Accreditation and Assessment of Character Education Perry Shaw

Accreditation and Assessment of Character Education Perry Shaw

The Bible opens with assessment: “And God saw that it was good … and indeed it was very good!” [How often in our assessment do we say “It is good … it is very good!”]

“In theological education, the easier something is to assess, the less important that something is likely to be. ” (Graham Cheesman) The Big Questions: Character education is crucial to what we are trying to accomplish in theological education. It is also exceedingly difficult to assess. After all, how do you assess whether your students are actually growing in character? How do we evaluate change of heart? And if character education is so important how (if at all) should credit be allocated? Two Parts: (1) How do we facilitate character education? (2) How do we assess and accredit character education?

Accreditation of Character Education Within contemporary global accreditation, credit should be granted for any required activity through which students learn, and the credits granted should be in accord with the quantity and quality of engagement. In theological education these activities should include field education, and formative elements such as small groups and mentoring. For credit to be granted the following three elements need to be in place: Predetermined learning outcomes. Predetermined learning tasks and activities. Predetermined means of assessment.

Part One: How do we facilitate character education? (Note: Delivery impacts emphases: ABTS vs CTS) With one or two others make a list of all the different ways your school/programme seeks to nurture character. Consider the following: • Specific classroom-based courses that focus on character education. • Non-classroom components which are compulsory and for which credit is allocated. • Non-credited but intentional and influential components.

Case study of ABTS Specific Courses: A substantial part of the Leadership, Discipleship, and Restored Community modules – esp. in final project. Spiritual disciplines Ethics course Cultural anthropology course addresses prejudice and ethnocentricism Evangelism sessions on “the messenger” Psychology course – esp. self-knowledge session Islamic studies: dealing with prejudice Daily journal activities What are some specific courses at your school which focus on character education?

Case study of ABTS Credited non-classroom Mentoring Discipleship groups Chapel Theological reflection on life and ministry (the value of journaling in character education) Ministry practicum Induction, September Diagnostics, Capstone, Independent Learning Contracts. What are some specific credited non-classroom components of your curriculum which focus on character education?

Case study of ABTS Non-credited but intentional and influential Student assessment procedures and graduation requirements, with desire for growth trajectory Policy structures focus on character and formation Student affairs team and student dean Student retreat Living in housing together, including sharing kitchens Clubs Playing sports together (dealing with anger, giving up, …) Model of the faculty – especially in their honesty and transparency What are some specific non-credited but influential elements of your community which contribute to character education?

Mentoring http: //www. woodturnersofswmo. org/mentoring-program/

Mentoring Jesus’s primary mode of leadership training was to mentor a small group of disciples. Challenges: The recruiting and training of mentors. Where the mentor and the student are a bad match. The documentation necessary for affirming mentoring as a credited component of the curriculum. For mentoring to be at its most effective there needs to be a high level of trust between the mentor and the protégé, which can only be built through preserving confidentiality. Mentoring in honour–shame societies: many students may be unwilling to be made vulnerable in mentoring relationships with more senior people, and they are sometimes untrained in self-reflection.

Small Groups

Small Groups It is important that the purpose and learning outcomes of small-group experiences are clearly delineated, as the outcomes should shape the process. • Where the emphasis is on the spiritual pilgrimage of the students, the process may need to have substantial direction from faculty members. • Where the focus is more on the skills of preparing and facilitating small-group Bible study, students will generally need to play a more hands-on role in the process.

Community Worship

Community Worship Particularly in residential programmes, the norm is for there to be a regular time of community worship. While many schools prefer to keep these times as extracurricular, it can also be beneficial to structure elements of community worship as intentional learning experiences for students: • Following training in the basics of quality public speaking, students are asked to journal their reflections on, say, two to three of the messages delivered each week. • Each student is required to lead the community worship and/or bring a message a fixed number of times each year.

