Training to Failure, Training to Success: The Hidden Curriculum of Seminary Education

Authors

  • Perry W.H. SHAW Professor of Christian Education at the Near East School of Theology, in Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon

Keywords:

Hidden curriculum of seminary education, theological studies, educational process

Abstract

The thesis of this article is that theological education is only effective when the so-called “hidden curriculum” is consciously recognized and not simply glossed over. The hidden curriculum (the way we teach) penetrates the entire educational process and therefore exerts a stronger influence on students than the disclosed curriculum (what we teach). Moreover, the hidden curriculum has a negative influence not only on the educational process, but also on the spiritual growth and later practical ministry of students. Examining the present traditional system of theological education, the author employs a number of examples. He gives practical recommendations for resolving the situation: the spiritual mentoring of students, the integration of theoretical teaching with practical service, unifying program elements into a single whole, and rejecting grades as an approach to teaching.

Author Biography

Perry W.H. SHAW, Professor of Christian Education at the Near East School of Theology, in Beirut, Lebanon

Perry W.H. Shaw (Ed.D., Pacific International University) is Professor of Christian Education at the Near East School of Theology, in Beirut, Lebanon. He has been serving as a missionary in the Middle East for 15 years, and is involved in educating leaders from throughout the Arab world, Iran, and Armenia.

References

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  3. Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999
  4. Meyers, Chet, and Thomas B. Jones. Promoting Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993
  5. Palmer, Parker J. To Know as We Are Known: A Spirituality of Education. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983
  6. Palmer, Parker J. The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998
  7. Richards, Lawrence O. A Theology of Christian Education. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975.
  8. Schun, Donald A. The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Aldershot: Ashgate, 1991
  9. Wlodkowski, Raymond J. Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. Rev. Ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS #7 (2006)

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How to Cite

W.H. SHAW, Perry. 2006. “Training to Failure, Training to Success: The Hidden Curriculum of Seminary Education”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology, no. 7 (December):84-100. http://reflections.eeit-edu.info/article/view/88749.

Issue

No. 7 (2006): Theological Reflections: Euro-Asian Journal of Theology

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2020 Perry W.H. SHAW

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