CTJ 27.4 November 2019 by Christian Teachers Journal

The Christian Teachers Journal NOVEMBER 2019 VOL 27.4

Practising Reimagining Reimagining Questioning Conflict Reimagined Christian Education Into the Future

ISSN 2652-0834

Dabbling in Leadership Dichotomies

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

teaching • training • education • leadership

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EDITOR: Chris Parker EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Dr Jill Ireland Judy Linossier Dee Little Dr Fiona Partridge Tim White EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Chris Parker +61 2 4773 5800 ctj@cen.edu.au PUBLISHER: Published by Christian Education National COVER: Photo iStockphoto DESIGN: Taninka Visuals tanya@taninka.com.au PRINTER: Signs Publishing Victoria SUBSCRIPTION & ADVERTISING: Alison Horwood alison.horwood@cen.edu.au +61 2 4773 5800

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The recent International Transforming Education Conference(ITEC) in Adelaide, Australia gathered 1000 educators from various countries to reimagine together Christian education and its attempt to transform students and the teaching and learning practices most effective in nurturing this transformation. While the acknowledgement that it is God in His sovereignty that ultimately transforms framed all presentations, attendees were challenged to ask questions about their teaching practices, measuring them against the goal of student transformation. The Christian Teachers Journal asked a number of the ITEC presenters to contribute an article on their thinking to this edition of the Journal. Steve McAlpine begins the edition with a plea to Christian educators to be alert to the dominant secular culture and its tendency to minimise any sense of the transcendent. He calls us in his article to practise reimagining that there is transcendent meaning despite what the cultural water we swim in proclaims. The crux of this truth is the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The new book Transformation by Design: Crafting Formational Learning was launched at the conference, and two of the contributors, Dr Fiona Partridge and Emily Brookes have us reimagine in their article the practice of using questions in learning. They help us to see that if we are seeking a certain type of formation in our students we must reimagine a certain type of questioning. I commit this edition to you. I trust that the regular My Top Shelf feature from a Christian educator (Dee Little); the final instalment from past principals of the National Institute for Christian Education (Dr Rod Thompson); the challenge from Dr Chris Prior to reimagine leadership; and the call to reimagine student conflict by PeaceWiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steve Wickham will provide rich encouragement. Chris Parker, Editor

contents Practise Reimagining Stephen McAlpine

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Reimagining Quality Questioning: Forming Hearts and Minds Toward the Kingdom Dr Fiona Partridge and Emily Brookes

COPYRIGHT: All material appearing in the Christian Teachers Journal is copyright. It may be reproduced in part for study or training purposes subject to an inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source and with permission of the publisher.

BOOK REVIEW Workship: How to Use Your Work to Worship God Catherine Green

Reimagining Leadership: Dabbling in Dichotomies Dr Chris Prior

My Top Shelf Dee Little

A JOURNAL FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATORS The vision of the journal is to affirm the lordship of Christ in education. It aims to serve Christian educators, challenging them to a fuller understanding of their task and responsibilities; raising issues critical to the development of teaching and learning in a distinctively Christian way. The Christian Teachers Journal is published by teachers as a forum for the exchange of ideas and practices for teachers to advance the cause of Christ in education. Views and opinions of writers and advertisers do not necessarily represent the position of this journal nor of the publisher.

Celebrating 40 Years: The National Institute for Christian Education Rev Dr Rod Thompson

Conflict Reimagined: PeaceWise Kids Growing Peacemakers for Life Steve Wickham

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Practise Reimagining By Stephen McAlpine

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

As fire ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this year, a strange thing happened. Parisians came out onto the streets to watch and to weep—and to pray. There in this most secular of countries, a country that has built itself upon the values of the Enlightenment, with no acknowledgement of God in the public square, hundreds dropped to their knees in acknowledgement of the transcendent. It was a prescient moment. The carefully constructed, hermetically sealed dome of cultural secularism was pierced by a spark. Despite the decline in the Catholic Church in France, despite the European Union celebrating the history of Europe with not a mention of the Christianity embedded in that history, all it took for the transcendent to come rushing back in was that fire. The West is having its cultural moment. Hard secularism is increasingly hostile to the Christian frame, and seeks to push it further to the margins of the culture. At the same time however, people, especially young people, have never been so open to the gospel. Here in Australia, Christian unions report that just as student guilds work hard to make life difficult for Christianity activities on campus, the students themselves are increasingly intrigued by the transcendent worldview that Christianity offers. Never more hostile. Never more open. You’d take that, wouldn’t you? Far better than what many of us assumed some two decades ago, that there would be casual, polite disinterest in the gospel. There’s hostile interest, as many want to take Christianity into the public square and flog it for its sins—actual and perceived. We saw the hostility in Australia in the lead up to this year’s federal election, especially as progressive politicians lined up alternate ethical communities such as Christian schools in their sights. As mediating institutions, Christian schools curate an alternate—and transcendent—vision of life, one with a different goal or telos to the immanent frame of the secular culture. The defining issue, of course, is sexuality. It has been the defining issue for some decades now. The orthodox Christian perspective on sexuality has been on a collision course with the progressive agenda during that time. The issue is at its hottest now, even with the imminent release of legislation surrounding religious antidiscrimination laws. Why is this ‘sexular culture’ so opposed to alternate visions of human flourishing, especially in the area of sex? Well, to answer let’s think about that Notre Dame fire again. The fire exposed this truth: removing the idea of transcendence from the human condition is extremely difficult. All those years of secularism in France, years in which the number of tourists to Notre Dame swelled as the number of worshippers declined, have not stamped out a desire for something more: something that defines and shapes us. The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Never more hostile. Never more open. You’d take that, wouldn’t you? Far better than what many of us assumed some two decades ago, that there would be casual, polite disinterest in the gospel.

Faced with the loss of actual transcendence, the sexular culture has given us sexual transcendence; a chance to forge our own identities that will loose the surly bonds of orthodox biblical views on sex and transport us to a vision of who we truly are, freeing us from tyrannical and oppressive fables. The Christian salvation story may be on the way out, but our culture still requires a salvation story, and the sexual salvation story is a perfect replacement. It promises us a level of intimacy and self-forging identity that will replace that on offer by religion. This explains both the hostility and the openness we experience today. The hostility exists because religion is viewed not only as a rival to this view of human transcendence, but a toxic threat. Religion refuses to place the individual at the centre of the picture, and in so doing is viewed as a dangerous throwback and a threat to human autonomy. But why the openness? Simple: the sexular culture is not delivering. At the same time that we are promised a new form of transcendence, an immanent one grounded in the realisation of our sexual identities, the signs are all there that something is wrong. Autonomy is prized above everything. The right to selfactualisation and choice is the mantra of the day. To challenge this autonomy risks the wrath of the new cultural priests, and raises the spectre of being made a social—or at least a social media—outcast. Yet what are the primary problems in our culture? Loneliness, anxiety, and insecurity. We grasp at our individual rights, but we feel cut off from community. We are told we can be anyone we want, and do anything we wish, but our psychology practices are filled with young people who just want to be someone somewhere! And they do not know where to turn. Why do they not know where to turn? Because of what Canadian philosopher, Charles Taylor, calls the “social imaginary”. A social imaginary is the societal construct that makes things believable, or indeed unbelievable. It is the set of shared assumptions in the public square to which a culture adheres itself. To put it another way, it is the water we swim in—and the water our culture swims in cannot

