Meet Learning Needs

Meet student learning needs

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-10-23T14:11:00+09:00

If you want to help your students to better connect God’s world and Word, meet their learning needs. “Learning needs” are anything your students need in order for learning to happen. Watch this video about meeting 5 learning needs students have:

Want to work with your colleagues to better meet student learning needs? If so, then purchase Meet Your Students’ Learning Needs (US$25), a discussion-based kit with 7 sessions. As a result of completing these 7 sessions, you will…

Define and meet your students’ learning needs.
Help your students better understand the importance of connecting God’s world and Word.
Help your students better understand that God’s Word can be connected to the part of God’s world they are studying.
Help your students understand more biblical principles that connect to what they study.
Provide the engaging instruction your students need in order to connect God’s world and Word.
Provide time during class for your students to reflect on how God’s world and Word are connected.
Demonstrate your commitment to meeting your students’ learning needs.

Download a sample session.

Purchase Meet Your Students’ Learning Needs (US$25). This kit is 1 of a 4-part series:

Help Your Students Connect God’s World and Word
Use Assessment
Use Questions
Meet Student Learning Needs

How committed are you to meeting your students’ learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2011-05-11T20:23:00+09:00

If you see someone recycling paper and plastic, riding her bike instead of driving her car, and writing blog entries about taking care of the environment, you think, “Wow! She’s really committed to going green.” If you see someone who isn’t recycling, isn’t riding her bike, and isn’t writing blog entries on the environment, you don’t think, “Wow! She’s really committed to going green.” Why? Because you know that people who are committed take action, and you know that people who aren’t really committed don’t take action.

In Christian education, we're committed to helping our students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. We know that meeting learning needs helps students make connections. So, we're committed to meeting learning needs to help our students make these connections.

What’s your real level of commitment to meeting your students’ learning needs regarding connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches? To determine your response, reflect on the following questions:

What are your students’ learning needs regarding connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What are you doing to meet your students’ learning needs?
How consistently do you take action to meet your students’ learning needs?
How committed are you really?

Want to raise your real commitment level? Take action on 1 student learning need.

Help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Meet their learning needs. Today.

What will you do to better connect what you teach and what the Bible teaches?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2011-03-18T20:21:00+09:00

Want to help your students to better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches? If so, make sure you can make better connections.

Question: How can you do this?

By identifying your own learning needs. And then by developing an action plan to meet 1 of your own learning needs.

To develop your action plan, ask yourself the following 7 questions. Better yet, invite a colleague to ask you:

What subjects do you teach?
What excites/concerns you about connecting what you teach and what the Bible teaches?
Which learning needs do you have?
Which learning need would you like to meet?
What are some ways you could meet this learning need?
What action step will you take to meet this learning need?
When will you take this action step?

Bottom line: Meet your own learning needs. Take action. Today.

How can you better connect what you teach and what the Bible teaches?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2011-01-20T08:15:57+09:00

“I’ve got to find ways to help them.” You’re sitting at your desk, thinking: “I’ve got find ways to help my students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. But how can I help when I don’t really get how what I teach is connected to what the Bible teaches?”

Question: What can you do to better connect what you teach and what the Bibles teaches?

Start by identifying your own learning needs. To help get you started on identifying your own learning needs, ask yourself, “Which of the following 10 items describe how I feel about helping students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?”

(1) Speaking practically, this doesn’t seem to be a real priority. I mean, teachers model Christlike behavior, talk with students about Christ, and 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. And parents like what we do—seems pretty good as is. Is increasing student understanding and use of a Biblical perspective of course content a real priority?

I’m not asked to grade my students on this. It’s not part of ITBS, PSAT, SAT, or AP tests. It’s not on college applications. If my students don’t master a certain skill, parents are concerned—no parent has ever talked to me about how well their child understands a Biblical perspective of my course content. When my students don’t master certain content or skills, I hear about it from the teacher above me—I don’t think I really teach a Biblical perspective of my subject, and no teacher above has talked to me about this.

Neither has my principal. And my principal has not asked to see sample assignments in which my students demonstrate their understanding and use of a Biblical perspective. I think I could get this if someone would work with me and if I was held accountable to do this.

(2) This doesn’t come up at my church or at home. My family and my church talk about being a Christian. We talk about living for Jesus, doing devotions, and telling others about Jesus. I’m not sure how my faith is related to my subject area. I’m not sure I could explain a Biblical perspective of my course content. I think other teachers might get this, so I don’t want to bring it up.

(3) I’m not sure what it looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—I read missionary biographies and I go on mission trips with my church. What does teaching a Biblical perspective look like? How do you assess student understanding and use of a Biblical perspective? And what does quality student work look like when a student is demonstrating that she understands a Biblical perspective?

(4) My colleagues say they teach from a Biblical perspective, but I don’t understand how that works. I believe them, but I don’t get it. They have their students work in groups and learn muscle names, but I don’t understand how this is part of Christian education. They seem to mostly do the same things that my non-Christian friends who teach do. What’s the difference?

(5) I don't always understand the vocabulary—integration of faith and learning, worldview, just war theory, year of Jubilee. Could I get a vocabulary list with definitions on it?

(6) Teaching what the Bible teaches is boring. I mean, it’s black and white, and I mostly lecture—that’s not fun for me or for my students. Sometimes I do object lessons. I want my students to experience engaging instructional strategies. Any ideas?

(7) I need to think through the answers for myself. I hear answers at meetings and workshops. But to really understand the answers, I need to think them through for myself. I probably need to write out what I think.

(8) I need time to think about what I’m teaching. I teach all day, am involved in after school activities, and mark papers at night. When am I supposed to find time to reflect on my teaching? Is there any way reflection time could be built into my schedule? Into the meetings I attend?

(9) To really get this, I need to connect the Bible with my life, not just with what I teach in class. If I could connect the Bible with my daily life, I think I could get a better handle on teaching from a Biblical perspective. I read about current events, and I’m not always sure how the Bible applies.

(10) I need more feedback. I like getting feedback about my teaching from my colleagues and principal. To get better at teaching from a Biblical perspective, I need more feedback on my content, assessment, and instruction. And I need a way to know how many of my students are at or above standard on understanding and using a Biblical perspective. I know that everyone is busy, but I could really use some help.

Question: So, what are your learning needs?

Bottom line: Meet your own learning needs. Start by identifying them. Today.

How will you meet your students’ learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-11-19T09:11:33+09:00

Here are 8 ways to meet your students’ learning needs:

To help your students see the importance of Biblical perspective, give them an assessment that requires them to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
To help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content, show them an example.
To help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective, explain how you use a Biblical perspective to choose instructional strategies.
To help your students learn key vocabulary words, do a vocabulary lesson.
To help your students experience engaging instructional strategies, use case studies and questions.
To provide time during class for reflection, have your student journal during class.
To help your students connect what they study, what the Bible teaches, and life, give an assessment requiring students to connect all 3.
To give your students more practice connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches, give more assessments

Bottom line: Help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Take action to meet their learning needs. Today.

What are your students’ learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-09-16T20:09:54+09:00

You want to help your middle school students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. You know that meeting their learning needs is a good place to start. And you know that in order to meet your students’ learning needs, you have to know what they are.

Question: What are your students’ learning needs?

To help get you get started on identifying your students’ learning needs, ask yourself, “Which of the following 10 items might I hear my kids say?”

This doesn’t seem important. My teachers don’t grade me on this. When I wasn’t doing well in science, my teacher talked to me—I don’t think I understand a Biblical perspective, and no teacher has talked to me about this. Do teachers really think this is important?
This doesn’t come up at my church or at home. My family and my church talk about being a Christian. We talk about living for Jesus, doing devotions, and telling others about Jesus. I don’t get what my faith has to do with the Greeks or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The teacher did mention this in the beginning of the year, but that was a long time ago, and I kind of forgot how it all connects. I think other students might get this, so I don’t want to ask.
I don't know what it looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—we read missionary biographies at school and I go on mission trips with my church. What does doing a good job on using a Biblical perspective look like in an essay? And what does this look like in the computer world? I want to work for Apple.
My teachers say they teach from a Biblical perspective, but I don’t understand how that works. I believe them, but I don’t get it. They have us work in groups and learn parts of speech, but they don’t explain how this is part of Christian education. We seem to mostly do the same things my friends do at schools that aren’t Christian. What’s the difference?
I don't understand the vocabulary—Biblical perspective, integrate faith and learning, image bearer, temple of the Holy Spirit, worldview. Teachers talk, but I don’t always understand the words. Could I get vocabulary list with definitions on it?
Learning what the Bible teaches is boring. Well, Bible class isn’t boring, but the way teachers teach about the Bible in other classes is boring. Mostly lecture–this doesn’t really help me understand a Biblical perspective of what I’m studying. I like discussing things. So do my friends.
I need to think through answers for myself. I listen to teachers talk. They give good answers. But to really understand the answers, I need to think them through for myself. Maybe the teachers could ask more questions. Questions that have more than one right answer. One of my teachers asks us “Where do you belong?” all the time.
I need time to think about what I’m learning. We don’t really do this in class, and I’ve got sports after school and homework at night. When am I supposed to find time to reflect? Could we do some journaling during class?
To really get this, I need to connect the Bible with my life, not just with what I study in class. If my teachers would give me chances to connect the Bible with my life–my music, my relationships, my problems—I think I could get it. One of my homeschooler friends got to analyze a CD from a Biblical perspective. That sounds pretty cool.
I need more chances to practice. It’s hard for me to get good at using a Biblical perspective when I don’t get enough practice. Using a Biblical perspective takes skill. I get repeated skill practice in math, and I’m good at it. Can I get more skill practice?

Question: So, what are your students’ learning needs?

Bottom line: Help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Identify their learning needs. Today.

