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.
 
The last question on every test is "What is something significant you learned this unit that you have not yet had an opportunity to show on this test?" It's worth 1-3 points, whatever I need to round out the score. I actually look forward with great anticipation to grading tests just to be able to read answers to this question! 
 
And, asking this question is a pedagogically sound practice. By asking this question, I help my students understand that there are important things to learn in class that won't necessarily be on the test. By asking this question, I challenge them to make their own connections, applications, explorations even beyond what we talk about in class.
 
I celebrate this learning with students and with colleagues when I pass back the tests. How? By collecting some of the most insightful, articulate, original answers and sharing them--reading them aloud in class, and distributing them to colleagues by email or hard copy. Here's some of the learning I'm celebrating from my last test on the novel Cry, the Beloved Country:

1. “I learned that there are so many things in the world that can easily break shalom (=love, truth, loyalty, grace, justice, righteousness)… it is very important to make and be willing to make shalom happen, instead of being ignorant about it.”
2. “Learning a new language or speaking a language you’re not that good at shows that you’d rather risk humiliation than avoid communicating and making unity.”
3. “There is no peace when there is fear. Fear can only be conquered by love, the one thing that has absolute power. Therefore, love brings peace.”
4. “Msimangu and James Jarvis both said that they were not saintly, God just used them.”
5. “...we need to help people because we really, actually WANT to help them, not because we pity them, think we should help them…. Because there is love, there is help among the people. Because there is help, there is change, so that the world (community) will be one."
6. “Shalom is an ideal, and our group concluded that since humans have an ideal, there is a God. If there was no God, we wouldn’t know or have an ideal.”
7. “I learned from Msimangu that love is the only thing that has ultimate power. I learned from Kumalo and Father Vincent that being positive and trusting God while there’s suffering is really important.”
8. “I learned that God gives hope to those who have none. Because of the hope, some broken things can become new.”

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:

1. Asking questions.
2. Connecting course content and Biblical teaching.
3. Explaining to students how worldview impacts educational practices in terms of questions, content/skills, assessment, instructional strategies, and classroom guidelines.
4. Getting parents involved.
5. Supporting colleagues and getting support from colleagues.
6. Using bulletin boards to communicate truth.
7. Modeling Christian character.
8. 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:

1. 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.”
2. 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?
3. 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.  

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:

1. Role play.
   
2. Compare and contrast responses.
   
3. Process responses to questions.
   
4. Debate.
   
5. Discuss.
   
6. Learn about a variety of perspectives.
   
7. Connect perspective and behavior.

Real question: The real question isn’t “How can you help your students understand that worldview affects how a person answers questions?” The real question is “How will you help your students understand that worldview affects how a person answers questions?”

Take action. Today.

---

Here are responses of teachers at Christian Academy in Japan:

1. My students understand differing worldviews when I have them role play and represent the ideas of someone that does not have the same view they do. When they role play, they learn that actions come from thoughts and thoughts are formed based on worldview. Giving students examples of conflicting or differing worldviews (i.e., literature, history, news, media) can help them see that people will respond and act differently depending on their worldview.
   
2. Last week I decided I wanted to begin senior English with the question, “What is the nature of man?” Why will that question help them see worldview, both their own, and others by contrast? They read Chaucer and Beowulf—decidedly differing views of the nature of man. I think that asking this question of themselves and of these two different pieces of literature, and of the medieval mind, will help students understand worldview. The medieval differs strongly from the present, but even within the span, early to late (Beowulf to Canterbury Tales), there is a strong disparity between views. Hopefully this will help the seniors see worldview as the source of choices.
   
3. Students need to be exposed to concrete examples of various worldviews…. One good example from the first grade curriculum is the study of Korea and the Venn diagram of Korean families and the student’s family. In “Our School” unit in second grade, I need to do more intentional teaching of Japanese school (or schools in other countries) and have students look at the differences. There are books in the library that tell about schooling in other countries.
   
4. By continuing to ask questions that force them to back up to basic beliefs. Eventually, they have to get to worldview. And the final answer is not “Because God made it that way!” Perhaps as I start the platonic solids unit, I will ask students to answer the question, “What’s beautiful?” How students answer this question will hint at worldview assumptions. I will then weave that question into future lessons each day. We will then examine a Biblical view of beauty and find support for it using specific Bible texts.
   
