“When You Ask a Question, What Do You Want Your Students to Learn?” by Michael Essenburg was published in CSI's Christian School Teacher.

“To Provoke Reflection, Ask Open-Ended Questions” by Michael Essenburg was published in Japan Harvest, the quarterly magazine of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association.

On May 23 at SEND Center, 22 staff from 8 Christian organizations participated in a 6-hour coaching workshop. During the training, participants reflected on Christian coaching beliefs, identified their goals, watched coaching demonstrations, practiced their coaching skills, and finished the workshop by giving and receiving coaching.

May 19-20, members of the Japan Alliance Mission collaboratively focused on strategic planning by identifying the needs the mission wants to address, updating its purpose statement, and brainstorming key objectives for carrying out its purpose. Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now facilitated the planning sessions.

During April and May 2008, teachers at Christian Academy in Japan are focusing on how Christian education involves worldview education. Each week, the teachers read a section from Marck Eckel’s The Whole Truth and then discuss it on Tuesday afternoons. The discussions are facilitated by Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now.

During their discussions, teachers respond to the following:

1. Regarding providing worldview education, what helps/hinders you?
   
2. What helps your students understand that everyone has a worldview?
   
3. What key questions do you want your students to consider? Why?
   
4. A person’s worldview is connected to how s/he answers 1 or more of your key questions. How can you help your students understand this?
   
5. How does your Christian worldview affect your educational practice?
   
6. How can you increasingly target students understanding and then applying a Biblical perspective to course content and skills?

“To Encourage and Empower Others, Listen” by Michael Essenburg was published in Japan Harvest, the quarterly magazine of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association.

“What Question Do You Want to Ask Your Students?" by Michael Essenburg was published in CSI's Christian School Teacher.

Today at Seisho Kirisuto Kyokai Tokyo Kyoukai, 13 participants completed day 1 of the 5-day Core Coaching Skills Certificate Program (CCSCP). Led by Keith Webb and Takeshi Takazawa, participants watched a coaching demonstration, reviewed and practiced listening skills, and learned the COACH model.

Roger Hederstedt, Sean Collier, and Michael Essenburg (Close the Gap Now) served as table coaches.

The Member Care Committee of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA) met this afternoon. Committee members Paul Nethercott (TEAM), Mary Esther Penner (World Venture), Faith DeLaCour (Asian Access), and Michael Essenburg (Close the Gap Now) networked, reflected on the past year, and considered what to present at JEMA's annual meeting on Feb. 19.

Close the Gap Now, in collaboration with staff of Christian Academy in Japan, has developed a tool that teachers can use to reflect how they are helping students understanding and apply a Biblical perspective. The tool focuses on a unit plan and includes key questions:

• What are you excited about?
  
• How did you prepare your students for the assessment?
  
• What modifications will you make to your unit?

To see teacher reflections, please download:

• English 10, Kim Essenburg
  
• Social Studies 6, Anda Foxwell

In preparation for doing annual personnel conferences, 13 SEND International staff participated in a 4-hour DRAWLIFE Fundamentals workshop. Said one participant, “I’m prepared to do conferences better.” Added another, “As a result of this workshop, I value doing conferences more.”

During the Feb. 1 workshop, SEND staff:

• Used the DRAW inquiry process (Define • Respond • Analyze • What’s next).
  
• Enhanced their LIFE skills (Listening • Inquiry • Focusing • Encouragement).
  
• Explored 5 Christian beliefs about drawing out the blessings God has put in His people.
  
• Developed a list of hot tips for drawing out.

On January 31, several Japan Evangelical Missionary Association members interested in growing cell churches and houses churches attended Connect2Grow's first network meeting. During the meeting, participants discussed their visions and began the documentation of goals for cell/house churches.

Connect2Grow was created and is facilitated by Close the Gap Now.

At Connect2Empower's January 24 meeting, JEMA members developed work-related debriefing tools. Participants:

• Discussed current practice.
  
• Learned about the DRAW inquiry process (Define • Respond • Analyze • What's next).
  
• Watched a video on Lencioni's 3 signs of a miserable job (anonymity • irrelevance • immeasurement).
  
• Used a template to begin development of a work-related debriefing tool.

Connect2Empower was created and is facilitated by Close the Gap Now.

Close the Gap Now and Transforming Teachers announce the completion of Biblical perspective teacher training standards. These standards target helping teachers help their K-12 students understand and then apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. Contributors to the standards include Christian educators living in Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, the US, and South Africa.

Says Michael Essenburg of Close the Gap Now, "At Christian schools, we train teachers to help their students apply a Biblical perspective to course content. These standards, which will serve as the basis of a teacher training program, will help us provide teachers with challenging, coherent, relevant training."

Download: Biblical Perspective Teacher Training Standards

As part of team training, 16 YWAM Japan staff located in the Tokyo area participated in coach training. During the 6-hour coach training held January 3-4 at Tokyo Bible Church in Shin Koiwa, participants:

• Discussed Christian beliefs about empowering others, including the belief that God is at work in the heart of every believer.
  
• Considered questions like, “What can a question do better than a statement?”
  
• Enhanced their skills in listening, inquiring, focusing, and encouraging.
  
• Gave and received coaching.

Here’s what participants said about GROWLIFE Fundamentals coach training:

• I learned to encourage others better.
  
• Simple skills used intentionally to help others can make a big difference to someone.
  
• I enjoyed learning how to listen better and ask questions in a different way.

YWAM Japan focuses on training, evangelism (including church planting), and mercy ministries.