What 3 types of assessment will you use?

12/12/08 08:07 Filed in: Assessment | What 3?

You know that assessment helps students learn. So, you decide to use a variety of assessments to help your students deepen their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective.

Question: What 3 types of assessment will you use? Read More...

Where are you/your school in terms of having a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?

05/12/08 10:27 Filed in: Curriculum | Worldview education | Connections

You want to help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview. So, you want to help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. You think that having a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum will help you:

Guaranteed: All teachers at a given Christian school teach specified Bible content in each subject they teach.
Viable: All teachers have sufficient instructional time to teach the specified Bible content.
Biblical perspective: The specified Bible content is formatted as Biblical principles. Each Biblical principle is supported by at least 3 Bible passages.
Curriculum: The specified Bible content is documented in the curriculum.

Question: What’s a next step? Read More...

What’s your stakeholders’ perspective of a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum?

15/11/08 16:33 Filed in: Curriculum | Vision

Christian school communities are composed of stakeholder groups, including staff, parents, students, alumni, donors, and the board. These groups have a stake in students developing a Christ-centered worldview.

Question: What’s your stakeholders’ perspective of a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum? Read More...

Regarding a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what are the opportunities/problems?

10/11/08 15:18 Filed in: Curriculum | Roadblocks | Time | Training | Vision

Christian schools have a key opportunity to take fuller advantage of—to help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. One way to move forward on this is to develop a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum.

Question: Regarding a guaranteed, viable Biblical perspective curriculum, what are the opportunities/problems? Read More...

What Biblical principles do you want your students to understand and apply?

06/11/08 14:08 Filed in: Biblical principles | Enduring understandings

Through Christian education, we want students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. One way to do this is to have students connect what they study and Biblical principles.

Question: What Biblical principles do you want your students connect to what they study?

Here are sample Biblical principles from teachers at Christian Academy in Japan. Read More...

What 3 skills will you help your students improve?

17/10/08 08:06 Filed in: Skills | What 3?

You want your students to increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective. You think that improving key skills will help. Good.

Question: What 3 skills will you help them improve? Read More...

Develop a Biblical perspective curriculum

As a result of Christian education, we want our students to love Jesus and live for Him. So, we help our students develop a Christ-centered worldview by:

Modeling Christ-like behavior.
Providing devotions, chapel, and Bible class.
Giving opportunities for service.
Helping students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.

What energizes you?

Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian academy in Japan, responds:

What energizes me when I'm wondering whether teaching is worth the effort? Finding out that students are learning significant things in my class. So, I arrange to get a big dose of encouragement every time I give a test. Read More...

Use 7 questions to reflect on developing a Biblical perspective curriculum

Want to use your curriculum to help students develop a Christ-centered worldview? Reflecting on the following 8 questions can help. Read More...

Develop the big picture of your subject area

29/09/08 19:59 Filed in: Basics | Vision

Harold Klassen of Transforming Teachers emphasizes the importance of understanding a Biblical perspective of your subject area.

Making sense of any idea is always easier if you know where it fits in the big picture. Knowing where the subject you teach fits in the big picture of God’s purposes and activities, can help you see the connections between your lesson content and God and His word. Helping your students see things from a Biblical perspective becomes an exciting possibility. Read More...

What are students learning?

18/09/08 07:34 Filed in: Testimonial

Kim Essenburg, whose 51 English 10 students come from 12 countries, reflects on her introductory unit and what students are learning.

The high school chemistry/geometry teacher from Sri Lanka lights up. She sees me as I walk into the teachers’ workroom in my sari and says, “You look just like a real teacher in my country should!” Then she readjusts a few folds I haven’t done quite right. (I’m wearing a sari in recognition of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Indian Nobel Prize winner, whose short story we’re discussing today in English 10.) Read More...

5 ways to help your students develop a Biblical perspective

17/09/08 11:15 Filed in: Basics | Connections | Modeling | Vision | Worldview education

Everyone has a perspective. On everything. On things like grasshoppers, gasoline prices, glaciers melting, and God. Everyone has way of looking at things. At things like chocolate, character qualities, carbon emissions, and Christ.

