Integration of Faith and Learning
This unit would be taught in a
public high school, so I cannot explicitly write topics of Christianity in my
lessons. However, I can perhaps hint at my faith and my own worldview by subtly
integrated it into the unit.
In the Food Frenzy section of the unit, I plan on talking about recycling. I want to explain what we should do with food packaging. Recycling could always segue into other good topics of how we can better take care of the world. I believe that God calls us to be good stewards of the world. I don’t have to necessarily say this directly to the class, but I can talk about ways in which we can take care of the earth. I want my students to think about if humanity is doing a good job of taking care of the earth, and during the classroom discussion I want them to talk about ways in which they personally can make a difference in taking care of the earth and environment.
For the In the Restaurant section of my unit plan, I wish to talk about many topics including how to order food in a restaurant and how to tip a waiter. I want them to be able to choose the right words in order to come off across as kind and courteous to the waiting staff. On the other hand, I want my students to be able to understand when the waiting staff acts rudely towards customers. In addition, I also would like my students to understand how to tip generously toward an outstanding waiter. Essentially, I want my students to “love each other’s neighbor” as Jesus Christ taught in his ministry. I try to adhere to this teaching, for I yearn to be a model and witness to others by the way I live. I can introduce this topic, by explaining to my students how we can treat others as equals by showing respect to those we meet.
In the final section of my unit, All about Health, I plan on touching on a variety of topics such as the importance of exercise, the importance of good sleep patterns, and why we should eat right. Since we are called to be stewards of God, one of our responsibilities includes taking good care of our bodies. They are not our own, and we need to show respect to their owner by treating them well. After filling out the empty Food Pyramid and MyPlate templates and thinking about the forms of exercise they participate in, I want my students to re-evaluate their own lifestyle. I want them to see if they are taking good care of the bodies that they have been given.
These are just some specific examples where I purposefully want to integrate my Christian faith in the class via a “neutral” way of teaching. However, I want my faith to “trickle” into my teaching, and this can take a great variety of form. I want them to notice how I am perhaps different, and I want them to question it. I want them to start questioning themselves as well.
Even though this unit will be taught in a public school, it is no reason why very “Christian” themes and topics can be brought up.
On a final note, I chose to write a unit on food, the restaurant, and health for a specific reason. I believe that food culture is a part of all the world’s cultures. There are at least four different cultures represented in a single classroom. Thus, at least four different worldviews of food, restaurant etiquette, and views on health are going to be brought into the classroom. This is going to create a rich diversity in thought and opinion. However, in order to match this diversity, I wanted to offer various teaching approaches to my students so that they can express their worldviews in various ways. I have incorporated audio-visual aides such as pictures, menus, recipes, websites, video clips from YouTube, etc.; as well as more traditional approaches such as lecture-format lessons. By incorporating various methods of teaching, I hope that my students will encounter various ways of expressing themselves. This especially holds true for the final oral presentation on the preparation of their favorite dish. Even though my students will all have to speak in front of class, it will be their opportunity to share a piece of their culture with us. It is my hope that they do decide to actually prepare the dish in front of the class or bring in the final product to the classroom. I think to share and participate in another’s culture is a beautiful way to acknowledge and appreciate another’s worldview.
In the Food Frenzy section of the unit, I plan on talking about recycling. I want to explain what we should do with food packaging. Recycling could always segue into other good topics of how we can better take care of the world. I believe that God calls us to be good stewards of the world. I don’t have to necessarily say this directly to the class, but I can talk about ways in which we can take care of the earth. I want my students to think about if humanity is doing a good job of taking care of the earth, and during the classroom discussion I want them to talk about ways in which they personally can make a difference in taking care of the earth and environment.
For the In the Restaurant section of my unit plan, I wish to talk about many topics including how to order food in a restaurant and how to tip a waiter. I want them to be able to choose the right words in order to come off across as kind and courteous to the waiting staff. On the other hand, I want my students to be able to understand when the waiting staff acts rudely towards customers. In addition, I also would like my students to understand how to tip generously toward an outstanding waiter. Essentially, I want my students to “love each other’s neighbor” as Jesus Christ taught in his ministry. I try to adhere to this teaching, for I yearn to be a model and witness to others by the way I live. I can introduce this topic, by explaining to my students how we can treat others as equals by showing respect to those we meet.
In the final section of my unit, All about Health, I plan on touching on a variety of topics such as the importance of exercise, the importance of good sleep patterns, and why we should eat right. Since we are called to be stewards of God, one of our responsibilities includes taking good care of our bodies. They are not our own, and we need to show respect to their owner by treating them well. After filling out the empty Food Pyramid and MyPlate templates and thinking about the forms of exercise they participate in, I want my students to re-evaluate their own lifestyle. I want them to see if they are taking good care of the bodies that they have been given.
These are just some specific examples where I purposefully want to integrate my Christian faith in the class via a “neutral” way of teaching. However, I want my faith to “trickle” into my teaching, and this can take a great variety of form. I want them to notice how I am perhaps different, and I want them to question it. I want them to start questioning themselves as well.
Even though this unit will be taught in a public school, it is no reason why very “Christian” themes and topics can be brought up.
On a final note, I chose to write a unit on food, the restaurant, and health for a specific reason. I believe that food culture is a part of all the world’s cultures. There are at least four different cultures represented in a single classroom. Thus, at least four different worldviews of food, restaurant etiquette, and views on health are going to be brought into the classroom. This is going to create a rich diversity in thought and opinion. However, in order to match this diversity, I wanted to offer various teaching approaches to my students so that they can express their worldviews in various ways. I have incorporated audio-visual aides such as pictures, menus, recipes, websites, video clips from YouTube, etc.; as well as more traditional approaches such as lecture-format lessons. By incorporating various methods of teaching, I hope that my students will encounter various ways of expressing themselves. This especially holds true for the final oral presentation on the preparation of their favorite dish. Even though my students will all have to speak in front of class, it will be their opportunity to share a piece of their culture with us. It is my hope that they do decide to actually prepare the dish in front of the class or bring in the final product to the classroom. I think to share and participate in another’s culture is a beautiful way to acknowledge and appreciate another’s worldview.