How can you more effectively meet student learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-07-11T00:08:10+09:00

To get an idea of how you can more effectively meet student learning needs to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches, complete the following self-assessment for 1 class you teach: ___________________ (name of class). Next, use your self-assessment data to develop action plans.

Rate each statement below. Use the following scale: 4 Strongly Agree • 3 Agree • 2 Disagree • 1 Strongly Disagree

___ I know what my students’ learning needs are regarding connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches.
___ I meet my students’ learning needs regarding connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches.
___ I know what my own learning needs are regarding connecting what I teach and what the Bible teaches.
___ I meet my own learning needs regarding connecting what I teach and what the Bible teaches.
___ I am committed to meeting my students’ learning needs in order to help students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.

Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:

How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
What excites/concerns me about the data?
What can I do to more effectively meet my students’ learning needs regarding connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What will I do?

Bottom line: Help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Meet their learning needs. Today.

*Here are additional resources that can help you target Biblical perspective:
Tutorials
Videos
Self-assessments

Ask questions to DRAW others out

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-12-28T09:53:54+09:00

Your fellow teachers want to help their students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. You can help your fellow teachers by asking questions to DRAW them out.

To better meet your students' learning needs, take this self-assessment

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-07-28T08:36:17+09:00

You want your students to increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective. You know that 1 way to do this is by meeting your students’ learning needs.

Question: How can you get started?

Answer: By taking the following self-assessment. Rate each item, using the following scale:

4: Strongly agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly disagree

___ I know what learning needs are. (Read)
___ I use an effective process for addressing my students’ learning needs. (Watch, Read, Discuss)

___ My students understand the importance of Biblical perspective. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students know what applying a Biblical perspective looks like. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students can explain how I teach from a Biblical perspective. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students understand the vocabulary words necessary for understanding and applying a Biblical perspective. (Read, Discuss)

___ My students experience engaging instructional strategies. (Read, Discuss 1, Discuss 2)
___ My students have opportunities to think through answers for themselves. (Read, Discuss)
___ My students have time in class to reflect. (Read, Discuss)
___ My assessments require my students to connect a Biblical perspective with their lives. (Read)
___ My students get regular practice in applying a Biblical perspective to what they study. (Read, Discuss)

___ To help my students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective, I meet their learning needs.
___ I want to learn more about meeting my students’ learning needs.
___ I am committed to helping my students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective.

Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:

How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
What excites/frutrates me about the data?
Which items do I want to learn more about?
What will I do?

Additional resources:

Tutorial: Meet your students’ learning needs
Use the IDEAL process to help your students internalize a Biblical perspective
Action plan bank for meeting student learning needs
To meet your students' learning needs, explore 12 questions

To learn more about meeting your students' learning needs, explore 12 questions

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-07-28T08:19:24+09:00

You want your students to develop a Christ-centered worldview. So, you want your students to increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective. To help them, you know you’ll need to meet their learning needs.

Question: How can you learn more about meeting your students’ learning needs?

Answer: By exploring the following list of 12 questions. The list comes with readings and discussion guides:

What are sample learning needs? (Read)
How can you meet your students’ learning needs? (Watch, Read, Discuss)
How can you help your students see the importance of Biblical perspective? (Read, Discuss)
How can you help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content? (Read, Discuss)
How can you show your students what applying a Biblical perspective looks like? (Read, Discuss)
How can you help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective? (Read, Discuss)
What vocabulary words do your students need to learn? (Read, Discuss)
What engaging instructional strategies will help your students? (Read, Discuss 1, Discuss 2)
How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves? (Read, Discuss)
How can you provide time during class for reflection? (Read, Discuss)
How can you design assessments so that your students connect a Biblical perspective with their lives? (Read, Discuss)
How can you give your students more practice? (Read, Discuss)

Remember: The real question isn't "How can you learn more about meeting your students’ learning needs?" The real question is, "How will you help your students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective?"

Additional resources:

Self-assessment: To better meet your students' learning needs, take this self-assessment
Tutorial: Meet your students’ learning needs
Use the IDEAL process to help your students internalize a Biblical perspective
Action plan bank for meeting student learning needs

What are your students' learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-07-28T07:30:26+09:00

You want your students to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. One way you can help your students is by meeting their learning needs.

Question: What are your students’ learning needs?

Suggestion: To determine what your students’ learning needs are...

Read the list of 10 learning needs (below), considering which needs your students have. (The needs have been phrased in student language.)
Do something to meet 1 of the needs you identified.

(1) This doesn’t seem important. My teachers don’t grade me on this. When I wasn’t doing well in science, my teacher talked to me—I don’t think I understand a Biblical perspective, and no teacher has talked to me about this. Do teachers really think this is important?

(2) This doesn’t come up at my church or at home. My family and my church talk about being a Christian. We talk about living for Jesus, doing devotions, and telling others about Jesus. I don’t get what my faith has to do with the Greeks or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The teacher did mention this in the beginning of the year, but that was a long time ago, and I kind of forgot how it all connects. I think other students might get this, so I don’t want to ask.

(3) I don't know what it looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—we read missionary biographies at school and I go on mission trips with my church. What does doing a good job on using a Biblical perspective look like in an essay? And what does this look like in the computer world? I want to work for Apple.

(4) My teachers say they teach from a Biblical perspective, but I don’t understand how that works. I believe them, but I don’t get it. They have us work in groups and learn parts of speech, but they don’t explain how this is part of Christian education. We seem to mostly do the same things my friends do at schools that aren’t Christian. What’s the difference?

(5) I don't understand the vocabulary—Biblical perspective, integrate faith and learning, image bearer, temple of the Holy Spirit, worldview. Teachers talk, but I don’t always understand the words. Could I get vocabulary list with definitions on it?

(6) Learning what the Bible teaches is boring. Well, Bible class isn’t boring, but the way teachers teach about the Bible in other classes is boring. Mostly lecture–this doesn’t really help me understand a Biblical perspective of what I’m studying. I like discussing things. So do my friends.

(7) I need to think through answers for myself. I listen to teachers talk. They give good answers. But to really understand the answers, I need to think them through for myself. Maybe the teachers could ask more questions. Questions that have more than one right answer. One of my teachers asks us “Where do you belong?” all the time.

(8) I need time to think about what I’m learning. We don’t really do this in class, and I’ve got sports after school and homework at night. When am I supposed to find time to reflect? Could we do some journaling during class?

(9) To really get this, I need to connect the Bible with my life, not just with what I study in class. If my teachers would give me chances to connect the Bible with my life–my music, my relationships, my problems—I think I could get it. One of my homeschooler friends got to analyze a CD from a Biblical perspective. That sounds pretty cool.

(10) I need more chances to practice. It’s hard for me to get good at using a Biblical perspective when I don’t get enough practice. Using a Biblical perspective takes skill. I get repeated skill practice in math, and I’m good at it. Can I get more skill practice?

Engage your students by telling stories and asking questions

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-07-02T10:28:15+09:00

Question: What are engaging instructional strategies you can use to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Answer: Storytelling and asking questions. These are a time-tested, user-friendly strategies that students find engaging.

Question: How can you use storytelling and asking questions to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Answer: Tell a story that’s related to your lesson content, and then ask questions about the story that encourage your students to make connections to the Bible.

For example, imagine your students are studying “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”, a short story by Tolstoy in which a farmer’s greed kills him. Have your students read the Parable of the Rich Farmer (Luke 12:16-21). Then have your students reflect on questions: What happens in this story? How do you feel about the rich farmer? How does greed affect us? Reflecting on these questions should help your student connect “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” to what the Bible teaches about being content and guarding against greed (Luke 12:15).

Or, imagine your students are studying Night, a Holocaust memoir by Wiesel in which the protagonist reflects on his experience in a concentration camp. Read the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35) to your students. Then ask them: What happens in this story? How do you feel about the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan? How can we love others? Why do this? In order to help them connect what they are studying in Night to loving others and helping the needy.

Finally, imagine your students are studying The Analects, in which Confucius shares his learning. Have your students read the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27). Then have your students discuss 3 questions: What happens in this story? How do you feel about two builders? What’s the foundation of your life? Reading the parable and discussing the questions should help your students see that God wants them to obey Him, not Confucius.

Meet your students learning needs. Use engaging instruction. Tell a story and ask some questions. Today.

Empower others to consider how to get students to understand that there’s a Biblical perspective of course content

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-01-11T08:45:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
What do your students think a Biblical perspective applies to? doesn’t apply to?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.
What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about your students’ recognition that a Biblical perspective applies to what they study?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how well do your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to what they study?
How would it help your students if they better understood that a Biblical perspective can be applied to what they study?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What are 5 things you can do to help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to what they study?
What will you do?

Empower others to help students see the importance of Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-11-14T08:39:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you help your students see the importance of Biblical perspective?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
In your last unit or during the last week of instruction in 1 class, what was the fraction?

# of lessons in which you taught a Biblical perspective of course content / total # of lessons
# of class minutes students learned about Biblical perspective of course content / total # of class minutes
# of Biblical perspective assessments / total # of assessments (including homework, in-class assignments, quizzes, and tests)

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What excites/frustrates your students about Biblical perspective?
What excites/frustrates you about how your students see Biblical perspective?
What excites/frustrates you about teaching from a Biblical perspective?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

What helps your students see the importance of Biblical perspective? What hinders?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), what value do your students think you put on connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), what value do your students put on connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), what value do you want your students to put on connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

To get your students to see the importance of Biblical perspective, what do you need to keep doing? start doing? stop doing?
What will you do?