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

conceive of transcendence as being a fact. Transcendence, along with anything spiritual, has been confined to the realm of opinion. Facts are provable by science, observable by humans, and workable by secular cultures. So ‘this’ is all there is, and somehow that seems disappointing. Without a public transcendence we seek to fill the void left behind with all sorts of visions of the common good and human flourishing. But, not surprisingly, such efforts are proving to be futile. Deep personal autonomy, especially in the area of sexual identity, is presented as a way forward, but the results are patchy at best. Indeed despite the combined effort of government and big business to sell this to us, the spike in anxiety and depression, especially among young people, tells us that something is wrong. This is why Christian schools are so important. This is why we must work hard to ensure that our schools maintain their distinct ethic through the ability to employ staff who hold to the same values. Christian schools are, if you like, mini ‘social imaginaries’ in which the task of ‘reimagining’ transcendence is given to us. A Christian school, when run in accordance with the gospel, can become a place that allows transcendence to break through the hermetically sealed dome of secular immanence. Think of our schools as outposts of transcendence. Places where we practise reimagining. Sure they are also places for academic excellence, civic duty, vision casting, and problem-solving etc. But when those things are combined with a vision of life that does not set the locus of our identity within ourselves, but on the God who through Christ both created and re-created humanity in His image, something powerful is unleashed. These outposts of transcendence can be models to our students of what all of life will be one day when the new creation is ushered in. Fractured models, no doubt, but ones that accurately depict a vision of the good life lived under God. Normalising transcendence will be a critical task for Christian schools as the secular culture hardens and seeks to impose its own social imaginary culturally, legally, and politically. Living life as if God existed and as if He

At the same time that we are promised a new form of transcendence, an immanent one grounded in the realisation of our sexual identities, the signs are all there that something is wrong.

is the centre of all things, and the One who gives us our identities, means that students and parents, and indeed the community, can see an alternate model—one that, we pray, will look as good as it sounds. As alternate social imaginaries our schools can model excellence and humility; leadership and servanthood; individual pursuits and communal concern; career pathways for this life and the call to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Add into the mix forgiveness, tenderheartedness, the fruit of the Spirit, etc., and we start to see a social imaginary that has the flavour of the transcendent age-to-come about it. I believe that is the challenge for Christian schools in the coming years. It’s a challenge because it will be challenged! Do not believe for one moment that the religious antidiscrimination bill, whatever it ends up looking like, will be the end of the matter. There will be challenges—culturally, legally, and politically—to Christian schools well into the future. The challenge is for us as Christians, and Christian educators, to be so transfixed, and transformed, by the transcendent vision of King Jesus and the vision of the good life He gives us, that we will be ready for whatever is thrown our way. All of the best legal constructs in the world that protect Christian schools from the worst of sexular culture, won’t help us if we don’t live our own lives according to that alternate social imaginary day in, day out. Let’s ensure we’re living in light of the right vision of transcendence ourselves, and therefore be ready to offer that vision to others.

Discussion Questions Read, reflect, and discuss with your colleagues the following: • What do you think caused the Parisians to pray as their cathedral was in flames? • To what extent does Steve’s observation, “Never more hostile. Never more open.”, fit your observations of university students today? Do you see the same sentiment among your non-Christian (or Christian) students? How does it express itself? • In what ways does your school challenge the idolatry of personal autonomy? What practices, language, and liturgies seek to achieve this? • Discuss this great quote from Steve, “A Christian school, when run in accordance with the gospel, can become a place that allows transcendence to break through the hermetically sealed dome of secular immanence.” • If our schools are to be “outposts of transcendence”, and places where we “practise reimagining” life outside of ‘project me’, what things must we ensure that we keep doing well?

Stephen lives in Perth and is married to Jill. He pastors at Providence Church Midland, a church he planted. Stephen works as a national communicator for City Bible Forum in a start-up venture called Third Space that engages non-Christians with the gospel, and works alongside churches and other groups to create spaces where they can engage with those who are not churched in a meaningful way with the gospel message.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Reimagining Quality Questioning: Forming Hearts and Minds Toward the Kingdom By Dr Fiona Partridge and Emily Brookes

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Teachers and leaders attending recent Christian education professional learning events, or those regularly reading Christian education texts, are likely to have come across the following quote by Dr Jamie Smith (currently a professor at Calvin College), “The primary goal of Christian education is the formation of a peculiar people—a people who desire the kingdom of God and thus undertake their life’s expression of that desire” (2009, p. 34).

The concept of “quality questioning” has been written about extensively by secular educators Walsh and Sattes (2010, 2011, 2017). They offer rich ideas about the role of the teacher as the causer of learning and present an extensive body of research on effective questioning. Such inquiry begins with the crafting of a focused, purposeful, engaging question and continues with the intentional use of strategies that facilitate and sustain thinking.

It is a challenging statement, causing Christian educators to perhaps feel a little uncomfortable … after all, what do we primarily spend our time talking about, planning for, and promoting in our schools? The school’s ATAR scores, subject offerings, and career pathways, NAPLAN results, enrolment growth, and the latest building program? How much discussion is on the formation of a “peculiar people” who desire the Kingdom of God?

Quality questioning must be embedded effectively into teacher practice for the goal of Christian education to be realised. Quality questioning techniques can be learned and intentionally applied by teachers to focus students’ thinking on specified content knowledge, developing deep understandings about God’s world and how the learning taking place fits into a biblical vision of the world.

Now that would be an interesting school motto: “Forming peculiar students”. The cause of Christian education is the formation of students’ hearts, hands, and minds towards God’s Kingdom. Christian education exposes students to the connections in God’s amazing world, preparing them to leave school equipped to participate in the ongoing restoration of all things. If teachers have a responsibility to form students’ thinking and actions towards the Kingdom as they unfold the curriculum to students, we must ask, where does this mostly occur? Simply, and primarily, it happens in the classroom; teachers working with students, conducting lessons, delivering teaching and learning sequences. It’s these activities that mostly contribute to the formation of students. Yes, camps, assemblies, mission opportunities all contribute, but for the majority of students the formation happens in the classroom and it’s the teacher who causes it to happen. If we desire to form peculiar students, shaping their hearts, minds, and hands towards the Kingdom, then teachers must be intentional in how they present the curriculum and engage students, causing them to wrestle with what they are learning and how the content (and their response) fits into the bigger biblical story.

