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Understanding Bible by Design: Create Courses with Purpose
Product Description
▼▲Understanding Bible by Design introduces the reader to Understanding by Design: an approach to course design that is proven time-efficient and grounded in the instructor's most closely-held convictions about her subject matter's "big ideas and essential questions." This book's contributors (one in Old Testament, one in New Testament, and one in Jewish Studies) demonstrate the value of Understanding Bible by Design for the Biblical Studies instructor, whether at seminary or university, face-to-face or online, from the intimate seminar to the massive MOOC.
Lester's synopsis of course design and suggested action is followed by a collaborative dialogue with Jane S. Webster and Christopher M. Jones. Webster and Jones provide practical commentary regarding the successful implementation of Lester's proposed approaches. As a group, Lester, Webster, and Jones create a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical ways.
Product Information
▼▲Title: Understanding Bible by Design: Create Courses with Purpose By: G. Brooke Lester Format: Paperback Number of Pages: 120 Vendor: Fortress Press Publication Date: 2014 | Dimensions: 9 X 6 (inches) Weight: 8 ounces ISBN: 1451488793 ISBN-13: 9781451488791 Series: Seminarium Elements Stock No: WW488791 |
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Publisher's Description
▼▲Todays seminary and religious-education instructors are expected to design and redesign their courses more nimbly than in the past. We have to adapt our courses to novel learning environments, for more diverse learners, toward more diverse vocations. At the same time, institutional rewards for time invested in course design are fewer than ever. Understanding Bible by Design introduces the reader to Understanding by Design: an approach to course design that is proven time-efficient and grounded in the instructors most closely-held convictions about her subject matters big ideas and essential questions. This books contributors (one in Old Testament, one in New Testament, and one in Jewish Studies) demonstrate the value of Understanding Bible by Design for the Biblical Studies instructor, whether at seminary or university, face-to-face or online, from the intimate seminar to the massive MOOC.
Lesters synopsis of course design and suggested action is followed by a collaborative dialogue with Jane S. Webster and Christopher M. Jones. Webster and Jones provide practical commentary regarding the successful implementation of Lesters proposed approaches. As a group, Lester, Webster, and Jones create a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical ways.
Author Bio
▼▲Christopher M. Jones is visiting assistant professor of religious studies at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, where he teaches courses in early Jewish literature and theoretical approaches to religion. He holds a PhD in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MTS in Old Testament from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Jane S. Webster is professor of religious studies and director of faculty development at Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina. She is the author of Ingesting Jesus: Eating and Drinking in the Gospel of John and co-editor of Teaching the Bible in the Liberal Arts Classroom and Lady Parts: Biblical Women and The Vagina Monologues.
G. Brooke Lester is assistant professor of Hebrew Scriptures and director for emerging pedagogies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He curates and blogs at Seminarium and anumma.com.
Endorsements
▼▲-Mary E. Hess,
Luther Seminary
Don't worry if you are new to the notion of course design, backward design, or understanding by design. If you care about teaching and want to do more than just tweak your syllabi, this exciting volume is for you. Lester, Webster, and Jones offer practical advice on designing courses that reflect your true learning objectives. Intended specifically for biblical studies professors, Understanding Bible by Design far surpasses any one-size-fits-all workshop or professional development seminar on pedagogy. It provides clear, helpful, and user-friendly guidance on designing and implementing innovative teaching in diverse learning environments.
-Nyasha Junior,
Howard University School of Divinity
This book is a must-buy for the Wabash Center's library. Its not a tips and tricks book. Instead, its an entire approach to course design and assessment in quick accessible prose. The opening chapter provides a concise overview of Wiggins and McTighe's Understanding by Design. Subsequent chapters illustrate this method at work through hands-on examples from the design of a real-life biblical studies course. This process is then repeated for an online course, a college level liberal arts course, and for courses outside of biblical studies. The book walks us through the essential questions to ask when designing a course. What is most important for students to learn? What student performance would provide evidence of this learning? And what activities or assignments would help students develop these skills? Its easy! And a pleasure to read.
-Thomas Pearson,
Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion
Lester and his colleagues explain in clear, engaging terms why professors of biblical studies should invest the time to explore backward course design. Using detailed examples grounded in their own teaching practice, they invite careful attention to focusing on what really matters to enhance student learning. With their fingers on the pulse of contemporary teaching challenges such as multiple time formats and new environments for course delivery, they serve as creative collaborators and guides for both novice and veteran teachers in the field.
-Katherine Turpin,
Iliff School of Theology
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