Empower others to help students understand what effective application of a Biblical perspective looks like

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-03-17T07:44:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you help your students understand what effective application of a Biblical perspective looks like on a classroom assessment?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
What do your students think effective application of a Biblical perspective looks like?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What’s encouraging/discouraging about your students’ understanding of what effective application of a Biblical perspective looks like?
What’s easy/hard about helping your students understand what effective application of a Biblical perspective looks like?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

To what do you attribute your students’ current level of understanding?
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how clear are you on what effective application of a Biblical perspective on a classroom assessment looks like?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What are 3-5 ways you could help your students understand what effective application of a Biblical perspective on a classroom assessment looks like?
What will you do?

Empower teachers to help students understand how teachers teach from a Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2010-05-18T07:39:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?”

Define: Get the facts defined.

How do you teach from a Biblical perspective?
What do you do to help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What satisfies/concerns you about how you teach from a Biblical perspective?
What satisfies/concerns you about your students’ understanding of how you teach from a Biblical perspective?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

What happens when your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?
What helps them understand this?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.
What will you do to help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?

Empower others to give students time to reflect

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-07-08T07:34:09+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you provide time during class for reflection?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
During the last week or unit, how much time did you provide students to reflect? to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

How you do feel when you’re given/not given time to reflect?
How do your students feel when you give/don't give them time to reflect?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does having time for personal reflection impact your learning?
How does having time for personal reflection impact student learning? impact students connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

How can you provide time in class for your students to reflect?
How can you provide time in class for your students to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
How will you provide time?

Empower others to give students opportunities to think through answers for themselves

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-09-14T08:29:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
During the last week or unit, what opportunities did students have to think through answers for themselves?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

When you were a student, what excited/concerned you about thinking through answers for yourself?
What excites/concerns your students about thinking through answers for themselves?
What excites/concerns you about your students thinking through answers for themselves?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does thinking through answers for yourself impact your learning?
How does thinking through answers for themselves impact students’ learning?
How does thinking through answers for themselves impact students connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

How can you provide opportunities for your students to think through answers for themselves?
How will you provide opportunities for your students to think through answers for themselves?

Empower others to help students connect course content, the Bible, and life

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-08-14T07:22:35+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you design assessments so that your students connect a Biblical perspective with their lives?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
In the past week or unit, what connections did your student make between…

Course content and life?
Course content and the Bible?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What’s comfortable/uncomfortable about having your students connect course content and life? course content and the Bible? course content, the Bible, and life?
What’s comfortable/uncomfortable for your students in terms of connecting course content and life? course content and the Bible? course content, the Bible, and life?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does making connections impact student learning?
How does connecting course content and the Bible help students apply a Biblical perspective?
How might connecting course content, the Bible, and life help students apply a Biblical perspective?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What questions can you ask your students?
How can you use questions to help your students love God?

Empower others to give students more practice in applying a Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-11-14T08:17:00+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you give your students more practice?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
In the last week or unit, how many times did you ask your students to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What’s satisfying/unsatisfying about having your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches? about the amount of practice you give your students in connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
How do your students feel about connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches? about the amount of practice you give them in connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does practice/repetition impact learning?
What might happen if you increased the amount of practice you give students in connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What can you do to increase the amount of practice you give students in connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What will you do?

Meet your students' learning needs regarding creation-fall-redemption-restoration

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-05-30T08:05:29+09:00

Your students’ objective is to better connect what they study and God’s story of creation-fall-redemption-restoration. You want to help your students achieve their objective. Good.

Now what? Help your students achieve their objective by meeting 1 of their learning needs.

Question: What are you students’ learning needs? To identify your students’ learning needs, review the list of 10 questions below. Note which questions you think you need to answer in order to meet your students’ learning needs:

How can you help your students see the importance of creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
How can you help your students understand that creation-fall-redemption-restoration can be connected to course content?
How can you show your students what connecting course content and creation-fall-redemption-restoration looks like?
How can you help your students understand how you teach using creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
What vocabulary words do your students need to learn?
What engaging instructional strategies will help your students?
How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves?
How can you provide time during class for reflection?
How can you design assessments so that your students connect creation-fall-redemption-restoration with their lives?
How can you give your students more practice?

Take action: Answer 1 of the questions you noted. Then use your answer. You might be tempted to answer more than 1 question. Don’t. Keep it simple and doable. Just answer 1 question—then use your 1 answer.

Remember, the goal is not to have an answer. The goal is to use your answer to help your students connect what they study and creation-fall-redemption-restoration. Today.

To empower others to provide engaging instruction, DRAW them out (2)

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-05-14T08:16:56+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “What engaging instructional strategies will help your students?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
In the last week or unit, what instructional strategies did you use?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.
What instructional strategies are you excited/frustrated about?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

What instructional strategies engage/don’t engage your students?
What are the qualities of an engaging instructional strategy?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What engaging instructional strategies could you use next week or during the next unit?
What engaging instructional strategies will you use next week or during the next unit?
What engaging instructional strategies will you use next week or during the next unit to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

To empower others to help students learn key vocabulary terms, DRAW them out

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-03-11T15:22:48+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “What vocabulary words do your students need to learn?”

Define: Get the facts defined.
In the past week or unit, what vocabulary words have you taught your students?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

When you were a student, how did you feel about learning vocabulary words? About not knowing what a word used in class meant?
What do you like/dislike about teaching vocabulary words?
What do your students like/dislike about learning vocabulary words?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does knowing vocabulary words help students learn?
How does your students’ vocabulary help/hinder understanding what the Bible teaches? Help/hinder connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

To help your students better understand the Bible and better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches, what vocabulary words do you want your students to learn?
What vocabulary words will you help your students learn?

Use the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-03-05T12:06:01+09:00

Here's lesson model that uses best practice to point students to God.

Use best practice to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-03-05T08:37:40+09:00

Question: How can you help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Answer: By using best practice, including engaging instructional strategies like asking questions. Here are 5 best practices that are components of the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model:

1 story you will tell about your lesson content.
2 connections between your “lesson story” and God’s creation-fall-redemption-restoration/fulfillment story.
3 questions you will ask about your “lesson story” to help students make connections to God’s story.
2 objectives for this lesson.
1 assessment you will use to find out if your lesson objectives were met.

In the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model, these 5 best practices must be present and may be used in any order. For example, when teaching the lesson, you might review the 2 objectives for teaching. Then during the lesson, you could:

Ask your 3 questions.
Tell 1 story.
Again ask your 3 questions to help students make 2 connections.
Close the lesson with 1 assessment.

Or, for example, when designing the lesson, you might process the 5 components of the 1-2-3-2-1 lesson model this way:

Review your lesson, including 2 of its objectives.
Establish additional content by identifying 2 connections, 1 story that would help students make those connections, and 3 questions.
Use the additional content to revise your 2 objectives and to make 1 assessment.

Bottom line: Be sure to include all 5 best practices in your 1-2-3-2-1 lesson. Use these best practices in whatever order helps your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.

Use case studies

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-02-28T10:29:33+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about using case studies.

There it was on the front page of our local paper – the graduation speaker at a local high school telling students the oldest untruth in history – “…seniors told they’re ‘the boss’ of the journey that awaits them.” I wondered how many people reading it thought “That’s not right.” How many people’s “there’s something wrong with this worldview” detectors went off? I know mine did. It was the same line that Satan gave to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden…and it is still in heavy use today.

The basic problem of most worldviews outside of the Christian worldview is that they place man at the center as opposed to God/Jesus.

Let’s look at four examples:
(1) Moral relativism – what I believe about truth is a personal preference, there is no absolute truth – a popular philosophy in the age of postmodernism where all beliefs, values, behaviors, and ideas are seen as being equally valid. This philosophical position is reflected in Smith and Denton’s assertion that the predominant religious view of today’s youth (see my post of 11/11/06) can be labeled “moral therapeutic deism.” This concept helps to explain why we have such a large number of people professing Christ in this country, but not accepting the truth claims of Jesus and not dealing with the issue of making him Lord – a cheap grace position that does not count the cost of discipleship. Evangelicals with a worldview who are dealing with Lordship issues make a difference. Therefore this is the hard stuff, the Lordship piece that we must take on with our kids.

(2) Materialism – our culture reflects a “get all I can for me” mentality. In a fascinating book called The Progress Paradox Gregg Easterbrook points out that “the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as ‘happy’ has not budged since the 1950’s, though the typical person’s real income more than doubled through that period.” Are we demonstrating something different to our kids? Materialism leads to isolation and leads away from community and submission to others. Materialism needs to be countered by gratitude and humility.

(3) Utopianism – the belief that human nature is basically good and the existence of sin is denied – one of the main findings of the Smith and Denton study is the belief by teens that “good people go to heaven when they die.”

(4) Fatalism – “whatever will be, will be”, a “this world only” perspective. Smith and Denton refer to teens who lack a “morally significant universe.” These are youth who have not received or have rejected strong moral grounding. In his book The Road to Whatever: Middle Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence Elliot Currie paints a bleak picture of these type of middle class students who have been raised in high demand, low support homes and who then turn to drug use, binge drinking, destructive violence, and suicide as a respond to a culture that doesn’t seem to care.

If we accept the research/thinking of Barna (and others throughout history) that a child’s spiritual identity is mostly set by age thirteen, then what does this mean for us as school and church educators dealing with the issue of worldview? Where should we be putting our efforts?

Colson has pointed out that there are four basic questions that everyone deals with in constructing their worldview:

Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Does life have any meaning and purpose?
How will we help our youth deal with these questions?

A helpful teaching tool that has been used in business, law, and medicine has been thecase study. Case studies are basically stories with an educational message. They deal specifically with people in action and the consequences of their actions and behavior. Case studies help us compare what values are being applied and what worldview is being advanced. The example at the beginning of this post could be considered a simple case study.

To empower others to provide engaging instruction, DRAW them out (1)

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-02-14T12:56:02+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “What engaging instructional strategies will help your students?”

