nurturing servant leaders in religious education - Scholarly ...

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An essential element of obtaining knowledge is being able to use it in effective ways. Freire (1970) describes this use of knowledge as critical thinking, meaning people are able to effectively use their knowledge to learn how to think for themselves, to empower themselves to make a difference in their environment. With knowledge there is the tendency for what he terms the “banking” mode to dominate, that in which knowledge is given, and stored by the recipient without thought for how that knowledge could then be used beyond its immediate context. Looking beyond banking knowledge, growth in the garden could be enhanced as knowledge is used in relationships with other plants and the soil, seeking to enrich both in the long term. Canopy: The examples of others The canopy is the layer of foliage covering what grows underneath it from the harsh effects of weather, the seasons, etc… The canopy is made up of plants, trees and life that have grown to a certain stage of maturity and can offer guidance and shade to those that need rest, and serve as examples of strong growth. Participants indicated the examples of others as strong influences on their understanding of servant leadership. Participants described exemplars as people they looked up to as sources of inspiration. Although set apart, they were very real in their examples, and offered strength to participants in the way of increasing personal resolve to live as servant leaders. Those cited as strong examples of servant leaders generally had more in the way of life experience than the participant, or those with whom the participant had shared many personal experiences. The wisdom that many of the exemplars held was of life experience, not that of scholarly wisdom, as in the case of family members. Family members were able to share experiences about what Kenyon (2004, Fall) has termed “ordinary wisdom” (p. 31). Kenyon (2004, Fall) argues for the creation of a wisdom environment in which the sharing of ordinary wisdom can take place. Ahn (2000) conjectures that associations of wisdom with age and experience, popular in early wisdom literature have been replaced in modern times with a primary focus on intellectual attainment. As such, moral associations have been eclipsed such that 91
wisdom is portrayed as “antithetical to morality. At best, it is an amoral personal skill allowing agents to satisfy their personal desires” (p. 38). The participants’ cited examples of servant leaders served to give them guidance on how they would like to live their own lives. Participants, in citing family members and those of their own faith often described them as being “Christ-like” meaning they were assisting in helping participants understand and want to be closer to Jesus Christ. This helped them to understand their dependence on God for all of their perceived blessings. Seasons: Life’s experiences Seasons offer the plants in the garden times and seasons for blooming, for rest, for growth. They offer harsh conditions, good conditions, and act as a buffeter to give the plants individual character and strength. Participants were able to draw on a wide variety of past experiences in their relationships of service to others. These intimate experiences, such as missions served for the Church, other Church callings, roles as parents, friends, neighbours and workers, helped to give perspective to the service given in the CES and vice versa. One teacher expressed his great desire to serve in the CES following his mission because he was so keen to continue teaching the Gospel after returning home (VT3). In sharing these outside experiences with others, participants were able to reflect on, and strengthen their own abilities as teachers. Moon (1999) has pointed out that “reflective practice is usually enhanced when there is some sharing of the reflection with others” (p. 64). In making connections by reflecting on past and present experiences, Mezirow (1991) argues we come into greater and greater levels of mindfulness. Mezirow (1991) connects mindfulness to personal reflection, or the ability to look back on one’s experiences and assess and reassess the assumptions that underlay the adoption of action. When adults, capable of functioning at high levels of what he terms “transformative learning,” apply reflection, the result is potentially “great accuracy of perception of the unfamiliar and deviant, avoidance of premature cognitive 92
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NURTURING SERVANT LEADERS IN RELIGI
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Table of Contents Table of Contents
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CES and teaching tools.............
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List of Tables Table 1 2004-2005 CE
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vii
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opportunity to finish this degree c
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(seasons), Church Educational Syste
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thesis represents a personal journe
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leadership in which the servant lea
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viewed as a key element in the prod
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Part of the inadequacy of our many
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who have planted the good word of G
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Chapter V presents the findings of
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Early missionaries found success am
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together to give them his last coun
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established an expanded institute p
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of data gathering there were 1758 s
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also helps teachers learn how to mi
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Chapter III: Literature Review The
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Ye know that they which are account
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Servant Leadership, now in its sixt
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More grounding necessary Issues sur
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uilt sufficiently on studies conduc
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Exploring paradox Servant leadershi
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the actions of a servant-first scho
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Unfortunately, with increasing mate
Page 53 and 54: Significance of the study The curre
Page 55 and 56: Chapter IV: Methodology The objecti
Page 57 and 58: context plays an important role in
Page 59 and 60: Chosen participants fell into two g
Page 61 and 62: have at times been divided in analy
Page 63 and 64: Focus groups Focus groups were cond
Page 65 and 66: Data analysis Data for this project
Page 67 and 68: Figure 1 Garden Elements Admirers S
Page 69 and 70: particular selection method was to
Page 71 and 72: Overall, the list shows a trend tow
Page 73 and 74: all. By being able to teach it, I
Page 75 and 76: Family The importance of the family
Page 77 and 78: One of my favourite people in one o
Page 79 and 80: highlights one director’s belief
Page 81 and 82: CES and the relationship with self
Page 83 and 84: teach when I was out on the mission
Page 85 and 86: CES and confidence Four volunteer t
Page 87 and 88: CES and integrity When asked what i
Page 89 and 90: share that night she remembered and
Page 91 and 92: While the differences of people wer
Page 93 and 94: cultures to some degree and were ab
Page 95 and 96: of service in the garden from the f
Page 97 and 98: From participant answers, it would
Page 99 and 100: evelation. As members of the Church
Page 101 and 102: whole person. In speaking of the wh
Page 103: CES was a way in which the purposes
Page 107 and 108: new opportunities to learn, to enga
Page 109 and 110: Chapter VII: Application of Finding
Page 111 and 112: Participants also indicated that th
Page 113 and 114: the significance of what was said,
Page 115 and 116: Chapter VIII: Conclusions and Recom
Page 117 and 118: Study strengths and weaknesses This
Page 119 and 120: Looking ahead: A personal reflectio
Page 121 and 122: Clark, J. R., Jr. (1992). The chart
Page 123 and 124: Intellectual Reserve. (1994). Teach
Page 125 and 126: 112 Rieser, C. (1995). Claiming ser
Page 127 and 128: Appendices Appendix A-Structure of
Page 129 and 130: Appendix C-Participant Information
Page 131 and 132: Mobile: 021-1822-371 Email: Lesley_
Page 133 and 134: Zealand context, at least one year
Page 135 and 136: Appendix E-Director Consent Form Co
Page 137 and 138: Appendix G- Translated Information
Page 139 and 140: 126 ‘E anga fēfē ha‘aku kau k
Page 141 and 142: Áho: Approved by the Auckland Univ
Page 143 and 144: Leadership.” What do you feel are
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