Worship and Preaching I: Beginning Preaching Worship and Preaching II: Principles of Worship Worship and Preaching III: Special

Transcription

1 St Michael s Ministry Skills Course Handbook

2 St Michael s College... 4 Welcome... 6 How does the Ministry Skills course fit into your training?... 7 Who are the key people who will help you through the Ministry Skills Course?... 9 Key staff at St Michael s... 9 Other staff Course Aims Course structure Residential teaching sessions Themes Running Through the Modules What will be covered at each residential? Placement Personal tutor and portfolio Reporting process Student Support Library Moodle Study Skills Computer Use Where to go for help For general issues about the course For urgent issues about the course For personal issues Appendix 1: Module Descriptors Developing Disciples: Empowering and facilitating learning Inclusive Ministry Induction Leadership and collaboration I: Principles and skills for leading collaboratively Leadership and Collaboration II: Mission and Leadership in Ministry Areas Mission Shaped Ministry I: Mission and the Welsh Context Mission Shaped Ministry II: Developing a missional approach in congregations Mission Shaped Ministry III: Aligning resources to the Missio Dei Mission shaped Ministry IV: Children, Young People and Families Wholeness and healing

3 Worship and Preaching I: Beginning Preaching Worship and Preaching II: Principles of Worship Worship and Preaching III: Special Occasions Appendix 2: Learning Outcome Statements Readers Appendix 3: Learning Outcome Statements Ordinands Appendix 4: Data Protection Policy

4 St Michael s College St Michael s College, Llandaff is a Christian, Welsh college, which holds these core values: Community (which is built on respect for people and a valuing of diversity) Generous inclusivity (extended ecumenically, in inter-faith dialogue and more widely) Quality offered with integrity (to all who are part of, or have dealings with the College) Creativity (which the College not only values but works to stimulate) Its vision is to be: Hospitable and welcoming, inviting people to share a holistic and balanced approach to life. A partner with others in learning which is inspiring and transforming. They will see that the learning is embedded in the organisation, touching and shaping individuals, churches and other organisations, engaged with the local and the global, in Wales and beyond. A people-centred organisation, living and offering effective models of co-operation and leadership. Engaged with the breadth of life, and involved in social action, in a way that speaks to all those who come into contact with its life and work. Rooted in and living a broad understanding of Christian mission, involving dialogue that goes beyond conversation. St Michael s College is a thriving institution, which offers a wide diversity of training, education, research and conference opportunities. The website gives some indication of how broad we are, but only a visit in person does justice to this place. At our heart is our expression of our vision and values. Our core values are to be Christian, generous, and inclusive. Out of the rhythm of prayer and hospitality we aim to build a community that includes our residential and non- residential students training for lifelong ministry; our many conference guests; and the diverse range of chaplains we work with in education and research. On the plains of Afghanistan there are army chaplains doing a Master s or doctorate in chaplaincy who call this place home. There are Muslim chaplains who have done a healthcare induction course here and who loved the opportunity for dialogue. There are curates and incumbents in the Church in Wales, the Church of England and Methodist ministers who trained here and keep in touch, sometimes finishing their qualification or just coming back for training events. Lay people increasingly train here as well. There are conference guests from the churches, the public sector and charities who tell us how they have appreciated our hospitality. We are part of the Church in Wales, and have a partnership agreement with Cardiff University, so we bring together the church and academy, recruiting students not only from England but increasingly worldwide. We are recognised by the Methodist Church and the Church of England as a training college for lay, reader and ordained ministry. It is our commitment to our vision which holds all this wide range of activities This vision seeks to be hospitable and welcoming; offering learning which inspires and transforms; engaged with the whole breadth of life; and above all rooted in Christian mission that calls us again and again into an encounter with those who come here. These are large claims. In a world that often seems narrow we seek to model God s generous love, transforming men and women into what God calls each one of us to become. 4

