By: Debbie Owen on January 31, 2024
We were driving in the car when my friend asked me to tell her about the classes I’d participated in that morning. I explained some of the coaching ideas I’d just heard about in my early morning coach-training class: Our search for meaning causes a lot of worry, anxiety, and fear When we feel out…
By: Christy Liner on January 31, 2024
Joseph Campbell’s The Hero of a Thousand Faces[1] can be troublesome for someone crossing the threshold of understanding. He discusses important threshold topics, namely that the Bible follows a typical hero literary pattern, not dissimilar to other hero literary patterns throughout history and cultures. Examples range from Greek mythology on Medusa, to Buddha, Moses, and…
By: Erica Briggs on January 30, 2024
If I had to choose between fairy tales and myths, I’d go with fairies – supernatural elementals that wear just the right amount of glitter, and hypnotize with the hope of magic. The stories I am most drawn to are those that take me out of myself, away from the realities of living in my…
By: Graham English on January 30, 2024
Joseph Campbell’s, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, is a book about comparative mythology that reveals all great heroic tales share a common narrative arc that has shaped stories across space and time. Once you see it, it will be hard to unsee. As I reflect on the stories that have been told in my…
By: Shela Sullivan on January 30, 2024
Although “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” has had a substantial impact, and I recognize its significance for my assignment, I must admit that I did not find the book personally engaging. Campbell employed his own understanding for analyzing limited diverse cultural narratives, a perspective I struggled to fully comprehend. This does not mean that…
By: Adam Cheney on January 30, 2024
While living among a people group who both adhered to a strict form of Islam as well as followed Africa Traditional Religion, I encountered many myths. For a while, I simply shrugged off all the stories and myths as simple stories told throughout the generations around a campfire. As one missiologist stated, “Whatever could not…
By: Jeff Styer on January 29, 2024
There were many directions that I could go in writing my post this week. I saw the role of the leader in Joseph Campbell’s work, for example, “The Call to Adventure” and “Supernatural Aid.”[1]. I also cannot watch television or movies in the same way due to looking for these concepts imbedded within. However, there…
By: Glyn Barrett on January 29, 2024
I love history. “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” is a brilliant synthesis of the world’s major religions, and faiths. I have no doubt that the author has excelled in his endeavours in drawing together the similarities of each (Pxiii). At first glance, a young, unlearned Christian may be confused or put off by the…
By: Erica Briggs on January 27, 2024
My cousin and I had two favorite childhood games. The first was “Little House on the Prairie.” We lived in the country so it was easy to perform in such a setting. We’d act out our favorite episodes or make up new drama that allowed us to practice our problem solving skills. The second game…
By: Akwese on January 26, 2024
Reflecting on insights from this week’s exploration of threshold concept theory I’ve come to understand threshold concepts as “aha” moments or paradigm shifts that allow so many other things within a discipline, field, or practice to “click”, come together, and/or make sense in the mind of the learner. A threshold concept becomes a lens through…
By: Noel Liemam on January 26, 2024
As we all read about ‘threshold concept’ each has shared various ideas, knowledge or experiences that have relation to this concept. I myself would like to start by saying this concept or word, ‘threshold concept’ which is also interchangeable with crossing a barrier can be part of each and everyone’s everyday life as we grow…
By: Chad Warren on January 25, 2024
I have spent several years teaching middle school and high school students. Watching some some wrestle more than others over foundational concepts. Those kinds of concepts are that are absolutely crucial if one is to move forward to a deeper and more clear understanding. I can remember working to find ways for more students to…
By: Julie O'Hara on January 25, 2024
I have been trying to use the idea of threshold concepts to put language to what I have observed with ministerial development candidates during my participation in the annual interview process occurring every January. Candidates initially interview for their first district license, then every year for renewal culminating in a final interview to be recommended…
By: Chris Blackman on January 25, 2024
I am fascinated by this approach. I wish it had been taught to me when I was young, as I always struggled to learn. I had a brother who got straight A’s in every class he took. He never seemed to do homework, he never opened books, he wrote his own algebraic equations and came…
By: Joel Zantingh on January 25, 2024
I love the rich visual imagery in liminality, crossing a threshold from one room to another and embracing the experience of the known past, gathering it with the unknown future. As I read “Overcoming Barriers to Student Learning”, I appreciated that Jan H. F. Meyer and Ray Land did not explain the nature of any…
By: Daren Jaime on January 25, 2024
High school and college all-nighters were a constant in most of our educational upbringing. It feels just like yesterday. The agonizing thoughts surrounding an upcoming paper in that subject you were shaky in, or even worse, that dreaded midterm or final exam. Those memorable, miserable thoughts of reading, rereading, cramming, comprehending, anticipating, sweating, and then…
By: Jennifer Eckert on January 25, 2024
I did not find the topic of threshold concepts particularly exciting, certainly not one I would study by choice, but I understood the idea. After numerous starts and stops, and with a bit of prayer and coaching from my spouse, I opted to illustrate my notion of concept thresholds as it applies to social services,…
By: Kari on January 25, 2024
I looked at the required reading for this week. The overwhelming feelings were familiar, yet distant. Vague, yet far too real. Was it panic? Overwhelm? Annoyance? Resolve? As I skimmed the table of contents, looked at the chapter summaries, and started to read, déjà vu hit me. In fast-paced flashbacks as saw large colorful volumes:…
By: Elysse Burns on January 25, 2024
Bonjour. Je m’appelle Elysse. Je viens de Californie et j’ai étudié le français à Neuchâtel, en Suisse, pendant 10 mois. Hello. My name is Elysse. I am from California, and I studied French in Neuchatel, Switzerland for 10 months. This short introduction became my go-to presentation whenever I met someone during my time in Switzerland.…
By: Diane Tuttle on January 24, 2024
When reading about threshold concepts, the song “Toyland” began playing in my head. “Toyland, toyland little girl and boy land. While you dwell within it you are ever happy there.”[1] It is not a song that has been part of my repertoire. Several times I tried to push it aside not really wanting to be…
