Guide to Learning: Lesson
4
Use this "guide sheet" to
structure your progress through the learning task. (Buttons for the
various steps are at left, and also below). To get the most learning
benefit, work through the steps in order, and attend closely to the narrative
that accompanies each step.
Introduction
»1» Pondering Your Position (Activity)
»2» Teacher's Comfort Zone (Reading)
»3» Classroom Complexities (Reading)
»4» Owning Up (Activity)
»5» The "Idea Jar" (Reading)
Any teacher,
whatever his or her worldview may be, needs to be
self-reflective about his/her own position in the demographic picture and
culture. Then, too, the "Know Thyself" dictum (a piece of advice that
comes from an inscription on the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, Greece) is as
useful today it was in 6th century BCE.
This lesson offers some opportunities for
self-reflection while it
introduces several pertinent issues and ideas.
»Step 1» Pondering
Your Position (Activity)
 | Label your own
worldview and acknowledge your likely mind-set toward others' differing
worldviews. |
Go to Activity (Step 1)
»Step 2» Teacher's
Comfort Zone (Reading)
| Consider the relevance of your own cultural positioning
and personality to the challenge you face as far as religious neutrality. |
This paper encourages you to reflect on factors
that can impinge on your sense of well-being when dealing with the range
of worldviews.
Go to Reading (Step 2)
»Step 3» Classroom
Complexities (Reading)
| Consider some "behind-the-scenes"
complexities along with ideas you can use to "center
yourself" amidst the complexities. |
This paper helps you to "get a grip"
because it presents certain
"realities" that, given consideration, enlarge your capacity to focus on what's
important regarding a commitment to religious neutrality.
Go to Reading (Step 3)
»Step 4» Owning
Up (Activity)
 | Lay out some basic elements of your own
worldview |
The responses that you give to the questions reveal (to you, only) what
are a few bare bones essentials of your worldview.
Go to Activity (Step 4)
»Step 5» "Idea
Jar" (Reading)
| Get acquainted with three ideas you may
want to put into your mental "toolbox" for teaching. |
Put to use, any of the three items presented
could boost your chance of establishing a neutral classroom climate. You can employ them in whatever ways and
to whatever extent best fit your own teaching style and classroom practices.
Go to Reading (Step 5)
This is the end of
Lesson Four Learning Tasks We suggest
you return to the Lesson 4 Home page and revisit the structure of this lesson.
Lesson 4 Home
|