5 What sort of Christian ministry does this vision speak to? It is one that follows the ministry of Jesus, as someone who was open and generous with God s love, welcoming the outsider and changing lives forever. Claims about the impact of Jesus in the Gospels should not be reduced to party labels, whether liberal, evangelical or high church. This college is for anyone who seeks to follow the way of the Lord Jesus in Christian discipleship. Christian mission involves dialogue that goes beyond conversation. We offer training strongly earthed in local churches and their mission. It is also very firmly a college that hosts the Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies and so it is a place for Muslims, Buddhists and other world faiths who learn here to explore their calling to chaplaincy. Such visitors can be Russian prison chaplains or army chaplains back from operations. And the sheer excitement of this place- and it is a very lively place- is that we hold these groups together in a vision which is hospitable and welcoming. Our aim is to help to shape the future ministry of the Anglican and Methodist Church in Wales and England. It is also to contribute to the work of chaplaincy worldwide in all the world faiths, and to provide a conference centre where people can catch something of the vision which inspires us. Come and see for yourself what this means in our daily life. Mark Clavier Acting Principal 5

6 Welcome We are delighted that you are joining the St Michael s College community for a period of study. We are pleased you are with us and we look forward to our journey together. We very much hope your studies and training will be a rewarding and positive experience. Please don t be reluctant to ask questions. We are here to help. This handbook is a guide to the Ministry Skills course, which will provide the core of your Initial Ministerial Education, whether you are studying for ordained or lay ministry, stipendiary or self supporting, full or part time, and whether you are studying through the Cardiff Certificate, Diploma, BTh or MTh programme or through Exploring Faith. You will find a great deal of the information you need about other aspects of your programme on Moodle (see below p. 20) but you will need to consult some other handbooks to get a full picture of your course. Make sure you have copies of: The relevant academic handbook The worship handbook The placement handbook The portfolio handbook The library handbook The guide to living at St Michael s (for residential students) These are all available to download from our website. You will find useful information to help you with returning to study in the Study Skills section of Moodle Please use the information in this handbook to orientate yourself to your course of study as a whole. If you have any questions please do ask one of the St Michael s key staff listed below. We very much look forward to sharing this exciting time with you, The Ministry Formation Team 6

7 How does the Ministry Skills course fit into your training? Ministry in the Church in Wales is going through a period of considerable change; ministerial training, both full and part-time, is also changing and is in a transitional phase while it adapts to the needs of a changing church. This process of ministerial change is happening at different speeds, and may take somewhat different forms, in different dioceses. In essence, though, ministry is likely to take a much more collaborative form than it has in the past, with future stipendiary clergy providing overall organisation and leadership within a gifted and skilled team of ordained and lay ministers. The St Michael s Ministry Skills Course provides the core elements of formation and skills training which is shared by most candidates training for authorised ministry in the Church in Wales. During your training you will hold in balance three areas of development: doing, knowing and being. Of these, knowing is developed through the academic programme, which teaches you more about your faith and develops your theological and mental skills; doing is about learning the key skills of ministry, and these will be introduced at residential sessions and practiced through your placement; being is more difficult to define. It is concerned with your character as a Christian, clothed with Christ through baptism (Gal 3:27), and with how you develop personally as a minister, your internal growth and change, sometimes called formation. All elements of your training contribute to this, but we encourage your reflection and growth as a minister particularly through your work with a personal tutor, and through the development of your portfolio. These three elements of your training are aligned to the learning outcomes for your ministry (Appendix 2 or 3). Please consult these learning outcomes to understand how you are expected to develop during your training. If you are about to embark on ministerial training you may well be feeling excited, apprehensive, anxious and unsure what to expect. You may well also be feeling confused by the variety of academic programmes in use across the province to learn more about your faith. If you are studying nonresidentially you may be using either of two academic programmes, depending on your sponsoring diocese or ecumenical partner. You may learn about your faith through either: The Cardiff Certificate, Diploma, BTh or MTh programmes, which are managed by St Michael s College or Exploring Faith: a part time discipleship programme validated by Glyndwr University. This is managed by the St Seiriol s Centre based in Bangor If you are studying residentially you may be using either: The Cardiff Certificate, Diploma or BTh programme or The Cardiff MTh programme The diagram on the next page should help to explain how the Ministry Skills course relates to the various academic programmes. The Church in Wales is reviewing its training for the future but the programme you are studying at present should continue until you have completed your training and arrangements will be made to make the transition to any new programme as painless as possible. The Ministry Skills course is rooted in the belief that ministry will in future be increasingly a collaborative activity and that authorised ministry within the Church, whether ordained or lay, is just one aspect of the discipleship to which we are all called through baptism. The programme will help you to develop the particular skills and character traits which are required to be effective collaborative ministers and to help the people of God to grow as disciples, so that they can play their part in carrying on God s mission. It also reflects a belief that, if we are to be truly a learning Church, Christians must learn together and that our learning should never be seen as complete but as something which will continue throughout our lives. 7

