Sorry, this went out the first time before I finished it.
Chapter 23 "Ministering to Unchurched,Urban, At-Risk Children by Gary C. Newton author of Growing Towards Spiritual Maturity. This is a chapter written by someone who's first-hand experience with these kids surely guided his research. Here are some of his thoughts:
The thinking that ". . . one of the best ways to begin an outreach ministry to a people group of another culture is through its children..." often drives ministry. It's interesting that the successful organizations that he surveyed didn't consider working with parents and families a primary goal. Although they looked for opportunities to interact with and build relationships with families they focused more on leader/child relationships.
For this project he asked, "What are the components of an effective ministry to such children that eventually results in their long-term spiritual growth and development and the establishment of stable families, churches, and communities?" He describes himself as "ministering to the needs of unchurched children and their families living in my neighborhood." (CS p. 383) It would be interesting to track these kids from the organizations he surveyed into adulthood.
To me, his concern with "long-term" and his experience reaching out "in my neighborhood" are significant. He's also been doing this for 34 years. (CS p. 383)
He looked at 15 programs that focus on unchurched, urban, at-risk children across the US and Canada (kids 8-12). He asked pastors and leaders what they considered to be "the most effective children's outreach ministries in each city that seem to have produced the most fruit in terms of changed lives, families, and communities." His students at Huntington College interviewed the leaders of these organizations by phone or questionaire. (CS p. 384)
When you're talking about Christian formation you can look inward or at individuals but when you're talking about long-term change in children that ultimately affects and effects a whole community of people, the way the work of the first apostles did, numbers become significant. Long-term changes in hundreds of people (hundreds of children) and the generations that follow - that's significant. (CS p. 385-388) But I guess that's the goal, isn't it. Or maybe not, but Jesus does that, doesn't he?
The details in this chapter make this is a valuable read for anyone serving or thinking about serving unchurched, urban, at-risk kids. Too many details to blog about, so I won't bore you, but definately worth reading.
Showing posts with label CS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CS. Show all posts
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
More from Chapter 22: Helping Children Cope with Stress
The authors feel strongly that there's a lot more work to do before they can draw conclusions but they make suggestions about how caring adults can help children cope with stress. And I'm adding some of my own comments. Hopefully, I'm understanding what they're saying:
A child's worldview significantly affects how a child faces stress in life. It helps to know to what degree a child's religion or faith influences their view of the world. How does the child perceive God? Does the child see religious or spiritual implications to the crisis he/she is facing? If so what are they? In order to join a child and empathize, the adult also has to assess his/her own view of the situation, and identify ways that he/she is thinking the same and different. (CS pg 376-7)
What spiritual/religious resources are available to help a child cope? (CS pg 376-7)
-a child's religious/spiritual beliefs and activities (routines?). The concerned adult's spiritual beliefs and routines. I'm wondering if they're thinking activities like devotions and prayer as opposed to how-tos but any combination could potentially be helpful.
-the religious/spiritual people in a child's life, relevant religious institutions, their faith community, religious/spiritual texts. They also suggest that it's good to know how the child's developmental level, social influences and the supernatural elements of the situation are affecting the child's potential resources. (CS pg 376-7)
Here's the thing. If you have a terminally ill child, sometimes parents can help a child cope. Sometimes the affects of the child's situation on the parents make them less able to help, but maybe the faith community can help. If a crisis affects the whole faith community, they might not be a helpful resource to the child in this particular situation. If a child is going through parental divorce, the parents may not be the best resources to help them cope. If the faith community or extended family members disapprove of the situation or are otherwise unable to empathize with the child, they might not be a useful resource to help a child cope in that particular situation. If a resource is pulling out lots of negative passages from the scriptures as opposed to comforting, encouraging, empathetic passages about God or if the passages being used say the opposite of what a child is going through, the child might not see this as a useful resource. I think that's what they're implying. All of this will also depend on the age of the child, the spiritual social network around them and what God does supernaturally to intervene.
And when we're talking about outcome, what does positive or negative mean? What does "end result" mean? They will be different for the child who is dying than they would be for a child suffering from relational issues at home.
The key here, is probably growing the ability to see the situation through the eyes of the child and maybe, by the grace of God, through God's eyes, too. It's something multi-dimensional and very relational.
A child's worldview significantly affects how a child faces stress in life. It helps to know to what degree a child's religion or faith influences their view of the world. How does the child perceive God? Does the child see religious or spiritual implications to the crisis he/she is facing? If so what are they? In order to join a child and empathize, the adult also has to assess his/her own view of the situation, and identify ways that he/she is thinking the same and different. (CS pg 376-7)
What spiritual/religious resources are available to help a child cope? (CS pg 376-7)
-a child's religious/spiritual beliefs and activities (routines?). The concerned adult's spiritual beliefs and routines. I'm wondering if they're thinking activities like devotions and prayer as opposed to how-tos but any combination could potentially be helpful.
-the religious/spiritual people in a child's life, relevant religious institutions, their faith community, religious/spiritual texts. They also suggest that it's good to know how the child's developmental level, social influences and the supernatural elements of the situation are affecting the child's potential resources. (CS pg 376-7)
Here's the thing. If you have a terminally ill child, sometimes parents can help a child cope. Sometimes the affects of the child's situation on the parents make them less able to help, but maybe the faith community can help. If a crisis affects the whole faith community, they might not be a helpful resource to the child in this particular situation. If a child is going through parental divorce, the parents may not be the best resources to help them cope. If the faith community or extended family members disapprove of the situation or are otherwise unable to empathize with the child, they might not be a useful resource to help a child cope in that particular situation. If a resource is pulling out lots of negative passages from the scriptures as opposed to comforting, encouraging, empathetic passages about God or if the passages being used say the opposite of what a child is going through, the child might not see this as a useful resource. I think that's what they're implying. All of this will also depend on the age of the child, the spiritual social network around them and what God does supernaturally to intervene.
And when we're talking about outcome, what does positive or negative mean? What does "end result" mean? They will be different for the child who is dying than they would be for a child suffering from relational issues at home.
The key here, is probably growing the ability to see the situation through the eyes of the child and maybe, by the grace of God, through God's eyes, too. It's something multi-dimensional and very relational.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
from Chapter 22 Coping with Stress
Did I ever post this article about Children in Emerging Churches (2005) from Don Stott's blog. Scroll down his blog to 9.26.06 about children's biggest fears. That's probably enough of a post in itself. When you come back, here's Chapter 22 of Children's Spirituality - research about the spiritual influences that help children cope with stress.
This chapter is written by Sara Pendleton- a professor of pediatrics, Ethan Benore- a doctor in Clinical Psychology, Katherine Jonas - a counselor, Wendy Norwood- who also has a counseling degree, and Carol Herrmann who has conducted studies of missionaries and their children. Alot of this was more clinical than I was willing to wade through but here are some interesting thoughts:
"Children are not just 'little adults.'" (CS p 363) There are three things that often influence a child's coping strategies:
-religious/spiritual development which seems closely tied to cognitive development
-social influences (a child's family and faith community) which can be positive or negative
-supernatural influences - (surprisingly) acknowledged by these particular researchers as a significant factor
It appears that "Children [as opposed to adults?mh] are more likely to rely on God during times of stress rather than avoid God's help and cope autonomously." (CS p. 370)
Children having a model of resilience is an important influence. MK's (children of missionaries) in particular often face the stress of living and traveling between different societies, poor living conditions, adjusting to new people and environments, work-related separation from parents and siblings, political unrest. (CS p. 374) I'd venture to guess that any one of these would be stressors for children who aren't MK's. MK's probably face these stressors more than most. Research has shown the modeling of their parents a very significant influence.
This is an important observation in today's world even off the mission field - a time when both parents are often so committed to their careers, : "When MKs felt valued by their parents and integrated into their parents' mission, they demonstrated a positvie attitude toward their situation, their role as MKs, and their parents' work. . . when MKs felt their parents placed their work first, and spent a minimum amount of time or were minimally involved with them, they experienced and expressed negative attitudes with reference to growing up in a missionary environment." (CS p. 375) The second half of this is probably a good example of faith coping strategies back-firing.
Most of these researchers see children battling serious illness. This is the primary stressor used in the beginning of the chapter. When a child's worldview, the adults in their lives, and God's healing influence re-enforce God's unconditional love for them and His presence with them it leaves the child able to cope in what we would consider a positive way. If a child's worldview leaves him/her asking what he/she did wrong, why God is punishing him/her, or interceding with the expectation of divine intervention, as God's expression of love, only to get worse - this doesn't have a positive affect on the child's ability to cope. I hope I interpreted what they were saying correctly.
