A few years ago, I took a class on a way of developing curriculum for the parish called Backwards Design. Using this method, you think first about what you want the learning goals of your class to be. Only after you completely think through the end result do you begin to develop how you are going to achieve these goals. I had always had goals for confirmation, but learning this method helped me to really pare down what I chose to present in a given hour of class to those things that were truly important (as opposed to just cute, or fun, or a time filler).
After a year of forming these goals for myself, I decided to let the students in on the fun. Last year, I told them what my goals for them were up front, and we agreed on ways to achieve these goals. At the end of the year, we discussed them again, and reflected together on how or to what extent our goals had been achieved. I truly believe that it is making me a better teacher, and helping my students to participate more fully in their own education.
This year, we formed the goals and ways to achieve them together as a class. I came with several goals ready, but, as I presented them, I invited the students to elaborate on them or refine them or add new ones altogether. Here are the goals and methods we came up with last week together.
OLD TESTAMENT GOALS and METHODS
Goal #1: Get to know one another; become a confirmation family.
Reason: My students attend four different school districts, and do not necessarily know one another that well. I think it is important for them to get to know one another as peers in faith, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Method: Sharing highs and lows in class weekly.
Goal #2: Support one another. Be open with one another.
Reason: Sometimes, it is difficult to be a conscious Christian in our time and place. We need support, especially from those who share your faith foundation. Openness is necessary for this kind of support.
Method: Hold one another in prayer about our highs and lows.
Goal #3: Get to know Pastor Breen better.
Reason: I grew up in a large church where the pastor was up in front, but never in the room interacting with children and youth. I think that it is important that my students get to know me as a faith parent, an adult in their lives who is for them.
Method: I will also share my highs and lows, and share stories from my life as we study the Bible together.
Goal #4: Students will come to trust Pastor Breen with their questions about God.
Reason: I would much rather spend our time in class answering my students’ questions about God and giving them resources to discover their own answers than to follow a rote curriculum that does nothing to feed their faith.
Method: I will strive to be trustworthy in my speech and actions. I will invite questions and strive to answer them seriously as they come up. I will share my own questions, as appropriate, to demonstrate a questioning faith that is still deep and faithful. Students suggested that I might also spend some one-on-one time with them over the course of the year.
Goal #5: Students will become more comfortable with praying out loud.
Reason: I believe that our denomination sometimes values right thinking over deep faith, and that that value trickles over into our prayer lives. We are worried about praying out loud in front of others for fear that we will say the wrong thing. I would like to instill in students a sense that God hears our every prayer, no matter how simple or how elegant.
Method: We will engage in creative out loud prayer every week in class. We will finish each class by praying the Lord’s Prayer out loud together.
Goal #6: Students will get to know some people in the New Testament well.
Reason: The ELCA Book of Faith Initiative stresses that the Bible is our first language of faith, and that we should know the people in the Bible so well that they become our friends, mentors, and parents in faith.
Method: We will study several people in the Old Testament, as highlighted in the Connect NRSV Bible. Students will also complete a project on a specific person and lead the Bible study on that person in class.
Goal #7: Students will learn how to use their Bibles as a faith resource.
Reason: I learned from Phil Visher of Veggie Tales fame that the Bible is the most owned book on the planet. That does not, however, mean that it is the most read. I would like to teach my students how to use and find things in their Bibles so that, when they are beyond Confirmation class, they will know how to use it as a resource for their lives of faith.
Method: When we engage in Bible Study during class, we will look the passages up in their individual Bibles. We will use the activities printed in their Bibles to enhance learning.
Goal #8: Students will participate in Lenten Worship leadership.
Reason: I would like students to participate in worship leadership before they are confirmed, and, in our parish, Lenten mid-week worship takes the place of confirmation class during Lent. It is the perfect opportunity to give this a try.
Method: Students will sign up to acolyte, read, and help out with various activities during Lenten mid-week worship. They will complete worship notes on the weeks that they are not a part of the leadership.
Goal #9: Students will participate in Sunday worship leadership.
Reason: I have several reasons for this goal. It is their introduction to living out their Baptismal covenant in a public way. It is the parish’s opportunity to see young people in leadership. It is also a way to encourage our youth in positions of leadership.
Method: Confirmation students will serve as acolytes regularly in Sunday worship. They may elect to serve as readers, ushers, altar guild, or other positions of leadership, if they wish.
SUGGESTION BOX
As we discussed goals and methods, my students also came up with some things for the suggestion box. Here they are:
- Set something on fire during class.
- Have confirmation class outdoors, weather permitting.
- Participate in Kids Against Hunger again this year.
- Sign up to bring treats.
Deep Roots Confirmation 