CF502DE Development Across the Lifecycle Anne-Marie Finsaas, MACFM
Winter 2013 763.551.9825
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a study of the life stages and age-level characteristics of children through adults. The student will develop an understanding of physical, mental, emotional, social, moral and spiritual characteristics of individuals across the human life cycle. Application of the course content will be made as students assess the age-level appropriateness of specific ministries in their local context.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The student will demonstrate:
1. an understanding of the physical, mental, emotional, social, moral and spiritual characteristics of individuals at each stage of the lifecycle.
2. a knowledge of the relationship between the developmental process and ministry to and with persons in Christian community.
3. an analysis of the teaching-learning process informed by developmental understandings.
4. an ability to reflect on developmental research from a Christian perspective.
5. application of developmental research to contexts of ministry with children and adults who invest in children’s ministry.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Personal Profile:
Post a Personal Profile online in a discussion forum:
· What is your current ministry context?
· What is your family/life context?
· Share one way you have been stretched and changed since entering this degree program.
· What do you hope to gain from this course?
Review the profiles posted by all students to familiarize yourself with your learning colleagues.
Readings:
Students will read the following textbooks as assigned in the Course Schedule
· Berk, Laura E. 2007. Development Through The Lifespan, 5th edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 0205687938
· Hagberg, Janet and Robert Guelich. 2005. The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith. Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Company. ISBN: 1879215497
· Stonehouse, Catherine. 1998. Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing a Life of Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. ISBN: 0801058074
Students will read the following materials as assigned in the Course Schedule; these articles can be found in the Assignment tab under the week in which they are assigned (Week 6).
· Anderson, Frances. "Adolescent Development." In Nurture That Is Christian, ed. James C. Wilhoit and John M. Dettoni, 159-170. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
· Patty, Steve. "A Developmental Framework For Doing Youth Ministry." In Reaching a Generation For Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry, ed. Richard R. Dunn and Mark H. Senter III, 69-86. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.
(Reading Reports will be due at the end of Week 5 and at the end of Week 10. Students will enter into the corresponding assignment link the percentage of the texts read for grading purposes.)
Discussion Forums:
These discussion forums are designed to foster conversation and stimulate interaction among discussion group members. Please show respect to your learning colleagues by offering a genuine spirit of welcome in your dialogue. Authentic community is built when we listen well without fixing or saving one another. Choose to come into these conversations with a curiosity for what God might teach you through the readings and your colleagues. Leave defensiveness and agendas behind. On a practical level, show respect to your learning colleagues by participating within the assigned time frame and by posting thoughtful responses with a point (for instance, while posts such as “great” and “I agree” are encouraging, they are not substantive postings).
· Students will participate in discussion groups on the assigned weekly readings. A list of members for each group is listed at the header of the online course.
· Students will initiate the discussion by Wednesday of each week (except Weeks 5 and 10).
· Every week, each student will post his or her answer to this question: What are three things you learned from your readings this week and how will you make application of this learning in your ministry context? (Please site page numbers for referencing.)
· The other students in the discussion group will be responsible to interact in the discussion forum, responding (at least two times) to what has been posted and sharing insights they have learned.
· Discussion forums will occur weeks 1-4 and weeks 6-9.
Project #1:
Students will choose a Project #1 (1500-2000 words) from the following list to work on through the first half of the quarter. The project will be sent to the professor via the assignment link by midnight Sunday, February 17 of Week 5.
OPTION A: Age Group Ministry Evaluation
Students will develop a strategy for developmentally appropriate ministry to a specific age group: infants and toddlers (first two years), early childhood (2-6 years old), middle childhood (6-11 years old).
Students will interview three to five sets of parents and when appropriate, their children, in the student’s ministry context.
· Questions for parents:
o In what ways does the ministry at our church meet the developmental needs of your child in the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, emotional development, social development and spiritual development?
o How can the Children’s and Family Ministry of the church best partner with you as you parent your child?
o What do you look for the church to provide for you?
o What can you contribute to the ministry?
o What areas do we need to strengthen to make our ministry most helpful to you and your child/children?
· Develop a set of questions to ask children in early childhood and middle childhood, which will allow them to tell you about their experience in the children's ministry at your church.
Briefly summarize the interviews. Using these interviews and the course readings, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this ministry and then, develop a ministry strategy developmentally appropriate for this age group.
OPTION B: Childcare Center Observation and Application
Observe three childcare centers in your locale that are reputed to be of the highest caliber. Use the Caregiving Concerns highlight (Berk, p.165) as the foundation of your observations on:
§ Physical setting
§ Toys and equipment
§ Caregiver-child ratio
§ Daily activities
§ Interactions among adults and children
§ Caregiver qualifications
§ Relationships with parents
§ Licensing and accreditation
Evaluate and apply your learnings using these questions:
· What can your ministry context learn from these quality childcare centers about holistic developmental ministry?
· What can you incorporate into the church context to strengthen the ministry to infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families?
· How does the experience of children and workers in your children's ministry inform spiritual development?
