Module TMMC2137: Reflective Practice in Context (Short)

Department: Theology, Ministry and Mission

TMMC2137: 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 articulate their own developing ministerial and/or professional practice and the wider mission of God.
• To explore methods of theological reflection as a creative process of identifying and analysing contexts and ministerial and/or professional practice.
• 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 explore ways in which their gifts can be offered, including within a context of vocational leadership where appropriate.

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 and reflect creatively upon it. Supervision will be provided by a combination of on-site staff and relevant staff in the students’ own training institution.
• It provides opportunity to enhance skills in understanding and analysing context, and integrating theological enquiry with pastoral / ministerial / professional practice. It draws upon the resources of Scripture and relevant Christian traditions in critical conversation with insights from other sources, including the social sciences. It demands of students attentiveness to their own assumptions and biases. Reflecting upon their placement, ministerial or work-based context, students will take responsibility for identifying key aspects, encounters and themes out of which to develop work for assessment.

Learning Outcomes

• Compare and contrast methods of theological reflection as a cross-disciplinary resource for exploring contexts and the self.

• Demonstrate competence in 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.
• Engage in critical theological reflection in ways that show an ability to interpret the context experience, and the student’s own role and performance within it, in the light of appropriate biblical, theological and wider sources, communicating their findings effectively to a specialist audience.
• Exercise confident collaborative ministry within the context, working accountably to a supervisor, using supervisions to understand and improve their own ministerial practice and self-awareness.

• Take responsibility for a task that involves independent inquiry; the management of time, resources and use of IT; meeting deadlines, evaluating the task and learning from it.
• Plan 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