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.

1. 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?
2. 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.

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

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.  

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?

1. # of lessons in which you taught a Biblical perspective of course content / total # of lessons
2. # of class minutes students learned about Biblical perspective of course content / total # of class minutes
3. # 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.

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

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

1. What helps your students see the importance of Biblical perspective? What hinders?
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. 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.

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

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.

1. 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?
2. 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.

1. How does practice/repetition impact learning?
2. 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.

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

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.

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

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

1. How does thinking through answers for yourself impact your learning?
2. How does thinking through answers for themselves impact students’ learning?
3. 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.

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

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…

1. Course content and life?
2. Course content and the Bible?

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

1. What’s comfortable/uncomfortable about having your students connect course content and life? course content and the Bible? course content, the Bible, and life?
2. 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.

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

What’s next?: Get next steps considered.

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

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)
___ My students can explain how I teach from a Biblical perspective. (Read)
___ 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:

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

Additional resources:

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

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:

1. What are sample learning needs? (Read)
2. How can you meet your students’ learning needs? (Watch, Read, Discuss)
3. How can you help your students see the importance of Biblical perspective? (Read, Discuss)
4. How can you help your students understand that a Biblical perspective can be applied to course content? (Read)
5. How can you show your students what applying a Biblical perspective looks like? (Read)
6. How can you help your students understand how you teach from a Biblical perspective? (Read)
7. What vocabulary words do your students need to learn? (Read, Discuss)
8. What engaging instructional strategies will help your students? (Read, Discuss 1, Discuss 2)
   
9. How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves? (Read, Discuss)
10. How can you provide time during class for reflection? (Read, Discuss)
11. How can you design assessments so that your students connect a Biblical perspective with their lives? (Read, Discuss)
12. 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:

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

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? 

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? Read More...

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. Theses 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? Read More...

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? Read More...

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? Read More...

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? Read More...

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

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. Read More...

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.

Read More...

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.

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

Read More...

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.

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

Read More...

Key idea: Understanding how you teach from a Biblical perspective helps your students understand and apply a Biblical perspective.
 
Meet 2 of your students. Read More...

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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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.

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?” Read More...

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. Read More...