EM 603 Educational Ministry with Adults Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Fall 2012: Monday 9AM-12PM S. Steve Kang: sskang@gcts.edu or 978-646-4082 (and em603ema@gmail.com) Office Hours: M & R 2-3PM; (drop-in hours no appointment necessary); T 8-11AM To sign up for an appointment, please visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fllpsf1fvzngnkhopljw6dbtuj-zfs5zjzvr7evaxb8/edit Course Description: The nature of educational ministry with adults is set forth with a focus on the local church. The special needs, developmental issues and potentialities of adults are considered, with a view to helping them toward genuine Christian maturity (From the GCTS 2005-07 catalog). The course s seminar format seeks to forge and simulate an adult learning community that is committed to mutual teaching/learning, cultivating intrinsic motivations for life-long and interdependent learning as students prepare to enter into various full-time ministry vocations. Course Texts: John Dewey s Experience and Education can be downloaded free from: http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/ndemers/colloquium/experienceducationdewey.pdf Galbraith, Michael. W., Adult Learning Methods. Malabar, FL: Krieger, 2004. 9781575242323 Smith, Gordon T. Courage & Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential, Revised ed. Downers Grove: IVP, 2011. 9780830835546 Recommended Texts: Merriam, Sharan and Rosemary Caffarella. Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006. 978-0787975883 Course Expectations: Attendance and Participation (10%) Students are to participate fully in building a learning community throughout the semester with an attitude of openness, respect, and willingness in order to risk encounter and dialogue, listen carefully, responding graciously, and pray for and build God-honoring relationships with fellow classmates. Students are to participate fully in contributing to the learning community by having read and digested the weekly assigned readings; taking active part in all classroom teaching-learning activities; undertaking and sharing all the course projects with utmost care; and being conscientious of fellow classmates whenever working in groups. Note: Those who for various reasons are not accustomed to or comfortable with participating in this seminar format should prepare in advance and hand in to the instructor each week any set of questions, issues, and/or concerns in a written format so that the instructor may incorporate them at the appropriate moments during the session.
Adult Learning Community Manifesto (25%) Students are to write a five double-spaced paper describing their understanding of: (1) adult learners characteristics, learning styles, etc.; and (2) their own educational philosophical commitments and teaching style; and articulating: (3) the purpose(s) of the EM with adults; and (4) the nature & function of the adult Christian learning community. This paper should demonstrate the student s active interactions with and in-depth understanding/ integration of Galbraith, chapters. 1-4 & 6-8, Dewey, and the materials addressed in the sessions 1-3. The paper must be in a.pdf file format with the title of the document reading, ex., KangAbigail ALC Manifesto.pdf, and is due at 11:59PM on September 29 (Saturday). For classroom activities only: students are to bring their paper (either a hard copy or on their laptop) to the class on October 1. A Christian Life Immersion Experience (25%) The student is to spend a whole working day with a fellow church member shadowing the person at his/her work quietly observing, participating whenever invited, asking questions at appropriate times, excusing yourself whenever necessary, etc. Additionally, whenever appropriate, the student is encouraged to carry on spiritual conversations and/or to ask questions regarding the intersections of his/her work, life, family, faith, church, fears, hopes, and dreams, etc. The ideal person to ask is someone the student has known for some time who is of the same gender as the student, is deemed as a mature Christian, has some flexibility at work to bring a guest for the major bulk of a day at that person s work. After having spent the day, the student is to write a five double-spaced paper discussing: (1) several concrete things s/he has learned about the fellow church member and his/her work; (2) any salient themes that the person reflected on God, vocation, family, etc. in relation to his/her work throughout the day; (3) 5 to 7 nuggets of appropriate encouraging words from Smith (each nugget should include one summative/propositional statement and one related quote from book.); and (4) any specific market place and EM with adults issues that you want to grow in and how you hope to grow toward those ends. This paper should demonstrate the student s active interactions with and in-depth understanding/ integration of Smith and the class discussions transpired by the book. The paper must be in a.pdf file format with the title of the document reading, ex., KangAbigail XnLIExperience.pdf, and is due at 11:59PM on November 3 (Saturday). For classroom activities only: students are to bring their paper (either a hard copy or on their laptop) to the class on November 5. Group Presentation Project (25%) Part I Research Notes The student is to pair up in groups of two [or three?], and upon extensive research (at least five books and/or academic journal articles from within the past 15 years and a couple of ministry websites on the topic) on the students research topic, they are to synthesize their research findings and appropriately organize them in four single-spaced pages. These research notes should demonstrate the depth of ministry research (both descriptive and prescriptive) by including the descriptions of: (1) salient characteristics/issues about the topic; (2) the resultant challenges faced by adults, family, church, and community; (3) ministry implications (including goals and evidences) for the