We argue that through refining quality questioning and the art of dialogue, teachers can better invite students into authentic and deeper learning opportunities. Carefully framed questions can serve as a catalyst for the thinking, speaking, listening, and responding we hope and plan for in our students. We are speaking about rich, deep, intentional questioning that causes students to grapple with a biblical perspective of the content being studied. This may mean creating opportunities to focus on the ‘threads’ (biblical responses) identified in the unit planning, pulling and picking at them to explore the fabric of life presented in the content. Furthermore, quality questioning is a powerful vehicle for student engagement. By creating new patterns of discourse, providing students with roles that structure learning, and asking targeted questions (Ritchhart, 2015), we can do much to shape the interactions of our classrooms, intentionally developing them as communities where students work together to support one another and honour God in their learning participation and response. Ritchhart (2015) notes that quality questioning practices can become even more powerful when they are situated within an atmosphere that seeks not to control students but to develop them as autonomous learners. We add, quality questioning practices are powerful when desiring to foster a positive learning community, placing students as image-bearers of God with a calling to participate in God’s story.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Christian education exposes students to the connections in God’s amazing world, preparing them to leave school equipped to participate in the ongoing restoration of all things.

There is a range of quality questioning tools and practices teachers can study and use. We recommended the texts Leading through quality questioning (2010), Thinking through quality questioning (2011), and Quality questioning by Walsh and Sattes (2017). Teacher-lead quality questioning is a process that begins with the preparation of pre-planned as well as responsive and prompting questions to engage all students in thinking, culminating in the facilitation of dialogue that enables learning deeper. This takes teacher time, practise, and intentional planning. In regard to practising the questioning techniques and tools, Walsh and Sattes (2017) liken the practices to muscles that need developing: When we consider all the good work that quality questions can do, we begin to see them as the ‘muscles’ of classroom instruction. As we build these muscles, we increase their power to lift our students’ learning and thinking to new heights. However, like powerful muscles, quality questions are seldom created by chance. Rather, we must craft them according to content focus, instructional purpose, desired cognitive level, and learner needs and interests. And we must frame questions so that our students understand them and use them to prompt their thinking. (p. 71) Educational researchers argue that teacher questioning behaviours affect what students learn and how much (Walsh & Sattes, 2017; Wiliam in Earp, 2019). Historically, teachers tend to call on high achievers much more frequently than low achievers, which provides these academically able students with an additional edge. Teachers can influence student learning via providing ‘wait time’ as part of the questioning process. The tendency to wait (or not) for a student response has, according to Walsh and Satte (2010), been found to vary, depending on whether the respondent is a high achiever or a low achiever. This can result in less engaged and lower achieving students becoming accustomed to low expectations and tuning out of teaching and learning opportunities. All students, no matter what their achievement level and abilities in a subject area, need to be challenged to consider their place in God’s world and be caused to consider their response to the learning and subsequent contribution to the Kingdom. What teachers do with student responses— whether they lead students to ask their own additional questions, or to extend a peer’s response, has a large impact on the extent to which students continue their journey of thinking and learning and, therefore, their place in God’s world. All students need to learn a range of prompts and cues to develop their thinking.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

1. Preparing the question • Identify content focus • Consider instructional purpose • Determine desired level of cognitive processing • Fine tune wording and syntax 2. Presenting the question • Indicate response structure • Pose the question • Afford think time • Designate respondent(s) 3. Prompting student thinking • Hold each student accountable for responding • Listen to understand the thinking behind responses • Provide time for continued thinking • Offer appropriate verbal assists 4. Processing student responses • Use student responses as feedback to guide next instructional move • Offer strategic feedback to students • Encourage student feedback and questions to one another • Engage students in interactions to deepen thinking • Involve students in reflecting 5. Polishing questioning practices • Engage in personal reflection on questioning practices • Set personal improvement targets • Reflect with colleagues on the quality of questions and questioning processes • Involve students in reflecting 6. Partnering with students • Engage students in thinking about the purpose of questions • Collaborate with students to establish accountability for responding • Co-create a culture that honours time for thinking and values all responses as opportunities to learn • Co-create a classroom learning community whose members value feedback, students’ questions, and dialogue as means to deeper learning

Figure 1. The six core processes for quality questioning (Walsh & Sattes, 2017, p. 11).

Christian teachers need to feel confident at leading students to explore the richness, intrigue, and mystery of God’s world, including its brokenness, engaging them actively as responsive learners.

When students are given opportunities to engage actively in a curriculum that provides them with opportunities to be problem-solvers, to make important decisions, to be creative, to broaden their knowledge base, to communicate their ideas, to consider alternatives, to be thoughtfully reflective, they flourish—not only in schools but beyond school (Kridel and Bullough in Walsh and Sattes, 2011). Deep questions help students stay curious, grow increasingly resourceful at figuring things out, and become active meaning makers (Kohn, 2015). Good questions are clear in what they ask students to think about; they are not so broad or abstract that they defeat the process of thinking. Good questions invite. They do not command students to respond. Framing good questions requires the teacher to understand the purpose behind the questions; that is, does the teacher want to know what the students know, or how students use what they know to understand? (Wassermann, 2009 in Walsh and Sattes, 2011). In Transformation by Design: The Big Picture (Dickens et al., 2015) the Big Picture Curriculum Model compels teachers to start with the telos of education in mind, developing essential questions to be woven into the teaching and learning episodes intentionally. Sometimes these essential questions may be explicitly presented to students to grapple with. Other times they may serve more as teacher planning stimulus. Whatever the case, they must be intentional, leading students to learn and develop their thinking. Teacher-led questioning can play a large part in fostering curiosity in students. When students’ curiosity is sparked and they have a desire to know and learn something, their engagement is heightened. Christian teachers need to feel confident at leading students to explore the richness, intrigue, and mystery of God’s world, including its brokenness, engaging them actively as responsive learners. Walsh and Sattes (2017) offer six core processes that form a framework for quality questioning (see Figure 1). They note that when these core practices are considered and incorporated in teacher planning, the following desirable student outcomes can be achieved: • student thinking becomes focused on specified content knowledge • cognitive processing strategies are used by students to develop deep understandings and long-term retention of content • students are lead to ask academic questions to clarify or extend understandings • students learn to monitor their own progress toward learning targets through self-assessment and use of formative feedback

• students develop personal response-ability by using structural supports for thinking • student contribution to the creation of a classroom learning community in which thinking is valued is fostered (p. 11) If the primary goal of Christian education is the formation of a peculiar people—a people who desire the Kingdom of God and thus undertake their life’s expression of that desire (Smith, 2009), and we know that teachers play a pivotal role in causing learning, then teachers must learn the craft of quality questioning, they must ensure students are led to be active participants in their learning, exploring their place in God’s world and being given opportunities to respond with head, heart, and hands.

