely oblivious, everything is focused towards that issue, time is irrelevant
• Focus
• Using agency to think ponder write discuss gain new knowledge 

What does it mean to expand something?

(Class Insight)

• Add upon
• New perspectives
• never satisfied, don’t settle
• understanding of detail
• New, not a replication

What is the role of teaching at this point?

(Class Insight)

• Simplify the info they have received and expanded upon
• engraining and gaining new understanding
• solidify
• organization of thoughts

What do you do if you are seeing a missionary who is not truly capturing?

• If they skip the expanding step and go right to teach. 
• If they capture incorrectly then they will be teaching their investigators incorrectly

What would happen if you saw a missionary who had correctly captured a lesson, expanded upon it and was now teaching? What would that look like?

• It would be evident in the investigator.. if the investigator starts to expand then the cycle has been met

The missionary must have to have a true desire to learn ALSO a teacher who understands this cycle… the missionary needs to capture, expand, then teach

How can we capture the missionaries and expand their knowledge and teach them differently than they have learned their through seminary or other church classes?

• teach powerfully enough for them to have an “ah-ha” moment but simply enough for the missionaries to truly understand

“We've got to learn to see the ideal and teach to the exception”

What are some things that make an effective demonstration?

• Objectives have to be aligned
• Give them context: Who you are teaching? What part of the lesson are you in? How many lessons have they already received?
• centered on P.I.’s
• Get rid of Physical Barriers- get your missionaries in the movie so they can feel it and see what it’s like to be inside

When your missionaries capture, make sure that they have the proper utilities to act as an agent. They should have their scriptures, paper, a pen… 

Practice giving a demonstration to your missionaries. Are they capturing what you are trying to teach? Re-practice. 

Based on what you have been taught incorrectly- what are you teaching incorrectly? Regarding- Fundamentals? Training Model? BOM Reads? Feedback and Evaluation?

How can you change it?

Invitation:

• Pick one of your lowest score of the survey and start working on it
• Get your ZCs to be in your class this week or in the coming 2 weeks to watch a demonstration that you do. Have them help you evaluate capturing, expanding and teaching.

Teachers that are floating

Starting next Monday, Zone Coordinators will be doing workshops on these things each week. ZC will give you an assignment for everyday of the week, you will spend the first hour preparing for the workshop, second hour go to the workshop and practice and then in the third hour you will take what you have learned to the classroom and apply it. 

Weekly Training Next Week:

Meet together and practice individually receiving insights and revelation from the Book of Mormon

Area Training Meeting

Area Training Meeting

with Brian Kohler

May 12, 2014

The English Area is the best Area (everyone knows that J)

•   We want it to stay that way- The teacher is the most influential part of their MTC experience

•   Because teachers have the most influence it can be for the good or for the not so good- let’s make sure that we are trying to excel to another level to try to help the missionaries accomplish their purpose

•   Be on Time

•   Look the Part- get a haircut, shine your shoes, look good for the missionaries, be an example

•   Always do the right thing- be a model for the missionaries

•   Rededicate yourself to the job of an MTC teacher

Buildings and Potential Phasing

•   Phase 1- T(Training building)1, T3 and T4 with adjacent outdoor spaces. Renovations of 2M, 4M and 18M.

•   Phase 2- Entry Plaza and new Security Gate. 11M Replacement. New 1M entry onto Plaza. Landscape enhancements.

•   Future Work- 1M Replacement. T2

Estimated date Finished? 2017

•    For a long time we have done traditional training…

•    There are a lot of questions and technology that we didn't used to have. What is going to happen in Young Men & Young Women curriculum to prepare youth for missions? What happens when they get their call? Maybe an online training area? English Online teachers? You work with them for the months before they get to the MTC.

•    Future for teachers- knowing your missionaries online first then teaching them when they come to the MTC. Blended learning, instructions online and hands on in class. Many different things are being considered. Missionaries out in the field helping to train missionaries coming to the same mission.

