BOOKS FOR THE COURSE
- Why Nobody Learns Much of Anything at Church: And How to Fix It, 10th Anniversary Edition!
by Thom Schultz, Joani Schultz and published by Group Publishing, 2003 - The Craft of Christian Teaching: Essentials for Becoming a Very Good Teacher by Israel Galindo, Judson Press, 1998.
- How to Train Volunteer Teachers: 20 Workshops for the Sunday School
by Delia Halverson, Abingdon Press, 1991
During the next twelve weeks we will travel together on a whirlwind journey through the world of educators. If you are one of those people who is beginning this class with a grumble on your lips ? "Hey! I?m planning to be a CLP of a little church. We don?t even have a Sunday School. Why do I have to take this class?" ? we will ask you to set your protests aside until the course is completed.
Education ? learning ? faith formation ? is the foundation of everything else we do in the church, from conducting a worship service to running a business meeting. In this course we will be dipping our toes into these areas:
- The current state of education in the church (it?s a crisis)
- Faith development of children, adolescents and adults
- Our own personal faith journeys and our "core" development as educators
- The "digital," post-modern culture in which we ? and the young people in our churches ? live, and how that affects our educational methods
- Teaching methods, learning styles, educational settings
- Curriculum evaluation and lesson planning
- Working with volunteers to administer church education
- A final project focused upon an area of your particular passion
We?ll just be skimming the surface ? obviously. You will join a group of able learners as we explore what it means to "teach the faith" in our changing, whirling world. During this course we will be be pilgrims together, exploring resources available on the Worldwide Web, as well as reading books. At the conclusion of the course you will have the opportunity to integrate it all into a personal project focused on your field of particular interest. This course will be successful if you end it knowing what your next steps as an educator will be. Your greatest resource along the way will be your fellow journeyers. Pick their brains early and often, and we will grow together.