Module TMMC2121: Extended Integrative Learning for Collaborative Practice

Department: Theology, Ministry and Mission

TMMC2121: Extended Integrative Learning for Collaborative Practice

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To enable students to develop skills in study and reflection that is cross-disciplinary and holistic through the integrated study of two specific topics.
• To facilitate individual and corporate reflective practice by the students as they integrate their current learning with their own and other people’s prior experience.
• To encourage deeper understanding of the challenges presented by the topic under consideration for Christian discipleship and mission and encourage the formulation of students’ own coherent personal response.
• To encourage and facilitate collaborative learning practices through group learning and group project work, offering constructive and appropriate peer feedback.
• To encourage students to allow the topic to interrogate their past, present and future life and ministry in a theologically informed way.

Content

• Extended integrated study modules allow two specific topics to be studied from the perspective of various theological and other disciplines in a group learning context. The primary focus is to help students develop cross-disciplinary skills in study and reflection while working as a team towards a group assessment. The choice of the specific topics lies with the training institution. They might be major issues in Christian life, discipleship, mission or ministry or a particular theological themes. The two topics will be studied sequentially with assessment and reflection between them allowing students to learn from experience in the first before embarking on the second.
• Each topic will then be studied from at least three of the following theological perspectives: biblical studies, mission studies, pastoral theology, church history, ethics, systematics, liturgical studies, or ecclesiology. There will also be insights from at least one ‘non-theological’ discipline, such as psychology, philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, media studies. Depending on the topic, some of the input will be from “expert practitioners” as well as various academic subject specialists. Throughout the module there will be group activities to support and enhance the learning. The group will be expected to demonstrate the use of academic tools and methodologies appropriate to the disciplines and to reflect corporately and individually on the learning process.
• The following is an indicative list of topics that could be considered
• Sexual ethics
• Death and dying
• The Anglican Communion
• Christianity and world faiths
• Leadership and mission
• Church and community
• Ecumenism
• Liturgy and mission

Learning Outcomes

• Give a critical and detailed account of the topics under discussion and the questions to which it gives rise, informed by several disciplines in theology, ministry and mission, and in relation to core aspects of Christian discipleship.

• Apply cross-disciplinary skills to reflect critically on the topics under consideration in a way that demonstrates sensitivity to a variety of approaches and views, communicating their findings effectively

• Work collaboratively with others to identify, gather, analyse and evaluate textual source materials for a range of purposes.
• Demonstrate good reflective practice in critically evaluating different approaches, communicating effectively in a group setting.
• 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 by subject specialists and expert practitioners 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. The formal input will include lectures by subject specialists and expert practitioners.
• 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.
• Case studies offer students the opportunity to apply their knowledge, analytical and problem-solving skills to the kinds of complex, realistic and often ambiguous situations they are likely to encounter in their profession / ministry/ vocation.
• Visits enable students to encounter the subject matter in a way that provokes formational as well as cognitive learning that demands critical reflection on the subject area and its implications.
• 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.
• 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.
• Virtual discussion forums offer students the opportunity to articulate the knowledge and understanding they have acquired to others and to engage in informed debate.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will be through the students' participation in structured tasks within the small groups including students offering constructive and appropriate group and individual feedback to their peers In addition, students will write a learning journal of personal reflections and engagement with the themes of the module.

■ 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