Julie Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Has anyone used either of these? I would love to hear some feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 I bought the Brimwood Press, didn't like it, would never use it. Which you get will depend on how you want to teach worldview. AIG, I am sure, teaches that the Christian worldview is the right one. This is what I want to teach my dc. Brimwood Press teaches all worldviews as equal. I just did not like it at all. It wasn't for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Thanks for the feedback, very interesting. It is a curious perspective to teach all world views are equal hmmmm, not sure I like that perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 I don't think Brimwood teaches that all are equal so much as "these are the various perspectives from which people approach the world". It leaves it to the parent/teacher to discuss *our* worldview and why we believe it's correct. It's just very neutral. But yes, if what you're looking for is something that explains everything from one distinct perspective (Christian or otherwise!), Brimwood probably isn't what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 Thanks for the clarification on the Brimwood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the feedback, very interesting. It is a curious perspective to teach all world views are equal hmmmm, not sure I like that perspective. See, now I didn't get that impression at all. To me, it was more on the order of, say, an Usborne book about religions. People who are Buddhist believe this and practice that. People who are Sikh believe this and do this ritual. People who are Jewish believe this and worship there. Never a notion of what is better, but not any notion of them being all equal, either. Just a presentation of what each is, and what each believes. You certainly won't be buying a resource that says, "Ok, this is wrong, wrong, wrong, and here's why." For me, it was that the parent takes his/her own world view and uses that as the standard to which all the rest that are presented are judged against. This provokes more meaty discussion than simply "Thus saith Scofield's notes and Scripture Press, since our hope is built on nothing less." (ETA: That was just a joke I remember, set to the song "The Solid Rock/My Hope is Built.") Edited October 27, 2008 by Pam "SFSOM" in TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Pam, You insight is great, I appreciate your perspecitve. Assuming you were happy with the materials you purchased? It is hard to get a read on them from the online store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I have the Brimwood Press Tools for Young Explorers, the entire set. I am so looking forward to going through this with my kids. I am an avid Christ follower who believes in the Bible as God's written word. Now, that said, Brimwood Press's World View curriculum made me think. It does not give all the answers. It explained other world views and I became very challenged (and quite a bit fearful). How can I discount the other views? Why is the Christian world view correct? Can others be correct at the same time? Brimwood Press does not tell you what to think, it does challenge you TO think. The answers are not simple! The answers cannot be simply placed in a teacher's manual to be contritely presented to the child. For example, I don't think the author could present her reasons for a Christian world view better than C. S. Lewis. You just have to go to the source. With my insecurities I called Marcia, the author. She suggested many books (for me to read) to help me in my search. She sent and offered many ideas and books to use to present the material to my children (one book is 'Yellow and Pink'). She is an amazing resource and went beyond what I expected in helping me. After my call she wrote a beautiful study entitled 'Conversations from the Garden, 40 days to Build a Biblical World View' in which Gen 1-3 is studied as a foundation to a Christian world view. The study is meant to be done with teenagers, or possibly tweens. It is a Bible study but really contains mostly questions. Marcia wants folks to think for themselves. It is the only way to truly learn. (Note that she sent me this wonderful booklet free of charge, simply as a service to a mom who was digging in and a little bit afraid of challenging the foundations!) However, the bottom line is I had to invest hours reading books and taking notes on books such as Mere Christianity (for possibly the third time). I also have another book comparing world religions that was extremely helpful. I can't off the top of my head remember what other books I used, but there were many places to research. In the end I came out much more confident of my faith, and much more able to speak of this to my children. However, the topic is so deep that I will have to regularly pull out my notes and review as I teach. This material has to be absorbed, reabsorbed, and regurgitated many times before it sinks in. So, if you find a quick and easy way to present World View to your children, watch out for the years as they grow older and their questions deepen. I decided I may as well prepare now, and I have grown in the process. Bottom line is that Brimwood Press encourages the parent to think it out. If everyone really dug into their world view in a logical way, then Christ really would be glorified. After much research, the Christian world view is the only one that makes sense. If Marcia presented this curriculum as only Christian, then that would turn off others and therefore they would not be challenged to investigate their world view. I hope this helps. Brimwood Press is a fantastic find, not only for the world view, but for all the other historian tools. Blessings, Penny PS If you are interested in what I studied and my notes, I'll share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Penny, Thank you so much for your insights, it really has given me clarity into Marcia's perspective, and the way you framed it makes so much sense. The concept of digging for the answers, instead of reading them, gaining a deeper place in one's (and hopefully the kids) faith makes tremendous sense. I, like you am a serious Christian and lately have been pondering wolrld view since my kids have approached the tween years. Our Coop here is having Marcia as a guest and I signed the kids up to attend her class and then ventured onto her web site trying to navigate my way around her thinking, which was a bit challenging, you have really explained things well, I welcome the idea of deepening faith on that level for our entire family. I would love, love, love to see your notes and book list if you have one. I am going to see if I can find the one you mentioned today and take a gander at the Bible Study if she has it on her web page, don't recall seeing it, but my focus was else where at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlq4 Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Julie, We are currently using Brimwood Press WV materials. I agree with the other ladies who are using or have used them. I think the different worldviews are presented without a bias, and we then, of course, discuss what our beliefs are in relation to the worldviews. Our beliefs are grounded in the Bible. This curriculum has really opened up great discussions in our home. Our sons (9yo & 12yo) are really tuned in to anyone mentioning worldview, especially with the current election. My 12yo was even excited when his science focused on wv and he understood what the author was presenting. We are still working our way through HATS and it is fun to see them think through the worldviews of the early western civilizations. I hope this helps. Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Yellow and Pink by Steig, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Thanks Joy, it is great hearing what everyone has to say, and finding some age appropiate materials that help kids become thinkers. I could not wrap my head around the hats, but I bet the kids are enjoying it. Mind if I ask about your science? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Yellow and Pink by Steig, correct? Correct. Let me get my notes together. They are hand written. I will also get the book list. Please give me some time....I usually work very early in the morning when my kids are still asleep. I suggest you call or e-mail Marcia. She is very accessible. She will give you ideas of the books she likes, and will send you the Conversations from the Garden I mentioned. Blessings, Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraceinMD Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Has anyone used either of these? I would love to hear some feedback. I have some of Marcia's materials, and really liked them --- and am hoping to offer a Worldview class for middle school/high school using these materials. Personally, I don't really want a wv approach that tells me (or my child) what to think, because I don't think that that will really help in the long run (assuming that my goal is for my child to end up with a Christian worldview). The Brimwood press materials are not designed for students below the logic stage (IIRC), because there needs to be a certain level of maturity/deveopment in order to process these various views - to wrap one's mind around it, if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Penny, Thanks, no rush at all, in fact if it is too cumbersome don't bother. I am sure you are quite busy with your family. I took your advice and emailed Marcia. Grace, great perspective on developing a world view not what to think, how to think, I have always tried to make it the focus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 Pam, You insight is great, I appreciate your perspecitve. Assuming you were happy with the materials you purchased? It is hard to get a read on them from the online store. Yep. I didn't use them to their best advantage, because I *way* overloaded poor dd that year. But we did enjoy the program, and then I sold it to abbeyej. :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 Thanks for you input Patty. She is doing a seminar soon and I am anxious to hear what she has to say and get to see her materials first hand. Can you tell me which pieces are neccessary to use her program? She has quite a bit to offer, and it all looks very much entwined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.