"...children who view God as ever-present, benevolent, and view themselves as personally responsible for maintaining a strong relationship with God and strong religious/spiritual life, may in the process develop a buffer against the impact of stressful events. [A worldview like this] along with child and family religious/spiritual behaviours, may foster the style of coping and use of specific coping strategies which are most beneficial to children." ( CS 375-376)
The next section- and a separate post- is particularly for those who work with kids .
This chapter is written by Sara Pendleton- a professor of pediatrics, Ethan Benore- a doctor in Clinical Psychology, Katherine Jonas - a counselor, Wendy Norwood- who also has a counseling degree, and Carol Herrmann who has conducted studies of missionaries and their children. Alot of this was more clinical than I was willing to wade through but here are some interesting thoughts:
"Children are not just 'little adults.'" (CS p 363) There are three things that often influence a child's coping strategies:
-religious/spiritual development which seems closely tied to cognitive development
-social influences (a child's family and faith community) which can be positive or negative
-supernatural influences - (surprisingly) acknowledged by these particular researchers as a significant factor
It appears that "Children [as opposed to adults?mh] are more likely to rely on God during times of stress rather than avoid God's help and cope autonomously." (CS p. 370)
Children having a model of resilience is an important influence. MK's (children of missionaries) in particular often face the stress of living and traveling between different societies, poor living conditions, adjusting to new people and environments, work-related separation from parents and siblings, political unrest. (CS p. 374) I'd venture to guess that any one of these would be stressors for children who aren't MK's. MK's probably face these stressors more than most. Research has shown the modeling of their parents a very significant influence.
This is an important observation in today's world even off the mission field - a time when both parents are often so committed to their careers, : "When MKs felt valued by their parents and integrated into their parents' mission, they demonstrated a positvie attitude toward their situation, their role as MKs, and their parents' work. . . when MKs felt their parents placed their work first, and spent a minimum amount of time or were minimally involved with them, they experienced and expressed negative attitudes with reference to growing up in a missionary environment." (CS p. 375) The second half of this is probably a good example of faith coping strategies back-firing.
Most of these researchers see children battling serious illness. This is the primary stressor used in the beginning of the chapter. When a child's worldview, the adults in their lives, and God's healing influence re-enforce God's unconditional love for them and His presence with them it leaves the child able to cope in what we would consider a positive way. If a child's worldview leaves him/her asking what he/she did wrong, why God is punishing him/her, or interceding with the expectation of divine intervention, as God's expression of love, only to get worse - this doesn't have a positive affect on the child's ability to cope. I hope I interpreted what they were saying correctly.
"...children who view God as ever-present, benevolent, and view themselves as personally responsible for maintaining a strong relationship with God and strong religious/spiritual life, may in the process develop a buffer against the impact of stressful events. [A worldview like this] along with child and family religious/spiritual behaviours, may foster the style of coping and use of specific coping strategies which are most beneficial to children." ( CS 375-376)
The next section- and a separate post- is particularly for those who work with kids .
Friday, October 13, 2006
Emerging from Merging Worlds Revisited
CS Chapter 22. How long is it taking me to get through this book? I feel like I'm in school again...but I enjoy it when I sit and read it. I have to confess, even though all this is truly worth reading, the primary reason I'm persisting is because I said I would ... If you weren't there to blog to, (I wouldn't be blogging. . .) and I would have never finished this book with all its treasures. Thank you!
I also have to say to all of you who keep coming back, that everytime I visit YOUR blogs I'm reminded that you're very special people.
Reading and thinking about all the things I've been blogging about and being part of a group of people who are mostly under 35, I forget that I'm not fighting the same battles you are. The ground here is soft, at least. You're breaking hard ground with hoes and picks and shovels. It isn't soft. It hasn't been plowed for you. That part of the work is a tough dirty job.
You probably welcome ideas for kids and situations but it sounds like you're crying out for encouragement and the tools to win older generations to new methods so you don't lose the generations you're working with. Trouble is, the older generations run things. They hold the purse strings. So you're caught in a gap with a job to do but, in order to do that job, you have to spend alot of that time building bridges between worlds across deep treacherous chasms. When I talk about generations giving to and learning from each other and working together you probably cringe. Every generation tries to bridge that gap when they're parents but maybe the gap is inevitable because young birds have to fly. If you can keep your friendship, it's a win.
Sometimes scripture is comforting and encouraging and sometimes the human who wields it misses the mark. I hope this is encouraging.
Isaiah 43 (NIV)
18 "Forget the things that happened in the past.
Do not keep on thinking about them.
19 I am about to do something new.
It is beginning to happen even now.
Don't you see it coming?
I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert.
I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.
Isaiah 43 is full of encouraging passages (and some sharp words too).
But that's my hope for you, that there will be streams of living water for you and that you won't lose anyone.
You're advocating for Jesus. You're advocating for children. Not a popular place to be. You're advocating for using tools that children are familar with to bring them to the one and only Ancient-Yet-Living God who is there for every generation. You're trying to kick the debris out of the road but other people don't see it. They wonder if you're even on the right road.
I'm guessing that if you love Jesus and His Word and you encourage children to know Him and to walk in such a way that He knows them, you're on the right road. It's just a narrow road, a steep road (full of adventure) but steep and narrow. The Lord walk with you.
I also have to say to all of you who keep coming back, that everytime I visit YOUR blogs I'm reminded that you're very special people.
Reading and thinking about all the things I've been blogging about and being part of a group of people who are mostly under 35, I forget that I'm not fighting the same battles you are. The ground here is soft, at least. You're breaking hard ground with hoes and picks and shovels. It isn't soft. It hasn't been plowed for you. That part of the work is a tough dirty job.
You probably welcome ideas for kids and situations but it sounds like you're crying out for encouragement and the tools to win older generations to new methods so you don't lose the generations you're working with. Trouble is, the older generations run things. They hold the purse strings. So you're caught in a gap with a job to do but, in order to do that job, you have to spend alot of that time building bridges between worlds across deep treacherous chasms. When I talk about generations giving to and learning from each other and working together you probably cringe. Every generation tries to bridge that gap when they're parents but maybe the gap is inevitable because young birds have to fly. If you can keep your friendship, it's a win.
Sometimes scripture is comforting and encouraging and sometimes the human who wields it misses the mark. I hope this is encouraging.
Isaiah 43 (NIV)
18 "Forget the things that happened in the past.
Do not keep on thinking about them.
19 I am about to do something new.
It is beginning to happen even now.
Don't you see it coming?
I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert.
I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.
Isaiah 43 is full of encouraging passages (and some sharp words too).
But that's my hope for you, that there will be streams of living water for you and that you won't lose anyone.
You're advocating for Jesus. You're advocating for children. Not a popular place to be. You're advocating for using tools that children are familar with to bring them to the one and only Ancient-Yet-Living God who is there for every generation. You're trying to kick the debris out of the road but other people don't see it. They wonder if you're even on the right road.
I'm guessing that if you love Jesus and His Word and you encourage children to know Him and to walk in such a way that He knows them, you're on the right road. It's just a narrow road, a steep road (full of adventure) but steep and narrow. The Lord walk with you.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Assessing Spiritual Formation
In Chapter 21 of Children's Spirituality Joyce Ruppell talks about assessment.
Ms. Ruppell's methods are largely based on watching, listening, and recording. In the classroom this is used to adjust teaching methods or curriculum and to communicate with parents about a child's progress. It's also an active way to get to know our children, to make sure we're meeting needs, engaging them, and that the time spent is meaningful to them. Anytime you parent or teach a small group or a large group it's nice to know that what you're doing is working.
She talks about deliberately watching, listening, recording.
She suggests recording
- how a child feels about him/herself as revealed through a child's participation in planned activities. There are probably also other ways that this can be observed. (Self-Concept)
- (Attitudes towards others) a child's attitude towards others as revealed through a child's participation in group activities
- (Attitudes towards church) a child's attitude towards church as revealed through his/her response to corporate worship experiences
- (Attitudes towards Scripture, prayer, Jesus, God) a child's attitude towards Bible, prayer, Jesus, God as revealed through a child's dialogue and how that reflects a child's understanding
Asking a child questions about a story (is he/she recalling details, does he/she understand what it means, can he/she apply it to him/herself)
Examining drawings, listening to what a child says about his/her drawings or other creations and the stories behind what the child is expressing.
We could probably talk about whether you think these are good indicators or whether you think there are other indicators. Although I think these are really good tools to assess growth, skills, interests in young children I wonder if the way God assesses us is similar.