Reference List Burggraaf, H. (Ed.). (2014). Transformational education, a framework for Christian teachers. Mount Evelyn Christian School and the BrookesHall Foundation. Dickens, K., Hanscamp, M., Mustin, A., Parker, C., Stok, J., & White, T. (2015). Transformation by design: The big picture. Penrith: National Institute for Christian Education. Dziuk, E. (n.d.). The use of student generated questions in the classroom. Retrieved from http://teachingonpurpose.org/journal/use-of-studentgenerated-questions-in-the-classroom/ Earp, J. (2019). Podcast Special: Dylan Wiliam on effective questioning in the classroom. ACER. Retrieved from https://www.teachermagazine. com.au/articles/teacher-podcast-dylan-wiliam-on-effectivequestioning-in-the-classroom Hanscamp, M. (Ed.). (2017). The Christian school as community: The ideas and insights of Dr Stuart Fowler. Penrith: National Institute for Christian Education. Kohn, A. (2015). Who’s asking? Education Leadership, 73(1), 16-22. McREL.org. (2017). Quality questioning: Replacing monologue with dialogue. Retrieved from https://www.mcrel.org/quality-questioningreplacing-monologue-with-dialogue/ Ritchhart, R. (2015). Creating cultures of thinking: The eight forces we must master to truly transform our schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publications. Smith, J. K. (2009). Desiring the Kingdom (cultural liturgies): Worship, worldview, and cultural formation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2010). Leading through quality questioning: Creating capacity, commitment, and community. USA: Corwin Publications. Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2011). Thinking through quality questioning: Deepening student engagement. USA: Corwin Publications. Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2017). Quality questioning: Research-based practice to engage every learner (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin & Sage Publications. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (expanded 2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

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Exploring quality questioning further Professional Discussion You might like to use the following workshop activity with your teaching team to explore the role and effectiveness of quality questioning in leading students towards engaging in God’s world. Individual writing (5 minutes) Write about a time you felt you were successful in creating an opportunity that really pushed your students to think and helped them develop the dispositions of learning you value and are trying to cultivate in your classroom. This should be a time where you felt, “yeah, students are really engaged and thinking well. This is the kind of learning behaviour I really want to see more of in my classroom.” Describe that time. Use the following guiding questions to help you fully describe your efforts: • What was it that you did? • Why were you doing it? What was your motivation for the lesson/activity? • What was your preparation and planning like? • Were you consciously aware of the kinds of thinking you wanted your students to engage in? • Was this lesson hard? Risky? Safe? (for you and/or your students?) • How did you support and push students’ thinking in the moment? • How did you know your lesson was effective? What specifically did you notice that gave you this impression? • Did you know you ‘nailed it’ immediately or did that knowledge come to you later? Small group sharing (15 minutes) • In a small group (usually 3), share your reflections on your successful promotion of student thinking. As you talk, the rest of the group will be listening for ‘supporting conditions’. Supporting conditions are those aspects of the lesson that seemed to be prime factors in making the learning situation a success. They can be the structures, scaffolds, atmosphere, purpose, standards, risk level, content, etc., that you describe as aspects of your situation that led to your success. • Listeners may ask clarifying and probing questions to gain a better sense of your supporting conditions. • Listeners take notes and then tell you what supporting conditions they heard you describe. • Switch roles and repeat the sharing process (5 minutes for each person). Full group (5 minutes) • Post a list of supporting conditions. • Review and react. What do we see? Any surprises? • What does this mean for our work as teachers interested in supporting student thinking and understanding? • How can we cultivate these supporting conditions so that they happen more regularly? Adapted from Ritchhart (2015)

Emily lives in Adelaide, South Australia and has been teaching maths and science for twenty-one years in various government and Christian schools in the country and city. Emily is the director of teaching and learning at Torrens Valley Christian School. She thrives on learning and being challenged (and styling homes, de-cluttering, and buying new books that look excellent).

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Fiona is the state executive officer for Christian Education National (CEN) in South Australia. She is also a CEN professional learning presenter and senior lecturer with the National Institute for Christian Education. Fiona has taught at Torrens Valley Christian School since 1990 and is passionate about Christian education and is still enjoying time in the classroom teaching. Fiona’s family lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills and love running and riding the local trails.

WORKSHIP: How to Use Your Work to Worship God Kara Martin, (2017) Review by Catherine Green Work was created by God to provide us with an opportunity to be His hands and feet in the restoration of the world. Sin has distorted the reality of work. How can we revisit work as an act of worship? Kara Martin’s book Workship challenges us to recognise the way that our experience of work has been distorted by sin. Her chapters are brimming with biblical insights and authentic, inspiring examples of how our work can be redeemed and used as part of God’s plan to restore His broken creation. As a vocational education and careers coordinator in a secondary school setting, I have found Kara’s book a handy resource that I have been able to weave into my work with students and their families to help them consider their vocational directions and encourage them not to see work as an end in itself. On a personal level, Kara’s writing has reinvigorated my understanding of work as an act of worship and not something to be made into an idol. It has challenged me to be more mindful of the place that work takes in my life and has encouraged me to be grateful for my job and the opportunity that I have to use it to help others to flourish. The book is broken into three sections: Section 1: A biblical view of work Section 2: Spiritual disciplines for work Section 3: Practical wisdom for working The chapters are short, engaging, and easy to read, ending with a suggested prayer and some study questions to “take it further”. The book includes appendices that will assist you to understand and implement spiritual disciplines for work. You (and I suspect your community) will reap great benefits from investing your time in reading this book and applying its principles. Kara’s second book Workship 2: How to Flourish at Work (2018), offers practical tools for individuals and churches.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Reimagining Leadership: Dabbling in Dichotomies By Dr Chris Prior

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

competing values that they need to hold in tension. This paper addresses three of these dichotomies. The first concerns both beliefs and practices. At the core of this dichotomy are the varied understandings of Christianity, schooling, and Christian schooling. With respect to this, the work of American theologian and philosopher Richard Mouw can be helpful. Mouw (1990) suggests, “Christians play favourite with the members of the Trinity” (p. 150). That is, Christian groups can be selective and emphasize different aspects of the Christian faith in their theological positions and/or in their practices. In addition to this, we need to remember that school environments bring together people with a variety of experiences, preferences, and beliefs about education. Thus, we shouldn’t be surprised by the following: Christian educators are … a rather disparate group … united and divided at the same time … As Christians we each bring different biblical and faith perspectives, shaped by our individual Christian traditions and experiences, and as educators we each bring different theoretical and practical approaches, shaped by our particular disciplinary and professional backgrounds. (George, 2017, pp. 11-12)

chool leadership has been described as multidimensional and demanding (Neidhart & Carlin, 2011). Among their many roles, leaders are expected to be an example in their communities, oversee education and deliver results, promote effective teaching and learning, connect with and care for teachers, be responsive to parents, ensure that students feel safe and learn, manage occupational health and safety, and carefully facilitate change that will lead to improved outcomes. In addition to this, the role of a Christian school leader includes nurturing spirituality consistent with the beliefs and values of the community. Leaders engaged in these complex school environments often face dichotomies: contrasting positions between almost opposites. If not dichotomies then, at the very least,

