Teachers, how can you increasingly target Biblical perspective?
16/05/08 14:20 Filed in: Basics | Teaching
tips
Everyone lives out his/her
worldview. You live out your worldview in
your classroom. As a Christian teacher, how can you
increasingly target students understanding and then
applying a Biblical perspective to course content and
skills?
Faculty at Christian Academy in Japan indicated that they could increasingly target Biblical perspective by:
Real question: The real question isn’t “How can you increasingly target Biblical perspective?" The real question is “How will you increasingly target Biblical perspective?"
Target Biblical perspective. Today.
Here’s are the responses of CAJ faculty members:
One area I would like to work on is my essential questions. I want ones that don’t sound vague or repetitive. I’d like to have those questions and possible answers addressed explicitly in my lessons. An immediate action I plan to take is making a poster of my classroom guidelines. I don’t have a list of rules or any guidelines posted. I do not plan to have a long list, but a very short one that would address the heart of classroom behavior: respect. Respect for oneself, one’s peers, one’s teacher, the materials, etc.
I would like to try to have more time to reflect with students on the Math Department essential questions. I could add the essential questions with Bible verses into the syllabus. Then give time during the year (possibly at the end of the units) to reflect on these verses and apply them to the lessons. This will help me to know if students are learning more than just the subject content. I would also like to talk more with colleagues to get support and discuss targeting Biblical perspective.
I tend to have a few key questions that I want students to refer to almost automatically (such as “What difference does Christ make?” or “How can I follow and reflect Christ?”), so classroom decor might be a good place to post these. I also see students ¼ of the time that normal teachers do, so I feel like I have to harness what’s going on in other classes in order to get anything meaningful done. I could increase this by increasing communication with other teachers.
(1) Questions: Asking questions is a powerful way to get at Biblical perspective. Commit to asking one Biblical worldview question per quarter as the framing device for the units covered. Then break down the questions into smaller unit questions. Attempt to discuss and write on them at least once every two weeks in class. (2) Get support from colleagues in this and stay accountable to them by reporting on successes in the discussions and student writings. Working collaboratively with colleagues on a course can help as well. I found that my own planning for intentional worldview education increased when I was team teaching a course. (3) Instructional strategies: I am going to be more up front with the students about why I think collaboration is a good teaching strategy. It says something about my view of people, my view of relationships, and my view of the body of Christ.
I need to work on developing good questions that will target the Biblical principles for each of the units I teach. Then I need to include modeling the values and thinking of why I chose those questions and possible answers. I also need to intentionally inform parents at Back-to-School Day and through the weekly newsletters of the Biblical perspective that I am targeting and how they can help their child think through these things.
I will articulate in the content section of each unit map the 1-2 Biblical principles I will teach for each unit. I did this for my Night unit. It was difficult to get my head around and messy in process, but I was so much clearer at the end—how I taught to my questions and assessed that teaching at the end.
I will stipulate times for myself to articulate to the students how my own Biblical perspective influences my teaching. When I give projects—that they are in the image of the Creator and therefore creative. When I set initial class expectations—we are all fallen and will push boundaries. When I assign new groups—God gives us all gifts and puts us in a body for the good of ourselves and of the body. When I ask “What else did you learn during this unit that you did not yet have an opportunity to show on this test?”—that they are meaning makers because they are in the image of God in his meaningful world so I expect them to be always learning more than what's required. Doing this will model understanding and applying a Biblical perspective.
I have been consistently trying to utilize the following three approaches in order to increasingly target Biblical perspective:
As an administrator, I think that what I can do is to tell the teachers that the “main thing” is Biblical integration. I think it would help out the teachers to allow them the freedom to know that this is not an addition, that we want them to be teaching this and that may mean some of the textbook does not get covered. That’s OK! Our curriculum should be not be based on the textbook! I also can give support by checking maps, giving time to look at different maps, and giving time to talk about Biblical integration. If my focus in meetings is Biblical integration, I think they will catch on! I think educating parents is also important. I can share a lot in the newsletters about what we are doing and what it means.