We call Him, "Teacher". How does He assess us? How well does He know us? What does He expect? How does He determine what we need, whether or not we're growing or "succeeding?" What does that look like?
Does He ever wonder whether or not He's succeeding and change His methods?
Ms. Ruppell's methods are largely based on watching, listening, and recording. In the classroom this is used to adjust teaching methods or curriculum and to communicate with parents about a child's progress. It's also an active way to get to know our children, to make sure we're meeting needs, engaging them, and that the time spent is meaningful to them. Anytime you parent or teach a small group or a large group it's nice to know that what you're doing is working.
She talks about deliberately watching, listening, recording.
She suggests recording
- how a child feels about him/herself as revealed through a child's participation in planned activities. There are probably also other ways that this can be observed. (Self-Concept)
- (Attitudes towards others) a child's attitude towards others as revealed through a child's participation in group activities
- (Attitudes towards church) a child's attitude towards church as revealed through his/her response to corporate worship experiences
- (Attitudes towards Scripture, prayer, Jesus, God) a child's attitude towards Bible, prayer, Jesus, God as revealed through a child's dialogue and how that reflects a child's understanding
Asking a child questions about a story (is he/she recalling details, does he/she understand what it means, can he/she apply it to him/herself)
Examining drawings, listening to what a child says about his/her drawings or other creations and the stories behind what the child is expressing.
We could probably talk about whether you think these are good indicators or whether you think there are other indicators. Although I think these are really good tools to assess growth, skills, interests in young children I wonder if the way God assesses us is similar.
We call Him, "Teacher". How does He assess us? How well does He know us? What does He expect? How does He determine what we need, whether or not we're growing or "succeeding?" What does that look like?
Does He ever wonder whether or not He's succeeding and change His methods?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Developmentally -Appropriate in a Multigenerational Setting? 2
- a community of children and adults giving of their skills, interests, talents.
- community of children and adults helping one another in simple ways and more complex ways.
- keeping promises to children and to other adults and more - keeping our word. Calling one another on it when we don't. I fall short.
- children and adults learning to listen together.
- opportunities to use all the senses
- providing varying levels of age appropriate challenges
-giving children opportunity for age appropriate problem-solving and critical thinking
-being patient and creative with individual differences.
-displaying child artwork and other visuals at a child's eye level. Taking into consideration a child's eye level when an event is planned.
-considering simple vocabulary when an event is planned.
-look for opportunities to experience something more than an explanation or a moral.
-sharing experiences that a child or family can take home and repeat
-give children opportunities to role play, pretend, and manipulate their environment. This may be an activity for children to do at home or with other children or maybe a playtime after service.
-opportunities for active exploration and interaction. That would be hard unless it's intentionally made part of worship, maybe not weekly but on a regular basis.
-find ways to enable every child to succeed.
We'll look at her thoughts about assessment next time.
- community of children and adults helping one another in simple ways and more complex ways.
- keeping promises to children and to other adults and more - keeping our word. Calling one another on it when we don't. I fall short.
- children and adults learning to listen together.
- opportunities to use all the senses
- providing varying levels of age appropriate challenges
-giving children opportunity for age appropriate problem-solving and critical thinking
-being patient and creative with individual differences.
-displaying child artwork and other visuals at a child's eye level. Taking into consideration a child's eye level when an event is planned.
-considering simple vocabulary when an event is planned.
-look for opportunities to experience something more than an explanation or a moral.
-sharing experiences that a child or family can take home and repeat
-give children opportunities to role play, pretend, and manipulate their environment. This may be an activity for children to do at home or with other children or maybe a playtime after service.
-opportunities for active exploration and interaction. That would be hard unless it's intentionally made part of worship, maybe not weekly but on a regular basis.
-find ways to enable every child to succeed.
We'll look at her thoughts about assessment next time.
Developmentally -Appropriate in a Multigenerational Setting? 1
Again, from Joyce Ruppell's chapter Chapter 21 of Children's Spirituality
How do we implement developmentally appropriate elements in multi-generational gatherings? Looking at the list she gave for early childhood classrooms, I don't think this is impossible. But we may need to tweek our worship services a little here and there. :-) It might look a little bit like this:
-Leaders of multigenerational gatherings attentive to opportunities to draw in the littlest folk. Multi-layered experiences. If you're telling a story about someone drawing water from a well, or carrying water in a clay jar. Have a jar (preferably clay) to lift and touch. Have water to drink and touch.
-"Giving adequate support and resources to ensure high-quality developmentally appropriate practices for children." Layered learning experiences. Some educational publishers used what's called a "spiral curriculum." They start with basics at K-1 level and add depth and detail each year.
-"considering groups of children as communities of learners in which relationships among adults and children support development and learning." I would include older children and peers here. It's possible to teach a lesson during worship and divide into groups that engage in age appropriate experiences. Using stations as a learning tool during worship. Making time for individual and small group discussions. Some of these things will take more time than the traditional 10-20 minutes. (preferably not more than 40. :-)
-"Acknowledging the importance of meaningful curriculum" You could (possibly) consider a family workbook in sections that even include something specific for teens and adults. When you chose passages that are particularly kid friendly, have a separate handout for adults that will take them deeper into the material during the week. When you have a message more focused on the adults, children can do more with workbook and crafts.
- having a team of people sensitive to developmental differences and able to distract kids (and adults) who aren't engaged into meaningful options. Or better, yet, equipping parents.
- a safe environment
- trustworthy adults
- adults making/taking opportunity for children to make contributions and decisions that are meaningful to the child.
- adults taking opportunities to show a child that he/she matters.
- adults that take time to listen to any child's question.
- adults taking a child's questions, comments, and feelings seriously, (unless they're trying to be funny, then you'd better laugh. :-) We won't talk about the age when they discover "the joke book."
How do we implement developmentally appropriate elements in multi-generational gatherings? Looking at the list she gave for early childhood classrooms, I don't think this is impossible. But we may need to tweek our worship services a little here and there. :-) It might look a little bit like this:
-Leaders of multigenerational gatherings attentive to opportunities to draw in the littlest folk. Multi-layered experiences. If you're telling a story about someone drawing water from a well, or carrying water in a clay jar. Have a jar (preferably clay) to lift and touch. Have water to drink and touch.
-"Giving adequate support and resources to ensure high-quality developmentally appropriate practices for children." Layered learning experiences. Some educational publishers used what's called a "spiral curriculum." They start with basics at K-1 level and add depth and detail each year.
-"considering groups of children as communities of learners in which relationships among adults and children support development and learning." I would include older children and peers here. It's possible to teach a lesson during worship and divide into groups that engage in age appropriate experiences. Using stations as a learning tool during worship. Making time for individual and small group discussions. Some of these things will take more time than the traditional 10-20 minutes. (preferably not more than 40. :-)
-"Acknowledging the importance of meaningful curriculum" You could (possibly) consider a family workbook in sections that even include something specific for teens and adults. When you chose passages that are particularly kid friendly, have a separate handout for adults that will take them deeper into the material during the week. When you have a message more focused on the adults, children can do more with workbook and crafts.
- having a team of people sensitive to developmental differences and able to distract kids (and adults) who aren't engaged into meaningful options. Or better, yet, equipping parents.
- a safe environment
- trustworthy adults
- adults making/taking opportunity for children to make contributions and decisions that are meaningful to the child.
- adults taking opportunities to show a child that he/she matters.
- adults that take time to listen to any child's question.
- adults taking a child's questions, comments, and feelings seriously, (unless they're trying to be funny, then you'd better laugh. :-) We won't talk about the age when they discover "the joke book."
Developmentally -Appropriate
Initially, chapter 21 is one of my favorite chapters:
"In a world of adults, young children frequently confront situations that make them feel incapable, insecure, and sometimes unwanted." She illustrates this with the familiar comments we make to children: "Not now! When you're older." or "That's for grownups, not children." or "Don't touch that! You might break it! (CS p. 343)
"It is true that in the first five years of life children have different understandings, skills, and responsibilities than adults. However children are equipped with an amazing array of capacities that make thoughtful, loving ministry to them a necessity. " (CS p. 343) We don't think much about the responsibilities of young children. Something interesting to think about: your responsibilities when you're 1 or 2 or 3 years old.
Research confirms that a child's environment and the way people relate to the child affect a child's brain development. (CS p. 343)
"Children who are attracted to Jesus are never told they have to wait until they fully understand theological concepts before they can come to Him. He did not preach to them or reprimand them but instead 'laid hands on them' (Matthew 19:15) and told adults to 'turn and become like children' (Matthew 18:3)."(CS p. 343) In other words, he didn't moralize and continually correct them. Instead, He blessed them.
