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Bridging the 'Classical'/'Practical' Divide: Pitfalls and Possibilities of Seminary Partnered Teaching in Bible and Pastoral Theology
Proposal abstract :
The unfortunate divide that still exists between the so-called ‘practical’ and ‘classical’ disciplines often leaves seminary students unable to integrate their curricular work and engage in effective ministry. Fragmented learning can all too easily lead to fragmented ministry. This project aims to encourage and develop a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology within a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States for colleagues who have previously engaged in or who are open to the exploration of partnered (i.e. team) teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams will share syllabi and one integrative teaching and learning exercise for partnered courses (already taught or envisioned). Each presentation will be followed by questions and critique. The retreat setting is meant to foster a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants will compile a ‘best practices’ list, create a support network for conversation, generate an evaluative tool, and compile resources for partnered teaching and learning.
Learning Abstract :
Because the unfortunate divide still exists between the so-called ‘practical' and ‘classical' disciplines, seminary students struggle to integrate their curricular work with their ministerial practice. Our project encouraged and developed a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology to address this divide. We invited colleagues from a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States who had previously engaged in or who were open to the exploration of partnered teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams shared syllabi and integrative teaching and learning strategies for partnered courses. Each team presentation was followed by collaborative critique. The retreat setting fostered a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants compiled a ‘best practices' list, created a support network for conversation, and gathered resources for partnered teaching and learning. Participants received invitations to present papers on partnered teaching at the 2013 Annual Meeting of SBL.
The unfortunate divide that still exists between the so-called ‘practical’ and ‘classical’ disciplines often leaves seminary students unable to integrate their curricular work and engage in effective ministry. Fragmented learning can all too easily lead to fragmented ministry. This project aims to encourage and develop a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology within a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States for colleagues who have previously engaged in or who are open to the exploration of partnered (i.e. team) teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams will share syllabi and one integrative teaching and learning exercise for partnered courses (already taught or envisioned). Each presentation will be followed by questions and critique. The retreat setting is meant to foster a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants will compile a ‘best practices’ list, create a support network for conversation, generate an evaluative tool, and compile resources for partnered teaching and learning.
Learning Abstract :
Because the unfortunate divide still exists between the so-called ‘practical' and ‘classical' disciplines, seminary students struggle to integrate their curricular work with their ministerial practice. Our project encouraged and developed a collegial model of sustained conversation between Bible and pastoral theology to address this divide. We invited colleagues from a representative sampling of theological schools in the United States who had previously engaged in or who were open to the exploration of partnered teaching. In a retreat workshop, five faculty teams shared syllabi and integrative teaching and learning strategies for partnered courses. Each team presentation was followed by collaborative critique. The retreat setting fostered a think tank community of inquiry for partnered teaching. Participants compiled a ‘best practices' list, created a support network for conversation, and gathered resources for partnered teaching and learning. Participants received invitations to present papers on partnered teaching at the 2013 Annual Meeting of SBL.