Founded as a ministry of either a local church or a parent association, Christian schools exist as an alternative to secular schooling. Each school has a spirituality that emerges out of their particular faith tradition (McGettrick, 2005). Despite similarities, for example in the use of “Christcentred” language, the foundational beliefs and practices of Christian schools can vary from school to school. In some schools where Christ-centred language is evident it may be that students encounter the Christian faith through the example set by Christian staff, the explicit teaching in biblical studies, and through chapel services. Other Christian schools may suggest that their Christ-centredness informs behaviour and, as such, they include programs in support of character formation. In some settings, Christ-centred practice includes the curriculum. In these Christian schools, teachers are required to embed Christian perspectives or biblical threads in the curriculum, to be evident in the teaching and learning program. Whatever the particular approach of the school, an important part of the role of the school leader is to understand the beliefs and values of their school community and to embed these into school culture (Buchanan, 2013). Essentially, while individuals may have different beliefs based on their own particular experiences of education, their own Christian tradition, they are not called to develop school practice based on their own preferences. Instead, leaders

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

While leaders do have responsibility for their work, part of this work includes equipping or building the capacity of those with whom they work.

should endeavour to be the best followers, understanding that the perpetuation of a sustainable Christian school culture is aided by leadership that both embodies and promotes the cultural story of the community (Iselin, 2011), not an individual’s own story. That is not to say that leaders cannot modify practices. Rather, all leaders need to be mindful and supportive of the history and heritage of their school communities and be active in passing on that particular approach to Christian schooling to the next generation. The alternative in which leaders adapt the school to suit their own particular perspectives of schooling and/ or of the Christian faith has the very real potential to lead to a compromise of the vision of the school and ultimately cause mission drift. That is, a moving away from the original heartbeat of the community that founded a particular school. The second dichotomy is, perhaps, better described as a tension between the individual and the team, than a dichotomy. The journey into leadership can often begin through a process of mastery. We all have gifts and abilities in particular areas. Over time, a person may have demonstrated knowledge and skills in a particular area of practice and been recognised for his or her competence (Ledbetter, Banks, & Greenhalgh, 2016). Accepted as competent, we may then be afforded opportunities to lead others using our gifts. A challenge before us though is that we often “live by our competencies” (Willard, 1998, p. 103), depending on our abilities rather than God. Biblically, it is clear that we are to utilise the gifts and abilities that God has given us (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Furthermore, in the many and varied instructions to the early Christians it is evident that individuals are to be unified, to work together. People are not to be self-reliant; their gifts are not to be self-focused. Instead, our varied gifts should be utilised to build up others as part of one church body (Romans 14:19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4: 1-16). In addition to the emphasis on our collective unity, which goes far beyond the brief points above, there is also to be plural unity of leadership. Evidence of a plurality of leadership includes the elders of Israel (Exodus 3:16; Leviticus 4:15), Moses’ appointment of seventy leaders (Numbers 11:16), and elders and leaders in the early church (Acts 11:30, 14:23; Hebrews 13:17). Given the biblical emphasis on the communal nature of the Christian community, it is unsurprising that Christian school leaders favour shared understandings of leadership (Berber 2010; Iselin, 2011). The individual heroic leader is not a Christian model of leadership (Quarmby, 2010). Rather, Christian school leadership is to be team-oriented with complementary leadership gifts working together to support their particular school’s vision. Further support for arguments of collaborative, team16

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

oriented leadership can be found in the work of leadership expert, Patrick Lencioni (2016): Great team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attention for their own. They share credit, emphasize team over self, and define success collectively rather than individually. It is no great surprise, then, that humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute of being a team player. (p. 157) Despite our affirmations with respect to valuing the team, and of needing a variety of giftings, often, for the sake of expediency or a warped understanding of responsibility, leaders can tend to do the work themselves. A core 21st century skill is collaboration. During both schooling and university, we are invited to participate in group projects. In my experience, these routinely caused frustration. Typically, someone was sick, one person dominated and there were arguments. At times, someone did nothing. More often than not, it was simply easier to do the work yourself! Evidence of this can be found in a study by Spillane, Harris, Jones, and Mertz (2015) who researched the beliefs of novice school principals. Their research found that while the volume and diversity could have encouraged distributing leadership, their sense of responsibility for the work led to a more singular approach to leadership. While leaders do have responsibility for their work, part of this work includes equipping or building the capacity of those with whom they work. Leaders are to empower others to grow in their leadership and provide coaching and feedback, not simply to do the work themselves. Christian school leaders need to be faithful to the purposes of the school and look to ensure that they are equipping others rather than building up their own reputation through self-achievement. Leaders who encourage a distribution of leadership in alignment with the Christian vision of the school community contribute to the development of sustainable Christian schools (Iselin, 2011). The third dichotomy is about posture. Like the previous two, it concerns how individuals engage in leadership within a Christian community. Leaders are to take responsibility for the development and maintenance of a sustainable Christian school culture consistent with the vision and beliefs of their community. To do so, leaders often have to facilitate change. Leaders need to have an awareness of what is working, and what may not be working. They need to make changes to improve learning, to better align practice with the rhetoric, to create a healthier environment. When things are not as leaders intend, or want them to be, it is common practice to conduct a review. At times, reviews can result in blame. In schools, blame can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Many of us may have grown up in an era where, if our own classroom efforts were not as they should have been, our parents supported the

Leaders who encourage a distribution of leadership in alignment with the Christian vision of the school community contribute to the development of sustainable Christian schools.

teachers and either encouraged or demanded that we work more. Today, if students are not learning, it is often said to be the fault of teachers. Teachers can also blame previous teachers when students do not have the skills we expect them to have. It can also be that either student misbehaviour or the technology is blamed for a poor lesson. As Christians, we need to be wary of apportioning blame. As Jesus pointed out, it is often easier to look at the speck in the eye of another rather than the plank in our own eye (Matthew 7:3-5). Rather than blame and look at the other, it is important that leaders take responsibility themselves. That is, to be responsible for the issues which are evident in the school and to seek to work alongside people to bring about positive change. As educators, it is normal practice to assess student work. As well as assess, teachers provide feedback. This feedback is to enhance learning, not simply to inform students of their errors, in the hope that they will make rectifications. Teachers seek to correct misunderstandings and gently redirect, provide advice, and, at times, examples of practice. Likewise, leaders need to think carefully about how they assess. Apportioning blame does not encourage growth. Instead, leaders need to utilize a range of feedback strategies as they work with their peers. They need to work alongside, coach, and provide feedback. In doing this, leaders will not simply be focused on empowering and equipping others but also ensuring, as they model and articulate their practice, that they are contributing to the ongoing sustainability of their Christian school culture through succession planning (Iselin, 2011). School leaders face many dichotomies as they serve in their communities. The three focused upon challenge the leader not to be self-focused and self-reliant. Instead, school leaders are to humbly honour the beliefs and heritage of their school communities through embodying and telling the cultural story of the school. Further, leaders are encouraged to serve through taking the responsibility to equip others as they look to perpetuate a sustainable school culture.