I can choose intentional principles to teach. I can use characteristics of God to guide the questions and content—if this principle is not valued, look what happens to society here _____.... I need to find ways of developing relationships between students, and with students; I think this too will broaden their understanding of worldview. Do daily devotions for all periods, not just first period. This will model how to look at the daily issues connected to class content…. I need to give the kids time in class to process and think about how course content connects to Biblical perspective.
I am committed to discussing with colleagues how to integrate Biblical perspective into essay writing, grammar and vocabulary. To discussing with each other how God views languages and how our perspectives change when we learn a new language.
Collaboration with other teachers to intentionally integrate Biblical perspective will not only benefit me in this process, but will also help students as they continue to develop their own worldviews. My Biblical worldview will affect everything I do, but in order for my students to think “Christianly,” I must be intentional in presenting it. Prior to teaching each unit, I will ask myself specific questions, such as “What markers of grace of pieces of truth are recorded in any thought or writing?”, “How does human desire show incompletion in what we long for?”, and “How can I point out the process of "seeing things" as error or truth in books, themes, or authors?” I must ask these questions in conjunction with the specific content and skills in each unit. After I teach the unit, I will ask students the same questions to evaluate how well I've presented the Biblical perspective in relation to the content and skills.
I am going to spend more intentional moments discussing the how the following have their roots in Biblical teaching: serving one another, telling stories, accepting authority, asking questions, discovering order in music, using language uniformly, and using the created instrument in a way that brings honor to the Creator.
I can help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective by intentionally connecting it in my courses and modeling how to connect the content to a Biblical perspective. I can model the thought process in various subjects. In Math, we have been working on a million dollar project where the students learn to find prices of items and budget their money. We have been talking about how to make good decisions monetarily and how we can use money to serve the world.
Faculty at Christian Academy in Japan indicated that they could increasingly target Biblical perspective by:
- Asking questions.
- Connecting course content and Biblical teaching.
- Explaining to students how worldview impacts educational practices in terms of questions, content/skills, assessment, instructional strategies, and classroom guidelines.
- Getting parents involved.
- Supporting colleagues and getting support from colleagues.
- Using bulletin boards to communicate truth.
- Modeling Christian character.
- Giving students more time in class to reflect on a Biblical perspective.
Real question: The real question isn’t “How can you increasingly target Biblical perspective?" The real question is “How will you increasingly target Biblical perspective?"
Target Biblical perspective. Today.
Here’s are the responses of CAJ faculty members:
One area I would like to work on is my essential questions. I want ones that don’t sound vague or repetitive. I’d like to have those questions and possible answers addressed explicitly in my lessons. An immediate action I plan to take is making a poster of my classroom guidelines. I don’t have a list of rules or any guidelines posted. I do not plan to have a long list, but a very short one that would address the heart of classroom behavior: respect. Respect for oneself, one’s peers, one’s teacher, the materials, etc.
I would like to try to have more time to reflect with students on the Math Department essential questions. I could add the essential questions with Bible verses into the syllabus. Then give time during the year (possibly at the end of the units) to reflect on these verses and apply them to the lessons. This will help me to know if students are learning more than just the subject content. I would also like to talk more with colleagues to get support and discuss targeting Biblical perspective.
I tend to have a few key questions that I want students to refer to almost automatically (such as “What difference does Christ make?” or “How can I follow and reflect Christ?”), so classroom decor might be a good place to post these. I also see students ¼ of the time that normal teachers do, so I feel like I have to harness what’s going on in other classes in order to get anything meaningful done. I could increase this by increasing communication with other teachers.
(1) Questions: Asking questions is a powerful way to get at Biblical perspective. Commit to asking one Biblical worldview question per quarter as the framing device for the units covered. Then break down the questions into smaller unit questions. Attempt to discuss and write on them at least once every two weeks in class. (2) Get support from colleagues in this and stay accountable to them by reporting on successes in the discussions and student writings. Working collaboratively with colleagues on a course can help as well. I found that my own planning for intentional worldview education increased when I was team teaching a course. (3) Instructional strategies: I am going to be more up front with the students about why I think collaboration is a good teaching strategy. It says something about my view of people, my view of relationships, and my view of the body of Christ.