Theological Reflection on Life and Ministry at ABTS

Theological Reflection at ABTS: Purpose and Description ABTS exists for the purpose of “equipping faithful men and women for effective service. ” For this to occur the learning that takes place in the classroom must be applied in the context of life and ministry. The process of theological reflection on life and ministry is a major component of your preparation for effective Christian leadership. In that all of life is a theological act you are asked in the course of theological reflection component of the curriculum to reflect upon: (1) various forms of ministry engagement; (2) elements of daily life such as family relationships, relationships with others in the ABTS community, and on-campus employment; (3) current affairs in the wider society. More advanced students are urged to engage in theological reflection on diverse issues. In all these exercises keep in mind the end goal of your development of a leader who is “able to interpret Christian life and ministry through the multiple lenses of Scripture, Theology, History, and Community. ”

Contextual Imperative: ABTS Vision, Mission, and Values 5 Biblical-Theological Careful exegetical work of key passages related to the central issue of the course – Exegesis of the Biblical Text Sociological-Cultural: How do the issues interface with the surrounding society – Exegesis of Culture Historical-Theological: Reflection on great theological themes as they relate to the central issue of the course – Exegesis of the Church Personal-Ministerial: How might the issues in the course be formational in the life of the student, and how might the student help others to be formed by the content – Exegesis of Self Redemptive Initiative based on Multidimensional Reflection on Practice

“Effective theological training should not prepare for mere ministerial professionalism, but for intelligent, committed, creative and faithful service to God, and for training others in right thinking about the right thing to do (Hoeckman 1994). Many Christian believers struggle to make connections between their faith and the routines of daily life. While they may be faithful at Sunday worship, there is minimal application of the faith to the workplace, studies, parenting and leisure. Consequently, a very valuable curricular element outside the classroom can be to require students to engage in activities that require theological reflection on life experiences. ” (Perry Shaw, Transforming Theological Education, p. 115)

Reflection Process and Credits: For the BTh and MDiv degrees students are required to complete a total of 21 Credits of theological reflection, some of which should be reserved for the third year. (Cert. Th and Dip. Th have smaller but still substantial expectations. ) Each credit is 25 -30 hours of engagement, of which it is expected that about 20 hours will be action, and 5 -10 hours of reflection. It is important to document the action component, and it is expected that each credit will include a minimum of 1000 words of reflection. Students in the second and third year are encouraged to do substantial (3 -5 credit) exercises in theological education. For example, for a 4 -credit piece this would mean approximately 80 hours of action, and a minimum of 4000 words of reflection, most of which should be directly related to the major themes of your classroom studies and the specific courses you have taken.

Brief Description Briefly describe the event / activity / experience you have chosen to reflect on. Be as specific as possible, identifying the context, purpose etc. What were your specific responsibilities? Has your level of responsibility developed? Were you required to / able to take initiative? Personal insights and issues How did you feel [positive and negative feelings] about your participation in this activity, and your experience of this event? Identify the aspects of the activity / event that went well. Why do you think this did go well? What aspects of the activity / event etc. could have been done better? Without mentioning names and/or blaming individuals, why do you think this was the case?

Theological and Biblical Reflection What aspects of God’s character were revealed through your experience? In what ways [and to what extent] was the missionary heart of God demonstrated within this context? Explain your thinking. A central theological lens is that of salvation history – creation, fall, redemption, consummation: a. Humans are created in God’s image but fallen, and consequently we can expect to see something of God’s character and something of the fall in those we serve. Without mentioning names how did you see this in action? b. The work of Christ has opened the way for redemptive responses to negative situations as we strive towards the consummate ideal. Consider at least one negative situation you observed. How might this situation have been approached in a more redemptive way? What could you as a cross-bearing servant personally have done to promote redemption?

Theological and Biblical Reflection What other theological themes were apparent as you reflect on this experience – for example: the role of the Church in building the Kingdom of God on Earth; the incarnation etc. [If relevant: ] Reflect on the church context where you served. Name at least two ways in which the church demonstrated sound biblical ecclesiology. Were there any ways in which the church context differed from what you see as the biblical ideal of the church? Explain your response. What was it that you think God would want to speak into the situation that you experienced to the various people / communities that were involved? How do you think He might seek to do this?

Social Science Reflections What positive or negative elements of hidden or null curriculum did you observe in this experience? In what ways did you see power and influence at work in this experience? How did this impact the situation positively and/or negatively? Was there any sort of misunderstanding or conflict? What were some of the social, cultural, and/or psychological factors that contributed to the misunderstanding or conflict? To what extent was your behaviour or the behaviour of others shaped by cultural background? To what extent was it different from normal cultural patterns?