How often, she asks, are adults guilty of giving children misinformation about God that robs them of the desire to draw near to God to know how much He loves them and how much they matter to Him? The most critical element, she says - what kids need most - is "a relationship with caring adults who can lead them to contemplate God's intended plan for their lives. How often are Christian education practices keeping children away from Jesus? The developmental needs of children must be met if adults are to be supportive of their spiritual development and not become a hindrance." (CS p. 344-345)
She also makes some great comments about developmentally appropriate practices (p. 346), preparing teachers (CS p. 347) , giving resources to children instead of leftovers (CS p. 344, 356), developmentally appropriate curriculum (CS p. 350), developmentally appropriate assessment ( CS p. 350-352) , teachers and parents working together. (CS p. 354-356)
What challenges my thinking, what I want to ponder here, is how can we use this if we're not offering age-segregated Christian education but instead, we're gathering everyone together. How do we apply this?
"In a world of adults, young children frequently confront situations that make them feel incapable, insecure, and sometimes unwanted." She illustrates this with the familiar comments we make to children: "Not now! When you're older." or "That's for grownups, not children." or "Don't touch that! You might break it! (CS p. 343)
"It is true that in the first five years of life children have different understandings, skills, and responsibilities than adults. However children are equipped with an amazing array of capacities that make thoughtful, loving ministry to them a necessity. " (CS p. 343) We don't think much about the responsibilities of young children. Something interesting to think about: your responsibilities when you're 1 or 2 or 3 years old.
Research confirms that a child's environment and the way people relate to the child affect a child's brain development. (CS p. 343)
"Children who are attracted to Jesus are never told they have to wait until they fully understand theological concepts before they can come to Him. He did not preach to them or reprimand them but instead 'laid hands on them' (Matthew 19:15) and told adults to 'turn and become like children' (Matthew 18:3)."(CS p. 343) In other words, he didn't moralize and continually correct them. Instead, He blessed them.
How often, she asks, are adults guilty of giving children misinformation about God that robs them of the desire to draw near to God to know how much He loves them and how much they matter to Him? The most critical element, she says - what kids need most - is "a relationship with caring adults who can lead them to contemplate God's intended plan for their lives. How often are Christian education practices keeping children away from Jesus? The developmental needs of children must be met if adults are to be supportive of their spiritual development and not become a hindrance." (CS p. 344-345)
She also makes some great comments about developmentally appropriate practices (p. 346), preparing teachers (CS p. 347) , giving resources to children instead of leftovers (CS p. 344, 356), developmentally appropriate curriculum (CS p. 350), developmentally appropriate assessment ( CS p. 350-352) , teachers and parents working together. (CS p. 354-356)
What challenges my thinking, what I want to ponder here, is how can we use this if we're not offering age-segregated Christian education but instead, we're gathering everyone together. How do we apply this?
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Internal/External
I think the heart of the difference in focus expressed by the last two researchers is that they're saying a child's spirituality isn't just something internal. All of a child's relationships and the various environments they walk through every day play a significant role in a child's faith development. Is that support for Christian schools? Home school?
Thinking about scripture, if anyone could write a biography about someone from the inside out, God could do that. If I look at the stories of scripture I do see a weaving of environments and relationships. I don't read alot about the internal faith of the people that God uses. I hadn't really thought about it before. Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, are the exceptions - more of the internal workings of faith but apparently David and Solomon were writers - maybe not literally but enough that their thoughts and feelings were recorded. Maybe Paul in the New Testament, too.
The Conference that Children's Spirituality is based on is focused on "spirituality" as a relatively new dimension of humanness to explore in the realm of social science research but let's call it faith. I think the hope is that this research will help us better lead and nurture our children in faith.
If we're talking about faith I don't think we can separate the inside from the outside. I don't think God does. Does He? We can't always control a child's environment or a child's relationships. Some will disagree but I like to think God can, but He doesn't always do it the way we'd like Him too. Maybe it takes us back to giving kids the faith tools and the skills to process life. What are they?
What do you think? Would these realizations change how you minister to children? If so, how?
Thinking about scripture, if anyone could write a biography about someone from the inside out, God could do that. If I look at the stories of scripture I do see a weaving of environments and relationships. I don't read alot about the internal faith of the people that God uses. I hadn't really thought about it before. Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, are the exceptions - more of the internal workings of faith but apparently David and Solomon were writers - maybe not literally but enough that their thoughts and feelings were recorded. Maybe Paul in the New Testament, too.
The Conference that Children's Spirituality is based on is focused on "spirituality" as a relatively new dimension of humanness to explore in the realm of social science research but let's call it faith. I think the hope is that this research will help us better lead and nurture our children in faith.
If we're talking about faith I don't think we can separate the inside from the outside. I don't think God does. Does He? We can't always control a child's environment or a child's relationships. Some will disagree but I like to think God can, but He doesn't always do it the way we'd like Him too. Maybe it takes us back to giving kids the faith tools and the skills to process life. What are they?
What do you think? Would these realizations change how you minister to children? If so, how?
Friday, October 06, 2006
CS on "Social Dynamics"
The second half of chapter 20 talks about the Social Dynamics of Childhood Spiritual Formation (James Riley Estep, Jr.).
Backtracking a little:
In the first half of this chapter, in my futile attempt to keep it short, I didn't tell you their take on the negatives of using the concept of "spiritual formation" in ministry. They list 4 considerations:
1) It implies a responsibility of people to form spirituality in other people [mh: as opposed to God accomplishing this?].
2) It's often based on a linear model "suggesting that if certain experiences or activities are planned, then specific desired spiritual outcomes will be achieved."[mh: as opposed to growth that may not be based on cause-and- effect?]
3) if you use it as an objective you assume it can be measured and often people who set goals and objectives assume that any goals or objectives that can't be measured are less than adequate [mh: or not important?].
4) it's usually seen as a progressive process in which higher levels of achievement can be clearly identified [mh: which may not necessarily be the case?].
Random notes:
Apparently, social scientists over the past decades haven't paid much attention to social, cultural and historical influences on human learning and development. Researchers are beginning to accept that these influences are just as important as genetics, biology, and environment. (L. Vygotsky) (CS p. 334)
Another different way of thinking (L. Vygotsky) is that the ability to learn isn't based on developmental level but the process of learning facilitates cognitive development. Learning requires that the child process the socio-cultural context in which he/she lives. (CS p. 334)
"[intentional] teaching facilitates learning that in turn advances the process of cognitive development" which comes as a child appropriates his/her socio-cultural context. (CS p. 334)
"The community of faith is an essential and primary element for spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is dependent on conducive relationships that help advance faith. . .Childhood faith is a dependent faith, dependent not only on individuals as care-givers and spiritual role models, but on the community of faith as a preservative of the corporate tradition of spirituality it embraces and embodies." (CS p. 337)
"Spiritual formation is not simply an internal process, but begins with the process of acquiring the spiritual tradition of the community of faith in which the individual engages."(CS p. 337)
"...spiritual formation in the child is not simply to be seen as an age-related, staged and sequenced phonomenon, but as an individual journey taken in the company of others that may or may not be strictly tied to age." (CS p. 337)
It is holistic. It is "not linear or unidirectional." They prefer to use zones, as opposed to steps or stages. Spiritual growth occurs or faith growth occurs when the community communicates the message and when the child experiences the message of faith in ways that are social, psycho-motor and behavioural. (CS p. 338)
They see acquiring spiritual vocabulary as an essential tool for spiritual formation, definately for talking about it. (CS p. 339)
"More-mature-others and deliberate instruction are essential for spiritual formation" particularly in the cognitive realm. This includes older children working with younger children and other forms of mentoring. (CS p. 339)
"Spiritual maturity is a life-long process." It's seen more as a spiral than as a line with a beginning and end. The hope is to transform instinct and lower thought - process to higher, spiritual, Christ-like thinking. (CS p. 340)
The focus is more on spiritual formation (application), less on defining "spirituality." Not neccessarily new to our experiences but apparently a new approach to Learning Theory as applied to spirituality and spiritual formation. I tend to say, that if we look at the scriptures, much of this is there. Interesting?
Backtracking a little:
In the first half of this chapter, in my futile attempt to keep it short, I didn't tell you their take on the negatives of using the concept of "spiritual formation" in ministry. They list 4 considerations:
1) It implies a responsibility of people to form spirituality in other people [mh: as opposed to God accomplishing this?].
2) It's often based on a linear model "suggesting that if certain experiences or activities are planned, then specific desired spiritual outcomes will be achieved."[mh: as opposed to growth that may not be based on cause-and- effect?]
