Christian Education
CEWeb
Welcome
to the Christian Education page of the American Baptist Churches
of Wisconsin Website!
This online
resource will serve as a forum to share ideas, get information
and the like.
Please share the Web address
for this site with Christian Education workers in your church.
I would also invite you to offer
suggestions of things which would make the site useful
to you.
Choosing and Developing Curriculum
March 2008
Were I to make a list of frequently asked questions
about Christian Education, questions about curriculum would
rank at the top. What kind of curriculum should our church use?
Is there any curriculum which really catches the attention of
children? Is there any that is less expensive than the one we
have been using? Do we really need to use curriculum materials?
The list goes on.
Judson Press has just published a book that
deals with many curriculum issues in a very practical way. It
is called Christian Educators' Guide to Evaluating and Developing
Curriculum. The author is Nancy Ferguson, an ordained Presbyterian
minister with specialization in Christian Education, and practical
experience in writing curriculum materials. If your church has
been asking questions about curriculum, I would recommend this
book for your consideration.
The author uses a broad definition of curriculum
to refer to the church's entire educational program and not
merely to the printed resources. For that reason, the book begins
with a section (Part 1) on "Identifying a Congregational
Purpose for Christian Education." Ms. Ferguson suggests
that there are several options for selecting appropriate printed
materials for your church. The first step in choosing this material,
however, must be a determination of the needs of your church.
She identifies six key elements of educational programs to consider.
They are:
1. Purpose or goal for Christian education
in your church
2. What the Bible is and how you use it in your educational
ministry
3. Settings for educational ministry in your congregation
4. Content to be taught in your educational ministry
5. Role of teachers in your educational ministry.
6. Role of learners in your educational ministry.
All churches intending to utilize this book
are asked to use Part 1 to gather the necessary information
to make good choices in materials. The section contains two
prepared workshops to assist in accomplishing this task, and
also several helpful worksheets.
Once these goals are determined, the church
is ready to follow the directions given in Part 2, 3 or 4, depending
on the choices already made. Part 2, "Evaluating and Choosing
Curriculum Resources," will be used by those who have decided
to use purchased materials. Again, workshops and worksheets
are available to assist you in understanding published materials
and elements in making selections. Appendix B will also be helpful
to those who have chosen to go in this direction. It contains
a list of publishers who print curriculum recourses, with addresses,
websites and phone numbers.
Part 3, "Writing Curriculum Resources",
provides helpful materials for those who have decided to write
their own materials. Outlines of session material are printed,
as well as some completed sessions. The section also includes
information on ways people learn and age group characteristics
to assist those who will be writing materials.
Part 4, "Adapting Curriculum Resources,"
is for those who have decided to purchase material, but who
recognize that no curriculum is perfect to fit any particular
church and will adapt the resources. I would suggest that this
is always a good option, but working through both Parts 2 and
3, in addition to Part 4, would be helpful in doing a good job
of making adaptations.
As I say, this is a helpful, practical book.
Good educational principles are presented in a down-to-earth
manner. It is ready for use as a kind of workbook. If you are
doing curriculum review, it is a good place to start! The book
costs $13.60 right now on special (normally $17.00), and can
be ordered from Judson Press online at http://www.judsonpress.com
.
