Teaching Activities

Pedagogical resources and classroom activities (rather than graded assessments) that engage students and model active learning using digital tools.

ABOUT TEACHING ACTIVITIES

We know that the most valuable ministry training establishes good habits and practices that students will carry with them in their future work. Faculty modeling in the classroom plays a huge part in that. Here’s Charles Foster, senior scholar with the Carnegie Foundation study of clergy education:

We asked seminary deans to identify teachers reflective about their practice. We discovered that … they modeled in their teaching the relevance and significance of disciplinary knowledge and skills, habits and perspectives for clergy practice. They did more. They coached students with varied backgrounds … into those same ways of thinking, being and doing through their repetition in class sessions and assignments. By engaging students in the rehearsal of dispositions, habits, and ways of thinking embedded in the deeper structures of their teaching practices, they cultivated student expertise to prepare them for the pastoral improvisations needed in addressing both familiar and unexpected challenges in daily clergy practice.

Modeling matters in theological education. If it’s true that ministry leaders will be navigating cultures, convening community, presenting pastorally, and cultivating wise habits with the help of technology, then their instructors should be exploring and demonstrating how to approach those same tasks. Our motto: Whenever possible, show—don’t tell.