8 Ministry Skills in relation to the academic programmes St Asaph: Exploring Faith St Michael's residential Cardiff Programme Monmouth: Cardiff Programme Bangor: Exploring Faith St Michael's Ministry Skills course Llandaff: Cardiff Programme St Davids: Exploring Faith MTh Cardiff Programme Swansea and Brecon: Cardiff Programme The Ministry Skills course has been carefully designed to provide a sound basis for the continued skills training you will receive after ordination or licensing. Some additional ministry skills training may take place within your diocese, if you are training non-residentially, or within St Michael s College if you are a residential student. Remember that this handbook is not designed to give you details of the academic elements of your programme and you need to read it alongside the other handbooks provided by the college. 8

9 Who are the key people who will help you through the Ministry Skills Course? Key staff at St Michael s Mark Clavier (Acting Principal) Anna Williams (Librarian and Information Officer) Stephen Adams John Wilks Paula Yates Ffion Williams Sheryl Williams-Gascoigne Sian Trotman Stephen (Stephen.adams@stmichaels.ac.uk) and Ffion (Ffion.williams@stmichaels.ac.uk) manage your placements Mark (mark.clavier@stmichaels.ac.uk) and Sheryl (Sheryl.williamsgascoigne@stmichaels.ac.uk) are responsible for residential students John (john.wilks@stmichaels.ac.uk) and Sian (sian.trotman@stmichaels.ac.uk) Paula (paula.yates@stmichaels.ac.uk) and Sian (sian.trotman@stmichaels.ac.uk) are responsible for non-residential students 9

10 Other staff You will also be supported in the Ministry Skills programme by some other key people working voluntarily with the college to help you gain the most benefit from your programme. Your diocesan Course Director (Bangor, St David s and St Asaph non-residential candidates) Your placement supervisor Your personal tutor And there is one further key person helping to make sure you get the most from your training: YOU You have a central part to play in your own training. You need to look after yourself and manage your time and your responsibilities. You need to take your training seriously and make sure you give it a very high priority. If there is anything you don t understand, you need to ask the most appropriate person. If ever you are experiencing problems which make your training difficult you need to take the initiative in coming to us to ensure you get all the help we can offer. If you are studying non-residentially it is particularly important that you keep in touch with college staff and keep us informed of any problems in your training. 10

11 Course Aims It would be impossible for this course to train you for every eventuality that confronts a minister in the Church of Christ. You will be pleased to know we do not try the course would last many years if we did! Rather our aim is to prepare you for ministry in three key ways. We journey with you as your vocation and prayer life deepens and develops We equip you with ministry skills necessary for your future role And we complement the growth in knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith which you achieve through your academic programme We hope you are excited by the challenges of the course and ready to take the next step in your discipleship. You should never feel you are on your own at St Michael s. We and your fellow candidates are here to help you with all aspects of your study and training Course structure There are three main elements to the Ministry Skills Course. They are discussed in more detail below but in brief they are: The residential teaching sessions: In a week long summer school and three residential weekends each year, you will learn about the skills you will need for your ministry The placement: This is where you work for a period of time under supervision in a parish, gaining practical skills and putting into practice what you have learned in the residential teaching sessions. Full-time residential students will have placements broadly in the Cardiff are. Part time non-residential students will have placements in their own local areas. Reader candidates will normally be on placement in their home parishes but will be expected to arrange a four week placement each year in a different parish The portfolio, which you work on with your personal tutor: you are expected to maintain a portfolio of reflections and other evidence to demonstrate your learning. Your personal tutor will help you to reflect on all the elements of your development as a minister: what you are learning through your academic programme; how that relates particularly to your calling as a minister; how the practical skills and experience you are gaining will help you in your ministry; and how all of this is changing you as a person. 11