Ledbetter, B. M., Banks, R. J., & Greenhalgh, D.C. (2016). Reviewing leadership: A Christian evaluation of current approaches (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Lencioni, P. (2016). The ideal team player: How to recognize and cultivate the three essential virtues: a leadership fable. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass. McGettrick, B. (2005). Perceptions and practices of Christian schools. In R. Gardner, J. Carins, & D. Lawton (Eds.), Faith schools: Consensus or conflict? (pp. 105-112). London: Routledge. Mouw, R. (1990). The God who commands. Notre Dame, In: University of Notre Dame Press. Neidhart, H., & Carlin, P. (2011). Strengthening religious identity in Christian schools. Religious Education Journal of Australia, 27(1), 23-29. Quarmby, S. (2010). The leadership of principals and science heads in schools with a Christian philosophy: Expectations and realities. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Canberra: Curtin University of Technology. Spillane, J.P., Harris, A., Jones, M., & Mertz, K. (2015). Opportunities and challenges for taking a distributed perspective: Novice school principals’ emerging sense of their new position. British Educational Research Journal, 41(6),1068-1085. Willard, D. (1998). The divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. London: Fount.

Discussion Questions • What three dichotomies does Prior discuss? • Why are school environments complex? • What does Mouw mean when he suggests, “Christians play favourite with the members of the Trinity”? • In what ways does your school leadership embrace the beliefs and values of your school community and embed them into school culture? • Describe how leaders at your school equip or build the capacity of those with whom they work.

References Berber, M. (2009). The role of the principal in establishing and further developing an independent Christian or Islamic school in Australia. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Sydney: University of Western Sydney. Buchanan, M. (2013). Leadership and religious schools: Introducing some contemporary perspectives and challenges. In M. Buchanan (Ed.), Leadership and religious schools: International perspectives and challenges (pp. 1-12). New York: Bloomsbury Academic. George, T. (2017). Introduction. In K. Goodlet, J. Collier, & T. George (Eds.), Better Learning: Trajectories for educators in Christian schools (pp. 9-16). Canberra: St Marks.

Previously a principal within the Christian school sector, Chris works as the deputy principal of the National Institute for Christian Education and the Christian Education National SEO for Victoria. His academic interests include the relationship between faith and learning, Christian pedagogy, school culture, and leadership practice.

Iselin, D. (2011). Guiding principles for cultivating sustainable Christian school cultures in an era of change. TEACH Journal of Christian Education 5 (2), 26-33.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

My Top Shelf A Christian educator recommends six texts recently read When I reflect on my early days in Christian education, I can see now that I didn’t really ‘get it’. Although I recognised the need to disciple the children in my care, I struggled to reconcile this with teaching the prescribed curriculum. Learning to apply a biblically-grounded Christian worldview to all things educational is an ongoing process. The following books have, over time, helped me catch the vision and deepened my commitment to Christian education, shaping my beliefs about what matters in a Christian classroom and school. I pray that you too will be encouraged and strengthened in all you do.

By Dee Little

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible

No Icing on the Cake Jack Mechielsen (Ed.) (1979)

Graeme Goldsworthy (1991) Despite having attended church all my life I did not arrive in Christian education with a sense of God’s overarching story or how the biblical texts fit together. I consider this book the ‘gold standard’ beginner’s guide to biblical theology. Goldsworthy applies the process of interpreting Scripture as progressive revelation as he lays out the grand narrative of Scripture in a thematic and accessible way—why, how, what, and where— showing how it all points to Christ. This book will transform the way you approach Scripture.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

I have always loved this collection of essays, with its helpful metaphor that admonishes the Christian educator to avoid putting Christian icing on an otherwise secular educational cake. Each writer shares their reflections and insights about the task of reimagining all aspects of school life through the gospel of Christ, challenging the pervasive dualism of Western thinking. The content is just as relevant to the current generation of Christian educators as the day it was penned. Recently republished by Christian Education National as an ebook, with new forewords by Dr Ken Dickens and Dr Mike Goheen. Dip into this book for encouragement to stay the course when the tide of culture seems to press against you. Available on the CEN estore.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart Tedd Tripp (1995)

The parent’s task of bringing up a child in the training and instruction of the Lord is an iterative, heart-shaping process (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Ephesians 6:4). These books, based on sound biblical theology, contain practical guidance for Christian parents as they seek to orientate their child’s heart towards loving God and loving others. For the Christian educator, these books provide valuable insight for supporting parents in this shepherding process through the parent-teacher partnership, and a basis for reflection on how we shepherd a child’s heart in the Christian school. With an emphasis away from moralism and towards grace through Jesus Christ, Tedd Tripp’s books are highly recommended.

The Cause of Christian Education Richard Edlin (2014)

I credit this book with helping me understand how Christian education differs from other versions of education I had previously experienced. I find this book compelling, partly because it is practical, but also because it is a call to see all things—from curriculum to staff meetings, community to assemblies— through a gospel-shaped lens. We need Edlin’s encouragement and clarity because the quest to redeem all things within the Christian school is ongoing, for all of us, all the time.

Teaching Redemptively: Bringing Grace and Truth Into Your Classroom Donovan Graham (2009)

Through the tale of two contrasting schools, Graham boldly calls out distortions in practice that he sees as inconsistent with biblical beliefs that are foundational to redemptive teaching. He challenges us all to critique our practices in light of beliefs about the purpose of education, the teacher and learner as fallen image-bearers, the learning process, and the subject matter. This is an easy read that is refreshingly honest about the tensions involved when seeking to redeem classroom life through the gospel of grace.

Resolving Everyday Conflict Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson (2011)

This small book is jam-packed with biblical wisdom about peacemaking and will transform the way you understand conflict in Christian community. The principles can be used to help children navigate relationships in the classroom, with parents, and with colleagues. Sande and Johnson’s writing is theologically sound. They get to the heart of conflict and how to respond in ways that glorify God, serve others, and grow us to be more like Christ. I have given away more copies of this book than any other in pursuit of shalom.

