Formational Theological Education—Part 2: The Competency of the Folk Posted on October 13, 2014 by Timothy SnyderWe learn in our bodies, in concrete situations. We learn from our built-environments and the constructed social contexts which surround us. In theological education, the turn to CPE and field or contextual education have brought these pedagogical realities to the foreground. If it is the case that theological education shifts as models of ministry shift (and that seems to hold from my reading of history), then such learning in ministry ought to become the “research and development” arm of our seminaries and theological schools….
Formational Theological Education—Part 1: Troubling a Metaphor Posted on September 30, 2014 by Timothy SnyderChange is coming to theological education…. In the future, one of the great elements of teaching will be tending not only to the knowledge our students need, but also competency and character-based practices. Pedagogy, curriculum and technological innovation can support this shift, but it seems to me that at its heart is a shift of vocational understanding for theological educators….
Bodies, Place, and Role-Playing…Oh My. Posted on January 14, 2014 by Timothy SnyderIf there is one thing that really gets theologians and scholars of religions going, its a good text. Many of us spend much of our scholarly lives immersed in them, whether it be biblical texts of the voluminous writings of the historians and systematic theologians. Practices of reading and writing are so ubiquitous in theological and religious studies that scholars must often speak in “textual” language, even when such language meets its limitations. . . .
The Second Naiveté of Online Learning Posted on August 5, 2013 by Timothy SnyderIncreasingly, online learning is a part of theological education. And yet, the vast majority of current professors were trained in traditional classrooms. Many of us are finding ourselves teaching in settings we ourselves have never had to learn in. How can educators embrace a second naiveté towards online learning? While I was working on my master’s degree, I remembering attending a workshop on “developing a teaching philosophy.” I was in the early stages of applying to doctoral programs so I thought it would be a good chance to learn how many of my professors reflect on their vocation as teachers.