Define: Get the facts defined.

What are your students like?
What are your students studying?
What connections are your students making between what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

What do you students do when they are engaged/disengaged during a lesson?
How do you feel when your students are engaged/disengaged during a lesson?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

How does being engaged help students learn?
How does being engaged help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What engages/disengages your students?
What instructional strategies disengage your students?
What instructional strategies engage your students?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What engaging instructional strategy will you use?
How will using this instructional strategy help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?

To empower others to meet student learning needs, DRAW them out

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-02-14T12:35:36+09:00

Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you meet student learning needs?”

Define: Get the facts defined.

What are your students like?
What are your students studying?
What connections are your students making between what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.

How do your students feel about connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What encourages/discourages you about how your students are connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?

Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.

What helps/hinders your students connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
Which student learning needs do your students have?
Which student learning need would you like to meet?
What are some ways you could meet this student learning need?

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

What action step will you take to meet this student learning need?
How will this action step help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches?
When will you take this action step?

Help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-01-30T13:34:09+09:00

Key idea: Understanding how you teach from a Biblical perspective helps your students understand and apply a Biblical perspective.

Meet 2 of your students:

EunHae comes from a Christian home, is a pastor’s kid, and has always attended Christian schools. She didn’t reach her potential on your last Biblical perspective assessment, and she doesn’t seem to understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective.
Thomas comes from a non-Christian home, has parents who work in the business world, and is attending a Christian school for the first time. He didn’t reach his potential on your last Biblical perspective assessment, and he doesn’t seem to understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective.

Question: How can you help EunHae and Thomas do better on the next Biblical perspective assessment?

Answer: By helping them understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective—which, in turn, helps them understand what Biblical perspective is and how to apply it.

Question: How can you help EunHae and Thomas understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?

Answer: Simple. Just explain how you teach from a Biblical perspective. For example:

When teaching short stories (like “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”), explain that you selected the stories because you want them to see that material possessions will never satisfy a person.
When assigning groups, explain that God made us to work together—so that’s why you’re assigning groups.
When asking essential questions (like “What’s wrong with the world?”), explain that you are asking questions because questions help them use God’s gift of thinking and because you want them to grapple with creation-fall-redemption-restoration.

Meet your students’ learning needs. Help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective. Today.

Have your students do reflective writing

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-01-09T07:57:08+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about reflective writing, an instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and Biblical teaching.

One of the best and most popular practices that teachers can use to encourage student faith development is the strategy of reflective writing. Reflective writing assignments help students to think more deeply about life and to make sense of it. As Thackeray said, “There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes.”

The writing process helps connect the writer to their inner life – to their own emotions, beliefs, and forces them to make thoughts and ideas concrete. When we write something we are forced to try to articulate what it is we want to convey. This practice is an opportunity to connect a student’s head with their heart, to ask them to bring expression to what they understand and what they believe. It is one of the better ways for teachers to understand a student’s thinking and thought process – their mind and heart….

Reflective writing is a very significant tool for Christian educators to connect head and heart. When this practice is used over time it can demonstrate to students their journey of spiritual growth.

DEAL with student learning needs

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-01-08T16:12:01+09:00

To help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches, DEAL with your students’ learning needs:

Define your students’ learning needs.
Explore the how you can respond to your students’ learning needs.
Act.
Look at the results.

Show your students what using a Biblical perspective looks like

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-11-21T13:41:15+09:00

It’s the end of your English class, and you assign a 750-word essay in which your students are to evaluate a theme from Hamlet, from a Biblical perspective.

Then the bell rings. One of your students, Ian, approaches you and says, “I don't know what it looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—we read missionary biographies at school and I go on mission trips with my church. What does doing a good job on using a Biblical perspective look like in an essay?”

Question: How can you help Ian? (How can you help Ian understand what using a Biblical perspective in an essay looks like?)

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

I want my students to connect the Bible and what they study in English 10. As a starting point, I have to get my students to see that this is possible. I have to get my students to see that the Bible can be applied, for example, to the literature and grammar that they study.

Two strategies I use are:

Having my students read and discuss an article that evaluates the subject from a Biblical perspective. When my students read Elie Wiesel’s Night, a Holocaust memoir, I have them also read “Justice in an Unjust World” by Gary Haugen.
Showing my students sample essays in which students apply a Biblical perspective, for example: 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.

Show your students what using a Biblical perspective looks like. Today

Help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-09-25T16:21:25+09:00

Meet Tomoko, your new student. At home and at church, she talks about living for Jesus, doing devotions, and telling others about Jesus. At school, you talk about applying the Bible to what’s being studied. This is new to Tomoko.

While Tomoko gets how the Bible connects to behavior, devotions, and evangelism, she doesn’t really get how the Bible is connected to math, social studies, and English. She doesn’t really understand how a Biblical perspective can be applied to what she studies.

Question: How can you help Tomoko? (How can you help Tomoko understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content?)

Answer: Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, says:

I want my students to connect the Bible and what they study in English 10. As a starting point, I have to get my students to see that this is possible. I have to get my students to see that the Bible can be applied, for example, to the literature and grammar that they study.

Key strategies I use include:

Asking essential questions. I ask questions like “What’s wrong with the world?” Questions like this result in my students connecting the theme of restoration in Cry, the Beloved Country and what the Bible teaches about mercy and justice. When my students experience connecting course content and the Bible—or when they see classmates do so, they see how the Bible applies to everything, including literature.
Modeling. During class, I intentionally articulate how the Bible connects to the literature we are studying. When we read Confucius, I note how some of the analects sound a lot like some of Solomon’s Proverbs, and I talk about how people can see some of God’s truth reflected in creation.
Doing devotions. I deliberately choose scripture passages that are relevant to what we are studying in class—like Micah 6:8 when we’re reading Cry, the Beloved Country or Romans 1 when we’re reading Confucius. I relate the passage to the literature we’re studying.

Treat Biblical perspective like you really want your students to learn it

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-08-01T08:20:15+09:00

You know that your students can’t learn everything. To help them focus, you use certain strategies when you really want them to learn something and other strategies when you just want to expose them to something.

You think to yourself, “I’ve got to help them connect what they study and a Biblical perspective. What can I do?”

Tip: Use the same strategies you use when you really want your students to learn something. For example, imagine you're teaching a unit on Hamlet. You want your students to learn Shakespeare's view of evil.

What do you do? You design a student assessment on Shakespeare's view of evil and you prepare your students for the assessment.
What don't you do? If you really want your students to learn Shakespeare's view of evil, you don't use the strategies you use when you just want to expose your students to something—like mentioning a factoid only once (Mel Gibson once played Hamlet).

So, if you want your students to learn Biblical perspective, use the same strategies you use when you really want your students to learn something.

Don’t take my word for it. Read the interview below of a high school teacher and a high school student.

Interview

To teacher: What do you do when you really want your students to learn something?
I design an assessment and then prepare students for the assessment by teaching a lesson. Later, I have my students review the material. I give my students an assessment and grade it. Then I use the assessment data to modify instruction.

To student: What do your teachers do when they really want you to learn something?
My teachers say, “This is important.” They make us take notes, and they repeat key points. They put what they want us to learn on a study guide, and they put what they want us to learn on a test.

To teacher: What do you do when you just want to expose your students to something?
I talk about it in class. Or I have my students discuss it briefly. Maybe I’ll show them something, like a poster. For things I just want to expose my students to, I tend not to make specific lessons plans, I don’t spend significant class time, and I don’t give an assessment.

To student: What do your teachers do when they just want to expose you to something?
They spend less class time than they would if they really wanted us to learn the material. They say, “This is not going to be on the test.”

To teacher: Which do you treat as more important?: (A) What you really want your students to learn (B) What you just want to expose your students to
I want my students to learn, but I know they can’t learn everything. To help them focus, I treat what I really want them to learn as more important than what I want them exposed to. If you want to know what I really want my students to learn, look at my assessments.

To student: Which do you treat as more important? (A) What your teachers really want you to learn (B) What your teachers just want to expose you to
What’s going to be on the test is what’s important. So, I guess I treat what teachers really want us to learn as more important.

Want to turn your classroom into a hotbed of discussion?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-09-26T08:25:54+09:00

Deborah Carpenter and Dana Bincer of Biblical Integration Ideas share an engaging instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches:

Want to turn your classroom into a hotbed of discussion? Get your students thinking about and discussing biblically based open-ended questions. Lively discussions don't just have to occur in debate or ethics class. Challenge your students to think about how the topic you are teaching has ethical components.

How is the knowledge of the topic being taught used and abused?
What are some different worldviews regarding the topic?
What are the ramifications of operating from those different worldviews?

Getting the class to discuss controversial issues not only lets the teacher know what the students believe, but provides a great opportunity to share Truth with them.

Students love to talk. Some will talk about anything. Others will wait until they feel they’ve got something to say. The beauty of a well crafted discussion starter is that most students will feel like they have something significant to contribute.

Ideally, a Biblically based discussion starter helps students ponder and process issues pertaining to the topic being taught and the Christian worldview. Some question may not appear at first blush to be biblical, but will turn out to be in discussion.

Should one pay taxes while visiting or living in a foreign country, especially if one disagrees with the political status of that country?

The question seems neutral enough, but it is fairly similar to the question posed to Jesus in Luke 20:19-26. On the surface, the question is about taxes. After further discussion, it could easily lead to discussions on obligation, citizenship, law, and morality.

Things to Consider
That is the beauty of a well written discussion starter. It should bring the topic into a whole new light. There are a few simple things to consider when coming up with a discussion starter.