3) if you use it as an objective you assume it can be measured and often people who set goals and objectives assume that any goals or objectives that can't be measured are less than adequate [mh: or not important?].
4) it's usually seen as a progressive process in which higher levels of achievement can be clearly identified [mh: which may not necessarily be the case?].
Random notes:
Apparently, social scientists over the past decades haven't paid much attention to social, cultural and historical influences on human learning and development. Researchers are beginning to accept that these influences are just as important as genetics, biology, and environment. (L. Vygotsky) (CS p. 334)
Another different way of thinking (L. Vygotsky) is that the ability to learn isn't based on developmental level but the process of learning facilitates cognitive development. Learning requires that the child process the socio-cultural context in which he/she lives. (CS p. 334)
"[intentional] teaching facilitates learning that in turn advances the process of cognitive development" which comes as a child appropriates his/her socio-cultural context. (CS p. 334)
"The community of faith is an essential and primary element for spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is dependent on conducive relationships that help advance faith. . .Childhood faith is a dependent faith, dependent not only on individuals as care-givers and spiritual role models, but on the community of faith as a preservative of the corporate tradition of spirituality it embraces and embodies." (CS p. 337)
"Spiritual formation is not simply an internal process, but begins with the process of acquiring the spiritual tradition of the community of faith in which the individual engages."(CS p. 337)
"...spiritual formation in the child is not simply to be seen as an age-related, staged and sequenced phonomenon, but as an individual journey taken in the company of others that may or may not be strictly tied to age." (CS p. 337)
It is holistic. It is "not linear or unidirectional." They prefer to use zones, as opposed to steps or stages. Spiritual growth occurs or faith growth occurs when the community communicates the message and when the child experiences the message of faith in ways that are social, psycho-motor and behavioural. (CS p. 338)
They see acquiring spiritual vocabulary as an essential tool for spiritual formation, definately for talking about it. (CS p. 339)
"More-mature-others and deliberate instruction are essential for spiritual formation" particularly in the cognitive realm. This includes older children working with younger children and other forms of mentoring. (CS p. 339)
"Spiritual maturity is a life-long process." It's seen more as a spiral than as a line with a beginning and end. The hope is to transform instinct and lower thought - process to higher, spiritual, Christ-like thinking. (CS p. 340)
The focus is more on spiritual formation (application), less on defining "spirituality." Not neccessarily new to our experiences but apparently a new approach to Learning Theory as applied to spirituality and spiritual formation. I tend to say, that if we look at the scriptures, much of this is there. Interesting?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
CS: the Ecology of Childhood Spirituality
More from Children's Spirituality. Chapter 20. "The Ecology and Social Dynamics of Childhood Spirituality" by James Riley Estep, Jr. and Lillian Breckenridge. I'll try to keep it short. Bits and pieces from the first part from An Ecological Perspective-Lillian Breckenridge. I hope this makes sense:
The author says we must understand the spiritual growth or "spiritual formation" of children not only in terms of what is going on inside that child but the individual child in the context of his environment. The environment that affects a child's spiritual growth isn't just home, school, church, etc but also the way these influences affect each other and the ways they're connected. Example: the child's experience at school (a child's ability to read) influences his/her experience at church (having to read and write to learn about Jesus.) (CS p. 325)
"...development never takes place in a vacuum but it is always expressed through behaviour in a particular environmental context." [Brofenbrenner, 1979] (CS p. 329)
"If spiritual formation is viewed as permeating every aspect of the individual, it should be understood in a way that is consistent with general principles of human development...at the same time there is a basic difference. One's spirituality is greater than the sum of the other areas of development...fundamental to human experience.. ...all of one's humanity and more...it eludes measurement. . . (CS p. 329)
As children deal with life and grow in spirit, they adapt and change. This affects every part of the child's life. If life is the context for spiritual development, the process of spiritual formation as seen in Sunday school is "development-out-of-context." True spiritual development takes place where all the systems interact in context. (CS p. 331)
"Spiritual formation is experienced in terms of ability to adapt spiritually to increasingly complex life experiences as one ages." Our spiritual development is part of our identity. As life gets more complex our identity grows and develops. (CS p. 331) Breckenridge suggests that maturity is the ability to be self-directed and self-supporting while staying connected with others and God. (CS p. 332)
It takes some vigilence to notice how different experiences affect a child and it takes wisdom from above when they need help to process these things as they relate to God through these experiences. The comment that our spirit and the Spirit of Christ in us doesn't exist in a vacume - I think "vacume" but I didn't realize that I think that way. But, of course, Jesus didn't come to earth and live in a vacume or a monastery even as a child. Does recognizing the multi-system context of a child's life and it's affect on that child's faith affect how parents, teachers and Christian educators lead, guide, and nurture them? If so, how? What's different? What's new about this kind of thinking? Some interesting things to think about.
The author says we must understand the spiritual growth or "spiritual formation" of children not only in terms of what is going on inside that child but the individual child in the context of his environment. The environment that affects a child's spiritual growth isn't just home, school, church, etc but also the way these influences affect each other and the ways they're connected. Example: the child's experience at school (a child's ability to read) influences his/her experience at church (having to read and write to learn about Jesus.) (CS p. 325)
"...development never takes place in a vacuum but it is always expressed through behaviour in a particular environmental context." [Brofenbrenner, 1979] (CS p. 329)
"If spiritual formation is viewed as permeating every aspect of the individual, it should be understood in a way that is consistent with general principles of human development...at the same time there is a basic difference. One's spirituality is greater than the sum of the other areas of development...fundamental to human experience.. ...all of one's humanity and more...it eludes measurement. . . (CS p. 329)
As children deal with life and grow in spirit, they adapt and change. This affects every part of the child's life. If life is the context for spiritual development, the process of spiritual formation as seen in Sunday school is "development-out-of-context." True spiritual development takes place where all the systems interact in context. (CS p. 331)
"Spiritual formation is experienced in terms of ability to adapt spiritually to increasingly complex life experiences as one ages." Our spiritual development is part of our identity. As life gets more complex our identity grows and develops. (CS p. 331) Breckenridge suggests that maturity is the ability to be self-directed and self-supporting while staying connected with others and God. (CS p. 332)
It takes some vigilence to notice how different experiences affect a child and it takes wisdom from above when they need help to process these things as they relate to God through these experiences. The comment that our spirit and the Spirit of Christ in us doesn't exist in a vacume - I think "vacume" but I didn't realize that I think that way. But, of course, Jesus didn't come to earth and live in a vacume or a monastery even as a child. Does recognizing the multi-system context of a child's life and it's affect on that child's faith affect how parents, teachers and Christian educators lead, guide, and nurture them? If so, how? What's different? What's new about this kind of thinking? Some interesting things to think about.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Narrative Education and Moral Imagination
This last section of Chapter 19 is about the Moral Imagination. Robert Coles wrote a book, The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination. (I haven't read it.) Stories can transform lives. (CS p. 319)
Stories "... a storyteller's moral imagination vigorously at work . . . can enable any of us to learn by example to take to heart what is, really, a gift of grace. (Coles, 1989) . . . It is precisely because stories reflect human experience that narrative is powerful and persuasive. " (CS p. 319)
Ford and Wong again quote Bolt saying, "The key to moral growth for Christians, then, is the capacity for our imaginations to be transformed by the image of Christ, by the metaphors, stories, and images of the Christian faith." (Bolt, 1993)
"Christian education centered on the mind is inadequate; [mh It's only part of who we are.] the goal is to live in a distinctively Christian manner. . . Parents need to engage their own moral imaginations with the stories and images of Christ and the Christian faith before they can engage their child's imagination. The more a child's moral imagination is shaped by the stories of Christianity, the greater will be their capacity for spiritual and moral formation." (CS p. 320)
There's more strategy for implementation at the end of this chapter but let's stop here.
Biblical or not, what are the stories that have had the greatest affect on you? How did they change you? What stories affect your children? How?
How can we process the stories of God in a way that will give them the power to filter the media and all the other stories that bombard our lives? Or will God's stories hold their own, no matter what the competition?