5. In math, I often look at the process for answers to see how students figure problems out; I scrutinize how students solve problems. There is also is a similar process that I use to help students to come up with their answers to my key questions. Through this process, students learn what their worldview is as it is being formed. I break down their thinking to small chunks (looking at social issues, and patterns around us) to grasp the process of building their worldview.
   
6. Have my students debate the issue of how increasing technology affects the lives of people, especially students. Since both sides of an issue must be presented in a debate, I hope to have enough time for students to switch sides, even if they don’t agree with the argument. Following the debate, I hope to have a discussion about the values held by each perspective, leading up to the idea that worldview is connected to how people respond to issues.
   
7. I would have to have questions, first of all, questions that would elicit different responses based on a person’s worldview. Then I would need to create an opportunity to talk about those answers. Or have them (the questions) displayed in a way that students could see that worldview affects the way one would answer them.
   
8. After working with the course question “Who am I?” in various ways for 3 quarters, students write a paper answering that question, addressing who they are spiritually, temperamentally, and culturally. To address who they are spiritually, we have discussed that people are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), fallen, but loved and offered redemption, fully known by God (Ps. 139), and gifted and placed in the body to serve (Ro. 12), where they are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). Students must articulate the Christian belief, but are encouraged to state to what degree they embrace it. To address who they are temperamentally, students learn about Meyers-Briggs profiling, take an online assessment, and read about and discuss their outcome. To address who they are culturally, students read the article “The Values Americans Live By” by L. Robert Kohls and discuss which values Japanese, Koreans, the CAJ community, and they themselves hold. After writing the first draft of the paper, they discuss ways beliefs/personality, personality/culture, and culture/beliefs interact.
   
9. Students need to be asked the questions and have an opportunity to answer. I think it’s quite amazing how often teachers/coaches talk and share what they think, but rarely do they stop and ask the kids what they think. By giving them this opportunity, students think for themselves. Students also need an opportunity to see and hear that others have different opinions and perspectives. If they never see or hear that, it’s quite easy for students to think everyone thinks the same.
   
10. I can help students to see the difference that their answer to my question makes in the way that they live their lives. This prevents them from thinking that this is all “abstract” and allows them to play out the significance of their thinking in concrete situations. I can do this by approaching a question in several steps: (1) What are the possible answers to the question? (2) What are possible strategies for choosing an answer? (3) What difference will the strategy and answer we pick make in our lives? A question with which I recently used these steps is: “How should we use the Old Testament law in our ethical thinking as Christians?”

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

1. Model the fruit of the Spirit.
   
2. Do daily devotions/chapel.
   
3. Teach object lessons.
   
4. Have your students do service projects.
   
5. Have your students connect course content and Biblical principles.

These 5 things are vital—and different, for example:

• Service projects do not equal doing daily devotions.
  
• Modeling the fruit of the Spirit does not equal teaching object lessons.

My point? While you want modeling, devotions/chapel, object lessons, and service projects, these things don’t equal connecting course content and Biblical principles—which you also want.

The good news? You can do all 5 things!

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

1. Connecting course content and life
   
2. Questions
   
3. Literature
   
4. Discussion/debate
   
5. Clarifying what a worldview is
   
6. Experiential learning

Real question: The real question isn’t “What helps your students understand that everyone has a worldview?" The real question is “How will you help your students today understand that everyone has a worldview?”

Take action. Today.

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Here are the responses of teachers at Christian Academy in Japan:

(1) Connecting course content and life:

• Math seems a little cut-and-dried, but it's possible to examine mathematical assumptions to see where they begin, or on what basis they are made…. I think starting with topics or characters that touch students' lives is a good place to begin, and then moving from there to more complex connections and implications.
  
• Exposing students to things that seem nonsensical to them and then helping them come to understand those things by understanding a new worldview helps students to understand that everyone has a worldview. For example, in my Bible 9 unit on Hinduism, students choose a news article from the BBC related to Hinduism and explain how the things we have learned in class help them make sense of the event. One student selected a story about a man who married his dog. He did this to try to create good karma after being cruel to several other dogs. What we had learned about the Hindu worldview helped the student understand this bizarre event.
  