It should be open-ended. Students should not be able to answer it with a yes, a no, or a simple answer.
It should be a little broad, encompassing a couple of ideas, but not too broad that it is too hard to discuss
It should touch on Biblical truths.
It should involve thinking at one of the top three levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

How to Write Discussion Starters
Ok, so it should be a broad, open-ended, higher level thinking question that focuses on a biblical truth. Sounds easy enough, but how do you write it? It helps to have a topic and Biblical truth picked out ahead of time. What is the class going to be learning about? What is the basic Biblical truth that encompasses that?

It might help to think about what students like to talk about: themselves, entertainment (movies, music, books), their beliefs, justice and morality, etc. The following are just a few ideas to generate discussion starters.

How is the knowledge of the topic being taught used and abused? (How is the topic manipulated for good or evil?)
What controversial or counterintuitive issues can be discussed about the topic?
What are other worldviews regarding that topic?
What are the ramifications of the different worldviews?
Do all cultures view the topic the same way?
Can an absolute standard be applied to the topic for all cases at all times?
How does the topic relate to the students, their family, society at large?
What are the current events regarding the topic, and do the current events reveal a religious or philosophical position?
Does the topic differ when applied to children, youth, adults, or the elderly?
Which form of entertainment reveal the topic at a controversial or absolute level?

Benefits of Discussion Starters
Classroom discussions not only give the teacher insight into what students think and believe, it helps the teacher see which areas may warrant further discussion. When a teacher lectures all day, it is hard to tell what is going on in the students’ minds.

Classroom discussions will be most effective if the teacher has considered the questions ahead of time, and has a general direction he wants to take. Students may have differing opinions before, during, and after the discussions, but by-and-large, the teacher should try to help the students to come across the Biblical truths.

Even after Biblical truths have been discussed, students may not wish to believe them, but that is a personal decision. The teacher’s job is to highlight the truth with grace, and help students find where the truth has been twisted or distorted. If the teacher takes a strong-arm approach and rams the truth down students’ throats, those with different viewpoints may become less willing to share in class discussions.
With a little practice, you really can turn your class into a hotbed of discussion.

To see a list of sample discussion starters, click here.

Ask your students difficult questions

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-08-08T07:38:45+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about asking questions, an instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and Biblical teaching.

There is no school better equipped to wrestle with students about the difficult questions of life than a Christian school. Difficult questions occur naturally and spontaneously in the lives of our youth and in our classrooms. When I use the term difficult questions I am referring to these kinds of questions:

If laws can’t make people good, why do we try to legislate morality?
How should I measure my success in life?
Why does a good God allow the consequences of evil to continue? Why doesn’t he simply wipe out evil as soon as it appears on the scene?

In a Christian school we see all things cohering in Christ, and through his life, death, and resurrection we have an eternal hope. We have the twin revelations of creation and the Bible with which to guide our thinking. Difficult questions that students pose give us a terrific opportunity to deal with things that should be priorities for us in Christian education – matters of life and death and faith.

Yet many of the questions we get asked don’t have easy answers. It is important for us to demonstrate to students that we don’t have all the answers – we wonder about these things too and acknowledge that our human understanding is limited. When our students raise the problem of pain – why certain people get sick or die – we like Job have to realize that we cannot expect to have the same understanding level as our almighty God. Our questions allow us the avenue into deep and meaningful discussion about things that are engaging our students’ minds and hearts.

Are we, as people who are responsible to nurture faith in our youth, prepared to deal with the difficult questions that are posed to us? Are we addressing these kind of questions in our curriculum? A good exercise is to take Chuck Colson’s book, Answers to Your Kid’s Questions, which contains difficult questions (such as the ones listed above) sent in to his organization by youth and then to see where these questions are addressed in the course of your curriculum.

Help students address difficulties and dilemmas

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2009-01-28T07:36:00+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about helping students address difficulties and dilemmas.

Powerful opportunities – teachable moments – as teachers and administrators we crave these times when it seems every student’s eye, ear, and heart is hyper tuned to the subject at hand. However, sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances we would never hope for, yet provide teachable moments that will never be forgotten….

I will never forget the response of prayer by my teachers in my childhood days following the assassination of national leaders and the sudden tragic death of a fellow student’s father in an accident. These are times when our words and actions are extraordinarily important in terms of how we reveal our own faith and shape the faith of those for whom we are responsible. It is our responsibility to make sure that we are equipped and ready for these situations of life difficulty whenever they may emerge with students….

Dilemmas are more problematic because we are making choices between potentially unpleasant outcomes. Dilemmas also reveal our character and belief systems, leaving us open to criticism by those who judge our decisions and actions. We need to teach students how to make tough decisions when faced with dilemmas – what will be the guiding principles for them on which to base their decision? As Christians we believe the Bible is that source of truth for discernment.

Give your students case studies

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-11-10T07:31:33+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about case studies, an instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and Biblical teaching.

Colson has pointed out that there are four basic questions that everyone deals with in constructing their worldview:

Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Does life have any meaning and purpose?

How will we help our youth deal with these questions? A helpful teaching tool that has been used in business, law, and medicine has been the case study. Case studies are basically stories with an educational message. They deal specifically with people in action and the consequences of their actions and behavior. Case studies help us compare what values are being applied and what worldview is being advanced. The example at the beginning of this post could be considered a simple case study.

There are a couple of excellent resources I recommend you consider for work with older students:

A book for use with teens and young adults called No Easy Answers: Making Good Decisions in an Anything-Goes World written by Bob Rozema and Dan Vander Ark – available from Faith Alive Christian Resources.
Exploring Ethics book for grades 9-12 that is available from CSI.

Are there other case study resources that you have found helpful?

Tell narratives and faith stories

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-09-26T07:28:14+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about telling narratives/faith stories, an instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and Biblical teaching.

Why is story such a significant way to teach? It may be that we all enjoy stories because they engage us in the very personal aspects of our lives or the lives of others and convey a level of meaning in a way that facts cannot begin to imitate. Stories engage us because of the expression of emotion, passion, and commitment—thereby engaging both our heart and our head. Subsequent actions that flow from our hearts to our hands have been formed by the lessons and ideals of stories heard and experienced. Smith and Short state it this way: “The stories that surround us help to make us what we become. They shape our attitudes to life, form our ideals, and supply our visions” (The Bible and the Task of Teaching)....

As a teaching method, Jesus used story a great deal—yet as Brian McLaren points out (The Secret Message of Jesus) he (Jesus) resists being clear or direct in his stories. Instead Jesus’ stories were full of metaphor and usually raised more questions. I wonder why we so often, as teachers, take the mystery out of stories for our listeners by moralizing or “driving the nail through the wood?” Do we lack confidence in the hearer or the power of the story?

I have been personally inspired by the stories of those who have been public heroes of faith such as William Wilberforce (whose life story is told in the… critically acclaimed movie, Amazing Grace) but even more by the “home-grown” stories of those who are not famous. One of the most powerful assignments I have seen recently has been the interviewing of parents and grandparents about their faith journey, captured on video by students. These are true stories of inspiration and a powerful witness for students to hear first-hand accounts of God’s faithfulness and leading....

How are we using the Big Story and faith stories to encourage faith? What are ideas for further progress in this area?

Model the appropriate behavior

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-09-08T08:24:00+09:00

Dan Beerens, vice president of learning services at Christian Schools International, focuses on Christian education in his blog Nurturing Faith. In this blog entry, he writes about modeling, an instructional strategy you can use to help your students connect what they study and Biblical teaching.

Without a doubt, the most important Faith Enhancing Practice is the practice of teacher modeling and testimony in and out of school. In his book Educating for Life, Nicholas Wolterstorff states: “Authentic Christian teaching is autobiographical teaching.” I doubt that one can be an effective Christian teacher if you are not passionate about your relationship with the Lord. Students quickly can tell you the things about which you regularly express passion. Hence the maxim “Students will not remember all you taught them, but will remember how you taught them.”

…Key words when we think of modeling as demonstrated by the authentic Christian teacher include love, forgiveness, congruence, service, and a passion for loving and serving God. Not only will the fruits of the Spirit be demonstrated, but testimony will be given to help connect students to the source of this passion and joy in living.

10 ways to help your students increase their understanding and use a Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-05-21T13:11:34+09:00

Looking for ways to help your students increase their understanding and use of a Biblical perspective? Here’s a list of 10:

Demonstrate to your students that you value using a Biblical perspective by giving and grading assignments that require students to demonstrate their understanding of and ability to use a Biblical perspective.
Teach your students three Biblical truths, for example, human beings are created in God’s image, Christians are not to practice favoritism, and language is a gift from God. Post these truths on your bulletin board, and refer to them throughout the year.
Before assigning an essay requiring students to use a Biblical perspective, have your students read two or more sample essays that demonstrate using a Biblical perspective effectively.
Regularly explain how your faith informs your selection of content, assessment, and instruction. For example, explain to your students that they are going to learn about ecology because God commands us to take care of His world.
Teach key vocabulary: Biblical perspective, integration of faith and learning, image bearer, temple of the Holy Spirit, and worldview.
Use engaging instructional strategies like discussion and debate.
Ask open-ended questions: Where do I belong? What’s wrong? How can I use my gifts and learning to serve God and others?
Give your students time to reflect in class. During each unit, have your students journal about connections between their faith and what they are studying.
Give assignments that require your students to connect course content, their lives, and a Biblical perspective: “Write a 500-word critique of a favorite song from a Biblical perspective. Explain the author’s meaning, the literary and poetic techniques the author uses to communicate the meaning, evaluate that meaning from a Biblical perspective, and weave in your response to the lyrics.”
In each unit, give your students practice using a Biblical perspective. Have them do case studies, projects, and presentations.

Cooperative learning helps students connect course content and Biblical teaching

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-04-21T19:53:44+09:00

Anda Foxwell, 6th grade social studies teacher, reflects on her Biblical perspective unit, concluding that having students work together helps students connect course content and Biblical teaching.