Every Christian school student has a perspective. And our role as Christian educators is to help each of our students develop a Biblical perspective. Read More...

Teaching from the Christian perspective

08/09/08 08:40 Filed in: Is & Isn't

Deborah Carpenter and Dana Bincer of Biblical Integration Ideas reflect on what Biblical integration involves:

Simply stated, Biblical integration is taking a lesson objective and/or lesson outline, and teaching it from a Christian perspective. Read More...

Use 5 questions to connect philosophy and classroom practice

Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, uses 5 questions to reflect on connecting a Christian philosophy of education with classroom practice. Read More...

What 3 Biblical principles will you help your students understand?

26/08/08 08:06 Filed in: Value-added content | Biblical principles | Enduring understandings | What 3?

You want your students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. So, you want them to connect relevant Biblical principles and what they study.

2 questions: What 3 Biblical principles with you help them understand? How will you help them understand these principles? Read More...

How can you help your students love Jesus and live for Him?

22/08/08 13:51 Filed in: Biblical principles | Connections | Enduring understandings | Is & Isn't

You want your students to…

Study the Bible.
Understand spiritual truths through object lessons.
Study the world.
Participate in devotions.

What do you want your students to understand?

20/08/08 12:39 Filed in: Biblical principles | Enduring understandings | Training

What do you want your students to understand?
You strive equip your students to love God and impact the world for Him. Good.

Question: What do you want your students to understand about God and His creation through what they study? What do you want them to understand as they study…? Read More...

What is (and isn't) Biblical integration?

02/07/08 20:39 Filed in: Is & Isn't

Deborah Carpenter and Dana Bincer of Biblical Integration Ideas share what Biblical integration is and is not: Christian teachers can have different ideas about what qualifies as Biblical integration. The following is a list of things that, generally speaking, do not qualify as Biblical integration. Read More...

What 3 behaviors will you model?

10/06/08 09:10 Filed in: Modeling | What 3?

You want to help your students connect what they study, life, and Biblical teaching. And you know that modeling is an effective way to help your students learn to make connections. Good.

Question: What 3 behaviors will you model? Read More...

Teach and assess Biblical perspective

06/06/08 21:26 Filed in: Lesson plans | Assessment | Video

Help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview during class by teaching Biblical perspective lessons and giving Biblical perspective assessments.

Use 8 questions to reflect on your Biblical perspective lesson and assessment results

03/06/08 15:11 Filed in: Assessment | Assessment data | Protocols | Questions

You’ve designed and taught your Biblical perspective lesson, a lesson that prepared your students to demonstrate their understanding/application of a Biblical perspective. You've also given your students the Biblical perspective assessment. Good!

Now, leverage your work by reflecting on it. Read More...

What Biblical teaching connects to what students are studying?

02/06/08 16:02 Filed in: Value-added content | Biblical principles | Enduring understandings

At Christian schools, we want our students to develop a Christ-centered worldview, to see all of life through the lens of Scripture, to learn about God and His creation. This is a big challenge! How can you help your students do this during class? Read More...

Use 6 questions to explore on Christian worldview education

26/05/08 16:17 Filed in: Worldview education | Protocols | Questions

Christian education involves worldview education, education that helps students develop and apply a Christian worldview.

Here are 6 questions you can use to explore Christian worldview education. Read More...

Get experience—then follow up

26/05/08 15:14 Filed in: Lesson plans

Experience is an effective, efficient teacher. I know this. So do you. Read More...

What role do connections play in Christian education?

26/05/08 15:11 Filed in: Connections

Educated people make connections. They connect what they have learned with what’s going on around them. So, I think it’s fair to say that getting educated involves making connections. Read More...

Biblical perspective of course content—what is (and isn't) it?

26/05/08 09:08 Filed in: Is & Isn't

Exciting things happen in Christian schools, things that help students develop a Biblical worldview.

Question: In the following 4 scenarios, what exciting things are happening and what’s not happening? Read More...

