Module TMMC1127: Foundations for Reflective Practice in Context (Short)

Department: Theology, Ministry and Mission

TMMC1127: Foundations for Reflective Practice in Context (Short)

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To enable students to encounter non-ecclesial and/or ecclesial contexts within which to explore their own developing ministerial and/or professional practice and the wider mission of God.
• To introduce methods of theological reflection which apply insights from, and the ability to integrate, other fields of theological and non-theological study to the analysis of contexts.
• To provide an opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness in a given setting and role, learning to pay deep attention to others, and to their own impact upon others.
• To enable students to become increasingly open to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and the lives of others.
• To enable students to begin to explore ways in which their gifts can be offered within a specific context.

Content

• This module involves a partnership between a student’s training institution and a given placement, ministerial or work-based context which enables students to encounter, and work effectively within, such a setting. On-site staff and/or relevant staff in the students’ own training institution will provide supervision. Supervisors will report in writing on a student’s participation in the placement.
• It provides an introduction to skills in understanding and analysing context, and integrating theological enquiry with pastoral / ministerial /professional practice. It demands of students attentiveness to their own assumptions and biases. Placement, ministerial or work-based learning creates opportunity for deeper understanding of an unfamiliar setting in creative conversation with key themes from relevant disciplines, including biblical and doctrinal studies, missiology, sociology and anthropology (amongst many).

Learning Outcomes

• Describe competently at least one method of theological reflection and explain how it is a cross-disciplinary resource for exploring contexts and the self.

• Demonstrate the skills of observing, recording and analysing the given context and evaluating their findings – and the questions to which they give rise – in the light of one or more theological disciplines.
• Reflect on their own performance and experience in the given context, drawing on various relevant disciplines, and communicating their findings accurately and reliably.

• Carry out a guided task that involves: independent inquiry; management of time and resources, working collaboratively with others, meeting deadlines, evaluating the task and learning from it.
• Recognise key issues in their own personal and professional development.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching methods to be specified by each TEI, selecting from the following:
• Lectures provide content, a conceptual framework and a survey of approaches within a subject area that enable students to locate their learning in a wider context, to make connections with other disciplines, and to evaluate and apply their learning to different contexts.
• Seminars offer students an opportunity to present, evaluate and apply their knowledge to specific contexts, and to engage with teaching staff and peers in debate and reflection.
• Small group learning creates an environment where students learn to articulate their knowledge and understanding effectively and in a way that is relevant to the group and its context.
• Tutorials enhance learning by offering feedback and encouraging students to reflect on their own response to the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
• Practical classes enable students to practice their ability to communicate a subject matter orally, creatively and appropriately and to learn from the feedback of teachers and peers.
• Supervision of projects or dissertations offers students guidance and feedback on their independent learning and ensures the project / study is appropriately research-led and informed.
• Placements and/or work-based learning ensures that students make habitual connections between knowledge, understanding, skills, professional practice and the reality of a specific context, under the supervision of an experienced practitioner.
• Programmed online learning materials guide students through knowledge content, its wider framework and different approaches to its application.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Ongoing supervision discussions will provide feedback and direction for students on placement.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University