How can you give your students more practice?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-03-13T08:38:44+09:00

You know practice helps. When students practice their math skills, they get better at math. When student write essays, they get better at writing. When students practice the piano, they play better.

You hear Momoko, one of your students, say, “I need more chances to practice. It’s hard for me to get good at using a Biblical perspective when I don’t get enough practice. Using a Biblical perspective takes skill. I get repeated skill practice in math, and I’m good at it.”

You think, “Practice does help. Right now, Momoko gets 2 chances to apply a Biblical perspective each semester. She’s right—she’s not getting enough of practice. Hmm.”

You ask yourself, “How can I give my students more practice in applying a Biblical perspective?”

You decide to increase the number of practice opportunities per semester from 2 to 4. Then, you’ll reassess the situation. Good.

Remember, meet your students’ learning needs. Give your students repeated practice in applying a Biblical perspective to course content.

Teachers, to what extent does the following describe your thinking? Principals, to what extent does the following describe your teachers’ thinking?

I need more feedback. I like getting feedback about my teaching from my colleagues and principal. To help my students do a better job on applying a Biblical perspective to what they study, I need more feedback on my content, assessment, and instruction. I know that giving feedback takes time and that everyone is busy, but I could really use some help.

If the above describes your thinking or the thinking of your staff, what are 3 ways to increase feedback on student application of a Biblical perspective? Take action on one way.

Get the feedback you need. Today.

How can you design assessments so that your students connect a Biblical perspective with their lives?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2008-02-05T10:52:17+09:00

You hear a student say: “To really get this Biblical perspective stuff, I need to connect the Bible with my life, not just with what I study in class. If teachers would give me chances to connect the Bible with my life–my music, my relationships, my problems—I think I could get it. One of my homeschooler friends got to analyze a favorite song from a Biblical perspective. That sounds pretty cool.”

You think: “I want my students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. That’s a big challenge. This is school, so isn’t getting students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study good enough? I don’t know that I’m up to helping kids connect Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives. But come to think of it, when I’ve done this, kids come alive. I wonder what I can do.”

Your goal: You want your students to increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective. (You recognize that the more your students connect a Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives, the more likely they are to get it.)

Your reality: You decide to take a good look at your current practice. You start by looking at 5 of your assessment prompts, figuring that this is a good way to gauge how often you have students connect Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives. You notice that your assessment prompts require students to connect Biblical perspective to course content, but not to their lives.

So, you talk to colleagues about adding “life” to your assessment prompts, and they share some of their assessment prompts. You read the prompts, highlighting the “life” sections:

English 10 (750-word essay):

your own experience.

Science 9:

estimate your family’s and your greenhouse gas emissions

a graph of your personal footprint,

three or more steps you are taking or could take to reduce the size of your carbon footprint.

You think: I can do that. I can add “life” to my assessment prompts. Then, if I teach to my prompts, students will have practice connecting Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives—during lessons and on assessments!

Question: In a given unit, what part of your students’ lives can you ask them to apply a Biblical perspective to?

Books
Co-curricular activities
Current events
Fashion
Hobbies
Internet
Life experiences
Life goals
Money
Movies
Music
Relationships
School issues
TV
Other: ______________________________

Your will dos: You have a goal. You have reflected on your reality and options. Now is the time to act. What are you going to do? Having a goal and reflecting on your reality and options does not result in your students seeing this as important. Taking action does.

Here are 3 possible action steps:

Modify an existing assessment prompt so that it requires your students to connect Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives.
Modify your unit content map so that it includes the content and skills your students need in order to do your assessment.
Prepare your students for the assessment by teaching the revised unit content/skills.

Help your students connect Biblical perspective, course content, and their lives. Today.

Teachers, to what extent does this describe your thinking? Principals, to what extent does this describe your teachers’ thinking?

To really get this, I need to connect the Bible with my life, not just with what I teach in class. If I could connect the Bible with my daily life, I think I could get a better handle on teaching from a Biblical perspective. I read about current events, and I’m not always sure how the Bible applies.

If the above describes your thinking or the thinking of your staff, what are 5 things you could do to connect the Bible with your life? Pick one and implement it. Today.

How can you provide time during class for reflection?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-11-21T13:33:35+09:00

You hear a student say: I like this Biblical perspective stuff. But to really get it, I need time to think about what I’m learning. We don’t really do this in class. I’ve got sports after school and homework at night. When am I supposed to find time to reflect?

You think: He’s right. He’s busy, and having time in class to reflect would help him better understand and apply a Biblical perspective.

Question: How can you provide time during class for reflection?

Answer: Build reflection into your lesson plans. How? Use discussion and journaling.

Provide reflection time today. Help your students understand and apply a Biblical perspective.

Use 1 test question to cultivate reflection and Biblical perspective

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-11-10T10:45:28+09:00

Kim Essenburg serves with Christian Reformed World Missions by teaching English 10 at Christian Academy in Japan. Kim shares about the power of using 1 test question:

Learning involves reflection. Increasing understanding and application of a Biblical perspective involves reflection. And reflection involves time.

To cultivate student reflection and student understanding and application of a Biblical perspective, I provide 1 open-ended test question on each unit test.

What’s the question? “What is something significant that you learned this unit and have not yet had an opportunity to show on this test?”

My students take this question seriously; I take their responses seriously. Their responses are encouraging, and some of their responses involve Biblical perspective—which is great!

For example, we just finished a unit on Dante’s The Divine Comedy in English 10. Students took the unit test, which included my open-ended question. Below are 7 sample responses, 2 of which involve Biblical perspective and all of which encouraged me. My students are learning!

I recommend putting 1 open-ended question on each of your unit tests. It’s easy to do, it encourages student reflection, and it results in students thinking about Biblical perspective. And reading the answers always energizes and excites me.

Sample student responses:

I learned that using strong imagery is more effective in writing than using a lot of difficult, vague words.
I had heard of The Divine Comedy but assumed it would be much too hard and boring to read, considering how long ago it was written and its subject matter (I expected it to be some dry, religious epic). After reading it, I was impressed by the vivid imagery and the fanciful imagination Dante must have had. The images were unconventional like Satan being trapped in ice and all the sinners frozen in grotesque positions. Also, I realized while writing my allegory what an insanely difficult task writing creatively is. Coming up with original images instead of using clichés was a challenge—and I am able to further appreciate Dante’s fresh images even more.
Reading some of Dante’s work made me realize the significance of sin has never changed even through a long period of time. Sin will always be my downfall, and the only way I can get back on my feet is to understand what sin really is, resulting in asking God to forgive me. Sin might be more powerful than I thought it was, and some how by reading Dante’s powerful descriptions of it has made me aware of that.
I learned to read, summarize what you just read, reread if you didn’t understand, and use the footnotes on the textbook. By doing that, I could understand the story more.
I learned that it becomes more fun in writing when I used stronger vocabulary.
While Dante used symbols to represent many things it made me realize how evil I am. I knew I was a terrible person to begin with. But the fact Dante was able to write so openly made me want to strive for something so pure, so innocent that it cannot be matched. That pure/divine love sounds like a beautiful thing and I want to try to be deserving of it.
I learned that I have to go through the painful things to achieve a goal.

Meet student learning needs more effectively

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-09-20T10:39:57+09:00

To get an idea of how you can more effectively help students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective, complete the following self-assessment on meeting student learning needs. Next, use your self-assessment data to develop action plans to meet student learning needs more effectively.

Rate each statement below. Use the following scale:
5: Consistently • 4: Usually • 3: OK • 2: Sort of • 1: Rarely

Self-Assessment for Teachers

I know what my students’ learning needs are regarding understanding and using a Biblical perspective.
I grade my Biblical perspective assessments.
Before assigning a Biblical perspective assessment, I show students samples of what applying a Biblical perspective looks like.
I teach students a Biblical perspective of what they are studying.
I explain how a Biblical perspective impacts my choice of course content and instructional strategies.
I use engaging instructional strategies when helping students to understand and apply a Biblical perspective.
I teach students the vocabulary words they need to in order to understand and apply a Biblical perspective.
I encourage students to think through my Biblical perspective questions for themselves.
I give time in class for students to reflect on how a Biblical perspective applies to what they are studying and to their lives.
I give students repeated practice in applying a Biblical perspective.
I meet student learning needs regarding understanding and applying a Biblical perspective.
I am committed to meeting student learning needs in order to help students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective.

Self-Assessment for Principals

Teachers know what our students’ learning needs are regarding understanding and using a Biblical perspective.
Teachers grade Biblical perspective assessments.
Before assigning a Biblical perspective assessment, teachers show students samples of what applying a Biblical perspective looks like.
Teachers use engaging instructional strategies when helping students to understand and apply a Biblical perspective.
Teachers give time in class for students to reflect on how a Biblical perspective applies to what they are studying and to their lives.
Teachers give students repeated practice in applying a Biblical perspective.
Teachers meet students’ learning needs regarding understanding and applying a Biblical perspective.
I am committed to having teachers meet student learning needs in order to help students increase their understanding and application of a Biblical perspective.

How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-07-09T09:06:59+09:00

You hear a student say: I need to think through answers for myself. I listen to teachers talk. They give good answers. But to really understand the answers, I need to think them through for myself. Maybe the teachers could ask more questions. Questions that have more than one right answer. One of my teachers asks us “Where do you belong?” all the time.

You think: She’s right. To really understand a Biblical perspective, students need to think through the answers.

You ask: How can I give my students opportunities?

Answer: Here are 10 things you can use to give your students opportunities to think through Biblical perspective answers for themselves:

Case studies
Discussions
Document-based questions
Field trips
Generating and testing hypotheses
Guest speakers students can interact with
Journaling, essay writing
Presentations
Projects
Open-ended questions

Which one will you use today?

