Archive for the 'Assessing Progress' Category
Oops…I almost titled today’s post Making Reading More Fun but then I realized that I had previously ranted about the obsession we catechists often have with making sure everything is fun!!! The key is to make learning more engaging (which makes it more fun anyway!)
All that to say that last night’s activity made the reading of the textbook much more engaging. We sat around a long table with the Church history timeline spread out (about 8 feet long) in our midst. Each young person had 3 small cards, each representing an event in Church history (all of them from the Powerpoint we used the previous few weeks).
As we read through several chapters of the Church history unit in our Finding God textbook, the young people called “TIME OUT!” whenever the text mentioned an event that was on one of their cards. We then placed the card along the timeline, described the event, and continued on with reading the text.
Several times, the young people missed an event mentioned by the text at which point I called “TIME OUT!” When we found out who had the card but missed its reference in the text, that young person had to stand until the next time out. They got a kick out of this little “punishment” and focused even closer attention to the reading to avoid further ignominy!
In all, we read from the text for almost 45 minutes (including all the pauses for the above) covering about 800 years of the timeline. However, the time went by very quickly because it was more engaging than just a straight reading of the text. Normally, the idea of reading from the text for that length of time would sound dreadfully boring. However, given the level of engagement, the reading of the text was transformed into an active learning experience.
And, yes, we had fun!
Next week, we’ll finish the remaining 1200 years of Church history, wrapping up this unit and then we’ll get the kids ready for the Sacrament of Reconciliation which takes place Dec. 10 as part of their Advent experience.
Here’s my plan for this evening’s session:
- We will complete the church history Powerpoint that we began last week (we have 2 more time periods to go through).
- Throughout the Powerpoint, the young people have been filling in a note-taking sheet with pertinent names and dates.
- When we are finished, we’ll review the info on the note-taking sheets and then I’ll arrange them into 5 small groups (2 or 3 in each group) and assign each group one of the 5 periods in church history that we’ve covered in the Powerpoint.
- They’ll have 5 minutes to prepare a brief presentation on their time period, telling us what years they are covering and what events took place and their significance.
- To prepare, they may use their note-taking sheets.
- For their presentations, however, they will not be able to use their sheets, so that they will need to speak in their own words.
This activity will be my form of assessment to see how well they have comprehended the material covered in the timeline presentation over the past 2 weeks. It is also another way of ensuring that the young people are actively engaged in their learning and not just passive.
Our reflective prayer this evening is a meditation on images of Jesus (another Powerpoint!) that I’ve collected over time and set to music. The focus will be on how Jesus has been experienced over the 2000+ years of church history and how we experience the same living Christ today!
P.S. For a good site of Jesus Images, visit http://www.passionist.org/prc/gallery/
Last night was a night of ups and downs. We began by reviewing how to pray the Rosary and then we moved into our reflective prayer and prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, connecting this to our last class when we learned about the Cross of Jesus. A couple of the young people were pretty hyper and couldn’t sit still. I even had to pause at one point to ask one of them to apologize to the group for interrupting the prayer with various noises and comments.
It was frustrating for a while but eventually toward the last third of the prayer, they had achieved a calm. This allowed me to use a few minutes after the Rosary to invite them to talk to Jesus in the silence of their own hearts which they did very nicely for about 5 mintues.
We then moved into a review of the material that we have covered over the past 6 weeks. This did not go as well as planned since they were not able to keep their focus. I think my mistake was not giving the review to them as a quiz first and then going over the answers.
Finally, in the midst of that review, one of the young people who had been acting up throughout the evening (and for several weeks) finally pushed me too far and I had to firmly confront his behavior and challenge him to act more maturely. I never enjoy doing this but at the same time, I reminded the entire group that it’s my job to make sure that they begin to grasp an adult faith and that I will never hesitate to challenge behavior that is not conducive to doing so.
I also realize that the well-behaved kids appreciate it when poor behavior is clamped down on. They are annoyed by the bad behavior and feel that their time is wasted if such behavior is allowed. We do the entire group a favor by keeping discipline. It’s just not our favorite thing to have to do, right?
All in all, last night was not one of my best experiences but I think the tone is set for next week and I feel compelled to step up my efforts to facilitate an engaging session!
For next week’s session, I plan to do a review of what we have covered so far. We’re at a transition point between units and I’d like to be able to reinforce some of the important concepts that we’ve covered so far.
The Finding God Catechist Guide that I’m using comes with Blackline Masters that include unit tests. The program I teach in does not do testing per se (except for an assessment at the end of the program) so I plan to use the tests from units 1 and 2 as a review.
