Internet
Explorer users will notice that the reviews are organized in a collapsible
outline. Simply click on a question and the answer will appear below it.
Resource: Pathways to Discovery.
Published by: Abingdon Press.
-
What is the title of the resource, who publishes it, and is it denominationally affiliated?
TITLE: Pathways to Discovery. PUBLISHER: Abingdon Press DENOMINATION: Methodist - For
what setting(s) is this resource designed (i.e. home, camp, church, etc.)?
This resource is designed for after school programs in which children’s fellowship groups meet once a week. - What
are the central goals of the resource?
To help children feel loved and accepted by God and the church and, therefore, to make disciples of them. To help the children live their faith through recreation, creative expression and study. Children also meet pastors and lay persons to establish loving relationships that are a foundation of Christian discipleship. To open paths for children to participate more regularly in worship - What
is the basic content or subject matter?
Using Scripture as the foundation, the content the children will discover is who they are as God’s children and as disciples of Jesus Christ. In light of these roles, they will explore their relationships with neighbors, community, world, creation and God. Each lesson plan includes Bible study, activities (games and/or crafts), music, snack and worship. The children will deal with a biblical theme or a faith issue as it applies to their own lives. Goals are written out for each lesson plan. They explicitly state that the children will wonder, explore, discover and then respond which is remindful of Maria Harris’ approach or a group approach to the encounter model. - For
what age(s) is this resource intended?
This resource is intended for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The resource understands the age groups as follows: -Children need and want opportunities to build positive relationships (especially due to contemporary family lifestyle i.e. two working parents/divorce/mobile society.) -Children need interaction with caring adults. -Children need time for the Gospel to become real to them. (Maria Harris’ 4th step – emergence) -Every child needs affirmation and self-respect (to care for and value oneself for being a child of God with unique talents and abilities.) -Children ages five to eleven are all in transition, moving toward another stage of life. Transition means change and change means stress. (Cognitive:Piaget’s theory of disequilibrium Socially: Erikson’s 8 stages of life) -Children learn differently at each stage of life. (Piaget theory of cognitive development) -Children live in a society that thrives on pressure and stress therefore they need to be able to work at their own speed and level and play lovingly. (Maria Harris) -Children need active learning i.e. participating in games, crafts, fieldtrips, designing group mission trips which allows them to wonder, explore and discover. -When a child perceives that he or she belongs to God, trust and affirmation become an integral part of their being. - How
does the resource explicitly or implicitly understand the age groups for
which it is intended – what is its developmental, cultural, psychological,
spiritual, etc. view of the needs, interests and abilities of the learners?
It is NOT limited to paper and pencil exercises because these remind the children of school work. It is NOT Sunday school. It is NOT learning facts or measuring comprehension. Learning IS experience. It IS participating in creative games, activities, movement and play in order for the children to relax and release the enormous energies stored throughout the day. Bible study and lessons in discipleship take place through these inventive practices. Learning happens at a child’s own speed, level and way. - As
this resource seems to understand it, what IS “learning”?
The central teaching methods are music, art, crafts, games, worship and drama. These methods allow the children to escape from the pressure and stress they are under from their families, school and society. The variety of methods also celebrate the unique qualities of each child and allow them to contribute their gifts to the group thus giving them a sense of belonging. - What
are the central teaching/learning methods used, and how do they relate to
the resource’s understanding of the age group?
The central learning method is learning through action or by doing -- NOT by sitting in a class and rote instruction which typically takes place in the public school setting and Sunday school. This relates to the resource’s understanding of the age group because it realizes children need active learning and that each child learns differently and needs to engage the material. Learning also occurs through relationships which provide each child with a sense of security and acceptance. - Does
the resource include Biblical or theological material?
If so, specifically what is this material and how is it approached or
handled?
THEOLOGY -God is all loving and all good, gracious and forgiving. God wants to be in a loving, caring relationship with humanity, not only in the past but in the present and future as well. God is providential and active in the world today. God is the source of all things. -Jesus is the model for Christian life (i.e. Jesus’ teachings, Jesus’ prayer) and our redeemer who restored our broken relationship with God. Jesus is also the greatest act of God’s love. -Humans are all created in God’s image. We are God’s people and called to be disciples of Jesus Christ which means we must follow his example through actions. -The church is the people, the body of Christ. The Christian community is supposed to encourage and strengthen one another in the faith. -Sin is what people do or don’t do to hurt themselves and others. It is to forget we are God’s children. -Trinitarian -To be a Christian one must demonstrate that he/she believes God is good and live a life modeled on the goodness of God. The second is that the person believes that Jesus is the Christ and must then act on that belief. - What
are the strengths and weaknesses of this resource?
STRENGTHS The fact that this provides a program during the week for children instead of just relying on Sunday School. Pathways to Discovery deals with each child’s emotional and social well-being not just their cognitive development. This resource includes themes which are developmentally appropriate. For example, psychoanalyst Erik Erikson believes each child must first have a sense of trust in order for him or her to have a will of their own. This curriculum resource encourages sense of community over individualism and teaches group building skills. The activities are not just “cute” or for busy sake but actually are a teaching tool and relate to the lesson. An example is making of thumbprint cookies which is a group building activity as well as teaches children they are unique. The resource includes a variety of activities including mission/service which is often ignored by other curriculum resources. There are both mission studies in which the teacher can share information about different countries with the children and local and global service activities. Pathways gives detailed step by step instructions making it easier on the teacher to implement the lesson. The children hear the Bible stories from the teacher and then interpret them through activities such as art, discussion and storytelling. Children are encouraged to think for themselves and give original answers. There is an option for field trips which could foster children’s learning about their surrounding community. WEAKNESSES The resource requires many adults in order to administer the program effectively. We would suggest that each teacher have an assistant in order to handle the number of activities in each session. With activities ranging from baking to music and crafts, teachers must possess a variety of skills. This may be intimidating for teachers and make it difficult to recruit new ones. One possible solution might be to alter the program and make it a workshop rotation model. Then, one person could be in charge of the music and another in charge of the games and crafts. The resource requires a large number of supplies which a small church may have difficulty in providing.