I need to work on developing good questions that will target the Biblical principles for each of the units I teach. Then I need to include modeling the values and thinking of why I chose those questions and possible answers. I also need to intentionally inform parents at Back-to-School Day and through the weekly newsletters of the Biblical perspective that I am targeting and how they can help their child think through these things.
I will articulate in the content section of each unit map the 1-2 Biblical principles I will teach for each unit. I did this for my Night unit. It was difficult to get my head around and messy in process, but I was so much clearer at the end—how I taught to my questions and assessed that teaching at the end.
I will stipulate times for myself to articulate to the students how my own Biblical perspective influences my teaching. When I give projects—that they are in the image of the Creator and therefore creative. When I set initial class expectations—we are all fallen and will push boundaries. When I assign new groups—God gives us all gifts and puts us in a body for the good of ourselves and of the body. When I ask “What else did you learn during this unit that you did not yet have an opportunity to show on this test?”—that they are meaning makers because they are in the image of God in his meaningful world so I expect them to be always learning more than what's required. Doing this will model understanding and applying a Biblical perspective.
I have been consistently trying to utilize the following three approaches in order to increasingly target Biblical perspective:
- Room decor: For the last 2 years, I have been featuring a quote of the month, posting it on the bulletin board in the gym lobby. Some examples of these reflective statements are: “Today’s choices have consequences for tomorrow and for eternity” and “Character is measured by conduct.”
- Questions: Another way I target student understanding is by inviting them to respond to key questions. I have used the following questions in class: What do you believe in? What Christ-like character qualities have you developed/are developing as a result of your participation in PE activities this year?
- Modeling: …Nothing can impact students any better than to see God mirrored in the life and example of the teacher. Integrating a Biblical perspective must be woven into the very life of the teacher. With the teacher exemplifying Christ-like qualities with regard to character/conduct, it can provide the necessary motivation for the student in this kind of atmosphere, to commit him/herself to the same task!
As an administrator, I think that what I can do is to tell the teachers that the “main thing” is Biblical integration. I think it would help out the teachers to allow them the freedom to know that this is not an addition, that we want them to be teaching this and that may mean some of the textbook does not get covered. That’s OK! Our curriculum should be not be based on the textbook! I also can give support by checking maps, giving time to look at different maps, and giving time to talk about Biblical integration. If my focus in meetings is Biblical integration, I think they will catch on! I think educating parents is also important. I can share a lot in the newsletters about what we are doing and what it means.
I can choose intentional principles to teach. I can use characteristics of God to guide the questions and content—if this principle is not valued, look what happens to society here _____.... I need to find ways of developing relationships between students, and with students; I think this too will broaden their understanding of worldview. Do daily devotions for all periods, not just first period. This will model how to look at the daily issues connected to class content…. I need to give the kids time in class to process and think about how course content connects to Biblical perspective.
I am committed to discussing with colleagues how to integrate Biblical perspective into essay writing, grammar and vocabulary. To discussing with each other how God views languages and how our perspectives change when we learn a new language.
Collaboration with other teachers to intentionally integrate Biblical perspective will not only benefit me in this process, but will also help students as they continue to develop their own worldviews. My Biblical worldview will affect everything I do, but in order for my students to think “Christianly,” I must be intentional in presenting it. Prior to teaching each unit, I will ask myself specific questions, such as “What markers of grace of pieces of truth are recorded in any thought or writing?”, “How does human desire show incompletion in what we long for?”, and “How can I point out the process of "seeing things" as error or truth in books, themes, or authors?” I must ask these questions in conjunction with the specific content and skills in each unit. After I teach the unit, I will ask students the same questions to evaluate how well I've presented the Biblical perspective in relation to the content and skills.
I am going to spend more intentional moments discussing the how the following have their roots in Biblical teaching: serving one another, telling stories, accepting authority, asking questions, discovering order in music, using language uniformly, and using the created instrument in a way that brings honor to the Creator.
I can help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective by intentionally connecting it in my courses and modeling how to connect the content to a Biblical perspective. I can model the thought process in various subjects. In Math, we have been working on a million dollar project where the students learn to find prices of items and budget their money. We have been talking about how to make good decisions monetarily and how we can use money to serve the world.