Repetition is very important in any form of education. Education experts tell us that it is rare for people to effectively learn something new with only one exposure. Research shows that repetition is crucial to the “wiring” of the brain. In other words, it is through repetition that the forming of connections (synapses) between brain cells takes place.
Centuries ago, St. Ignatius of Loyola understood the importance of repetition in learning. In fact, repetition is considered a hallmark of Jesuit education. In 1599, the Jesuits published a handbook, Ratio Studiorum, to help teachers and administrators in Jesuit schools. The Ratio identifies repetition as key to Jesuit methodology. Here’s how one Jesuit website describes the role of repetition:
Repetition is the time afforded to reviewing a subject. Repetition, however, is not simply review or rehashing already learned material. Repetition always carries with it the idea of deeper appropriation and understanding of the material already learned.
I know that many of us catechists feel pressure to “move on to the next topic” so that we can be sure we’ve “covered it all.” However, it does little good to cover it all if none of it has sunk in. Take a pause occasionally to reveiw - to do some repetition - so that new learnings are reinforced.
Last night saw great improvement in the kids’ behavior and ability to participate more maturely in reflective prayer (meditation).
By the way, one of the boys asked at the outset of class, “Are we gonna pray again like last week?” I got a kick out of that because he was one of the kids who had trouble being still the previous week, although he was not a problem per se. I think he enjoys the “something different” feeling that the prayer opportunity gives him and he was eager to have this time again. I’m sure he doesn’t fully understand the reflective prayer experience, but he’s obviously attracted to the experience if only for the change of pace.
I did a reflection on the nearness of God, focusing on Psalm 139. As always, I began with a few directions for centering and relaxing…focusing on breathing, relaxing shoulder and back muscles, etc. Throughout, I had soft instrumental music playing in the background. The kids were spread out around the room, most on the floor, some in their chairs. Lights dimmed. Fake candle flickering (we have fire restrictions).
Next, I guided them through some reflections on Psalm 139 (provided in the catechist guide) eventually ending up with them speaking and listening silently to God who is nearer to them then they are to themeselves. In all, the reflection lasted about 10 minutes. The last 3 minutes, I faded out the music and told them to just spaek to God about whatever is in their hearts.
THE KIDS WERE PERFECTLY SILENT FOR THOSE 3 MINUTES!
I invited them to gradually return their focus to the room and to return to their seats. I congratulated them, saying, “Congratulations, 8th graders…you just meditated!” They were very proud of themselves. I told them that what they just accomplished is not easy nor is it common for kids their age in this noisy and busy world.
This was very good progress and it bodes well for future guided reflections (meditations). Soon, I will show them how they can take this technique and use it on their own instead of relying on someone to lead the meditation.
Week 2 of religious education went very well. I remembered most of the kids’ names (next week…NO name tags!) and they continued to be very well-behaved. We went to Church for an opening prayer service and the pastor did a nice job of speaking to the kids about the upcoming year and talking about Jesus as the “key” to our salvation.
Next week, I will be getting a new student with special needs (hearing impairment). The DRE has assigned an adult to be a faith companion for him (she will attend class with him and assist in any way he needs). I look forward to this opportunity and ask the Holy Spirit to help me to meet his special needs and the needs of all of my participants.
By the way, the Albany, New York diocesan paper, The Evangelist, ran a nice story about The Catechist’s Toolbox in the Catechetical Sunday issue. The story also appears on their website. Click here: http://www.evangelist.org/archive/htm8/0913papr.htm
I’ll be talking with my DRE today about finalizing the schedule (syllabus) for the year for grade 8. I know that both of us will have to resist the temptation to “try to do too much.”
There’s so much great stuff packed into the textbook (Finding God, Loyola Press) and we also schedule a number of additional events that take us out of the classroom and into the Church, meaning that there’s just never enough time to do it all.
I keep going back to the notion of: it’s better to do a few things and to do them exceptionally well than it is to do a number of things only fairly well.
I think the same holds true for each class that we teach. Sometimes we try to do so many things that we end up accomplishing very little. It’s like a homily that tries to accomplish too much…if you can’t summarize a homily in one line, then it’s not a good homily. This can be applied to our lessons: we need to focus on one BIG idea and hammer it home. We should be able to summarize the focus of our lesson in one sentence. If we can’t, then there’s no way the kids will be able to respond to their parents’ question of “So, what did you learn in religious education today?”
Many of us catechists are either finished or close to wrapping up the “year” in religious education. This is a good time to reflect on this past year, asking the Lord to help us learn and grow from the experience. Here is a reflection you may want to use to review your past year. (I’ve written it in such a way that it is best read aloud by an individual who is leading others in the reflection, however, it can also be used in private with minor adaptations).