12 Residential teaching sessions There will be four residential teaching sessions each year. Normally this will consist of a week-long summer school, usually in late July; a September weekend, a weekend towards the end of January, and a weekend in June each year. In their first year residential students will not attend the summer school but will receive equivalent training at an induction week at the beginning of term in September. First year non-residential students will attend the summer school It is extremely important that you attend these sessions so please put the dates in your diary as soon as you get them and treat them as a very high priority. It is a packed programme so it will be difficult to make up any learning that you have missed. The dates for this year are: Summer school: September weekend: Induction week: January weekend: June weekend: Summer school: 26 July 1 August 2014 (first year non-residential students) 27 July - 1 August 2014 (all returning students) 5-7 September 2014 (all students) September 2014 (residential students) January 2015 (all students) June 2015 (all students) July 2015 (first year non-residential students) July 2015 (all returning students) The learning is centred round a series of key modules. These modules are: Developing Disciples: empowering and facilitating learning Inclusive Ministry: diversity and difference; transforming conflict Induction: to the course, to study skills and reflective practice; to safeguarding Leadership and Collaboration o I. principles and skills for leading collaboratively o II. mission and leadership in ministry areas Mission Shaped Ministry o I. mission and the Welsh context o II. developing a missional approach in congregations o III. aligning resources to the Missio Dei o IV. children, young people and families Wholeness and Healing: listening skills, ministry to the sick and housebound, funeral ministry Worship and Preaching o I. beginning preaching o II. principles of worship o III. worship for special occasions: the church s year, occasional offices, all age worship, Remembrance Day, civic services, crisis response Each module has an assessment task which you should complete for your portfolio and discuss with your personal tutor. These assessments are an aid to learning. They will not be graded and will not contribute to your academic qualification but they will contribute, with many other aspects of your training, to your annual report. The chart on page 14 shows which module(s) will be covered at each residential. You will find further details about each module in Appendix 1. 12

13 Themes Running Through the Modules Spirituality Throughout the programme, students will be shown how to incorporate various aspects of ministry into their personal life of prayer and spiritual exercises so they may successfully integrate the conduct of that ministry with their own identity, both as individuals and as ministers. They will be introduced to spiritual direction and the regulum of personal prayer, daily offices and the Eucharist. Finally, through the experience of feedback and reflection, they will be encouraged to develop sufficient confidence and vulnerability to be open to the ministry and care of others. Welsh The Anglican Church in Wales has always been committed to maintaining its identity as a distinctively Welsh part of the Church of England and, since 1920, as a distinctively Welsh province of the Anglican Communion. The Church in Wales ministers to all the people of Wales and seeks, in all its activities, to reflect and support the use of the Welsh language. The course will give candidates the opportunity to experience worship through the medium of Welsh; there will be an annual Welsh lecture (with simultaneous translation) and issues surrounding bilingualism and Welsh culture will form part of discussions and reflections on the course. 13

14 What will be covered at each residential? Year Period Induction Worship and preaching Inclusive Ministry Wholeness and healing Mission Shaped Ministry Leadership and collaboration Developing Disciples Safeguarding Summer school 1 September January June Summer school 2 September January June 3 Summer school September January June 14

15 Placement Each year you will be on placement for parts of fifteen weeks. The amount of time you give each week depends on your mode of training and the ministry for which you are being trained. During this time you will work under supervision to gain practical experience in the skills you will need for your ministry. Each year you will also have tasks to work on arising out of the Ministry Skills residential periods. For ordinands the placement will be in a parish other than their home parish; for Readers it will normally be in their home parish but will include a short parish project each year in a different context. Those training residentially full-time will have additional opportunities for placement Brief details can be found below. You should make sure you also have the Placement Handbook which explains in detail the expectations for this important aspect of your training with the Ministry Skills course. If you are a Reader candidate you will normally be attached to your home church, where your incumbent will act as your placement supervisor. You will remain on placement here for most of your two years of training. In the event of a vacancy in your home parish please let the college know so that we can make arrangements for your supervision. However, in each year, we will ask you to arrange a 4-Sunday-long short parish project. This involves choosing a nearby church that significantly differs, either in churchmanship or social make-up from what you have been used to. This is an opportunity for you to experience something different, and to learn from it. If you are an Ordinand, you will normally have a different parish placement in each year of your training. At each of these, you will have a placement supervisor who is normally the incumbent of the church, a chaplain or senior line-manager (if not a church placement) At least one of these placements will be in a church which differs from your own, either in churchmanship or social make-up. This is an opportunity for you to experience something different, and to learn from it. Whether you are training for lay or ordained ministry, you will spend 15 Sundays and 15 evenings or half days each year on duty in your placement church. Usually this is divided between the two semesters. You will be expected to preach four times in your placement parish, between September and March each year. You will also be expected to lead parts of the liturgy when and where this is appropriate. In addition, you will be expected to carry out a task for each module you are taught in the residential periods. Don t forget to make sure you read all the details about your placement in the relevant Placement Handbook