Stories "... a storyteller's moral imagination vigorously at work . . . can enable any of us to learn by example to take to heart what is, really, a gift of grace. (Coles, 1989) . . . It is precisely because stories reflect human experience that narrative is powerful and persuasive. " (CS p. 319)
Ford and Wong again quote Bolt saying, "The key to moral growth for Christians, then, is the capacity for our imaginations to be transformed by the image of Christ, by the metaphors, stories, and images of the Christian faith." (Bolt, 1993)
"Christian education centered on the mind is inadequate; [mh It's only part of who we are.] the goal is to live in a distinctively Christian manner. . . Parents need to engage their own moral imaginations with the stories and images of Christ and the Christian faith before they can engage their child's imagination. The more a child's moral imagination is shaped by the stories of Christianity, the greater will be their capacity for spiritual and moral formation." (CS p. 320)
There's more strategy for implementation at the end of this chapter but let's stop here.
Biblical or not, what are the stories that have had the greatest affect on you? How did they change you? What stories affect your children? How?
How can we process the stories of God in a way that will give them the power to filter the media and all the other stories that bombard our lives? Or will God's stories hold their own, no matter what the competition?
Narrative Education 2
Ford and Wong see narrative education as an important tool for faith building in children at school, church, and home. It's one way children learn about God, human beings, themselves. "This understanding develops from the children's experience of relationships...These relationships [I'd assume this to apply to all of a child's relationships not just among peers and with their instructor] are an integral component of faith education in children, for relationships provide 'the language by which we communicate the truth of God at work in history' as well as in the lives of humanity today. (Miller, 1956) " Narrative education "equips children with reason, embodied learning, and an empowered voice...it brings scripture to life." It "promotes the embodiment of empathy, the capacity to reason empathetically, and the skills to articulate one's story in an empowered voice."(CS p. 316)
They go on to emphasize it's importance at home. Over the last 150 years, focus on education has shifted from home to church/school to school. They say, "The professionalizing of both the public school and church was associated with a shift away from the home for spiritual education. Perhaps parents feel less capable of encouraging their children's faith, even though dozens of research studies clearly indicate that parental influence generally overshadows all other influences in this respect. (Hyde 1990) "(CS p. 317)
They see the role of the church "to teach the Bible and bring theology and theological reflection from the pulpit into all church ministries, including ministries that specifically encourage and support parental faith formation of their children... [and] affirming the historical doctrine and creeds that are bedrocks of Christian education. With a strong biblical foundation and philosophy taught and lived in the life of the church, parents can be equipped to teach their children how to view the world and live life from a Christian perspective. . . Strong theological and biblical teaching in the church will help prepare parents to teach these in the home. . .The relationship between parents and children is conducive to discipleship."(CS p. 317-318)
"In the Scriptures, it is clear that the historic Christian faith is rooted in a story-the story of God's relationship with his people. . .The story of God and his people continues to unfold in the lives of his people today. The Christian story becomes alive in children's minds and hearts by telling and retelling both the personal story of faith and the collective stories of God's activities to one's children. Children are inundated by alternative and often contradictory stories through the mass media and other sources, and thus the church and parents must be certain the Christian story is heard and owned by their youngsters." They talk about teaching the Biblical narrative as more than Biblical facts. They talk about lifelong learning - a requirement for discipleship. (CS p. 319)
"Unfortunately, parents do not always teach their children to think for themselves and internalize matters related to belief and ultimate truths, thus their faith may be vulnerable in the face of cultural and educational challenges [I'd add emotional challenges as well]. . . Critical thinking can be encouraged by asking children engaging questions, and encouraging them to discuss indeas deeply, and thereby evaluate contemporary thought and culture. Parents and teachers can help children develop skills of discernment in all areas of life by encouraging them to seek and arrive at God's truth in their own way." (CS p. 319)
They go on to emphasize it's importance at home. Over the last 150 years, focus on education has shifted from home to church/school to school. They say, "The professionalizing of both the public school and church was associated with a shift away from the home for spiritual education. Perhaps parents feel less capable of encouraging their children's faith, even though dozens of research studies clearly indicate that parental influence generally overshadows all other influences in this respect. (Hyde 1990) "(CS p. 317)
They see the role of the church "to teach the Bible and bring theology and theological reflection from the pulpit into all church ministries, including ministries that specifically encourage and support parental faith formation of their children... [and] affirming the historical doctrine and creeds that are bedrocks of Christian education. With a strong biblical foundation and philosophy taught and lived in the life of the church, parents can be equipped to teach their children how to view the world and live life from a Christian perspective. . . Strong theological and biblical teaching in the church will help prepare parents to teach these in the home. . .The relationship between parents and children is conducive to discipleship."(CS p. 317-318)
"In the Scriptures, it is clear that the historic Christian faith is rooted in a story-the story of God's relationship with his people. . .The story of God and his people continues to unfold in the lives of his people today. The Christian story becomes alive in children's minds and hearts by telling and retelling both the personal story of faith and the collective stories of God's activities to one's children. Children are inundated by alternative and often contradictory stories through the mass media and other sources, and thus the church and parents must be certain the Christian story is heard and owned by their youngsters." They talk about teaching the Biblical narrative as more than Biblical facts. They talk about lifelong learning - a requirement for discipleship. (CS p. 319)
"Unfortunately, parents do not always teach their children to think for themselves and internalize matters related to belief and ultimate truths, thus their faith may be vulnerable in the face of cultural and educational challenges [I'd add emotional challenges as well]. . . Critical thinking can be encouraged by asking children engaging questions, and encouraging them to discuss indeas deeply, and thereby evaluate contemporary thought and culture. Parents and teachers can help children develop skills of discernment in all areas of life by encouraging them to seek and arrive at God's truth in their own way." (CS p. 319)
Friday, September 08, 2006
Narrative Education 1
I'm pushing a little with some of this stuff (and losing readers), the price of public brainstorming.
Digging a little deeper into Chapter 19, Ms. Ford and Ms. Wong are focusing on Narrative in Christian Ed. They quote Michael Connelly and Jean Clandenin (I like this quote) "narrative is the study of how human beings make meaning of experience by endlessly telling and retelling stories about themselves that both refigure the past and create purpose in the future..." (CS p. 311) You know how your little ones love to hear the same story over and over? They're processing. As they grow, listening to stories is another way to process life, to look at cause and effect, to empathize with others, to think about choices.
They say, "Narrative education is different from other formal education because of the emphasis on voice, enbodied learning, and reason as educational tools." I think these things happen when children pretend, too. They're acting out stories and putting themselves in the story.
The simplified methodology of narrative education is this: the story is shared with the entire group, then "each person has opportunity to share his or her personal experiences, understandings, and interpretations of the story." Individuals, and the group, can be transformed by this process. Sharing personal experiences and insights causes listeners to focus on other people and how other people hear or see the same story. (CS p. 311) They spend 2-3 pages describing their methodology in greater detail if you're interested.
She says storytelling can bring together experience, intuition, imaginative knowing, and rational, analytic knowing in ways that engage the whole learner. Stories often reflect the culture in which they are taught. Stories can make the abstract more real. (CS p. 314) Sometimes this is done with role playing and creative dramatics. Sometimes story introduces cultural understanding. Sometimes it helps a child see their own personal experiences through someone else's eyes or perhaps it helps a child better understand the experiences of another.
Narrative isn't the only way people learn, but it seems to be one of those tools that can cross age and cultural differences. Jesus used narrative. He told stories. Yes, we believe that His Word is the Word of God and that it carries, in itself, the potential for transformation but He chose to teach and reveal truth through stories.
Commenting on the Good Samaritan, their observation is interesting. The people that the listeners were culturally best able to identify with were the ones who walked by and did nothing. The Samaritan, on the other hand, someone they would normally dismiss, was a caring neighbor. Their focus is on moral development, learning right from wrong, learning how to treat others. (CS p. 314-315)
Story is an effective tool for this kind of learning. Story shows itself in oral storytelling, in Sunday school, in books, TV, movies. Whether or not the teaching is intentional, I think learning is inevitable.
Digging a little deeper into Chapter 19, Ms. Ford and Ms. Wong are focusing on Narrative in Christian Ed. They quote Michael Connelly and Jean Clandenin (I like this quote) "narrative is the study of how human beings make meaning of experience by endlessly telling and retelling stories about themselves that both refigure the past and create purpose in the future..." (CS p. 311) You know how your little ones love to hear the same story over and over? They're processing. As they grow, listening to stories is another way to process life, to look at cause and effect, to empathize with others, to think about choices.
They say, "Narrative education is different from other formal education because of the emphasis on voice, enbodied learning, and reason as educational tools." I think these things happen when children pretend, too. They're acting out stories and putting themselves in the story.
The simplified methodology of narrative education is this: the story is shared with the entire group, then "each person has opportunity to share his or her personal experiences, understandings, and interpretations of the story." Individuals, and the group, can be transformed by this process. Sharing personal experiences and insights causes listeners to focus on other people and how other people hear or see the same story. (CS p. 311) They spend 2-3 pages describing their methodology in greater detail if you're interested.
