A Leadership A Leadership Certification Certification Course #8Course #8

Energetic, loud, talkative, and imaginative

Well-developed verbal skillsWell-developed verbal skills Different rates of growth Different rates of growth

ratesrates Strong and healthy and Strong and healthy and

eager to practice and eager to practice and display their physical skillsdisplay their physical skills

Begin doing abstract thinking Very realistic but also imaginative

and creative Capable of thinking and reasoningCapable of thinking and reasoning Learn to reason from cause to Learn to reason from cause to

effecteffect Begin to question authorityBegin to question authority

Lack self-esteemLack self-esteem Are subject to mood swingsAre subject to mood swings Crave success and affirmationCrave success and affirmation Get bored unless they see Get bored unless they see

purpose in what they are doingpurpose in what they are doing Are acquiring valuesAre acquiring values Search for a close relationship Search for a close relationship

with adults who trust themwith adults who trust them

Care about pleasingtheir peers

Are hero-worshipers

Are action orientedAre action oriented

Develop gender rolesDevelop gender roles

Want Bible Want Bible teaching to be teaching to be practical, related practical, related to lifeto life

Are developing Are developing consciencesconsciences

Are ready to Are ready to make salvation make salvation decisionsdecisions

Feel Feel responsibility responsibility for their sinsfor their sins

Are rule-Are rule-orientedoriented

Are looking for Are looking for adult modelsadult models

Developmental Needs

Be responsibleBe responsible Achieve Achieve

competencecompetence Grow in self-esteemGrow in self-esteem Master social, Master social,

academic, and academic, and physical skillsphysical skills

Earn from parents a Earn from parents a greater measure of greater measure of personal freedompersonal freedom

Juniors have the basic needs of childhood Juniors have the basic needs of childhood plus the need to:plus the need to:

Spiritual NeedsSpiritual Needs

To know God loves and To know God loves and understands themunderstands them

A Savior who can give them A Savior who can give them victory over sinvictory over sin

Confirmation that God Confirmation that God answers prayer and answers prayer and encouragement to trust encouragement to trust HimHim

To know how God affects To know how God affects their daily lives their daily lives

To experience forgiveness To experience forgiveness and freedom from guiltand freedom from guilt

Juniors need:

Ways Juniors Learn• An emphasis on group membershipAn emphasis on group membership

• Better analysis of factsBetter analysis of facts and intentionsand intentions

• Logical thinkingLogical thinking

• Love for factsLove for facts

• A strong sense of A strong sense of ‘ ‘right and wrong’right and wrong’

Do This

Provide opportunities for Provide opportunities for them to study the Bible them to study the Bible and look up textsand look up texts

Encourage Encourage acceptance of all acceptance of all God’s children – vary God’s children – vary the seating the seating frequentlyfrequently

Allow juniors to come Allow juniors to come to a group about to a group about classroom rulesclassroom rules

Give students choicesGive students choicesof activitiesof activities

Offer concrete andOffer concrete andexperiential experiential instructioninstruction

Provide group workProvide group workas well as studyas well as study

Don’t Do This

Don’t tell Bible content as Don’t tell Bible content as they passively listenthey passively listen

Don’t allow students to sit Don’t allow students to sit in cliques or always with in cliques or always with same peerssame peers

Don’t have onlyDon’t have onlyindependent individualindependent individualprojects/activitiesprojects/activities

Avoid pre-setting rulesAvoid pre-setting rulesconsensus where consensus where students have no inputstudents have no input

Don’t have the wholeDon’t have the wholeclass do the same thing;class do the same thing;Allow for creativityAllow for creativity

Avoid abstract conceptsAvoid abstract conceptswithout concrete exampleswithout concrete examples

• Mature at different rates; girls experience growth spurt before the boys

• Want action and want it nowWant action and want it now

• Often look more grown up Often look more grown up than they actthan they act

• Can be quite awkward as they Can be quite awkward as they cope with growth spurtscope with growth spurts

Can reason from concreteCan reason from concreteto abstractto abstract

Capable of discussion and debateCapable of discussion and debate

Understand symbolism if explainedUnderstand symbolism if explained

Have long attention span if Have long attention span if interested in subjectinterested in subject

Question everything and look for Question everything and look for authoritative answersauthoritative answers

Lack self-confidence & self-esteemLack self-confidence & self-esteem

Get bored easilyGet bored easily

Test the values they grew Test the values they grew up withup with

Experience wild mood Experience wild mood swingsswings

Take themselves seriouslyTake themselves seriously

• Cave in to peer Cave in to peer pressurepressure

• Quite clumsy in relating to Quite clumsy in relating to each othereach other

• Avoid doing anything in isolationAvoid doing anything in isolation from groupfrom group

• Extremely interested in theExtremely interested in the opposite sexopposite sex

* * Questions spiritual truthsQuestions spiritual truths

* * Challenge religious beliefs while Challenge religious beliefs while needing help to clarify themneeding help to clarify them

* * Need to hear adults talk about Need to hear adults talk about their personal faiththeir personal faith

* * Need to recommit to GodNeed to recommit to God

* * Want a practical religion to live Want a practical religion to live by by

Developmental Needs

Collect and sift Collect and sift through through informationinformation

Make more of their Make more of their own decisionsown decisions

Express their Express their individuality in individuality in various ways various ways

Crave affirmationCrave affirmation

Need increased freedoms Need increased freedoms from parental control and from parental control and corresponding increases in corresponding increases in their responsibilitiestheir responsibilities

Need more time with peersNeed more time with peers Need increased emotional Need increased emotional

distance from parentsdistance from parents Need authoritative Need authoritative

standards by which to just standards by which to just right from wrong right from wrong

Spiritual Needs> To know there is a GodTo know there is a God

> > A Savior who can give them victoryA Savior who can give them victory over sin

> Learn how to forgive and to accept forgiveness

> To be told what is in it for them if they commit to living God’s way

Do This

• Allow for plenty of groupsAllow for plenty of groups

• Encourage acceptanceEncourage acceptance

• Provide active games and Provide active games and team activitiesteam activities

• Encourage exchange of ideas Encourage exchange of ideas and discussionand discussion

• Encourage personal application Encourage personal application of lessons learnedof lessons learned

Don’t Do This

• Don’t allow students to sit in cliquesDon’t allow students to sit in cliques • Don’t do all the talking and Don’t do all the talking and expect the students to listenexpect the students to listen

• Don’t always do the same thingDon’t always do the same thing

• Don’t give all the answersDon’t give all the answers

• Don’t dictate to studentsDon’t dictate to students howhow