16 Personal tutor and portfolio Throughout the programme your development will be informed and shaped by prayer and by reflection on your learning and what its implications are for your life and ministry. As part of this, it is of course very important to follow a regular pattern of private prayer and public worship. We expect you to maintain a portfolio of reflections and other items which reflect this formational journey. Your personal tutor on the course will be able to offer you plenty of support, but it is important that you also seek a spiritual director or soul friend to travel with you on the course and beyond. Your diocese should be able to help you to find a spiritual director. When you come to the Summer School we will give you a very brief introduction to how our portfolio system works. You will be asked to work over the summer on an initial portfolio which demonstrates the relevant skills and experience you already have. This should also give you the opportunity to discover whether there is anything about the portfolio system which you don t understand or find difficult. In the autumn there will be further work on your portfolio and how you will use it to chronicle progress on the course. Personal tutors are also invited to this session and there will be an opportunity for you to discuss how you will work together and to fix dates. Don t forget to bring your diaries. The main support for your growth through the programme as a whole comes from your personal tutor. Non-residential students meet with their personal tutors three times each term. The role of the personal tutor is to: offer pastoral care work with you on your portfolio monitor your academic performance and be prepared to offer appropriate support or direct you to the relevant module tutor discuss with you the development of your vocation and public spiritual life explore with you your preparedness for public ministry including your reflections on the Ministry Skills programme and your placement. examine with you how you integrate the different elements of the course, i.e., academic study, skills training and spiritual and vocational development. Assess one or more sermon each year (depending on your year and programme) make an important contribution to the writing of an annual report for the appropriate Church authorities which discusses either your suitability for public ministry or whether you should continue in training You will be given the name and contact details of your personal tutor at the Summer School or at Induction Week for residential students. Non-residential students should then make contact with their personal tutor to introduce themselves. If a tutor is unable to attend the September weekend, the candidate should also make arrangements for a first meeting. 16

17 Reporting process You are being trained for public ministry, so it follows that both in your training and in your ministry which follows, you should be accountable to the Church you are called to serve and in whose name you will act. To express this accountability (and also because it is costing the Church money to train you) it will probably come as no surprise that your Bishop is going to want reports on your progress throughout your training! St Michael s sends an annual report on you to your Bishop each summer, normally in May. This is an important summary of your ministerial formation to date, which indicates to your Bishop whether you are likely to be ready and suitable for ordination or licensing at the anticipated time. St Michael s sees this expression of accountability as arising from a combination of self-assessment (through your portfolio and its emphasis on self-reflection) and from external assessment (the reports of others on your training and progress to date). For self-assessment, the main person involved is you. For external assessment, your Personal Tutor is the main person involved, but feedback from module tutors and placement supervisors is also of considerable importance. These sources are combined together into your annual college report. Your annual report to your Bishop is the product of a careful process, which is outlined below: Using your portfolio, you write a self-assessment of your training and progress in the past year. This should be sent to your tutor and submitted to the college via Moodle. You collect feedback from the other sources in your training: e.g. the Placement Supervisor s Report, Parish Project report if you are a reader candidate and Sermon Evaluations. You should submit all these reports as you get them to the college via Moodle and you should also send them to your personal tutor. You discuss all this with your personal tutor, who uses it to draft the Personal Tutor s report to the college. Residential students, who meet their tutors more frequently will usually not need a special meeting The various people involved in your training discuss the various reports at a series of review meetings. The Dean then writes a draft of your College Report and sends it to you. You have a chance to engage with its contents at this stage. The Dean may modify the draft in the light of your discussion. The Dean discusses the latest draft of the report with the Principal, after which it then becomes the final version of your College Report. You sign your report (to indicate you have read it) and you may, if you wish, add a paragraph of your own comments to be incorporated in the report. The Principal then signs the report and it is sent to your Bishop. The whole process runs from February to May, each year of your training. Residential students will find full details of the process in the Guide to Living at St Michael s. Nonresidential students will be reminded of what they need to be doing at appropriate times during the year. 17