OPTION C: Teacher Training and/or Parent Education on Developmental Issues
Develop a two-hour workshop for teacher training and/or parent education that communicates important developmental issues in a ministry context. What information will you communicate? What format will you use to communicate this information? This curriculum must include the instructor’s lecture notes, discussion questions and all learning resources used in the workshop.
OPTION D: Developmental Assets
Students will review the 1997 Search Institute Research Report, "Starting Out Right: Developmental Assets for Children" by Nancy Leffert, Peter Benson, and Jolene Roehlkepartain.
Explore how these developmental assets are met in your ministry context in one of the following age groups: infants and toddlers, preschoolers, elementary-age children, and adolescents. Then, develop a strategy for the church and the community to network to build these developmental assets for the chosen age group.
Search Institute
(612) 376-8955
1-800-888-7828
E-mail:
Website: http://www.search-institute.org
Project #2:
Students will work on Project #2 (2000-2500 words) during the second half of the course. The project is to be completed and sent to the instructor via the assignment link by midnight, Sunday, March 17 of Week 10.
Evaluation of a Ministry through Developmental Lenses: Choose a specific ministry in the church and evaluate its comprehensiveness and effectiveness in addressing the developmental needs of the children, youth and/or adults who are present in the ministry: physical development, cognitive development, social development, emotional development, moral development and spiritual development. Demonstrate an understanding of the readings and course work as you make application to your ministry context. Affirm the strengths of the ministry and then develop a strategy for strengthening areas in need of improvement. Finally, write an action plan for comprehensive and developmentally informed ministry to the chosen age group.
COURSE GRADING
Reading / 25%Discussion Forums / 20%
Project #1 / 25%
Project #2 / 30%
Completing the course evaluation at the end of this course is included as a component of class participation. While your responses are anonymous, failure to submit an electronic evaluation will reduce your course class participation grade by 2%.
Grading Scale
Grades are assigned as follows. Work deserving an A grade is excellent, shows outstanding ability to synthesize course knowledge and consistent evidence of originality and creativity. Work deserving a B grade is good, shows substantial ability to analyze and use course knowledge and some evidence of originality and creativity. Work deserving a C grade is acceptable and shows adequate ability to use course knowledge. Inadequate work will receive a D grade or lower.
A 94-100 B+ 87-90 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A- 91-93 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
B- 80-82 C- 70-72 F 62 & below
Plagiarism
Academic integrity in this learning environment is crucial. Please familiarize yourself with Bethel’s understanding of academic integrity and give credit for others’ ideas and words (https://bethelnet.bethel.edu/ureg/bssp/acp/). Any evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for the assignment.
Accessibility
Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if disability-related accommodations are needed. Accommodations for students with documented disabilities are set up through the Office of Disability Services (http://www.bethel.edu/disability/accommodations/obtaining.html).
Due Dates & Late Work Policy
All assignments are due by midnight (per each student’s own time zone) on Saturday of the week assigned unless otherwise noted or agreed upon by the instructor and the student. Work not submitted by the due date will receive a deduction of 5% for each day late. If you are aware ahead of time of extenuating circumstances that will affect your work, please communicate with the instructor so that accommodations can be made. No work will be accepted after March 25. If you fall behind significantly, please communicate with the instructor to arrange a plan for taking an incomplete or completing your course work for partial credit.
Assignment Schedule
Week 1: Foundations of Lifecycle Development
· Read:
o Berk - Parts 1 & 2
o Stonehouse - Chapters 1 & 2
· Post: Personal Profile and review classmates’ profiles.
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading.
· Begin Project #1 (for completion by Sunday, February 10).
Week 2: Infancy & Toddlerhood
· Read:
o Berk - Part 3
o Stonehouse - Chapters 3 & 4
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 3: Early Childhood
· Read:
o Berk - Part 4
o Stonehouse - Chapters 5 & 6
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 4: Middle Childhood
· Read:
o Berk - Part 5
o Stonehouse - Chapters 7-9
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 5: Application of Learnings to Ministry Context
· Students will complete Project #1 during this week. The project is due on Sunday, February 10 and must be posted via the assignment link to the professor.
· Reading Report #1 due. Post in the corresponding assignment link the percentage of assigned reading completed during weeks 1-4
Week 6: Adolescence
· Read:
o Berk - Part 6
o Wilhoit & Dettoni – Adolescent Development
o Dunn & Senter – Doing Youth Ministry
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
· Begin Project #2 (for completion by Sunday, March 17 in week 10)
Week 7: Young Adulthood
· Read:
o Berk - Part 7
o Hagberg & Geulich – Chapters 1 - 5
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 8: Middle Adulthood
· Read:
o Berk - Part 8
o Hagberg & Geulich – Chapters 6 - 10
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 9: Older Adulthood
· Read:
o Berk - Parts 9 & 10
o Hagberg & Geulich – Chapters 11 - 15
· Discussion Forum: participate in discussion of reading
Week 10: Application of Learnings to Ministry Context
· Students will complete Project #2 during this week. The project is due on Sunday, March 17 and must be posted via the assignment link to the professor.
· Reading Report #2 due. Post in the corresponding assignment link the percentage of assigned reading completed during weeks 6-10
· Submit: Course Evaluation