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? Read More...

How does your Christian worldview affect your educational practice?

12/05/08 16:06 Filed in: Worldview education | Questions | Assessment | Lesson plans | Engaging instruction

Worldview affects educational practice. How does your Christian worldview affect your educational practice?When responding to this question, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan indicated that their Christian worldview affects.... Read More...

How can you help your students understand that worldview affects how a person answers questions?

06/05/08 13:54 Filed in: Worldview education | Teaching tips | Engaging instruction | Connections

A person’s worldview is connected to how s/he answers questions. How can you help your students understand this? To help their students, teachers at Christian Academy have their students.... Read More...

What key questions do you want your students to consider?

29/04/08 12:30 Filed in: Worldview education | Questions

You can help your students develop a Christian worldview by asking questions. What key questions do you want your students to consider? Here are some of the questions teachers at Christian Academy in Japan want to ask their students. Read More...

How can you help students develop a Christ-centered worldview?

25/04/08 08:06 Filed in: Worldview education | Teaching tips

You want your students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. To do this, you can: Read More...

What helps your students understand that everyone has a worldview?

22/04/08 13:54 Filed in: Worldview education | Testimonial | Questions | Teaching tips

Everyone has a worldview. What helps students understand this? According to teachers at Christian Academy in Japan, what helps their students includes.... Read More...

Regarding providing worldview education, what helps/hinders you?

22/04/08 13:48 Filed in: Worldview education | Testimonial

Christian education involves worldview education, education that helps students develop and apply a Christian worldview. Regarding providing worldview education, what helps/hinders you? Read More...

To help students make connections, what are the vital teacher behaviors?

14/03/08 07:13 Filed in: Questions | Lesson plans | Assessment | Assessment data

We want our students to honor Christ and impact the world from Him. Consequently, we want to nurture faith in Christ. One way we do this in Christian schools is by helping our students connect what they study with what the Bible teaches.

To help students make connections, what are the vital teacher behaviors? Read More...

In Christian education, what’s success?

12/02/08 11:54 Filed in: Vision | Is & Isn't | Self-assessment

In terms of student learning at a Christian school, our stated definition of success is students applying a Biblical perspective to course content (not just learning the course content). However, our real definition of success is best seen in what we do, not what we say. Read More...

Test question encourages students to apply Biblical perspective

09/02/08 13:29 Filed in: Testimonial | Assessment

To cultivate reflection and increase the likelihood that her students will connect course content and a Biblical perspective, Kim Esssenburg (English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan) puts the following question on each of her unit tests: “What is something significant you learned this unit that you did not have an opportunity to demonstrate on this test?” Read More...

Show your students what a connection looks like

05/02/08 10:57 Filed in: Teaching tips | Testimonial | Connections

Anda Foxell, who teaches Social Studies 6 at Christian Academy in Japan, reflects on a unit in which her students connected course content and Biblical perspective. She notes the importance of showing students what a connection between course content and Biblical perspective looks like. Read More...

Target Biblical perspective

05/02/08 08:36 Filed in: Vision | Basics | Video

By targeting Biblical perspective, teachers can help student apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.

Biblical perspective teacher training standards developed

22/01/08 21:25 Filed in: Basics | Training

The standards are done! Many thanks to the Christian educators (living in Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, and South Africa) who collaborated to develop 7 teacher training standards. These standards target helping teachers help their K-12 students understand and then apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. Read More...

Use 5 questions to reflect on a unit

19/01/08 14:15 Filed in: Protocols | Assessment | Testimonial | Questions

Reflection can help you target Biblical perspective. After teaching a Biblical perspective unit, use these 5 questions to reflect:

What student learning results excited about?
What were your students studying?
What was the assessment prompt?
How did you prepare your students for it?
What did you learn from teaching your unit?

Is it important for your students to apply a Biblical perspective to course content?

05/01/08 07:58 Filed in: Value-added content | Assessment

Question: Is it important for your students to apply a Biblical perspective to course content?

If you answered “yes,” keep reading. Read More...

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