Dee is a Year 1-2 teacher at Palmerston Christian School and has been involved in Christian education in the Northern Territory since 2004. Dee is passionate about seeing all aspects of school life transformed by the gospel. She loves the ocean and enjoys singing, reading, scuba diving, and being with her husband Tam and their two energetic children.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Celebrating 40 Years: The National Institute for Christian Education Part 4

THE NEXT 40 YEARS AND BEYOND By Rev Dr Rod Thompson

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

“To teach is to offer oneself to one’s students as worthy of imitation” … someone made an offering of those words a long time ago.1 I have never forgotten them; never ceased to be challenged, indeed troubled by them. They speak directly to the task and vision, the work and wonder of teaching. Moreover they speak profoundly to the vision and task of the National Institute. This year the Institute celebrates its 40th anniversary. In the interview with the founding principal Dr Doug Blomberg published in the February edition (part 1 of this 4 part series) he affirmed: The supporters of the vision knew there could be no distinctively Christian schools without preparing teachers effectively for this calling. Ultimately, a Christian university with biblically-directed scholarship in all disciplines is essential. An institution for teacher education has historically been a strategic place to start. This vision affirms the paramount significance of God’s revelation in Christ, Scripture and Creation. Scripture is the supreme authority for interpreting experience, so a biblical perspective must permeate curriculum, pedagogy and indeed, the structure of schooling. We need to complement rather than replicate theological colleges by offering degree-level professional development for teachers, within an integrally Christian perspective… (Bloomberg, 2019) As it seeks to continue its work as the tertiary training institute of Christian Education National (CEN), the National Institute for Christian Education recently stated its mission as follows: The National Institute for Christian Education provides formative tertiary training grounded in biblical immersion that shapes cultural engagement, specifically in the arena of education, for leaders, teachers, board members and others within Christian Education National school communities and further afield. How critical is the work of the National Institute to the future of Christian Education National schools (and similar schools)? Is it critical? Is it critical within the wider educational context in Australia and abroad? Is it core business for Christian Education National? Is it critical or merely desirable? Is it critical to provide leaders, teachers, and staff members in Christian schools ongoing postgraduate study options? What about board members and parents? Is it critical that the National Institute generates a distinctive educational context in which lecturers and tutors are enabled

to undertake scholarly work through their participation in academic conferences, writing, publication, and research? It is widely recognised, both in Australia and around the world, that the Institute has been at the forefront of Christian educational thinking for the past 40 years. Is it critical that we build on this heritage? Because if it is critical, we will need to establish a sustainable model for an institute that will enable it to continue its incisive educational work. Is it worth the cost? Is it critical? Yes. It is critical. Get wisdom The 2018 McCrindle report titled The Future of Education: The Education Trends Shaping Australia’s Future emphasises the rapidly changing shape of education and the demands on educators to form young people with skills that include problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, and communication. The report asserts that we are in the midst of a revolution. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is ‘characterized by a fusion of technologies that blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres’. The Fourth Revolution supersedes the Third Revolution, which saw automated production through the use of electronics and information technology. The need for continuous learning lies at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. (p. 21) The National Institute is committed to providing lifelong tertiary learning pathways in the face of rapid changes and new complexities for all who participate in Christian schools and their communities. These lifelong learning pathways are impelled by the biblical call to wisdom. Christian schools must be communities of wisdom. The kind of wisdom portrayed in the ancient biblical texts is not easily acquired. “Get wisdom, get understanding!” (Proverbs 4:5). But how? The Hebrew scriptures assert that true wisdom only begins with the fear of the LORD. Lady Wisdom cries out in the public square. But so does Lady Folly. There are choices to be made, and the commands to get wisdom are repeated and urgent: Turn! Listen! Attend! Incline! Call out! Search! Find! Understand! Walk! Take the way of Wisdom. David Ford asserts that: Wisdom has on the whole not had an easy time in recent centuries in the West. It has often been associated with old people, the premodern, tradition and conservative caution in a culture of youth, modernization, innovation and risky exploration. Yet it may be making a comeback. (2007, p. 1)

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

The National Institute for Christian Education provides formative tertiary training grounded in biblical immersion that shapes cultural engagement, specifically in the arena of education.

In the pursuit of control and mastery; in the focus on specialisation and expertise; in the preference to dissect rather than integrate; in the pursuit of accumulation rather than celebration, we desperately need discernment and wisdom as we stride into the future. Christian school communities must be places in which wisdom flourishes. William Brown (2014) has described three significant interests of wisdom. These are the wondrous creation of God; the virtuous character of humans; and the challenges of life crises in which the choices of wisdom cause either flourishing or withering and lead to either life or death. Creation. Character. Crisis. Brown contends that “wonder”, understood as astonishment mingled with perplexity or “bewildered curiosity” (p. 20), is a bedrock from which wisdom is acquired as we walk in the fear of the Lord. Wonder has to do with being unsettled, destabilised, disoriented. In this sense it is like fear. But wonder also exudes curiosity and fascination. It allures. In wonder, Brown writes, “fascination overcomes fear, desire overcomes dread. Desire captures well the affiliative power of wonder: wonder awakens desire, and with desire comes a new attentiveness” (p. 21). In the unfolding texts of scripture, Messiah Jesus comes to fully incarnate the wisdom for which the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures yearned. We are now invited to participate in this way of wisdom, emboldened by the narrative of Christ’s life, death, burial, resurrection, and rule, and empowered by the poured-out, indwelling Spirit of wisdom in our individual and communal lives. This is a whole-of-life engagement which necessarily incorporates our educational work as parents, teachers, board members, students, and colleagues. Tremper Longman (2017) reminds us that 21st century sages must live in the nitty-gritty of life. Wisdom, as Longman explores it, includes “the ability to navigate life well (the practical level), with integrity (the ethical level), and in the fear of God (the theological level)” (p. 257). Longman’s theological level embraces the fear of the Lord across all of life, now empowered by the Spirit of the risen Jesus. The ethical level consists of heart-held practices, habits, and virtues in keeping with the character of the Messiah, lived out in home and work place. The practical level encompasses skilful and timely practices in all of life, not least the educational tasks of curriculum development, reflective pedagogy, formative classroom assessment, working with those who have disabilities, and action research, all of which are primary interests of the tertiary training provided through the National Institute for Christian Education. 24

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Immerse in the Scriptures “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). There is no fear of the Lord without habitual attention to Christ’s Word. There is no wisdom without immersion in, and faithful obedience to, God’s Word. Yet, individual and communal heart-shaping, mind-renewing immersion in Scripture is under threat and in decline. The idolatries of money, sex, and power continue to allure. As Ramachandra (2008) has asserted, our times and places have an ongoing commitment to surrogate gods such as national security, market forces, technological imperatives, economic growth, and patriotism. He writes: The biblical term for such prostration before human creations is idolatry, and the propensity to idolatry is endemic in all human individuals and societies. Idols not only blind us to ultimate realities, but they exact a heavy price. They demand human sacrifices and, as we have learned painfully in recent years, wreak havoc on the nonhuman world. (p. 9) But within the clutch of such idolatries, we are threatened by new addictions, the most troubling of which is our addiction to distraction. The unrelenting quest for and availability of immediate reward, digital entertainment, mindless novelty, limitless options, and endless changes, undermine the significance of habitual and repetitive tasks by which careers are shaped, resilience developed, character forged, and deep understanding gained. Claims of boredom have ascended to new heights and among other things we are losing our capacity to concentrate, to attend, to focus. The digital age hurries us. It “shatters our concentration into a million little pieces … and now the greatest challenge to literacy is a short attention span” (Reinke, 2018, p. 84). Deep reading is harder than ever. With regard to Bible reading, Tony Reinke (2017) asserts: We are called to suspend our chronic scrolling in order to linger over eternal truth, because the Bible is the most important book in the history of the world … the Bible stands as the oldest, longest, and most complicated book we will ever try to read on our own. Simultaneously, every lure and temptation of the digital age is convincing us to give up difficult, sustained work for the immediate and impulsive content we can skim. (p. 87) Reinke concludes, referencing a conversation with John Piper, that the whole purpose of God stands or falls on the book. If the book fails, everything fails.