Dialogue with Your Course of Study Consider in turn each of the courses taken at ABTS. Describe some specific topics from what you have studied which inform your understanding and evaluation of your experience. [For each credit of theological reflection you should choose approximately 3 -4 different topics. ] Summarise the main points of significance from the courses you have studied. For each of these topics dialogue between experience and theory and make observations and recommendations.

Learning and development What did you learn as a result of this experience? This could be about yourself, about your calling, about how to do something practically, something about the nature of God and ministry, etc. Insights and practical considerations for future What lessons will you be able to integrate in your future ministry? How best might a church / ministry respond to this type of situation in the future? What would you like to reflect on further and discuss?

What we have been unable to accomplish but wish we could: • Debrief times – either individually or in groups. • Ensuring an appropriate balance between theological reflection on life and theological reflection on ministry • Pushing the students outside their comfort zone to quality reflection on such things as television, current affairs, the business world, movies, etc.

Induction, September Diagnostics, Capstone, Independent Learning Contracts

• What are the most important attitudes, motivations, desires, and character traits that an effective leader needs to have to help the church address the challenges? (the Affective domain of learning) • What are the most important skills and habits of life that an effective leader needs to have to help the church address the challenges? (the Behavioural domain of learning) • What knowledge and reflective abilities does an effective leader need to have to help the church address the challenges? How might an effective leader continue growing and learning throughout the years of life and ministry? (the Cognitive domain of learning) Example: ABTS Profile of an Ideal Christian Leader

ABTS Graduate Requirements The most important characteristic we should seek in students is a teachable spirit – a commitment to grow as servant-leaders while they are with us – cognitively, affectively, behaviourally. If the students demonstrate a commitment to selfinitiated holistic growth, they are more likely to continue this pattern after graduation. Consequently the elements we seek to see in students as they move towards graduation include the following: A teachable spirit – not just in academic courses but also in personal and ministerial formation. Of particular concern is to see a teachable spirit even where ABTS is not providing boundaries and direction. Reducing levels of ABTS-initiated “maintenance”. While some students may need substantial “maintenance” at the beginning of their time with us, if this continues into the second and third years we should question their long-term effectiveness as leaders. An increasingly positive influence on other students, particularly first year students. We recognize that a growing relationship with God should be reflected in a growing positive influence on other students. Self-initiated disciplines of growth, where students recognize an area of weakness and take positive steps to address these weaknesses. At your theological college what would be your priorities? [ABTS is fully residential. ]

Independent Learning Contracts We do well to reduce the content in our curricula and train students in how to plan and design their own learning. One of the most helpful approaches to training students in this process is independent learning contracts. While cognitive exercises are valuable, for some students among the best means of preparation for future ministry, both in content and in process, may be to engage in an independent learning contract that focuses on such life skills as time management or self-discipline, or practical skills such as playing the guitar or using a sewing machine.

Transforming the Hidden and Null Curricula of Seminary Education

Students learn more about Christian leadership through: • the way teaching takes place • the model of their teachers’ lives • their experience of the school’s administration … than they do through the content that we teach in the classroom.

Part Two: How do we assess and accredit character education? • With one or two others make a list of all the different ways your school/programme seeks to assess and grant credit for character education. • In your experience what have you found difficult in assessing character formation? • What concerns have you and your school team had about granting credit for character education?

Accreditation of Character Education Within contemporary global accreditation, credit should be granted for any required activity through which students learn, and the credits granted should be in accord with the quantity and quality of engagement. In theological education these activities should include field education, and formative elements such as small groups and mentoring. For credit to be granted the following three elements need to be in place: Predetermined learning outcomes. Predetermined learning tasks and activities. Predetermined means of assessment.

• • • For Discussion Of the suggestions given which 2 or 3 do you do particularly well already at your institution? Which 2 or 3 do you think are the most challenging to implement in your institution? What are the main barriers to implementing these suggestions? Have you ever seen other schools or individuals implement these suggestions better than is done in your institution? How was it done?

• So What Are You Going to do About It? ! On a fresh clean sheet of paper write down the following: F What (if anything) was the most important thing you heard in this session? Why was it important for you? F State as clearly and specifically as possible one realistic action you could take during the next month to put into practice some of the points raised in this session. If possible give names, places, and times. • If you are willing, sign your paper and have your neighbor read what you have written and sign it also – as a form of covenant. • Pray together about the commitments you have made.