Mentor's Manual

116 For the Nex t Generat i on: The Urban Mi n i s t r y I ns t i tute ’ s Mentor Manua l

they did for their project should be the same in each case, the reflection and learning section should be different since it is specifically applied to the learning of each course.

The Book Reading and Précis Assignment A critical element in the preparation of urban Christian leaders is their ability to engage the ideas and claims of others in a rigorous and respectful manner, that is, to read what others have written, and restate their position clearly and fairly, whether or not they believe it. Only when the student understands and restates the author’s argument fairly can they then be in a position to evaluate its truth value. The student must strive to understand before they seek to judge. each required textbook and write a precis (concise summary) of its main point, as they see it. They will need to summarize its major theme and argument, and then give their concise evalua- tion of it. It is of utmost importance to equip your students to analyze a text, that is, to read it, understand its thesis (main point), articulate its argument in a charitable way (whether they agree with the author or not), and then respond as to why they agree or disagree with the thesis. The criteria for this assignment are given in the course itself. 2. Texts on point . The reading assignments for the Capstone Curriculum found on our website are keyed specifically to the lesson format of their module. Please note that, depending on how you are structuring your course sessions, you have complete flexibility to break up the reading assignments to match your actual class sessions. In other words, if you are running an eight-week course, simply break up the reading assignments to match your sessions. What is critical is that you focus on the lesson as the basic unit of teaching in your Capstone courses. 1. General Description: We require students to purchase, read, and reflect upon the textbook(s) for each course. Students must read

Handling Projects and Student Assignments

3. Guidelines for the Mentor

a. Your students will most likely have different levels of reading ability. No matter what level, it is important that as leaders, your students read as much as they can and engage what they read.