• For one project, I have them look at a social issue and then relate it to math. I can see them putting together ideas from their beliefs (I ask them for their Bible references) as well as what they have learned from their project in their conclusion. In this project and in others (i.e., Planet Project in 6th grade), we apply math to real life situations, which in turn will affect their worldview. Often applying math can change the way they look at an issue or a topic.

(2) Questions:

• Questions about issues…challenge my students to think about their own worldviews….
  
• My students are the elementary teachers…. Helping them to understand they have a “view” on the classroom environment could look like this: I could ask them: What does the ideal classroom look like? Make a list. Which items on your list are based on your assumptions and your beliefs?

(3) Literature:

• Studying literature…helps my students see more of what a worldview is and means.
  
• This week we will be reading Where’s the Big Bad Wolf? by Eileen Christelow….. We will be reading and discussing the motivation and misunderstanding of actions…in regards to various versions of the Three Little Pigs.
  
• The 10th grade literature book has 2 companion pieces showing 2 different views of the same event—reaching Everest’s peak—one by Edmund Hillary and the other by Tenzig Norgay…. Not only does Hillary’s focus on facts and Norgay’s on the emotion of the experience, but also there are flat out factual discrepancies: Hillary’s account sounds like he pulled Norgay up, and Norgay’s sounds like they were equal partners. In the future, I want to not just make the point that all writing has bias, but why—all people have a worldview.

(4) Discussion/debate:

• Showing students artwork from various time periods and various countries and cultures clearly can show various worldviews…. Discussion of worldviews represented in the art can help students understand that everyone has a worldview.
  
• In Bible, we assume one worldview. The OT is full of idols and asherah poles and pagan kings. What was their worldview? I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it before. We should talk in class about the worldview of the pagan kings. And we should talk about what it is in the Israelites worldview that causes them to be disobedient to God so often.
  
• …ethical choices/issues, case studies, and environmental studies.

(5) Clarifying what a worldview is: It is important to help students clearly understand what a worldview consists of—defining what makes up such a worldview will help to diminish confusion.

(6) Experiential learning: Experience helps. I’ve tried out various activities, getting students into other shoes. I wonder what would happen if we took this literally? Switch shoes, swap iPods, change grades or essays? I might actually try this—what would it literally look like to embrace the customs of another, to get a glimpse of his worldview?

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.

What are you excited about?
Anda: I’m excited that my 6th grade social studies students are beginning to see that God is at work through history and that history connects to them. In a presentation at the end of the unit on ancient Egypt, one student said, “The Egyptians believed there were lots of things you had to do to get eternal life. That’s why they made mummies. That’s not what Christians believe; we know that it’s only through Jesus!”

What were your students studying?
Anda: They were studying ancient Egypt. They flew through thousands of years of geography, history, and culture in a month, while focusing on essential questions— What do you have in common with the ancient Egyptians? How are you different? How could a child of God have responded to the Egyptians?

Toward the end of the unit, my students did in-depth research on a topic of interest. Then, they combined their research and their study of a Biblical perspective of Egyptian religion and culture to develop a 5-10 minute presentation.

What was the presentation prompt?
Anda: Give a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic of your choice, which includes your response to the unit’s essential questions (What do you have in common with the ancient Egyptians? How are you different? How could a child of God have responded to the Egyptians?) You must give your presentation from an outline, use a minimum of 3 documented sources, and use a visual aid.

How did you prepare your students for the assessment?
Anda: Before students started their independent research, they did significant preparation. They studied maps, used motions to memorize a timeline of Egyptian achievements, looked for connections between Egyptian history and Biblical events, did group research and presentations on pharaohs, did a web quest, and jig-sawed information about Egyptian pyramids, writing, and views of afterlife and deities.

At the end of the jigsaws, I posed the essential questions to help students connect jigsaw content and Biblical teaching. I directed the discussion so that all students would understand the difference, for example, between monotheism and polytheism.

Next, they did their research. I encouraged them to make connections between their research and Biblical perspective, between what they were learning and what the Bible teaches. Then they developed outlines for their presentations and practiced giving their presentations.

What did you learn from teaching your unit on ancient Egypt?
Anda: Just because kids know the Bible stories and understand the social studies content doesn’t mean they automatically make connections between the two.

For example, I arranged small groups so that kids with limited Bible knowledge would be paired with students with Bible knowledge. I was surprised to find that once students with limited Bible knowledge learned the Bible content, they were able to connect Bible content and social studies content more easily than some of the students with the Bible knowledge were.

