Making connections: A Study and application of Christian hospitality

Dewitt Community Church (DCC) and other Christian Churches were examined in the attempt to create a program of hospitality that was not present at DCC. There was a shift in research due to the lack of a similar model elsewhere. Studying the leadership and membership at DCC as well as trying new ideas became the basis for the study. The importance of people spending time together and serving side by side is established. Christian Hospitality is defined and added to secular restaurant management wisdom to create a Hospitality Ministry at DCC. This included a weekly brunch that was new in that the preparation, serving and clean up were intended to be done by a changing cross section of those who attend rather than a small committee serving the crowd. The brunch evolved into a successful gathering of people who otherwise wouldn\u27t have connected. Added to this experiment were several other attempts at fellowship, a key component of Christian Hospitality. These other new events included catering wedding and funeral receptions at the church, a weekly men\u27s breakfast, a weekly small group meeting, a women\u27 s ministry, a family concert and a Vacation Bible School (VBS). The findings of this research are often surprising but support the position that the new hospitality adds to the experience of those attending DCC. The implication is present that this type of hospitality lends itself to many types of personal interactions

The Pit And The Pencil

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. D. P.: PROSSE ... the usual professor DICTUM ... the usual student PASSE ... the yesterday\u27s idea About now A classroom. PROSSE is in front of his class: DICTUM. PROSSE has been worrying because he has only one student. Shortly after class begins, PASSE enters, and helps PROSSE through the catastrophe

An Investigation of the Development of Pre-service Teacher Assessment Literacy through Individualized Tutoring and Peer Debriefing

Many pre-service teachers lack deep understanding of assessment concepts and have low self-efficacy for using assessments but pre-service on-campus programs have been shown to support their assessment literacy development. Likewise, individualized tutoring has helped pre-service candidates improve instructional practice and peer debriefing has been found to help push their thinking. However, questions remain regarding the usefulness of these techniques to develop candidates’ assessment literacy. The primary aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to describe pre-service teachers’ perceptions of assessment literacy and the process of their assessment literacy development during a literacy assessment class containing an individualized tutoring component. Five teacher candidates in a literacy assessment and instruction course at a large urban university in the US engaged in individual semi-structured interviews and submitted written reflections and artifacts which were analyzed following the constant comparative and content analysis methods. Findings were that individualized tutoring allowed participants to apply the assessment techniques they were learning in class to determine their suitability with the diverse urban learners. Likewise, peer debriefing enabled them to share knowledge and ideas, offer mutual support and engage in collaborative problem solving to improve their tutoring. These findings support the conclusion that individualized tutoring and peer debriefing within a graduate class can be effective tools for deepening candidates’ reflection, connecting theory to practice, and providing feedback on instructional technique to support their assessment literacy development