Prep Talks: Tales of Challenges & Opportunities in Christian Education

Karen A. Wrobbel
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Abstract

This volume’s title accurately announces that it contains “tales of challenges and opportunities,” though the title under-promises what the book delivers. The 20 stories contained in Prep Talks: Tales of Challenges & Opportunities in Christian Education prompt the reader to wrestle with questions, challenges, and themes that are “increasingly common” (p. 12) in Christian education today. The book’s design, which includes questions for reflection and discussion following each chapter, is well suited for either individual or group consideration of the issues. The chapter, “A Tale of a Great Teacher and a Grade Awakening” was particularly powerful and timely. Current thinking about grading has alerted educators to the limitations of averaging a student’s grades over time, because averaging early work with later work may not reflect the student’s performance at the point of the final or milestone evaluation. This chapter illustrates that dilemma with a realistic and helpful narrative about Michaela and Michelle. Michaela is a particularly good student who does not need to put in much effort to demonstrate mastery and earns a “solid Aþ” in the fictitious story (p. 78). Michelle, however, is the “hardest working and most focused student who had ever gone through this class . . . [She] demonstrated the greatest level of mastery in the course. Yet she finished the class with a Bþ because of those early grades” (p. 78). Bernard Bull, the author of this chapter, does not tell the reader the “right answer” and instead focuses on chronicling the teacher’s journey as she reflects on Michaela and Michelle’s growth, learning, and grades. Another story that I found particularly thought-provoking and challenging was Michael Uden’s “Making a Call When the Lines Are Crossed.” In this story, a young teacher wrestles with an apparent bullying situation in her classroom between David, the son of a single-parent family with a deeply involved mother, and Josiah, the son of a board of education member. Political issues emerge because Josiah seems to be the bully, but the principal does not support the teacher because of Josiah’s parents’ role in the school community. Unfortunately, in real life, tales like this one do not always have the positive outcome of the book’s fictitious tale. International Journal of Christianity & Education
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预备讲座:基督教教育的挑战与机遇
这本书的标题准确地表明,它包含了“挑战和机遇的故事”,尽管标题没有充分承诺这本书所要传达的内容。《预备讲座:基督教教育中的挑战与机遇》中包含的20个故事促使读者与当今基督教教育中“越来越普遍”的问题、挑战和主题作斗争(第12页)。这本书的设计,其中包括问题的反思和讨论后,每一章,是非常适合个人或团体考虑的问题。“一位伟大的老师和一个年级觉醒的故事”这一章特别有力和及时。目前对评分的思考让教育工作者意识到,将学生的成绩随时间推移平均化的局限性,因为将早期作业与后期作业平均化可能无法反映学生在期末或里程碑式评估时的表现。本章用一个关于米凯拉和米歇尔的现实而有益的叙述说明了这种困境。米凯拉是一个特别优秀的学生,她不需要付出太多努力来展示自己的精通程度,并在虚构的故事中获得了“坚实的a +”(第78页)。然而,米歇尔是“上过这门课的最努力、最专注的学生……”(她)在这门课上表现出了最高水平的精通。然而,由于这些早期的成绩,她以一个b +结束了这门课”(第78页)。本章的作者Bernard Bull并没有告诉读者“正确答案”,而是专注于记录老师的旅程,她反思了Michaela和Michelle的成长、学习和成绩。另一个我觉得特别发人深省和具有挑战性的故事是迈克尔·乌登(Michael Uden)的《越界时打电话》(Making a Call When the Lines Are Crossed)。在这个故事中,一位年轻的老师在教室里与明显的欺凌情况作斗争,大卫是一个单亲家庭的儿子,有一个深深参与其中的母亲,约西亚是教育委员会成员的儿子。政治问题出现了,因为乔赛亚似乎是恶霸,但校长不支持老师,因为乔赛亚的父母在学校社区的角色。不幸的是,在现实生活中,像这样的故事并不总是有书中虚构故事的积极结果。国际基督教与教育杂志
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.50
自引率
40.00%
发文量
43
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