What engaging instructional strategies will help your students?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-05-24T19:52:49+09:00

You’re looking at the data from the Biblical perspective assessment you gave last week. The scores are OK, but not quite what you hoped they’d be. You think, “I thought this might happen. The students didn’t seem into it. I wonder why.”

You head for the workroom, where your see a colleague who tells you about something she heard a student say in the hall between 3rd and 4th periods: “Learning what the Bible teaches is boring. Well, Bible class isn’t boring, but the way teachers teach about the Bible in other classes is boring. Mostly lecture.”

Later, you think to yourself, “That’s why my students weren’t into it. Too much lecture. Not enough engaging instructional strategies.”

Here are 15 options you can use:

Asking questions
Brainstorming
Case studies
Cooperative learning
Discussion
Drawing pictures
Generating and testing hypotheses
Graphic organizers
Identifying similarities and differences
Role play
Journaling
Setting goals
Simulation
Storytelling
Using audio visuals

Principals, to what extent does this describe your teachers’ thinking?

“Teaching what the Bible teaches is boring. I mostly lecture. That’s not fun for me or for my students. I want my students to experience engaging instructional strategies. Any ideas?”

If the above describes your teachers’ thinking, what are 5 engaging instructional strategies you could share with them today?

*For a set of discussion questions you can use to further reflect on this blog entry, click here.

What vocabulary words do your students need to learn?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-04-13T12:31:35+09:00

You: I need to get a stable job.

Me: Do you mean you need a steady job or you need to get a job in a stable?

Imagine the confusion if you and I aren’t clear on what you mean when you say “stable.” Now imagine the confusion if you and your students aren’t clear on what you mean when you use certain words. Words like abortion, abuse, animism, Buddhism, capital punishment, capitalism, civil disobedience, common grace, communism, image bearer of God, perspective, shalom, and worldview.

What if your students aren’t sufficiently clear on key vocabulary words that they’re expected to use when completing a biblical perspective assessment?

Yes, understanding vocabulary words is a key student learning need. You can help your students increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective by using the IDEAL process to address this learning need:

Identify the problem: Your students aren’t performing as well as they could on your biblical perspective assessments.
Define the problem: You talk with your students and review the last biblical perspective assessment. You determine that your students don’t sufficiently understand key vocabulary terms.
Explore the problem: You develop a list of vocabulary terms. You do this by asking students which words they do not fully understand and by identifying key vocabulary terms. You develop your next biblical perspective assessment, and identify the vocabulary words your students need to have a working knowledge of in order to complete it.
Act: You use effective teaching strategies to engage your students in learning the vocabulary terms and then have your students apply their learning on a biblical perspective assessment.
Look at the results: That’ll have to wait until after your students take your biblical perspective assessment.

Meet your students’ learning needs. Help them understand key vocabulary terms.

Here’s a sample vocabulary list:

Abortion
Abuse
Animism
Birth control
Buddhism
Capital punishment
Capitalism
Civil disobedience
Common grace
Communism
Competition
Creationism
Crime
Dance
Death
Deism
Disabilities
Discrimination
Divorce
Drug abuse
Ecology
Entertainment
Euthanasia
Evolution
Existentialism
Exploitation
Fair trial
Film arts
Gambling
General revelation
Health
Hinduism
Homosexuality
Image bearer of God
Integrity
Islam
Labor unions
Law
Modernism
Moral absolutes
Moral relativism
Nihilism
Pacifism
Pantheism
Perjury
Pornography
Post-modernism
Poverty
Power
Property
Racism
Recycle
Sabbath
Special revelation
Stewardship
Success
Technology
Theism
War
Wealth
Worldview

How can you help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-02-01T13:31:21+09:00

You finish marking a recent assessment in which you asked your students to apply a biblical perspective. They did OK, but you want them to do even better. So, you decided to use the 5-step IDEAL process:

Identify the problem and ask God for help
Define the problem
Explore ways to address the problem, pick one, and make a plan to address it
Act
Look at the results

(1) Identify the problem and ask God for help: Your students didn’t do as well as they could have on applying a biblical perspective. You pray about this.

(2) Define the problem: You review your students’ work again. You think, “These are bright kids. They can do better. I know they can. What can I do to help them?”

You decide to use class time to talk with your students about how effectively they applied a biblical perspective on your last assessment and to ask them how you can help them.

Toward the end of conversation, Chikara says, “I know you teach from a biblical perspective, but I guess I don’t understand how that works. I mean, you have us work in groups and learn parts of speech, but so do my friends’ teachers at schools that aren’t Christian. So, I don’t get how those things are part of Christian education. I think I could do better on applying a biblical perspective if I could better understand how you teach from a biblical perspective.” Tanya adds, “Yeah, that would help me, too.

You think, “How can they not understand how I teach from a biblical perspective?” But then you decide to really focus on what your students are saying: They “know you teach from a biblical perspective,” and they could do better on applying a biblical perspective if they “could better understand how you teach from a biblical perspective.”

Then it hits you, and you think, “What an opportunity! If my students better understand how I teach from a biblical perspective, they feel they’ll be able to more effectively apply a biblical perspective to course content.”

(3) Explore ways to address the problem, pick one, and make a plan to address it: You reflect on what you’re currently doing and about your students not getting it. You realize that while you have been teaching from a biblical perspective, you haven’t routinely and explicitly explained how you teach from a biblical perspective.

You realize that you probably need to explain how you use a biblical perspective when you think about lesson content, when you develop assessments, and when you choose instructional strategies. You realize, that during the last unit on parts of speech, for example, you had opportunities to explain:

That language is a gift from God, so we should use it effectively.
That when you asked “What is the significance of words?”, you could’ve made it more clear that you were really inviting your students to think about how they could use words to bring healing, peace, and justice to a sinful world.
That you were giving your students an assessment on the parts of speech in an effort to help them effectively use God’s gift of language.
That working in groups gives each student the opportunity to love their neighbors by helping them learn.

You decide that in the next 3-week unit on poetry, you will explain a minimum of 9 times how you use a biblical perspective regarding content, assessment, and instruction.

(4) Act: Your students are seated, the bell rings, and you say, “The other day we talked about how you applied a biblical perspective on a recent assignment. You shared that it would be helpful if I helped you better understand how I teach from a biblical perspective. So, that’s what I’m going to do during this unit. I’m going to explain how I’m using a biblical perspective. I’m doing this because I want you to more effectively apply a biblical perspective to what you study in my class. If it helps you, I’ll continue doing it. OK?”

(5) Look at the results: That’ll have to wait until you complete your unit. Meanwhile, you’re feeling good about explaining how you use a biblical perspective. You’re taking advantage of teaching opportunities God has provided for you.

Teachers, to what extent does this describe your thinking? Principals, to what extent does this describe your teachers’ thinking?

My colleagues say they teach from a biblical perspective, but I don’t understand how that works. I believe them, but I don’t really get it. For example, they have their students work in groups and learn muscle names, but I don’t understand how this is part of Christian education. My non-Christian friends who teach also have their students work in groups and learn muscle names. What’s the difference?

If the above describes your thinking or the thinking of your staff, what are 5 things you could do to increase understanding of a biblical perspective of education? Pick one and implement it. Today.

How can you show your students what applying a Biblical perspective looks like?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2007-01-10T11:30:59+09:00

You’re ready. You have 3 sample student essays that demonstrate effective application of a biblical perspective to course content. You’re ready to show the essay samples to your students. You’ve carefully planned your lesson. Your goal is to help your students increase their application of a biblical perspective by addressing 1 of their learning needs.

You’re feeling confident that showing your students sample essays will really help, in part because you used a good process. The IDEAL process:

Identify the problem and ask God for help.
Define the problem.
Explore ways to address the problem, pick one, and make a plan to address it.
Act.
Look at the results.

Here’s how you used the 5-step IDEAL process:

(1) Identify the problem and ask God for help: You noticed that your students were not doing as well as they should on applying a biblical perspective. You prayed about this.

(2) Define the problem: Rather that reading a book or going to workshop, you talked with your students and reviewed their work. As a result, you determined that they had 2 key learning needs:

They didn’t sufficiently value applying a biblical perspective.
They didn’t know what applying a biblical perspective in a classroom assessment looked like.

You thought about both needs, and you talked again with some of your students. During the conversation, Ryoko shared, “I don’t know what it looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—we read missionary biographies at school and I go on mission trips with my church. What does doing a good job on using a biblical perspective look like in an essay? And what does this look like in the computer world?”

Ryoko’s comment clinched it. You decided to help your students understand what applying a biblical perspective on a classroom assessment looked like.

(3) Explore ways to address the problem, pick one, and make a plan to address it: You brainstormed a total of 1 way to address the problem—show them samples of student work that demonstrate effective application of a biblical perspective. Show them samples of the type of assessment they are going to do. Show them sample essays, projects, presentations, and test answers. Show them samples of student work.

You decided to show your students samples of student work. And since your students were going to write an essay, you decided to show them 3 sample essays before assigning the essay.

(4) Act: You’re ready. You have your work samples. Your students are seated, the bell has rung, and you say, “Being able to apply a biblical perspective is really important. Today, I want to help you understand what using a biblical perspective in an essay looks like.”

(5) Look at the results: That’ll have to wait until you complete your lesson. Meanwhile, you’re hoping that, as a result of doing this lesson, your students will effectively apply a biblical perspective on the essay—and that you can use their work samples when you do this lesson again next year.

Teachers, to what extent does the following describe your thinking? Principals, to what extent does the following describe your teachers’ thinking?

I’m not sure what applying a biblical perspective to course content looks like. I know what telling others about Jesus looks like—I read missionary biographies and I go on mission trips with my church. What does teaching a biblical perspective look like? How do you assess student understanding and use of a biblical perspective? And what does quality student work look like when students are applying a biblical perspective to course content?