What modifications will you make to your unit?
Anda: I want all my students to make good connections between course content and Biblical perspective. I need to point out to kids when they are making connections so they know what a connection is and can then make their own connections between course content and Biblical perspective. To help kids make connections, I also want to give them a bookmark with the essential questions on it so that kids will see the questions when they do their research.

I need to clarify my vocabulary so that all students understand the words I’m using. For example, I used “child of God” to mean the Old Testament equivalent of Christians, and some students took “child of God” to mean “child.”

Download: Social Studies 6, Anda Foxwell

Kim and Michael Essenburg, missionaries with Christian Reformed World Missions, serve at Christian Academy in Japan. This morning they talked about progress Kim's students are making on applying a Biblical perspective, and then Kim determined her next step.

Michael: What progress are you making on your goal?

Kim: In their Cry, the Beloved Country essays, my students did a better job of applying a Biblical perspective. They were better able to show their grasp of what the Bible teaches, not just what a verse says. They more effectively discussed Biblical perspective, instead of just citing verses.

Michael: That sounds good!

Kim: I was pleased. They did a good job of following the writing guidelines I’ve emphasized.

Michael: So you’re emphasizing effective writing guidelines to help your students apply a Biblical perspective when writing?

Kim: Yes.

Michael: What are your guidelines?

Kim: l’m using 5 guidelines:

1. Give supporting details about Biblical perspective, like quotations of Bible verses.
   
2. Introduce quotations.
   
3. State the topic sentence first, then the support, like quotations.
   
4. Include Biblical perspective in 1 or more topic sentences.
   
5. Integrate Biblical perspective into the thesis statement.

Michael: Which guidelines did the students follow?

Kim: Guidelines 1-3—stating the topic sentence first, introducing quotations, and giving supporting details.

Michael: Interesting. Your guidelines start with support and not with the thesis. What’s your thinking behind this?

Kim: I want to meet students where they are, so I use a developmental approach when giving writing instruction. I emphasize citing Bible verses, move to emphasizing stating the topic sentence first, and finally teach about including Biblical perspective in thesis statements.

Don’t get me wrong. I consistently expect students to include Biblical perspective in their thesis statements, but I teach this last. Ultimately, what I want is for students to defend a thesis statement that includes Biblical perspective by using topic sentences and supporting details that include Biblical perspective.

Michael: So you want something like this?: Thesis← →Topic Sentences← →Supporting Details

Kim: Yes.

Michael: So what’s your next step?

Kim: I want to keep focusing on helping my students apply a Biblical perspective. In their last essays, my students did a pretty good job on supporting details, introducing quotations, stating their topic sentences first. Some students included Biblical perspective in their topic sentences, and I’d like more of them to do this.

Michael: What do you mean “more”?

Kim: Well, my guess is that about of half of the essays included at least one topic sentence that included Biblical perspective. I’d like to get that up to 100%. My students are working on an essay about Night. Right now, I’m reading the rough drafts. When the final drafts come in, I’d like all of the essays to have at least 1 topic sentence that includes Biblical perspective.

Michael: How doable is that?

Kim: I’m pretty confident all my students can include 1 Biblical perspective topic sentence. When I turn back the rough drafts, I’ll need to teach a writing lesson about this. And I can have students check for Biblical perspective topic sentences when doing peer reviews on the revised drafts. That’s doable. That’ll work. That’ll help me close the gap.

Kim and MIchael Essenburg, missionaries with Christian Reformed World Missions, serve at Christian Academy in Japan. They talk about progress Kim's students are making on applying a Biblical perspective.

Michael: You seem excited. What’s going on?

Kim: I just read over my 10th grade students’ Cry, the Beloved Country essays. And my students did a better job of applying a Biblical perspective.

Michael: What did they do better?

Kim: They were better able to show their grasp of what the Bible teaches, not just what a verse says. They more effectively discussed Biblical perspective, instead of just citing verses.

Michael: What helped them do better?

Kim: They did a better job of following 3 writing guidelines I teach:

1. Use topic sentences.
   
2. State the topic sentence first and then support with details.
   
3. Introduce quotations.

When students use a topic sentence, they’re able to focus their paragraph more and connect the paragraph to the thesis.

When students state their topic sentence first and then support with details, they set the context for the details—which helps the reader understand the topic sentence and helps the writer prove the topic sentence and prove the thesis.