Question & Answer

•   Principles you (Brian) have lived in your life that have helped you become who you are?

•   I think about how I got where I am and where I am going

•   Trying to do the right thing and be in the right place at the right time

•   Try to live my life in a way that helps me to the next step even if I don’t know what the next step is

•   As I look back I can see the Lord’s hand and guidance

•   Be true to what you know

•   Eat, sleep and exercise

•   Life is unfair and it’s unreasonable to expect that it should be

•    How will we help missionaries from depending too much on the new technology?

•    Heavenly Father is in charge of technology and it is advancing to help him spread his word. The brethren are taking a leap. We aren't making a replacement but enhancing it. We aren't really sure of the answer, but are doing things to test it.

•    What do the missionaries remember or take away from their MTC experience?

•    Teachers- my teachers were great. It’s not just what they taught but the impression or feeling that they gave to the missionaries

•    What do we want them to take away?

•    What Brian would want a missionary to get from the MTC-

1.    Understand their purpose and connect with the people

2.    Be able to teach their message in a simple, powerful and clear way

3.    They know how to help them to come to Christ through prayer, coming to church, and reading the Book of Mormon

•    Teach the curriculum in a way that is relevant to the missionaries. Meet their needs WITH the fundamentals

•    What does it mean to teach doctrine to meet needs?

•    Help them come unto Christ by teaching them the restored gospel and helping them live it

•    Find their problem under the problem- someone who smokes yes needs to quit smoking but they do that by faith, repentance, and prayer

•    We only have 2 week and that is not a lot of time. Don’t lower your expectations, adapt to their individual needs.

•    Rarely should an appointment take 45 minutes. If it does then a big part should be with CONNECTING, the other with HELPING, and TEACHING should be so simple that it can be done in 5-7 minutes.

Training Meeting May 8th, 2014

Weekly Training Meeting

Topic: Agency
Objective: So you can learn what it looks like to have more God given agency to invite into your classroom

What makes missionaries fall hard when they come home?

Distractions

Definition- when your attention is divided
What is a division of focus in my life?

Why do we fall into the trap of distractions when we get home?

• We think we can take care of everything now, we want to be productive, but we may take on too much
• We convince ourselves that our distractions are valuable 
• You have to balance relationships with tasks. There isn’t enough time to have good relationships with people

• Distractions can either become your master or your servant. Take time to be still and know God.

• God has asked that we keep a SINGLE eye to his glory.
• Most of the time we are keeping that eye distracted. 

• The Life of a disciple of Jesus Christ is about small choices and structured righteousness.

What does it mean to have structured righteousness in your life and how does it influence your distractions?

Get out your planner and structure your righteousness for the next week.

What happens when you do weekly/daily planning and when you don’t?

Invitation: Do daily/weekly planning. It will help eliminate distractions.

Accountability

Even though the list may change a little in size, God doesn’t change.

What role does agency play in accountability?

Invitation:

Pg.150 PMG. Look at the bullet points that are different accounting tools to increase in your life.

Pick one principle that you can be better at and apply it to your life.

Read Handout:

MOTIVATION - AGENCY - ACCOUNTABILITY

• What drive predominantly motivates you most in your life? Results of those motivations?
• What are some extrinsic/intrinsic reasons you give in to distractions?
• Are you extrinsically or intrinsically motivated by the principle of accountability in your life?
• Is your sphere of agency expanding or decreasing post mission?
• How will you change your life from what you have learned?

DAN PINK- “DRIVE”

Motivation

First drive- Biological- basic human needs to survive- more innate now

Second drive- Extrinsic- outward, seek reward and avoid punishment more broadly

Third drive- Intrinsic- From within, internal drive and desire to be otivated

“We’ve configured our organizations and constructed our lives around this bedrock assumption: The way to improve performance, increase productivity, and encourage excellence is to reward the good and punch the bad… though effective, this system lacks enlightenment.”