If the above describes your thinking or the thinking of your staff, what are 5 things you could do? Pick one and implement it. Today.

How can you help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2006-12-06T07:30:36+09:00

You (at a coaching session): They don’t seem to get it—that there’s a biblical perspective of what they are learning. My students get Bible class, devotions, chapel, and proper behavior. I know that a home and at church they talk about living for Jesus and telling others about Jesus. But they don’t get that the Bible can be applied to what they learn. And I did talk with them about using a biblical perspective at the start of the year.

Me: Tell me more about this.

You: Well, on assignments, they show their thinking, but without referring the Bible. Or they come up with object lessons (which are interesting), instead of applying a biblical perspective to the learning.

Me: Anything else?

You: Sometimes I feel like they don’t think a biblical perspective can or should be applied to course content. Like I’m trying to do something that’s not really possible, and they’ll just wait me out. Sometimes it’s discouraging.

Me: So you think your students think the Bible applies at home, church, and the “spiritual” parts of school?

You: Yes, I guess so. I mean, they’re good kids, but they just don’t seem to get it. I’ve been praying about this, and I want my students to get this. During this coaching session, I’d like to develop a doable action plan to help my students understand that a biblical perspective can be applied to course content.

Me: OK, you’ve identified your goal and you’ve been praying about it. Would you like to explore options?

You: Yes.

Me: How could you help your students understand that the Bible applies to what they are learning in your class?

You: I could tell them how I use a biblical perspective. I could put posters up that have biblical perspective statements on them, have them apply biblical principles to a case study, memorize and apply a verse during our next unit. And I could teach them a biblical perspective of wealth.

Me: What else?

You: I could teach them a biblical perspective of social studies. Well, I could have guest speakers talk about how they use a biblical perspective in their jobs. And I could ask my students questions like, “How can I be a wise steward?”

Me: What else?

You: I could have them read articles written by Christians who are applying a biblical perspective.

Me: Anything else?

You: No. I think that’s good.

Me: OK, you’ve identified 9 things you could do. And you said you want to come up with a doable action plan.

You: That’s right. I think I’d like to start with 1 thing and go from there.

Me: What action step would you like to take?

You: I think I’d like to start by getting them to just do it—just get them using a biblical perspective. I’d like to start with having them apply biblical teaching to a case study related to content in our next unit.

Me: On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to using a case study?

You: About at a 7.

Me: What would it take for you to move to a 9 or 10?

You: I’ll share my goal with my principal as soon as we close. That’ll move my commitment level to a 9. Hey, I just figured out that we used the IDEAL process. I identified and defined the problem, explored options, and got ready to act. Now I need to act and look at the results, right?

Me: Right. What insights did you have during our session?

You: I discovered that there are quite a few things I can do to help my students understand that the Bible applies to course content. Quite encouraging. See you next week.

Teachers, to what extent does this describe your thinking? Principals, to what extent does this describe your teachers’ thinking?

I’m not sure how my faith is related to my subject area. My family and my church talk about being a Christian, living for Jesus, doing devotions, and telling others about Jesus. But I’m not sure I could explain a biblical perspective of my course content. I think other teachers might get this, so I don’t want to bring it up.

If the above describes your thinking or the thinking of your staff, what are 5 things you could do to increase your understanding of a biblical perspective of your subject area? Pick one and implement it. Today.

How can you help your students see the importance of Biblical perspective?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2006-11-03T12:30:20+09:00

You overhear: “This doesn’t seem important. My teachers don’t grade me on this. When I wasn’t doing well in science, my teacher talked to me. But since my teachers don’t grade me on this, I don’t know how I’m doing. And since they don’t grade me on this, teachers can’t know how I’m doing. Maybe that’s why they never talk to me about how well I can use a biblical perspective. Do teachers really think this is important?”

You think: “Yes, we think understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content is important. This is a Christian school. We are Christian teachers. How can she think we don’t think a biblical perspective of course content is important? Just because we don’t assess it, grade it, or talk with students about low performance? Why does she think that? Well, maybe she doesn’t think it’s important because we don’t really treat biblical perspective like we do other things we consider important.”

Your goal? You want your students to increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective of course content. (You know that the more your students feel this is important, the more likely they are to learn. Which means that if your students don’t feel that understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content is important, they are less likely to learn.)

Your reality? Find out what the real reality is before proceeding. The student you overheard might have been having a bad day, be in the minority, or be right on target. Find out by asking your students and by reflecting on your teaching practice.

(1) Ask your students what they think. Share what you heard and invite their responses. Or give a survey in which you ask them to identify (1) how important they think understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content is and (2) how you demonstrate its importance during instructional time.

(2) Reflect your teaching practice by developing 3 fractions: In your last unit or during the last week of instruction in 1 class:

# of lessons in which you taught a biblical perspective of course content / total # of lessons
# of class minutes students learned about biblical perspective of course content / total # of class minutes
# of biblical perspective assessments / total # of assessments (including homework, in-class assignments, quizzes, and tests)

(3) Use the following 3 questions to reflect on each of your 3 fractions:

What conclusions might your students reach?
How reasonable is it for your students to ask, “Do teachers really think this is important?”
What would it take for you to increase the number of lessons, minutes, and assessments?

Your options? If you find the real reality matches the student’s comment you overheard, explore ways you can help your students increase the importance they place on understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content. How? By asking questions.

(1) Ask yourself, “How do I communicate something is important? What are 3 ways I can communicate that understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content is important?” Write your answers down on a piece of paper.

(2) Ask your students (as appropriate), “What are 3 things could I do to help you value biblical perspective?”

(3) Ask me, “How would you communicate that this is important?” Here are 6 options:

Change the target: It’s applying a biblical perspective to course content students have mastered, not mastering course content. Demonstrate this change by talking about it in class and by posting a bulletin board.
Increase the number of biblical perspective lessons. And make these lessons your showcase lessons.
Increase the number of instructional minutes. Ask yourself, “How many instructional minutes do my students need to master applying a biblical perspective to course content they have learned?” Use your answer.
Increase the number of biblical perspective assessments you give each year. For example, give a minimum of 8 major unit assessments in which students have to apply a biblical perspective to course content. And make your biblical perspective assessments your showcase assessments.
Grade the biblical perspective assessments. As teachers, we grade important things; we don’t grade unimportant things. Which message do you want to send about biblical perspective?
Talk to students who do not perform well on the assessment. Talk to parents of students who do not perform well on the assessment

Your “will do’s”? You have a goal. You have reflected on your reality and options. Now is the time to act. What are you going to do? Having a goal and reflecting on your reality and options does not result in your students seeing this as important. Taking action does. Walking your talk does.

(1) Identify 1 action you will take. Identify 1 action from my list or 1 you’ve developed. Keep it simple. You can always identify another action when you are done. And make sure your action plan is SMART:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound (2) Next, ask yourself, “On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high), how committed am I to this?”

If you answered 9 or 10, proceed with your plan.
If you answered 8 or less, what would it take for you to say 9 or 10? Find a way to move your commitment level to at least a 9. If you find this too hard to do, change your plan.

Remember, success is your students increasing their understanding and use of a biblical perspective. Success is not you understanding why your students don’t see this as important. Success is not you working to help your students see this as important or even your students seeing it as important.

But, if your students see understanding and using a biblical perspective of course content as important, they are more likely to actually increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective of course content.

Help your students. Today.

How can you meet student learning needs?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2006-09-22T11:30:03+09:00

Your students’ objective is to increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective of course content. You want to help your students achieve their objective. Good.

Now what? Answer 1 of the following 10 questions. Then use your answer. You might be tempted to answer more than 1 question. Don’t. Keep it simple and doable. Just answer 1 question—then use your 1 answer.

Here are the 10 questions:

How can I help my students see the importance of understanding and using a biblical perspective?
How can I help my students understand that there’s biblical perspective of course content?
How can I help my students understand what effective application of a biblical perspective looks like on a classroom assessment?
How can I help my students understand how I teach from a biblical perspective?
What vocabulary words do my students need to learn?
What engaging instructional strategies will help my students?
How can I give my students opportunities to think through answers for themselves?
How much time during class do my students need for reflection?
How can I design assessments so that my students connect a biblical perspective with their lives?
How can I give my students more practice in using a biblical perspective?

Remember, the goal is not to have an answer. The goal is to use your answer to help your students increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective of course content. Today.

*For a set of discussion questions you can use to further reflect on this blog entry, click here.

What’s an IDEAL way to help your students?

learnmore@closethegapnow.org — 2006-09-01T09:29:48+09:00

You’re sitting in your classroom thinking: “How can I help them get this? I’m supposed to teach them a biblical perspective. Maybe I should talk with Tom. Michele mentioned a good book and a workshop next month. I wonder if we should work as a department to develop some curriculum for this. What would be the best thing to do?”

Stop.

Don’t start by talking to a colleague. Don’t start by a reading book or attending a workshop. Don’t start by writing curriculum. These are solutions. Instead, begin by defining your students’ learning needs by looking at your students’ work and talking with them.

Remember, the goal is for your students to increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective, not for you to be the master at teaching from a biblical perspective.

What’s an IDEAL way to help your students? IDEAL is a five-step process you can use to help your students understand and use a biblical perspective:

Identify the problem and ask God for help.
Define your students’ learning needs. Look at your students’ work. Talk with your students or give them a survey. As necessary, talk with parents and colleagues. Do this in order to select one student learning need you will address.
Explore ways to address the student learning need you selected. Pick one and make a plan to address it. Now get the training and support you need.
Act. Just do it! And be sure to tell your students what you are doing and why.
Look at the results. Discuss them with your students and colleagues.

Use the IDEAL process to meet your students’ learning needs. Today.