When students introduce a quotation, they set the context for the quotation, connect the quotation to the topics sentence, and consequently help the reader more fully grasp the meaning of the quotation. Doing this also involves students in more carefully analyzing which quotations to use because they’re more aware of the quotation’s significance.

Michael: Those are 3 important guidelines. I use them when I write. How do these 3 guidelines help your students apply a Biblical perspective?

Kim: In previous years, I noticed that when students wrote about Biblical perspective, they reverted to a youth group conversation style. Talking in youth groups is important—I’m glad my students have an opportunity to talk about their faith in an informal, relational way. This is an appropriate communication style for youth group settings.

However, this communication style poses problems for students when they are writing. It poses problems when they are using writing to apply a Biblical perspective. Good writing, for example, involves carefully delineated thoughts expressed in complete sentences, not fragments like we use in conversation. Good writing involves supporting a thesis, while conversation tends to be associative.

Michael: So it sounds like you recognize that students need to use the culturally appropriate forms of communication. When at youth group, use youth-group talk. When writing, use effective writing guidelines.

Kim: Yes, that’s right.

Michael: Tell me more about how the 3 writing guidelines helped your students apply a Biblical perspective.

Kim: By inserting Biblical perspective into the topic sentence, students can more effectively set the focus for the paragraph. By stating a Biblical perspective topic sentence first and then citing verses, students can better demonstrate what the Bible teaches, not what an isolated verse teaches. By introducing quotations, including verses, students are more likely to select their quotations carefully and more likely to connect the quotations with the topic sentence.

Michael: So let me see if I understand this. It’s integrating Biblical perspective into topic sentences, not leaving it out. It’s Biblical perspective topic sentences supported by verses, not unsupported topic sentences and not verses without a topic sentence. And it’s introduced Bible verses, not verses dropped in the middle of paragraphs.

Kim: I think you’ve got it. Let me show you a sample paragraph from the Cry, the Beloved Country unit essay. Just so you’ll know, during this unit, students considered 3 Biblical perspective questions: What’s wrong with the world? Who am I? Who is my neighbor? To support their consideration of these 3 questions, students received direct instruction on and completed a Bible study about shalom.

Here’s the sample paragraph. In this paragraph, the student:

1. Has a topic sentence that includes a Biblical perspective.
   
2. States the topic sentence first and then supports it with quotations.
   
3. Introduces each passage with a variety of grammatical structures that include additional pertinent information.

There are many ways to define the word peace, but the Biblical concept of peace or shalom has a round meaning, relating all beings in the universe and outside the cosmos. Genesis 1 describes the perfect creation God had made in the beginning as He said, “It was very good” (New International Version). However, as man marred his image of God through sin, the relationship between God and man, God and creation, man and creation was broken. Fear and sorrow entered the universe, and every human being needed to go through such pain in the world. Henceforth, humans needed to pray for redemption and the restoration of the intimate association with God, so that this may someday lead to the restoration of creation. Romans 8:21 expresses the hope for this restoration when “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” This is a place where all living creatures and humans live in harmony without pain and suffering, which is referred to as the New Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation 21. This concept of Biblical shalom in elucidated by Alan Paton’s book as the “ideal justice.” Beginning with Stephen Kumalo, one finds the broken relationship between God and man and creation in the tribe, and through much adversity and sorrow, Kumalo attempts to build shalom by restoring the broken relationships.

Michael: That was a helpful example. I’ll bet you were excited when you read that paragraph. I can see how using the 3 guidelines would help students more effectively apply a Biblical perspective when writing. What’s next?

Kim: Reinforcing the 3 guidelines and further implementing a 4th guideline: Integrate Biblical perspective into your thesis statement.

Your goal: For your students to understand a biblical perspective of your subject and to apply it to the course content they have learned.

Your SMART goal: By June of this school year, for 90% of your students to be at or above standard (C or above) on applying a biblical perspective to course content, scores being taken from rubric-scored classroom assessments (like presentations, projects, and writing).

Your current reality?

• You have shifted your goal from your students learning course content to your students applying a biblical perspective to course content they have learned.
  
• You have adopted an initial SMART goal.
  
• You do not yet have classroom assessment data to determine if your goal is attainable.