We often tell our learners to use their imaginations. Now it’s your turn. Use your imagination to reflect on this past year as a catechist. (Pause.)
First, find a position that feels most comfortable to you. (Pause.) If you like, close your eyes. (Pause.) Now relax your entire body—your neck . . . your shoulders . . . your arms . . . your legs. (Pause.) Feel all the tension flowing out of your body, into the air and away. (Pause.) Now be very still and listen to the rhythm of your breathing. Listen. (Pause.) Feel your breath go in and out, in and out, in and out. (Pause.) Now let’s begin. (Pause.)
In your imagination see yourself in the place where you’ve been teaching this past year. (Pause.) Imagine that you are there all alone, slowly walking about the room, recalling the times that you were teaching. (Pause.) Imagine that you can hear the echoes and see the shadows of the experiences you shared with your participants over the weeks and months. (Pause.)
Imagine that in the midst of this remembering, Jesus enters the room. As he comes in, you go to meet him. He’s obviously glad to see you. Listen to him tell you how glad he is to be with you. (Pause.)
Jesus asks you what you were just doing. Tell him that you’ve been thinking about this past year and your service as a catechist.
Listen as Jesus thanks you for being his disciple and for sharing his Good News with others. (Pause)
Jesus asks you, “What moments in your teaching this past year do you feel best about?” (Pause) Take some time to recall these moments and share them with Jesus. Tell him why these moments were special. (Pause)
Tell Jesus what you are most thankful for as you recall this past year. (Pause)
Jesus asks you, “What were your biggest struggles this year?” (Pause) Take some time to share with Jesus what you struggled with. (Pause) Listen as Jesus responds. (Pause)
Talk to Jesus about specific individuals in your group. Tell him about the gifts you recognize in them. Tell him what special needs some of them have that you are concerned about and how you tried to reach them. (Pause)
Jesus asks you how you are doing with your own faith life. Talk to him about where you feel your relationship with him is at this point in your life. (Pause)
Ask Jesus for the grace to grow closer to him. (Pause)
Jesus asks you if you will consider serving as a catechist again. Thank him for this special invitation and calling and talk to him about how you would like to respond at this time. (Pause)
If you feel ready to respond to this call, tell Jesus what specific help you will need to grow as a catechist in the coming year. (Pause)
If you are not ready to return as a catechist, ask Jesus for his help in discerning how you can best use your gifts to serve others. (Pause) Listen as Jesus speaks to you. (Pause)
Jesus reminds you that the Holy Spirit is always with you to guide you.(Pause.)
You’ve discussed a lot with Jesus already, so now just rest in his love. Words are no longer needed. Be still together. Know how much he cares for you. (Pause.)
You recognize that it’s time to go now. Thank Jesus for the gift of this past year and for this time you just spent together. (Pause.)
Gradually bring yourself back from your reflection.(Pause.)
End this prayer time by giving praise to the Trinity: “Glory be to the Father…”
This past Monday, we gave an end-of-the-year assessment to our 8th graders that covers all of the basics of the Catholic faith: the Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, parts of the Mass, and so on. First, we spent the week before reviewing, especially the Ten Commandments, which far too many of the kids seemed fuzzy on. Then, we gave the assessment, and, I’m happy to report, they did very well on. There were a handful of perfect scores and most were only 1 or 2 items wrong. Only 3 students did below average (although still a “passing” grade). I’m happy to see that some things “took.”
During the review, I reminded the kids about the importance of knowing our faith. I told them that a class full of Muslim kids of their age would be learning Arabic and memorizing the Koran while a class full of Jewish kids of their age would be learning Hebrew and memorizing the Torah. I told them that in a few years, when they go to college and enter the work force, they will encounter people of many faiths and, unless they understand their own tradition, will feel lost. They seemed to respond well to that notion as it is very real. I know far too many young adult Catholics who resent not knowing how to talk about their faith because of a lack of solid formation in their childhood and youth. The best strategy for healthy ecumenical and interreligious dialogue is for Catholics to know their own faith well enough to be able to talk about it intelligently with those unfamiliar with it.
Tonight we will be giving our 8th graders a year-end assessment (test). I like the fact that this is done AFTER Confirmation so that it is not seen as a hoop to jump through to receive the sacrament. It will be interesting to see how they do.
I’m going on a brief road trip with 3 of my brothers, visiting our sister in Columbus, Ohio. I won’t be posting for a few days. Talk to y’all later this week!
