Intensive Courses—Requirements and Design Posted on January 23, 2014 by Ryan TormaA number of seminaries, such as Luther Seminary and Bethel Seminary, are developing intensive courses, which bring students on-campus for face-to-face learning for one to two weeks at a time. Instead of 3 hours per week for fifteen weeks, an intensive course might meet up-to 8 hours per day over the course of 5 days. Designing and teaching courses in this format presents a number of significant challenges….
Why Don’t You Just Tell Me What Grade You Want? Posted on January 13, 2014 by A+ Brooke Lester, CuratorWant an “A”? Okay. Shake on it. In “contract grading,” the student and instructor agree at the outset what grade the student is going for, and what is needed to earn that grade. Of course, this could describe the point of many syllabi. What distinguishes “contract grading” (at least the examples I have seen) is that the student decides which assignments she will do and which assignments she won’t do. Also, in most examples I have seen, the work is assessed on a “satisfactory/unsatisfactory” basis. I have been looking closely at “contract grading,” and am planning to implement some version of it for my 2014–15 courses…
The Changing Understanding of How We Learn–Part 3 : What’s next for Theological Education? Posted on November 4, 2013 by Holly InglisYou are a seasoned professor who has taught countless numbers of first year students your particular discipline, but this year you resolve to try a different approach to teaching, one that includes brain-based strategies for helping students learn. In previous posts, we’ve examined the shift from teaching to helping students learn and the nature of effective learning. How do you structure a seminary class/learning experience that makes this shift while continuing to communicate important content?
The Changing Understanding of How We Learn–Part 2 : What is Effective Learning? Posted on October 27, 2013 by Holly InglisSome of my most significant learning in seminary happened in the cafeteria. The cafeteria was where we all gathered after chapel, drawn in by the aroma of freshly baked cookies and newly brewed coffee, timed to coincide with the “Amen.” That was where we asked the questions of one another that we could not or would not ask in class. That was where we wrestled with ideas and boldly challenged the notions of professors with whom we would not dare publically disagree in class. I would often leave with more questions than answers, but usually the sense of community and mutuality left me with a positive feeling. Enhanced by the delicious cookies, the cafeteria experience became a positive memory of learning for me. We’ll explore why in a little bit.
The Changing Understanding of How We Learn–Part 1: We’re Not in MI Anymore! Posted on October 19, 2013 by Holly InglisHere’s the newsflash–Multiple Intelligence IS OUT! Even Howard Gardner, the author of Five Minds and creator of MI theory, stated that he was over the theory a decade ago and that educators should move on. But if Multiple Intelligence theory is out, then what’s in?