What can you do? Take the following 10-item survey to make an initial assessment of how well your students understand and use a biblical perspective of course content. Before taking the survey, select 1 subject you teach and respond to the survey based on the students in that subject.

1. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily identify 3 or more biblical principles and explain how each principle is related to the subject I teach.
   
2. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily identify 3 or more biblical values and explain how each value is related to the subject I teach.
   
3. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily identify 3 or more Bible verses and explain how each verse is related to the subject I teach.
   
4. ____% of my students can readily give a 1-3 minute explanation of a biblical perspective of the subject I teach.
   
5. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily identify 3 or more issues and give a 30-60 second biblical perspective explanation of each.
   
6. ___% of my students when asked for an opinion regarding an issue will respond, “The Bible teaches…” (instead of “I think…”).
   
7. ___% of my students, when processing an issue with a fellow student, readily ask the following 4 questions: What do you mean by…? How do you know? How does the Bible help? How can I respond?
   
8. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily give reasonable answers to each of the following 3 questions: How can ___ help me learn about God and creation? How can I use ___ (subject/topic) wrongly? How does ___ (subject/topic) help me serve others?
   
9. ___% of my students, when asked, can readily identify 3 or more biblical perspective questions related to the subject I teach.
   
10. Based on my responses to items 1-9, ___% of my students are performing at or above standard (C or above) on understanding and applying a biblical perspective to the subject I teach.

Based on your response to survey item 10, review your SMART goal, revising it as necessary. Now, identify and take action steps to close the gap between the targeted percentage in your SMART goal and your current percentage. Start by exploring your options for action steps.

Your options? Here are 10—add some of your own to the list:

1. Teach your students 3 or more biblical principles related to your subject and have your students apply them to course content.
   
2. Teach your students 3 or more biblical values related to your subject and have your students apply them to course content.
   
3. Teach your students 3 or more Bible verses related to your subject and have your students apply them to course content.
   
4. Teach your students a biblical perspective of your subject area and ask your students to demonstrate their understanding through role play and on a short answer test essay.
   
5. Teach your students 3 or more issues related to your subject and a biblical perspective of each.
   
6. Teach your students, when addressing a key issue, to respond by saying “The Bible teaches….”
   
7. Teach your students, when processing an issue with fellow students, to ask the following 4 questions: What do you mean by…? How do you know? How does the Bible help? How can I respond?
   
8. Teach your students, within the context of your subject, answers to the following 3 questions: How can ___ help me learn about God and creation? How can I use ___ (subject/topic) wrongly? How does ___ (subject/topic) help me serve others?
   
9. Teach your students 3 or more biblical perspective questions, and routinely ask your students these questions.
   
10. Give a biblical perspective assessment 1 or more times each quarter, using the data to track progress towards your SMART goal.

Your “will do’s”? Select 1-2 action steps you are committed to taking to close the gap between the targeted percentage in your SMART goal and your current percentage. Got your 1-2 action steps selected? Good.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), what is your commitment level for each action step?

• If you said 8 or lower, what would it take to move your commitment level to a 9 or 10?
  
• If you are unable to move your commitment level to a 9 or 10, consider revising your action step.

Take action. Now. To achieve your SMART goal. Help your students increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective of the subject you teach. Do something. Today.

Your daughter is having her 7th birthday.

You carefully select her present, one that you know she’ll enjoy. One that says, “I love you.” You put the present in a box, along with the batteries, so she can enjoy it right away.

You wrap her present is special wrapping paper that has characters from Winnie the Pooh on it. She likes Winnie the Pooh. Seeing this paper will make her happy and anticipate the gift. On a bright blue card, you write: “Kim, happy birthday! We love you.—Mom and Dad.” You put the card on the present where she’ll see it, read it, and feel special.

You take the present and put it where she can see it during her birthday dinner. After dinner you give it to her, saying, “Happy birthday, Kim!” You watch as Kim tears open the present and squeals with delight. She gives you a big hug

“Yes,” you say, “I know how to give my daughter a present. But what I want to know is how teaching a biblical perspective is like giving a present.”

Well, let me ask you a question: What difference does it make if you don’t know how to give a present?

• If you don’t carefully select a gift?
  
• If you don’t include the batteries?
  
• If you don’t wrap it?
  
• If you don’t put a card on it?
  
• If you don’t put it where she can enjoy anticipating it?
  
