Select an item by clicking its checkbox
A series of Faculty Meetings on the Pedagogical Challenges of Engaging Bioethical Issues across the Theological Curriculum
Proposal abstract :
Theological education has insufficiently equipped most church leaders to engage many crucial challenges to human life and dignity - largely due to pedagogical deficiencies connected to the compartmentalization of bioethics in the theological curriculum. The proposed initiative seeks to begin the process of correcting this insufficiency through a series of three meetings in early 2007 involving 12 Trinity faculty members. These meetings will be driven by a pedagogical purpose: to learn how a theological faculty can teach students most effectively to understand and engage crucial bioethical challenges.
Learning Abstract :
Once faculty members in every discipline of the curriculum are equipped to make the conceptual connections between their disciplines and bioethical challenges, they can become highly energized to develop appropriate pedagogical strategies for insuring that their courses help students to understand and engage vital bioethical challenges. This project mobilized such a team of teachers through readings, a set of three extended meetings, and a final reflection instrument that fostered further pedagogical strategizing. The project also uncovered a serious obstacle to classroom effectiveness. Teachers need better tools - case studies in particular-to bridge from their particular disciplines to bioethical issues. They need better understanding of how to mobilize the resources of their disciplines to address ethical case studies. And they need to be equipped to engage the unique pedagogical challenges involved in using highly inter-disciplinary bioethics case studies in class. A follow-up initiative is being developed to address these needs.
Theological education has insufficiently equipped most church leaders to engage many crucial challenges to human life and dignity - largely due to pedagogical deficiencies connected to the compartmentalization of bioethics in the theological curriculum. The proposed initiative seeks to begin the process of correcting this insufficiency through a series of three meetings in early 2007 involving 12 Trinity faculty members. These meetings will be driven by a pedagogical purpose: to learn how a theological faculty can teach students most effectively to understand and engage crucial bioethical challenges.
Learning Abstract :
Once faculty members in every discipline of the curriculum are equipped to make the conceptual connections between their disciplines and bioethical challenges, they can become highly energized to develop appropriate pedagogical strategies for insuring that their courses help students to understand and engage vital bioethical challenges. This project mobilized such a team of teachers through readings, a set of three extended meetings, and a final reflection instrument that fostered further pedagogical strategizing. The project also uncovered a serious obstacle to classroom effectiveness. Teachers need better tools - case studies in particular-to bridge from their particular disciplines to bioethical issues. They need better understanding of how to mobilize the resources of their disciplines to address ethical case studies. And they need to be equipped to engage the unique pedagogical challenges involved in using highly inter-disciplinary bioethics case studies in class. A follow-up initiative is being developed to address these needs.