I posted this two days ago and am not seeing it with the other groups’ posts, so I am (attempting to) post again. Sorry if it shows up multiple times!

Each person in our group chose a different focus situation with which to engage the assessment questions. We looked at the different sessions in the curriculum study guide.

We found the following principles in these situations:

Needs assessment principle came up for all three of us. Participants needed to reflect on their thoughts and knowledge about immigration and how they could look from a different perspective to appreciate someone else’s point of view.

Safety also was mentioned by everyone as the issue of immigration is a tough, controversial, and emotional discussion to have. Everyone must feel safe in exploring and expressing their thoughts and feelings, especially in the midst of (sometimes heated) disagreement. Mutual respect is crucial.

Sound relationship- In order to have authentic dialogue, people need to feel as though they are peers, no one is above anyone else or in a position to tell them what is right or how to think or feel.

Action with reflection was mentioned as the participants looked at the life of Jesus to help them make decisions about how to act in their circumstances. They also watched videos and reflect with others on what they saw.

Learning with ideas, feelings and actions was present in that the participants were dealing with complex and emotional concepts. They explore facts and evaluate where they stand on the issues and what action can be taken. They also deal with how to act on this in everyday life.

Immediacy- the issue of justice and immigration is a top concern for most people – on both sides of the issue. The immigrant population continues to grow within the US and throughout the world. A compassionate and just response is immediately needed. Immigration is a bigger issue than most would think; it affects rural areas as well as urban areas.

Engagement was present in that participants engaged in discussions, videos, and other aspects of the learning process.

Verbs we chose:

think, struggle, explore, mention, read, share, react, call, allow, draw on, act, reflect, meditate, look, get to know, listen, walk, revisit, affirm, manipulate, write, attend, retell, observe, reason, analyze, evaluate, discuss, respond, dialogue, question, clarify, study, compare, contrast, paraphrase, express, relate, discover, select, identify, list, name, examine, review, debate, support, choose, notice

A learning challenge is that it is an emotional situation and a politically charged one. People come to the table with agendas and very set in what they believe.

Vella’s list of principles and Bloom’s list of verbs helped identify strengths in the focus situations. The design of the lessons and the materials (video and handouts) used created an effective learning experience for participants to understand the complex issues of justice and immigration.

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