• If you don’t watch as she opens it?

What difference does it make if you hand her an unwrapped present, walk away without speaking, turn the TV on, and watch a program? A big difference. You know it does.

Now let me ask you this: What difference does it make if you make teaching a biblical perspective like giving a present?

• If you carefully select a topic that your students are interested in?
  
• If you include “batteries,” that is, everything your students need so they can apply the biblical perspective to the topic?
  
• If you wrap the lesson in an intriguing question, a case study, or a small group discussion?
  
• If you take 3 steps to increase student anticipation of understanding and using a biblical perspective?
  
• If you share with your students 2 heartfelt reasons why you want them to apply a biblical perspective to this topic?
  
• If you take a sincere interest in your students during the lesson?

So, how is teaching a biblical perspective like giving a present? You tell me. Then use your answer. Today.

---

Bruce Young, MTW missionary
What does the Christian teacher posses that enables him/her to not only teach and explain truths, but to live out and model solid Biblical values? And how does he train himself/herself to do this? Underlying my question is the conviction that we need to be daily believing in the Gospel of God's grace where we see ourselves to be under God's radical grace. The minute we get away from this, we become judgmental, performance oriented rather than dependent and humble, cold, removed, etc. The more we walk in line with the truth of the Gospel the more the gap is closed.

“How can we help them get this better?” You’re in your classroom, thinking.

“We model Christlike behavior. We talk with students about our faith. We do devotions, Bible class, and chapel. Students get this part of a biblical perspective—they encourage each other, help lead devotions and chapel, and participate in Bible class discussions.

“But they don’t really seem to understand that they can use a biblical perspective in math and English and all their other subjects. How can we get them to understand this?”

Good news: Your students can increase their understanding of a biblical perspective of their subjects.

How? By using minutes. By using minutes during class. When your students have time in class to learn something, they learn it. There are always “good reasons” to not provide class time to help your students understand a biblical perspective. But remember, "good reasons" are the enemy of "best reasons." Covering course content is a "good reason." Helping students understand and use a biblical perspective of course content is a "best reason."

Answer 3 questions:

1. During your last unit, how many minutes were your students involved in learning a biblical perspective of unit content?
   
2. How many minutes do you students need to really understand a biblical perspective of unit content?
   
3. What’s your next step?

Use your answers. Use your answers when developing your next unit. Even better—use your answers today. Commit yourself to providing class time in each unit for your students increase their understanding of a biblical perspective of unit content.

To help your students increase their understanding and use of a Biblical perspective of course content, answer 3 of the following questions:

1. What 3 behaviors will you model?
   
2. What 3 questions will you train students to ask?
   
3. What 3 questions will you ask students?
   
4. What 3 Bible verses will you help students memorize, understand, and apply?
   
5. What 3 Biblical principles will you help students understand and apply?
   
6. What 3 skills will you help students improve?
   
7. What 3 types of assessment will you use?
   
8. What 3 engaging instructional strategies will you use?
   
9. What 3 student learning needs will you meet?
   
10. What 3 ways will you decorate your room?
    
11. What 3 things will you put on your course handouts?
    
12. What 3 classroom guidelines will you use?
    
13. What 3 ways will you involve parents?
    
14. What 3 things do you want from your principal or colleagues?
    
15. What 3 things will you do to stay focused?

Now that you have answered 3 questions, use your answers. Use one of your answers today. Right now.

Remember, success is using your answers to help your students, not having the answers in your head.

Here are 10 ways you can focus on worldview development:

1. Make “understanding a Christian worldview” a schoolwide learning outcome.
   
2. Help students understand a Christian worldview in all subjects at all grade levels.
   
3. Ask questions: Who am I? What is good? How should Christians live in a world filled with suffering?
   
4. Put questions on your syllabus.
   
5. Post questions on a bulletin board. Make the print big enough so that students in the back of the room can read the questions.
   
6. Develop assessments that ask students to demonstrate that they understand a Christian worldview (can answer the questions).
   
7. Teach to the assessments using case studies, stories, or journaling.
   
8. Talk about assessment results with students and staff.
   
9. Use assessment results to modify the questions, assessments, and/or instructional strategies.
   
10. Quantify the number of minutes, lessons, and assignments that focus on helping students understand a Christian worldview. Determine the relationship between the current practice and current student performance on assessments.

Which one will you use today?