She says storytelling can bring together experience, intuition, imaginative knowing, and rational, analytic knowing in ways that engage the whole learner. Stories often reflect the culture in which they are taught. Stories can make the abstract more real. (CS p. 314) Sometimes this is done with role playing and creative dramatics. Sometimes story introduces cultural understanding. Sometimes it helps a child see their own personal experiences through someone else's eyes or perhaps it helps a child better understand the experiences of another.
Narrative isn't the only way people learn, but it seems to be one of those tools that can cross age and cultural differences. Jesus used narrative. He told stories. Yes, we believe that His Word is the Word of God and that it carries, in itself, the potential for transformation but He chose to teach and reveal truth through stories.
Commenting on the Good Samaritan, their observation is interesting. The people that the listeners were culturally best able to identify with were the ones who walked by and did nothing. The Samaritan, on the other hand, someone they would normally dismiss, was a caring neighbor. Their focus is on moral development, learning right from wrong, learning how to treat others. (CS p. 314-315)
Story is an effective tool for this kind of learning. Story shows itself in oral storytelling, in Sunday school, in books, TV, movies. Whether or not the teaching is intentional, I think learning is inevitable.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
A Challenging Question
I'm reading Chapter Nineteen: "Narrative and the Moral Education of the Christian Child" by Victoria M. Ford and Ester Wong. I'm enjoying the chapter but there's an underlying assumption that I find challenging. Thirty years ago I would have said, "Of course this is true." But it jumped out at me today and I'm wrestling with it.
"Narrative education is an important tool for the moral development of children, which is the main goal of religious education in general." (CS p. 314)
God does require we train up our children "in the way they should go" (I'm not disputing that) but is "moral development" (learning right from wrong) the main goal of Christian education? Was moral education God's objective when He sent Jesus to wander ancient Israel telling stories, interacting with people, and to ultimately lay down His life? People called Him "Teacher," and indeed He was. What was He teaching?
I guess I never really thought about it before. What do you think?
"Narrative education is an important tool for the moral development of children, which is the main goal of religious education in general." (CS p. 314)
God does require we train up our children "in the way they should go" (I'm not disputing that) but is "moral development" (learning right from wrong) the main goal of Christian education? Was moral education God's objective when He sent Jesus to wander ancient Israel telling stories, interacting with people, and to ultimately lay down His life? People called Him "Teacher," and indeed He was. What was He teaching?
I guess I never really thought about it before. What do you think?
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Afterthoughts
The thing that's so strongly implied, that I failed to draw attention to, is the wonderful relational element of Joselito's faith. That's pretty evangelical, don't you think? The relational element of "spirituality" is a theme that runs through most of the stories about children in these studies. For me that element is the difference between faith and religion.
Let me suggest that the relational elements of a child's faith, as revealed through these studies challenge our evangelical notions about when it's appropriate for a child to be baptized or "saved" or make a "commitment to Christ" or join the church. It re-enforces the Hebrew practice of including their children with them as those who are part of the covenant people of God knowing there awaits a non-negotiable coming of age/age of accountability for each child. Not sure if that's in scripture so much as part of Jewish culture today. I think the Orthodox use a similar model. This doesn't negate our making decisions, our being disciples, our chosing to follow. It doesn't negate God filling us and baptizing us in His Spirit, part of the New Testament model.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, God is God but people of different ages and in different cultures express themselves and their relationships differently.
When you think of worship, when you think of all ages, men, women, social stations, nations, coming together the way it's described in Revelation, imagine. Imagine all those differences woven together into one amazing Love song.
Let me suggest that the relational elements of a child's faith, as revealed through these studies challenge our evangelical notions about when it's appropriate for a child to be baptized or "saved" or make a "commitment to Christ" or join the church. It re-enforces the Hebrew practice of including their children with them as those who are part of the covenant people of God knowing there awaits a non-negotiable coming of age/age of accountability for each child. Not sure if that's in scripture so much as part of Jewish culture today. I think the Orthodox use a similar model. This doesn't negate our making decisions, our being disciples, our chosing to follow. It doesn't negate God filling us and baptizing us in His Spirit, part of the New Testament model.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, God is God but people of different ages and in different cultures express themselves and their relationships differently.
When you think of worship, when you think of all ages, men, women, social stations, nations, coming together the way it's described in Revelation, imagine. Imagine all those differences woven together into one amazing Love song.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier exploring Latino spirituality 2
I first saw this as inspiration for a great "Immersed" event (see Artisan Church website to find out what I mean by an "Immersed" event).
But then I realized that there's more to ponder. Here is a little boy with a better "knowing" of what the word "altar" means than I have after more than half a century.
We're not talking about idolatry. The word "altar" is in the scriptures. It's a word in our Protestant Evangelical vocabulary.
Remember we talked about "concrete," "experience," "language," "kinesthetic," "multi-sensory," "engaged"? This story shows us all these things. It tells about grown-ups and children giving and receiving from one another. It tells of a child's role in a family, an extended family, a larger faith community. It talks about a child setting up his own meaningful "sacred" space. He's sharing his faith with those who come through his home. There are lots of observations to make here. There may be experiences like this in the lives of your own children and the children you work with - concrete times, places, things they use to process and make sense of their faith. Children grow and learn through play and play is real. This is real.
I think our fear of religiosity and idolatry probably kept us from considering the role of ritual, tradition, and the "concrete" in the spiritual development of our children. Maybe the fear that it would be just that, instead of just a step towards something invisible, more real, and more permanent.
In what ways do you show God how much you love Him in concrete ways that your child can see and touch and hear and experience with you while they're still thinking in concrete terms? How do you tell them God's stories? How do you tell them about the ways He answers your prayers?
Funny that children are so concrete and yet their faith fully embraces the mysteries of God in ways that we grown-ups often deem childish. Is an adult whose child-like faith still embraces the mysteries of God superstitious, or more faithful than we who deem ourselves materially satisfied and well "educated"? I wonder. . .
But then I realized that there's more to ponder. Here is a little boy with a better "knowing" of what the word "altar" means than I have after more than half a century.
We're not talking about idolatry. The word "altar" is in the scriptures. It's a word in our Protestant Evangelical vocabulary.
Remember we talked about "concrete," "experience," "language," "kinesthetic," "multi-sensory," "engaged"? This story shows us all these things. It tells about grown-ups and children giving and receiving from one another. It tells of a child's role in a family, an extended family, a larger faith community. It talks about a child setting up his own meaningful "sacred" space. He's sharing his faith with those who come through his home. There are lots of observations to make here. There may be experiences like this in the lives of your own children and the children you work with - concrete times, places, things they use to process and make sense of their faith. Children grow and learn through play and play is real. This is real.
I think our fear of religiosity and idolatry probably kept us from considering the role of ritual, tradition, and the "concrete" in the spiritual development of our children. Maybe the fear that it would be just that, instead of just a step towards something invisible, more real, and more permanent.
In what ways do you show God how much you love Him in concrete ways that your child can see and touch and hear and experience with you while they're still thinking in concrete terms? How do you tell them God's stories? How do you tell them about the ways He answers your prayers?
Funny that children are so concrete and yet their faith fully embraces the mysteries of God in ways that we grown-ups often deem childish. Is an adult whose child-like faith still embraces the mysteries of God superstitious, or more faithful than we who deem ourselves materially satisfied and well "educated"? I wonder. . .
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier exploring Latino spirituality 1
I'm rushing a little. This week is really busy and I'll be gone.
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier also brings some wonderful stories about specific children and their faith. As I was listening to Lt. Col. Kickbusch as she shared so many stories about growing up Mexican-American and her experiences with education I was so impressed that her faith, family and community were integral to who she is - not easily dissected but part of the warp and woof of her life.
There are wonderful stories in this chapter. One little girl who came from a religious home and who cared for the homeless became a committee member making presentations when they recruited new members. One little boy, who didn't come from a religious home, began to observe and help his neighbor garden because they both wanted to bring something nice to their neighbors. Each of these children saw the face of God in the people they served.
The story that I found myself thinking about was the story of 4-year old Joselito. He watched his Catholic grandmother arrange the altar in her home and tell the stories of each item she placed there. She let him touch these things. She shared the ever-new answers to prayer that she received. Ms Conde-Frazier writes, "Every time he visited he would ask the same question and his abuelita [grandmother] would repeat the ritual; but her stories about answered prayers would change, providing him with a variety of faith stories related to prayer and the symbols on the altar." (CS p. 300)
His parents were Pentecostal. They had different things on their altar and used it in different ways. He watched his father pray and read here. His father held the little boy in his lap and read the Bible to him and annointed him with the oil, making the sign of the cross on his forehead and blessed him.
