6.  The law of divided practice.  If to learn a certain piece of material the child must go over it, say, fifteen times, the results are much better if the whole number of repetitions are not carried out at one time.  Time seems necessary to give the associations an opportunity to set up their relationships; also, the interval between repetitions allows the parts that are hardest to commit to begin fading out, and thereby reveal where further practice is demanded.  Where songs, Bible verses, or other material are committed in the lesson hour, provision ought to be made for the children to continue study and practice on the material at home during the week.  The so-called cramming process of learning will not work any better in the church school than in the day-school lessons.

7.  The law of motivation.  Like other activities of the mind, memory works best under the stimulus of some appealing motive.  The very best possible motive is, of course, an interest in and love for the matter committed.  This kind of response can hardly be expected, however, in all of the material children are asked to commit.  It is necessary to use additional motives to secure full effort.  The approval of the teacher and parents, the child’s standing in the class, and his own sense of achievement are some of the motives that should be employed.

A very powerful motive not always sufficiently made use of is the wider social motive that comes from working in groups for a particular end.  For example, a school or class pageant based on some biblical story or religious event has the effect of centralizing effort and stimulating endeavor to a degree impossible in individual work.  Hymns and songs are committed, Bible passages or other religious material learned, stories mastered, characters studied and their words committed under the stress of an immediate need for them in order to take one’s part in a social group and prove one’s mastery before an audience of interested listeners.  The church school can with great advantage centralize more of its religious memory work in preparation for such special occasions as Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or other church celebrations or pageants.

1.  What reasons can you give why children should be taught to think in their study of religion just as in the study of any other subject?  Do you find a thoughtful attitude on the part of your class?  What methods do you use to encourage reverent thinking in religion?

2.  One thinks best in connection with some question or problem which he wishes to have answered.  Do you plan in connection with your preparation of the lesson to bring out some definite problem suited to the age of your class and help your pupils think it through to a solution?

3.  What evidences can you suggest from your class work which show that children readily think upon any problem that interests them?