church; (4) Short- and mid-range specific educational/formational strategies for the adults (for individuals, the cohort, and/or extended networks) in the church [and/or, in some special cases, short- and mid-range outreach strategies for the adults (for individuals, the cohort, and/or extended networks) in the community] and (5) complete bibliography of all the resources used & consulted in the research. Part II Curriculum Designing Based on the educational method that is already assigned for the given topic (from Galbraith), the students are to design a 6-hour teaching-learning experience for a group of Christian adults to engage the topic in a holistic manner as a learning community. The curriculum design should include: (1) desired results & acceptable evidences as a learning community; (2) desired results & acceptable evidences for the individual participant; (3) narrative summary of the teachinglearning experience; (4) Part B: description of the big topic idea and its parts; and Part B: the essential question and a set of related questions the T-L experience seeks to address (by basically turning the big topic idea and its parts into a question form) (5) detailed description of learning experience & activities; and (6) description of assessment of the T-L experience. The plan should be no more than two single-spaced pages. The project (Parts I & II) should be combined in one.pdf with the title of the document reading, ex., BellGraham CurrDesign.pdf, and is due at 11:59PM on the Saturday before the Monday session designated for the topic (see below the Course Outline). Part III Curriculum Presentation Each group is to succinctly present the highlights of both the content/topic (research) and the educational method in a realistic (i.e., befitting the rationale behind the educational method utilized in the research) manner for 30 minutes to the class, followed by a short Q & A time. Group Presentation Reflections (15%) Students are to reflect on each presentation (both the content (topic) & the method) as they think about their future ministry with adults in the church and beyond. They are to interact with salient themes from the students presentation handouts (for the content-topic) and the accompanying chapter from Galbraith (for the method) in their reflection. Each reflection should be no more than one double-spaced page (10 pages total). The set of the reflections (including one s own presentation) should demonstrate the student s active interactions with and in-depth understanding of both the presentations and the accompanying chapters from Galbraith. This compilation must be in a.pdf file format with the title of the document reading, ex., KangAbigail PresentReflections.pdf, and is due at 11:59PM on December 14 (Friday). - Late papers will be docked a letter grade for each day they are late. - All papers should be in Turabian* format. For footnoting instructions, see Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6 th Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996. For online help, consult: http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/turabian.html
Course Outline: 1 9/10M Forging a Learning Community among Adults - Introduction to the Course/Students - Toward Understanding Adult Learners 2 9/17M - Characteristics, Philosophical Commitments & Teaching Styles of Adult Educators Galbraith, chs.1-4 Dewey 3 9/24M - Motivation, Ethics & Learning Styles of Adult Learners Galbraith, chs.6-8 Adult Learning Community Manifesto Due on 9/29 (Sat) 4 10/1M - Adult learning Community Manifesto Sharing - Curriculum Designing for the Adult Learning Community 10/8-12 Reading Week 1 NO CLASS 5 10/15M Adulthood in the Context of the Christian Story - Marriage: A Model & Enactment of the Christian Story Galbraith, chs.5, 9 Smith, chs.1-4 6 10/22M - Family: Another Model & Enactment of the Christian Story Smith, chs.5, 8-10 7 10/29M - The Christian Vocation I Smith, chs.6-7, 11-12 A Christian Life Immersion Experience Due on 11/3 (Sat) 8 11/5M - A Christian Life Immersion Experience Sharing - The Christian Vocation II 11/12-16 Reading Week 2 NO CLASS 9 11/19M EM with/by Adults in the Church & Beyond - Teaching & Learning toward Obedience - Presentations Unemployment, Under-employment, Career change Forum, Panel & Symposium Christian stewardship & other financial issues Critical Thinking Techniques 10 11/26M - Mutual & Intergenerational Mentoring - Presentations Emerging generation Lecture Singlehood Discussion Divorce & Remarriage Case Study 11 12/3M - Formation & Engagement for Transformation - Presentations Midlife personal & family transition Demonstration & Simulation Community involvement & engagement Learning Contract Retirement & Life after retirement Case Story 12 12/10M - Presentations Ego-integration: Coming to peace with one s own life Course Portfolio Late Adulthood Health Issues & the end of life decisions Forum, Panel & Symposium - Closure Galbraith, chs.17 & 20 Galbraith, chs.11, 12, 19 & 22 Galbraith, chs.10, 15 & 18 Galbraith, chs.16 12/14F Presentation Reflection Due
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