Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2010-01-04 An Analysis of the Teaching Aids Provided for Sunday School Teachers in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kevin Douglas Whitehead Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the History of Christianity Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Whitehead, Kevin Douglas, "An Analysis of the Teaching Aids Provided for Sunday School Teachers in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (2010). Theses and Dissertations. 2034. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2034 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEACHING AIDS PROVIDED FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS by Kevin D. Whitehead A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Religious Education Religious Education Brigham Young University December 2009 2 Copyright © 2009 Kevin D. Whitehead All Rights Reserved 3 BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Kevin D. Whitehead This thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. ________________________________ ______________________________ Date Daniel K Judd ________________________________ ______________________________ Date Scott C. Esplin ________________________________ ______________________________ Date Byron R. Merrill 4 BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate‘s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Kevin D. Whitehead in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. _______________________________ _________________________________ Date Daniel K Judd Chair, Graduate Committee Accepted for the Department _______________________________ _________________________________ Date Clyde J. Williams Accepted for the College _______________________________ _________________________________ Date Terry B. Ball 5 ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEACHING AIDS PROVIDED FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS Kevin D. Whitehead Religious Education Master of Arts Teaching is, and always has been, important in the work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As one of the auxiliaries of the Church, the Sunday School has made an ongoing effort to provide effective teaching aids for its teachers in order to improve instruction in the Church. This work documents and examines change in principles of gospel teaching over the course of a century. By comparing teaching aids provided for Gospel Doctrine teachers in different time periods with guidelines found in the scriptures and words of modern prophets this work seeks to increase understanding of themes and fundamentals of inspired teaching in the Church. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work could not have been possible without help from many people. I acknowledge the faithfulness of thousands of Latter-day saints who have labored in the Sunday School to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, improve the work, and build the Kingdom of God on earth. I express sincere gratitude to Brothers Esplin and Merrill who invested themselves in helping me to improve the composition. I am grateful to Brother Daniel Judd, my chair, who gave me the idea and the opportunity. His patience and confidence lifted me throughout the process. I express thanks to my family—including my children, parents, siblings and in-laws—who offered ongoing encouragement and numerous prayers in my behalf. I am especially grateful for my dear wife Melany. She is my best friend and greatest support. I love her with all my heart. Lastly, I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all that is good in this work. Without Him I am nothing. 7 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 10 Importance of Teaching in Christianity ........................................................................................ 10 Importance of Teaching in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints............................. 10 Importance of the Sunday School as an Auxiliary of the Church ............................................... 11 The Role of the Gospel Doctrine Class within the Sunday School ............................................. 12 The Role of Teaching Aids within the Gospel Doctrine Class .................................................... 12 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................... 13 Statement Addressing the Problem ............................................................................................... 15 Methodology and Delimitations .................................................................................................... 15 Review of Related Literature ......................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL SETTINGS ................................................................................ 19 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 19 The Sunday School Movement in England................................................................................... 19 The Sunday School Movement in America .................................................................................. 24 Sunday School in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints............................................ 34 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER THREE: THE PARENTS‘ CLASS ............................................................................... 43 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 43 Sunday School for Adults .............................................................................................................. 43 Beginnings of the Parents‘ Class ................................................................................................... 45 Changes under the Deseret Sunday School Union ....................................................................... 51 Influence on the Home and the Community ................................................................................. 55 A New Emphasis on Effective Teaching ...................................................................................... 66 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER FOUR: THE GOSPEL DOCTRINE CLASS ............................................................... 71 1920-1930 ....................................................................................................................................... 71 Teacher training. ......................................................................................................................... 71 Changes in curriculum. .............................................................................................................. 72 Suggestions for the classroom. .................................................................................................. 77 Suggestions for teachers. ........................................................................................................... 81 Changes in teaching theory. ....................................................................................................... 82 Changes in policy. ...................................................................................................................... 85 8 1930-1940 ....................................................................................................................................... 86 Curriculum. ................................................................................................................................. 87 Teacher training. ......................................................................................................................... 92 Teaching theory. ....................................................................................................................... 102 Suggestions for teachers. ......................................................................................................... 105 Vision. ......................................................................................................................................