18 Student Support Beginning a course in preparation for a new stage of Christian ministry can be hard work. At St Michael s we recognize that this is a demanding time for you. Therefore we offer as much support as possible. Please feel free to contact an appropriate member of Staff if you need advice. Library All candidates who live close enough to the college can use St Michael s library to work in. Those who live further away can use it during residential periods and borrow books to take home with them; or you can borrow and return books by post. You will be given a full introduction to the library at the Summer School and you can also get full details from our library handbook which you can download from the St Michael s website. Moodle Supporting material and activities for the Ministry Skills course will be found on the internet at Moodle is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which the college is introducing to support the Ministry Skills course. It is intended that, once everyone has got used to it (and any teething troubles have been resolved), we will gradually introduce it to support our academic programmes as well. We hope that this will give us a much greater opportunity to build up the college community, irrespective of the mode of study or the ministry for which you are being trained Moodle should give you: Easy access in your own time to handbooks and learning materials Opportunities to assess your own learning through interactive activities The chance to be part of an online forum for each module so that you can continue to discuss issues with each other and with the tutor before, during and after face to face learning We very much welcome your feedback on Moodle. We expect the development to be gradual but it is there to support your learning so let us know what would be helpful. Study Skills You will find a great deal of support about various study skills, including writing assignments, in the Study Skills section of Moodle. You will also find there a very useful glossary of theological terms Computer Use We are aware that not everyone is familiar with computers; however, certain aspects of your training will rely heavily on their use and you will need regular (ideally daily) access to a computer with an internet connection. In particular you will need to use computers for: Moodle: You will be expected to complete activities for this course through Moodle, as well as using it to submit the various reports needed for your annual review. We will train you on using Moodle at the summer school and if you have any problems you can contact your administrator who will guide you through it. Communication: Much of our communication with you is via , so you will need an address Assignments: All your module assignments will need to be word-processed (hand written submissions will not be accepted), so you will need to have access to a computer and printer. You will not need to be a computer expert but in order that you are prepared, please ensure that you have access to a computer, that you are familiar with the basics of using a computer and that you have an address prior to your attendance at the Summer School in July. If you have never used a 18

19 computer before, we strongly urge you to enrol on one of the many computer access courses which are available. Details should be available at your local branch library. Please do this before the course begins. If you are concerned about any of this or need further clarification please contact the relevant administrator (see p.9). Where to go for help As adults you are of course expected to take the primary responsibility for solving your own problems. Nevertheless, we know that it can sometimes be difficult to find your way round the complications of the Church or of your training programme. We understand that the training period can be exhausting, emotional and sometimes lonely. We know that sometimes events can create problems in your life and sometimes things can go wrong with the training. It is important that you tell us when things are going wrong and that you ask us if you are in need of help. Knowing when and how to ask for help is an important skill of ministry. So don t suffer in silence until it all gets too much for you. Sometimes there will be something we can do and sometimes not. But it will always be possible for us to help you to reflect on what courses of action might be open to you. For general issues about the course: There will be a short consultation session at each residential period in which you can give us feedback (bad and good) on any issue to do with the course. This is a very important part of our course review process so we welcome criticisms (constructively presented) and seek to learn from the discussion which follows. If a lot of people agree that a change is needed we will act on your ideas if we are able to do so, and some significant changes in the course have been made in response to these feedback sessions. For urgent issues about the course: you should go first to the appropriate member of the Ministry Formation Team (for addresses see p.9): Placement issues: Stephen Adams or Ffion Williams Residential students: Mark Clavier or Sheryl Williams-Gascoigne. Non-residential students: Paula Yates or Sian Trotman MTh: John Wilks, Sian Trotman For personal issues: you may wish to go first to your personal tutor or to the appropriate member of the Ministry Formation Team. Non-residential students on the Exploring Faith programme may wish to go first to their local course director. Your issue will be treated in confidence within the team. That is to say that whoever you speak to may share it appropriately amongst those involved in your training. 19

20 Appendix 1: Module Descriptors Developing Disciples: Empowering and facilitating learning Aim The overall aim of the module is to develop ministers who are able to encourage people to learn and grow as disciples. It will introduce students to ideas about learning styles and help them to lead small groups in a way which empowers the individuals within the group and enables reflection and the internalisation of learning Learning Outcomes At the end of the module participants will be able to: demonstrate a sound knowledge of faith development and its various stages give an account of learning styles and be able to design appropriately varied learning sessions demonstrate insight into group dynamics and apply that insight in a group learning situation explain the difference between teaching and facilitating learning Assessment Participants are required to devise and lead a small group learning session (possibly as part of a Lent course). They should arrange to receive written feedback on the course and their leadership of it from group members. They should then collect for their portfolio: their design for the session the written feedback a reflection on the experience of leading the session and on their own response to the feedback 20