Bruce Wilkinson, 7 Laws of the Learner: law 5 b need maximisers

LAW 5:
THE LAW OF NEED
METHOD & MAXIMISERS
Pages 307-342
Monday 15 November 2010

THE ESSENCE OFTHE LAW
OF NEED ISTHESETHREE
WORDS:
“BUILD THE NEED”
THETEACHER SHOULD
BUILDTHE NEED BEFORE
TEACHINGTHE CONTENT

Wilkinson continues to use
the idea of bait and fishing
for the student - now he
asks that we trust him as a
master fisher and guide,
and he will show us how to
fish using the Need
method - so if you think
your students never listen
or are “stupid” put your
ideas away and listen to this

Find need
Identify
Yearly
Focus need
Isolate
Regularly
Forecast
need
Imagine
Weekly
Need Method
Pre-Class

Fulﬁll need
Instruct
Weekly
Feel need
Inspire
Weekly
Class
Forecast
need
Imagine
Weekly
Pre-
Class

Our primary responsibility is to meet students needs through a
tailored presentation of content. So the ﬁrst step is to ﬁnd the
needs of the students are, identify them, usually in a yearly
way.
Most teachers do not know their students needs - at least 80%
don’t. S how do you uncover student needs?
Step 1: Find the needs

Most people are “ﬁne” or “ok” - we are
used to pretending - so try these to
uncover things:
1. Direct Questions - in a casual
relaxed situation ask need seeking
questions, ask for help to help you teach
- make sure they are open ended
questions
2. Low-key interviews - ask in
general about class needs,“some of our
class are out of it...seem
pressurised...what do you think about...?”
1. Direct methods to find need

3. Anonymous questionnaire - is
controlled and involves more people
than you could talk with; 3 issues, will the
results be private or published, is it really
anonymous, questions need to be
carefully constructed. E.g.
The biggest struggle I have at work is...
My biggest recent disappointment is...
The area of spiritual life I ﬁnd hardest is...
The sin I ﬁnd hardest to gain victory
over is...

4. Interaction with family
members - comments by the student
about the family and vice versa - they
might be vague but you have to read
them rightly
5. Personal visits to the
students home or work -
understand what their life feels like -
most people think the pastor lives in an
isolated world not connected to their
own
6. Personal observation - questions
in class, body language, attendance,
discussions, activities

Such information needs to be carefully
evaluated as it is general in nature.
Consider information about things that
interest your class, and issues speciﬁc to
their age group. Use;
Books - are there any trends in
publishing? What are bestsellers - money,
sex, business, health
Newspapers & Magazines - include
the Q&A section
Research Studies & Polls
People who spend time with the public
- doctors, dentists, hairdressers, police...
2. Indirect methods to find need

Organise information from questions 1
and 2 into a useable form summarized
in order of priority. E.g.
Key need areas - fears,
inadequacies, disappointments etc.
Time references - are they past,
present or future?
Role we take - father, mother,
employee, student, friend, teacher etc.
Life category - physical, emotional,
intellectual, moral, spiritual etc.
Do this at least once a year!
3. Develop a need inventory for
your class

Look at what has been discovered -
then focus the need, isolate
one to deal with in the lesson, do this
regularly.
You will have uncovered many needs
- they are not all equal - in careful
thought and prayer focus on the
most important one - this
should be quick and straightforward
now
Step 2: Focus the need
Focus need
Isolate
Regularly

You have chosen the need - now you
have to deal with your ability to use
that choice - just because you have
the right bait doesn’t mean you can
catch a ﬁsh.
You have to forecast what
would happen if the need
was met
Use your imagination to see it
from the students point of view -
why do they want this need meeting
- do this each week you teach
Step 3: Forecast the need
Forecast
need
Imagine
Weekly

Write a short list of the +ve and -ve
consequences in the lives of the
students if they enjoyed success or
suffered failure.
E.g. If the need is “to obey your
parents” what good could come
from it and what bad from
disobeying?
3 secrets to effective forecasting:
1. Survey your experience and
imagination - ﬁnd examples of the
+ve / -ve consequences

2. Employ the principle of the
extremes - what is the best of
either extreme?This will give you
good ideas. Intense desire comes
from intense hope of pleasure, or fear
of pain.
3. Picture the person who is most
likely to do the extreme, follow
through to see the consequences and
then identify with the result of their
choices

Stages 1-3 prepare for this climactic
moment - this stage will affect if the
students take the bait like the woman
in John 4.The key is to inspire them
emotionally as you build the need
weekly.
Your skill determines the interest and
attention of the students.
Bored / uninterested student =
unskilled teacher.
Emotion not interest is the primary
motivator here.
4. Feel the need

If the felt need is low how
much learning takes place? Not
much.
If students strongly identify with
the need they are strongly
motivated to learn.
In the maximisers we shall see
7 ways to help the students
really feel the need.

This is the goal - help the students to
implement the solution for their
need - you fulﬁll the need and
instruct them on the content as
you teach them each week
Make sure you don’t overpromise -
or underdeliver.
Overpromise = manipulation
Underdeliver = fail to deliver the
goods.
Then make sure you link the lesson
to this need which you have surfaced.
5. Fulfill the need
Fulﬁll
need
Instruct
Weekly

NEED MAXIMISERS
7 ways you can build the need in any audience, any age group,
anytime, at any stage of the class.
In time they will become second nature to you, if you use one
each time you build a need

This is the Principle of
Information; often
presented through
statistics, bulleted lists,
quotes, descriptions or
graphs
MAXIMISER 1: DESCRIBE THE NEED
IN A FACTUAL PRESENTATION

The Principle of
Identiﬁcation: use a
primary story to illustrate
something at work - using a
story close to a students life
helps more - “That’s how I
feel” etc.
Make up parables - Jesus did!
MAXIMISER 2: EXPRESS THE
NEED THROUGH STORYTELLING

The Principle of
Involvement: drama,
monologue, interview, skit -
people love them so act it
out.The Bible is full of
powerful characters and
dramas - modernise them if
you like - get the students
involved acting and feeling the
parts
MAXIMISER 3: SENSITISE TO
THE NEED THROUGH DRAMA

The Principle of
Intensity: how you say
it can have more impact
than what you say - body,
voice, tone, pace, delivery
etc. all build emotion.
MAXIMISER 4: INCREASE THE
NEED THROUGH YOUR
DELIVERY

Any form of music can be
used to raise the need for
your message.
Good music prepares our
hearts, touches our hearts,
helps us to respond
MAXIMISER 5: RAISE THE
NEED THROUGH MUSIC

The Principle of
Imagination: date
projector, white/black
board, drawing - all are
used commonly, and
effectively to build a need
MAXIMISER 6: EXHIBIT THE
NEED WITH A DIAGRAM

The Principle of
Illustration: drawing,
photograph, video - we use
them regularly and
effectively to raise need
awareness, money,
emotions - and frequently
we are touched by them
MAXIMISER 7: SYMBOLISE
THE NEED WITH A PICTURE

1. What are your classes top 10 needs?
What do the class think they are? Why the
difference?
2. What books are your students reading -
what does it tell you about their needs?
3. What do you think are the 5 greatest
needs in the church today?
4. What are your 5 greatest needs?
QUESTIONS

Bruce Wilkinson, 7 Laws of the Learner: law 5 b need maximisers

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