Week Six

10 December 2012 / Diakonia

My reflections:

https://vimeo.com/55223346

This week we engage the curriculum of diakonia, and conclude our time together. Our focus for this week is the documentary film A Time for Burning. This extraordinary film earned an Academy Award nomination in 1967. It tells the story of a very difficult time in the history of the US. Although it focuses on two Lutheran churches in Nebraska, I think it’s relevant to many other denominational settings. I hope that when you watch it, you consider doing so with other people, thus sharing the experience.

I’d like you to imagine yourself as the educational leader at Augustana Lutheran Church in the film, and think about what you would do next. In other words, take the situation in the film and then troubleshoot it using the various frameworks and ideas we’ve been working on in the class. What can you learn about the situation using these questions? And then, what would you do next, if you were in were a lay leader in this church? This is a chance to practice your diagnostic skills, and your prescriptive skills, to think together about what collaborative educational leadership might look like in a concrete situation.

Individual assignment

By Wednesday, respond to these questions:

What you would design as the next learning experience in these congregations? What kinds of issues do you need to engage? Where do you think the Augustana congregation is right after the film ends? What kinds of issues do you wish you had already engaged, if you were leading this congregation?

By Friday respond to at least two of your colleagues’ posts.

You will be receiving an electronic survey form in the mail that asks you to evaluate the class. PLEASE fill it out! I use this information to revise the course for the next time that I teach it. Please also note: this is our last week of class, so if you have any questions about your portfolio or the contextual mapping exercise, now is the time to ask them!