This document provides information about assignments for a course on youth ministry, developmental theories, and learning styles. It includes:
- Details of two assignment options for a 1000-word compulsory assignment on theology of youth ministry or analyzing needs and learning styles of a youth group.
- Details of two assignment options for another 1000-word compulsory assignment on approaches to youth work like groups, arts or sports and how they nurture faith, or on factors influencing youth mental health and ideas to support it.
- Overviews of developmental theories like Erikson's psychosocial stages, Piaget's cognitive development stages, attachment theory and multiple intelligences.
- Links to videos and resources on learning styles, developmental
2. Assignment 3 - Compulsory (1,000 words) Choose one of the following two
questions to complete.
a) How does your theology of young people and your understanding of faith
development shape your work with young people? Reflect upon your practice
and suggest ways to better shape your youth ministry in the light of this
understanding.
Or
b) Write a reflective analysis of the young people in your youth group, identifying
‘needs’ and ‘learning styles’. Include some thoughts on a developmental theory
that we’ve covered on the course.
3. Assignment 4 - Compulsory (1,000 words) Choose one of the following two
questions to complete.
a) How do you meet the needs in your young people through the various
approaches to youth work, (group work, creative arts, sport, mentoring,
detached work etc) and how can these approaches nurture discipleship,
evangelism, mission and worship?
Discuss why you use the approaches you have chosen, and whether there are
any other approaches you have learnt about which would be more suitable.
Or
b) What factors influence young people’s mental health today, and what can be
done to help young people with poor mental health? Suggest activities and ideas
that could have a positive effect on young people’s mental health and explain why.
6. Theorist: - relate how different theories /
observations relate to each other. Tidy
and well-organised minds…and e-mail
inboxes. Can’t relax until they get to the
bottom of situation in question and can
explain their observations in basic terms.
Uncomfortable with anything subjective
or ambiguous. Usually sound in their
approach to problem-solving – take a
logical, one step at a time approach.
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
May like to:
• Explore how different Bible Stories
releate to each other
• Explore different theological views on
the same topic
• Like working through a series of logical
questions about a topic.
7. Pragmatist: Seek out and make use
of new ideas. Look for the practical
implications of any new ideas or
theories before making a
judgment. If something works – all
is well and good. If doesn’t work –
little point in spending time on the
analysis of its failure. Strength –
confident in use of new ideas and
will incorporate them into their
thinking. Most at home in problem-
solving situations.
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
May like to...
• Search for new ideas for your
Christmas nativity
• Help plan and implement any new
ideas for your youth group
• Think through new ways to share
familiar bible stories in your family
services
8. Activist: - learn by doing. Novelty; will
‘give anything a go’. Get on with things –
not interested in planning. Immerse
themselves in a wide range of things and
experiences, and to work in groups so
ideas can be shared and tested. Bored by
repetition – most often open-minded
and enthusiastic.
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
May like to:
• Direct the Church’s Christmas Nativity
• Volunteer at a Christian festival –
potentially a different one each year.
• Undertake a sponsored event to raise
money for a Christian charity...even if it
means missing Church on a Sunday...
9. Reflector: - stand back and observe.
Collect as much info as possible before
making decision; ‘look before they
leap’. Look at big picture, inc. previous
experiences. Strength – will
painstakingly collect data and
subsequent analysis before they reach
any conclusion. Slow to make up their
minds…but when they do, decisions
based on sound consideration,
knowledge and opinions.
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
May like to...
• Undertake a SWOT analysis of
the youth group and present their
findings to the leadership team.
• Be part of a group which
undertakes a community profile
and make recommendations for
services which the Church might
like to set up.
10. 2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
Chapter from Pritchard’s book on
Learning Styles is on the Portal
under ‘Files’ for today’s session
and explores all of these in more
depth.
Pg 51-55 looks at relationship
between Multiple Intelligences
and Learning Styles
11. 2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
Do Learning Styles really exist?
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYyVWBJn59g
Ted Talk: Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161010-do-we-have-a-preferred-
style-of-learning
12. Spiritual Styles
Do you agree / disagree with these four
styles?
Which style do you think you are?
14. Erikson, like Freud, was
largely concerned with how
personality and behaviour is
influenced after birth - not
before birth - and especially
during childhood. In the
'nature v nurture' (genes v
experience) debate, Erikson
was firmly focused on
nurture and experience.
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
16. Psychosocial Crisis Stage Life Stage
age range, other
descriptions
1. Trust v Mistrust Infancy
0-1½ yrs, baby, birth to
walking
2. Autonomy v Shame and Doubt Early Childhood 1-3 yrs, toddler, toilet training
3. Initiative v Guilt Play Age 3-6 yrs, pre-school, nursery
4. Industry v Inferiority School Age 5-12 yrs, early school
5. Identity v Role Confusion Adolescence 9-18 yrs, puberty, teens
6. Intimacy v Isolation Young Adult
18-40, courting, early
parenthood
7. Generativity v Stagnation Adulthood 30-65, middle age, parenting
8. Integrity v Despair Mature Age 50+, old age, grandparents
http://www.businessballs.com/erik_erikson_psychosocial_theory.htm
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
17. Reflection...
- Can you see any of these ‘crisis’ in yourself?
Or in any of your young people?
- How have other people helped you through
these crisis?
- Do you think any of your young people have
struggles today because they haven’t passed
through a previous stage successfully?
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
18. Do we see these individuals as being
equally ‘intelligent’?
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
20. Piaget’s Cognitive Development
Theory
https://www.verywellmind.com/child-development-theories-2795068
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
The Sensorimotor Stage: A period of time between birth and age two
during which an infant's knowledge of the world is limited to his or her
sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple
motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.
The Preoperational Stage: A period between ages 2 and 6 during which a
child learns to use language. During this stage, children do not yet
understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information and are
unable to take the point of view of other people.
The Concrete Operational Stage: A period between ages 7 and 11 during
which children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children
begin thinking logically about concrete events but have difficulty
understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.
The Formal Operational Stage: A period between age 12 to adulthood
when people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. Skills
such as logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also
emerge
21. Attachment Theory
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
https://www.simplypsychology.org/simplypsychology.org-attachment.pdf
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337
22. On the Portal…
2e Developmental theory
and learning styles
• Learning Styles Quiz
• Chapter from Alan Pritchard’s book on Learning Styles
• Multiple Intelligences:
• Descriptors of each intelligence
• Multiple Intelligence Test for Young People and Adults
Notes de l'éditeur
The young people in your youth group might have struggles which have been established in one of their childhood stages e.g. struggling to trust anyone because they developed a unhealthy sense of mistrust in stage 1.
As parents / youth workers, our own emotional triggers might be set off by the young people in our care when they go through certain stages
This theory is another layer to add on top of all the different layers we’ve looked at today. Your young person who struggles to trust what you say may in fact struggle to trust other people because of something she went through as a baby.
Do we see our young people’s different types of intelligences as being equally valid and valued?
This theory is another layer to add on top of all the different layers we’ve looked at today. Your young person who struggles to trust what you say may in fact struggle to trust other people because of something she went through as a baby.
Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a person's thought processes. It also looks at how these thought processes influence how we understand and interact with the world. Piaget proposed an idea that seems obvious now, but helped revolutionize how we think about child development: Children think differently than adults.
Theorist Jean Piaget proposed one of the most influential theories of cognitive development. His cognitive theory seeks to describe and explain the development of thought processes and mental states. It also looks at how these thought processes influence the way we understand and interact with the world.
Piaget then proposed a theory of cognitive development to account for the steps and sequence of children's intellectual development.