“Human beings… have an, ‘inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn.’ This third drive was more fragile than the other two; it needed the right environment to survive.”

“two key factors determined how people fared on the job. the first were “hygiene” factors- extrinsic rewards such as pay, working conditions, and job security. Their absence created dissatisfaction, but their presence didn’t lead to ob satisfaction. The second were “motivators”- things like enjoyment of the work itself, genuine achievement and personal growth. These internal desires were what really boosted both satisfaction and performance and were where managers out to focus their attention.”

“Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity; controlling extrinsic motivation is detrimental to creativity”

“People use rewards expecting to gain the benefit of increasing another person’s motivation and behavior, but in so doing, they often incur the unintentional and hidden cost of undermining that person’s intrinsic motivation toward the activity… Rewards by their very nature narrow our focus.”

“The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination that matter that some people will choose the quickest route there, even if it means taking the low road.”

“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives”

“The ultimate freedom for creative groups is the freedom to experiment with new ideas. Some skeptics insist that innovation is expensive. In the long run, innovation is cheap. Mediocrity is expensive- autonomy can be the antidote.”

Agency

D&C 93:29-31

2 Nephi 2:14

“Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.”

-Elder Oaks

“As we better understand our potential destiny, our level of self-worth and confidence and motivation is greatly heightened. Youth will understand that it is shortsighted at best to take easy classes and easy teachers rather than ones that will stretch them toward godhood. They will catch the vision that it is godhood, no grades, for which they are striving”

“Why is it so critical to have a correct vision of this divid destiny of godliness of which the scriptures and other witnesses so clearly testify? Because with increased vision comes increased motivation. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “No doctrine is more basic, no doctrine embraces a greater incentive to personal righteousness… as does the wondrous concept that man can be as his Maker.” And why not possible? Do not all Christian churches advocate Christ-like behavior? Is that not what the Sermon on the Mount is all about? If it is blasphemous to think we can become as God, then at what point is it not blasphemous to become like God- 90 percent, 50 percent, 1 percent? Is it more Christian to seek partial godhood than total godhood? Are we invited to walk the path of godhood- to “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”- with no possibility of ever reaching the destination?”

Accountability

Alma 41:3-7

“Accountability does not come only at the end of your mission. It is a principle that includes how you begin, how you think and feel about the responsibility the Lord has given you, how you approach your work, and how well you endure. The attitude you have toward your mission experience is a reflection of your love toward you Heavenly Father and His Son and your respect for the priesthood.”- PMG pg. 150

Distractions

Philippians 3:13-15

“It is important to be still and listen and follow the spirit. We simply have too many distractions that capture our attention unlike anytime in the history of the world. Everyone needs time to meditate and contemplate. Even the Savior of the world during his mortal ministry, took time to do so. We all need time to ask ourselves questions or have a regular personal interview with ourselves. We are often so busy that it is often difficult to hear the heavenly words, “be still and know that I am God.’”

-Elder Ballard

Reflect on MOTIVATION-AGENCY-ACCOUNTABILITY hand out

Class Reflection:

• Phones- feeling connected to people. There are good and bad reasons to have social media. Figure out a vision for yourself. Does this fit your high priorities?
• What we ultimately want right now is what we will ultimately get in the end.
• If we believe that God intrinsically motivates us, Why Blessings? Why do missionaries promise people blessings? Do we view God as a behavioralist? 
• The spirit of agency has a close relationship with our faith. 
• Why did we study this and how does it apply to your classroom?
• How do we respond so they know we are listening and they are important?
• How can we respond to the missionaries to inspire intrinsic motivation? When they are stuck in the extrinsic help them towards the intrinsic.
• Help them to realized that they can go further.
• Be ok with what they are receiving from God. It may not be the same things as you receive.
• Help them to have that intrinsic motivation so that they are realizing that they are becoming more like Christ. 

Closing Scripture

30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

 31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

-Heleman 14:30-31