Joselito's response was this: One night while his mother was making dinner he was busy and humming a song that they sang in church. He put two place mats together, placed a Bible on them, a picture he'd colored, his mother's neckace (colored beads) some dandelions, and the new cap his uncle had given him. When his mother asked what he was doing, he told her that he was showing God how much he loved Him. He was sharing with God things that God had shared with him. "They are so pretty and I like them too." And here is the transfer of culture, he says, "When Abuelita and Papa and you and Tio[uncle] Mike and all the people who visit us come to this house, they share pretty things and this is one way of showing love. When you cook I want to share some food with God too because we always share food with the people we love. I have to bring God a present because when we visit someone we always bring a present. I am not sure what present he would like." He finally added a little truck as the thing God would like. (CS p. 300)
They left his altar on the table through dinner and he was able to share his story with everyone who came. Over the next years, the alter moved to his bedroom and "he continued to bring new things to say I love you to God." Everyone who visited would hear the stories of Joselito's answered prayers - "an integral part of his expression of faith and love for God. ..expressions of his spirituality." (CS p. 300)
"The altar is a very common expression of faith and connection with God in the Latino home. Each altar is personalized, representing the faith story of the person or family who sets it up. Joselito has access to the altar whenever he wants and can continue to use it to express himself to God. He can manipulate the symbols and confer meaning to them. He can tell his own faith stories to those who come to his altar. It changes as his own journey with God changes. It is the sacred space that he has for his own spirituality." (CS 300-1)
As Evangelical Protestants this may seem a bit hard to ponder but let's try.
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier also brings some wonderful stories about specific children and their faith. As I was listening to Lt. Col. Kickbusch as she shared so many stories about growing up Mexican-American and her experiences with education I was so impressed that her faith, family and community were integral to who she is - not easily dissected but part of the warp and woof of her life.
There are wonderful stories in this chapter. One little girl who came from a religious home and who cared for the homeless became a committee member making presentations when they recruited new members. One little boy, who didn't come from a religious home, began to observe and help his neighbor garden because they both wanted to bring something nice to their neighbors. Each of these children saw the face of God in the people they served.
The story that I found myself thinking about was the story of 4-year old Joselito. He watched his Catholic grandmother arrange the altar in her home and tell the stories of each item she placed there. She let him touch these things. She shared the ever-new answers to prayer that she received. Ms Conde-Frazier writes, "Every time he visited he would ask the same question and his abuelita [grandmother] would repeat the ritual; but her stories about answered prayers would change, providing him with a variety of faith stories related to prayer and the symbols on the altar." (CS p. 300)
His parents were Pentecostal. They had different things on their altar and used it in different ways. He watched his father pray and read here. His father held the little boy in his lap and read the Bible to him and annointed him with the oil, making the sign of the cross on his forehead and blessed him.
Joselito's response was this: One night while his mother was making dinner he was busy and humming a song that they sang in church. He put two place mats together, placed a Bible on them, a picture he'd colored, his mother's neckace (colored beads) some dandelions, and the new cap his uncle had given him. When his mother asked what he was doing, he told her that he was showing God how much he loved Him. He was sharing with God things that God had shared with him. "They are so pretty and I like them too." And here is the transfer of culture, he says, "When Abuelita and Papa and you and Tio[uncle] Mike and all the people who visit us come to this house, they share pretty things and this is one way of showing love. When you cook I want to share some food with God too because we always share food with the people we love. I have to bring God a present because when we visit someone we always bring a present. I am not sure what present he would like." He finally added a little truck as the thing God would like. (CS p. 300)
They left his altar on the table through dinner and he was able to share his story with everyone who came. Over the next years, the alter moved to his bedroom and "he continued to bring new things to say I love you to God." Everyone who visited would hear the stories of Joselito's answered prayers - "an integral part of his expression of faith and love for God. ..expressions of his spirituality." (CS p. 300)
"The altar is a very common expression of faith and connection with God in the Latino home. Each altar is personalized, representing the faith story of the person or family who sets it up. Joselito has access to the altar whenever he wants and can continue to use it to express himself to God. He can manipulate the symbols and confer meaning to them. He can tell his own faith stories to those who come to his altar. It changes as his own journey with God changes. It is the sacred space that he has for his own spirituality." (CS 300-1)
As Evangelical Protestants this may seem a bit hard to ponder but let's try.
Narrative inquiry
Most of this chapter is filled with longer narratives about some specific children and their parents.
Good stuff, but it's long and worth reading in its original form if you have the book.
I like Ms. Crozier's comments about the narrative inquiry: "...narrative inquiry allows for the researcher to be an active participant in the research process. My experiences and stories are allowed to enter into the research process in ways that are liberating and affirming for me as an African American, educated female, from a working class Christian family. I do not have to assume a neutral, 'objective' position in the process as if I am not affected by what I am observing, experiencing and hearing from the participant involved in the study. Nor is who I am or what I bring to the research process rendered invisible; I am able to reflect on my own experience and story in my social location without apology." (CS p. 288)
Isn't this true of all of us as we interact with children?
Good stuff, but it's long and worth reading in its original form if you have the book.
I like Ms. Crozier's comments about the narrative inquiry: "...narrative inquiry allows for the researcher to be an active participant in the research process. My experiences and stories are allowed to enter into the research process in ways that are liberating and affirming for me as an African American, educated female, from a working class Christian family. I do not have to assume a neutral, 'objective' position in the process as if I am not affected by what I am observing, experiencing and hearing from the participant involved in the study. Nor is who I am or what I bring to the research process rendered invisible; I am able to reflect on my own experience and story in my social location without apology." (CS p. 288)
Isn't this true of all of us as we interact with children?
Reflecting on Crozier's stories 2
Crozier shares another situation: "... I recall a conversation ... with one of my second-grade students about Jesus. My student was adamant that Jesus was still on the cross. I told him that I believed Jesus rose from the dead and is no longer on the cross. But that did not convince him. When I asked why he thought Jesus was still on the cross, he replied that he saw Him on the cross at his church. I responded, 'Oh, I see.' I didn't try to convince my student otherwise because that symbol in his church was very significant to him. I did not want to impart my beliefs that were disconnected from my student's experience, so I remained silent. What good would a cognitive response do in response to a highly affective affirmation?" (CS p. 287)
I found her response to this child and the question she asks a significant act of caring. Some might challenge this, believing that a different (cognitive) response would have demonstrated more caring. What do you think?
I also found myself wondering, why crosses come either as a crucifix where Jesus remains fixed to the cross or empty like He was never there? Why don't we have a cross with a removable Jesus, for kids of course :) ? Why not have a removable model of Jesus on the cross Good Friday and have it removed for Easter Sunday? Are there churches that do that?
She goes on, "Even though I had made a rational decision not to respond to my student's conviction, emotionally I felt as if his disagreement with me was based on a literal, concrete observation of Jesus. Thus, on some level I understood his disagreement to be based upon what he had tangibly observed and experienced. Then on another level Iwondered about the church's reponsibilittiy in using symboolic representations of the divine that do not necessarily come from children. Did the icon of Jesus on the cross become a static representation to my student or was it something different? Could it have been both static and dynamic at the same time? What other symbols would be present if children were allowed to display their understanding of Jesus in the sanctuary? What contribution could children make to Christianity's understanding of Jesus and God?" (CS p. 287)
I found her response to this child and the question she asks a significant act of caring. Some might challenge this, believing that a different (cognitive) response would have demonstrated more caring. What do you think?
I also found myself wondering, why crosses come either as a crucifix where Jesus remains fixed to the cross or empty like He was never there? Why don't we have a cross with a removable Jesus, for kids of course :) ? Why not have a removable model of Jesus on the cross Good Friday and have it removed for Easter Sunday? Are there churches that do that?
She goes on, "Even though I had made a rational decision not to respond to my student's conviction, emotionally I felt as if his disagreement with me was based on a literal, concrete observation of Jesus. Thus, on some level I understood his disagreement to be based upon what he had tangibly observed and experienced. Then on another level Iwondered about the church's reponsibilittiy in using symboolic representations of the divine that do not necessarily come from children. Did the icon of Jesus on the cross become a static representation to my student or was it something different? Could it have been both static and dynamic at the same time? What other symbols would be present if children were allowed to display their understanding of Jesus in the sanctuary? What contribution could children make to Christianity's understanding of Jesus and God?" (CS p. 287)
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