Note: This is the seventh post in a continuing series on learning styles in small groups. Click any of the previous posts to read:
- Overview: Why Learning Styles Are Essential for Groups
- Visual Learners in Your Small Group
- 6 Ways to Serve the Visual Learners in Your Group
- Auditory Learners in Your Small Group
- Serving Auditory Learners in Your Group
- Reading and Writing Learners in Small Groups
In the same way that small groups are appealing to auditory learners, thus making it likely that a lot of your group members will have that learning style, small groups are also a great environment for reading and writing learners. If that’s the case with your group, it’s a good idea to structure the environment and agendas of your group meetings accordingly.
For that reason, here are several suggestions and recommended activities to help maximize the experience of any reading and writing learners in your small group.
Get the Right Curriculum
If you have several reading and writing learners in your group, you need to spend a little extra time making sure you use high-quality, helpful Bible studies on a regular basis. That’s because reading and writing learners like books, remember? They will be serious about reading study guides and other material, as well as answering questions and taking notes.
In other words, don’t waste their time (and money) on poor products that don’t actually add anything to a group experience.
That leads to the next suggestion, which you may not like…
Rethink Homework
I know, I know. Just the word “homework” is enough to make people feel queasy. That can be especially true in small groups—people often don’t take kindly to being assigned work during what’s supposed to be a voluntary experience.
But not all people. If you have a high percentage of reading and writing learners in your group, then homework may actually be just what the doctor ordered. These individuals prefer not to make spontaneous judgments and decisions about concepts or biblical texts. They often prefer having time to study and write as a way of organizing their thoughts.
So don’t automatically abandon the idea of homework in your group. At the same time, I wouldn’t make homework mandatory, either. Make it an option and give a helpful opportunity to your reading and writing learners.
Reading Time
We’ve already seen how reading the Bible out loud is a great way to serve auditory learners in a small group. In a similar way, allowing reading time (out loud or silently) can be helpful to reading and writing learners. When you plan time for group members to read through a passage of Scripture and think about the text, you’re allowing reading and writing learners to process information in a way that’s most helpful to them.
So don’t rush. Don’t be afraid of silence. Give your people the time and space necessary to dig into God’s Word and form educated, thoughtful opinions. Your group as a whole will benefit.
Allow for Notes
Reading and writing learners often prefer to take notes about ideas or concepts that matter to them. You can help this process by providing pens and paper for group members who want them.
You could also provide a larger sheet of paper or a whiteboard as a way for a reading and writing learner to take notes for the entire group. Just encourage one or more group members to stand at the board and jot down notes as the discussion progresses. You may be surprised how helpful these notes can be when it comes to reviewing what’s been discussed or charting the progression of your group’s thoughts.
Reading and writing learners can also be fond of writing down praises and prayers requests, so providing pens and paper will have an added benefit during that portion of your group time, as well.
Sam O’Neal is a Content Editor on the Adult Ministry Publishing team at LifeWay. He has a passion for seeing discipleship and full-bodied Christian education done right in the local church—especially in the context of small group communities. Sam is also the author of The Field Guide for Small Group Leaders.