Collaboration w/ Educators on Curriculum Development
Church-Based
Description
Such collaboration can involve a continuum of strategies -- from helping a youth-minister or faith-formation director find a guest speaker or curriculum resource to co-designing and -implementing a semester-long learning-and-action project.
History
From January - April, 2003, Kevin collaborated with Mark Barder, the faith-formation director of St Henry's Parish in Monticello, on the development of an 8-session process of social justice learning-and-action by the 9th graders in their program. (50+ students, and several adult leaders; the students chose to divide into three different small groups -- domestic violence, abortion, and war). He developed the lesson-plans for each session, and was present for each session. Mark requested assistance again in 2003-4 (a total of six sessions between November and April); this time, four issues were selected (global poverty was added). In 2004-5, the focus shifted to 8th graders (a total of seven sessions between January and April), and just one topic (domestic violence); an article about the project appeared in the Monticello Times (April). Because of budget reductions, we were unable to repeat the process in 2005-6.
From January - April, 2003, Kevin provided support for a similar effort by Marge Wentland, one of the faith-formation directors in the five-parish cluster in Holdingford, with the 8th graders in their program (one topic -- domestic violence) He made an initial presentation, then provided some recommendations about process and curricular resources. She was very pleased with the outcomes, and asked us to collaborate again; in addition, the other faith-formation directors wanted to join the process. In November, 2003, he did a workshop with all of them. In January, 2004, he did a session with the students in all five programs; each group chose a topic. Marge and he periodically communicated via e-mail to develop the plans for subsequent sessions with her students. Another director (Bev Riesner) e-mailed on a couple of occasions, seeking similar support. Marge retired in the spring of 2004; Deb Rudolph took over the coordination of this process, which has continued in both 2004-5 and 2005-6.
In November, 2003, Kevin began a collaborative process with Wendy Altobell, youth ministry coordinator for 7th-12th grade students at Newman Center, St Cloud. He provided an opening session for all 7th-9th graders and their parents on "service" in November. He reviewed the curriculum for the 8th grade sequence of six lessons on social justice, and provided her with some ideas for strengthening them. He also facilitated one of the six lessons (February). During the 2004-5 year, a training session for the 8th grade teachers was added to the teaching of the one lesson. That process was repeated in 2005-6.
Cost
Faith communities are asked to pay a stipend that they can afford; the Center seeks other funding sources to supplement these stipends.
A booklet has been compiled, titled Developing and Integrating the "Service" Dimension of Faith-Fromation Programming. It covers the meaning of "Service," assessing students' starting point, weaving elements of service into various aspsects of faith-community programs, and a process to integrate learning-and-action.