20 Tips to Actively Engage Learners from Anthony Sweat

I enjoy listening to the BYU “Y Religion” podcast. I appreciate the insights and analysis of scripture and Latter-day Saint history and doctrine. In the summer of 2025, they did a series on gospel teaching and learning that was equally high quality. One episode, Episode 8: Actively Engaging Learners, with Anthony Sweat was particularly interesting. He talked about how teachers can incorporate a variety of active learning techniques to lead students to meaningful ways participation in lessons.

Brother Sweat gave 20 tips for quick and easy “go-to” methods to get class members actively involved in the lesson. It came at roughly the 22:55 minute mark of podcast / video. I thought the tips were great and wanted to be able to refer to them in the future, so I looked online but was unable to find them anywhere. Therefore, I relistened to that part of the podcast and transcribed the the tips and present it to you here.

If you feel the energy of the class start to wane, like I’m kind of losing them, I just have my 5 go-tos. Like let’s do this, you know, easy go-tos. Let me just read a quick list. When we talk active learning we like to go like well how do I do it? This is a general list of things that anybody can do at any time. I’ll give you 20 of them. So, I’ll read them fairly quickly.

#1 We just call “think pair share.“ Put the question up…hey, I want you to think about this for a little bit. I’ll come to your answers in a minute but get an answer in your head. Now pair up with somebody. Share it. It’s a very common one. It’s very easy. Takes little preparation.

(#2 “read and teach each other” or something like that, I’m guessing because there is clearly a gap in the audio recording.) You know you are responsible for reading this section. You’re responsible for reading this. Or you read these verses. You read these verses. Now teach each other about that.

#3 compare notes. Ok, I’ve been teaching about this for a little bit. Just for a second, pause, turn, compare some notes with somebody next to you. What have you jotted down? What stuck out to you? And compare that to somebody else.

#4 Brainstorm a Solution. So, here’s a problem. I want you to write down how you think you could solve this.

#5 Deconstruct an Argument. Ok, so people say this in the church or people say this about the church. Let’s point out some of the problems with that argument. What do you what do you see? So deconstruct somebody’s premises and somebody’s assumptions they’re making in an argument?

#6 Give them a multiple-choice question. You probably do this. I do this all the time where I’m like, okay, take a look at this question. Here’s the question: A B C or D How would you answer? And then you can use their phones or a poll anywhere kind of thing. But sometimes I just say raise your hand if you choose A? B? C? D? Why? That’s a simple way to engage a class.

#7 Fill in the blank quote. Give them a quote and say how would you complete this? What would you say in the blank?

#8 Summarize a concept in 10 words. Ok, we have a big idea. How would you summarize the concept of grace in 10 words or less?

#9 Recite something together out loud from memory. Okay, let’s see how many of you guys (can recite this)? John the Baptist comes to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry and he says “Upon you, my fellow servants, I confer the preach of Aaron that holds the keys to …”  What?

#10 Show a video. People love videos and just say ‘I’m going to show you this clip. I want you to look for…’ This is a very common one.

#11 Analyze a picture. Like we’ve said, put up a painting and say take a look at this and what do you see in it? Now we’ve kind of said in our examples, compare it to this, but sometimes you just put up a painting and say what stands out to you? What do you like? What draws you to it or this from this photograph?

#12 Make a metaphor. Often when we’re teaching the gospel, we’re taking spiritual concepts that are intangible, and we have to relate them to something. And so, you come up with a metaphor. What’s a metaphor for sanctification? Or, what’s a metaphor for Jesus saying we’re going to reestablish a covenant? Like, give me a metaphor of that.

#13 Give a case scenario. You know which of the following three case scenarios is most likely to be powerful, and you put up a case scenario.

#14 Personalized or modernize it. Write or discuss how you would react to this and why.

#15 Have them create a test question. If you were a teacher and had to test something on this, how would you write a test? Take a second and write a test question?

#16, Poll the class. Simply just by raising the pants. How many of you like this? How many of you don’t? How many of you are comfortable with it and how many of you are not? Just have them vote where they stand and why.

#17 Have them shout yay or nay for a disagreement. Okay, here’s a statement. All in favor. Aye. Any opposed? Nay. Why?

#18 Have students stand up or sit down to show a statistic. We all like rest hymns in the middle of a long meeting. So, in the middle of a class, if you’re feeling the class wane and you have a stat that you want to show. Say okay, one out of four people, so let’s have this segment of the class stand up. This is how many people would … blank.

#19 Do a Google doc. A general shared Google doc. I know you do this sometimes, but if I want to pool resources, then I say, okay everyone follow this link, scan this QR code. We’re all going to… we’re going to do some collaborative learning and let’s create our own Google Doc really quick on this subject. I want everyone to find one quote and copy and paste it in there. And it’s fascinating to see within 10 minutes, which you can find.

#20 At the end of the class just say OK, I want everyone to stop for a second and what was your biggest take away from today? What are you going to walk away from this saying in one sentence?

Now, those are 20 things that you can incorporate in almost any lesson. They require the mind. They require the heart. They require the feet, mental, physical, spiritual exertion. Have some of those in your hip pocket. Have some of those as you prepare.