But within the clutch of such idolatries, we are threatened by new addictions, the most troubling of which is our addiction to distraction.

Immersion in Scripture is so much more than knowing about the story of the Bible or having a framework (such as Creation/Fall/Redemption) from which to think. We are immersed in something when it has taken hold of our hearts, imaginations, desires, and wills. CEN schools, and those like them, will surely fail unless there is an abiding, rigorous, joyful commitment to biblical immersion. By immersion, we do not mean deep reading alone, as important as that is. Immersion requires wholebodied individual and communal attentiveness to the Scriptures. It means indwelling. Such indwelling will include, among other things, practices of memorising, enacting, singing, praying, poeting, arting, rapping, meditating, imagining, cartooning, listening, reciting, dialoguing, mapping, and studying. It will involve depth and breadth studies, projects and assignments, study, and play. It will renew our hearts and minds as we come to love and obey the hope-filled, joy-giving, life-flourishing Word of God in relationship with the triune author and one another. The National Institute is deeply committed to laying the grounds and teaching the skills of biblical immersion. Our core subjects seek to achieve this as study commences. This is then worked out in all subjects that are subsequently offered. Engage with our times and places The heritage of the National Institute for Christian Education is reformational and specifically Kuyperian. It is a rich heritage to which we remain deeply committed. However, one suspects the contours of what the term Kuyperian actually means are increasingly misunderstood or unknown. The life, writings, and work of Kuyper deserve the attention of a new generation. Craig Bartholomew (2017) has emphasised how the Kuyperian tradition is profoundly committed to the singular, life-giving grounds of biblical authority. We are in complete agreement. Bartholomew writes: The Kuyperian tradition is valuable insofar, and only insofar, as it is biblical and an authentic expression of the Christian faith. Scripture remains God’s infallible Word, never Kuyper, and we need constantly to test what we learn from Kuyper against Scripture and the Christian tradition, of which Kuyper is a part. (p. 315) Kuyper’s celebrated words, “There is not a square inch of the entire world of which Christ does not rightly say, ‘This is mine’” (in Bartholomew, 2017, p. 69), continue to inspire our educational work, and indeed the work of God’s people across all arenas of the good, distorted, and being-renewed

creation. However such whole-of-life work necessitates a deliberate embrace of tension in our lives and communities. When immersion in Scripture authoritatively shapes engagement with our cultural times and places, such tension is inevitable. Lesslie Newbigin and others have spoken about this tension as unbearable. Mike Goheen (2005), reflecting on Newbigin’s work, asserts that the tension will be experienced in every part of life if we choose to live as faithful agents of God’s Kingdom. He writes: The more deeply one senses the contradiction between the gospel and the reigning worldview of a culture, the more the church will experience an unbearable tension. That unbearable tension comes from three factors: the church is part of a society that embodies a comprehensive cultural story or worldview that contradicts the gospel; the church finds its identity in another equally comprehensive story that it is called to embody; and the tension arises because there is an encounter between these two stories in the life of the church. How can one live as part of a culture (be relevant) and yet at the same time be faithful to the gospel? (pp. 57-58) Bartholomew concludes his book with the assertion that “the Kuyperian tradition has the resources to produce culturally savvy Christians today” (p. 323). We agree. So does Dick Staub (2007). He writes: In this intellectually and aesthetically impoverished age of Christianity-Lite, it is heartening to remember that for centuries, Christians were known for their intellectual, artistic, and spiritual contributions to society. Bach, Mendelssohn, Dante, Dostoevsky, Newton, Pascal, and Rembrandt are but a few who personified the rich tradition of faith, producing the highest and best work, motivated by a desire to glorify God and offered in service of others for the enrichment of our common environment: culture. These were culturally savvy Christians – serious about the centrality of faith in their lives, savvy about both faith and culture, and skilled in relating the two (p. ix). The National Institute is committed to providing tertiary training that contends with Christianity-Lite (or EducationLite), seeking rather to enable biblical immersion, cultural engagement, and the inevitable embrace of tension for educators, staff, students, and parents in Christian school communities. We stand in line with Kuyper whose abiding desire was to “see God’s work in his own life translate to a sense of hope in and for the common good of society” (Himes, 2018, p. 3).

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

The National Institute is deeply committed to laying the grounds and teaching the skills of biblical immersion.

Be counter-formed for faithful witness in life and education In a recent paper titled “Towards a Conceptual Model for Biblical Transformative Learning” (2019), Elizabeth Beech acknowledges that all education may be considered transformational at one level or another. However, what is termed “biblical transformational learning” is distinctive and intentional in terms of its transformative, or perhaps more accurately, counter-formative goals. Referencing Harry Burggraaf, Beech affirms that such transformation: Involves shaping the desires of students and teachers towards the Kingdom for the purpose of ‘shalom’, the integrated wholeness, well-being and harmony in every dimension of life that God intends for his creation. Transformation of heart, mind, spirit and life is the work of the Holy Spirit and the school shapes its educational experiences and settings in openness to the direction and guidance of the Spirit. (2019, p. 1) This is a worthy and exciting educational vision and task, one to which the National Institute for Christian Education is dedicated as we chart a course into the next 40 years and beyond. It will not be achieved without cost. It cannot be achieved unless CEN school communities (and similar educational communities), and their teachers, staff members, board members, parents, and students, are impelled into the way outlined in this paper—the way of life-giving wisdom granted by God and embraced by God’s imagebearers through habitual immersion in Scripture, incisive engagement with our cultural times and places, and the inevitable embrace of tension, as we are transformed (or better, counter-formed) for faithful work and witness in the arena of education. References Bartholomew, C. (2017). Contours of the Kuyperian tradition: A systematic introduction. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. Beech, E. (2019). Towards a conceptual model for biblical transformative online learning. Paper presented at the ACHEA Research Conference, Brisbane, QLD. Beech, G., & Beech, E. (2019a). An ‘integrality’ model for teaching. International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal, 14(1), 1–7. Blomberg, D. (2019). Celebrating 40 years: The National Institute for Christian Education. Christian Teachers Journal, 27:1, pp 12-14.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Brown, P. T. (2018). The integration of Christian & secular education: Leadership in the 21st century. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press. Brown, W. (2014). Wisdom’s wonder: Character, creation, and crisis in the Bible’s wisdom literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Burggraaf, H. (2014). Transformational education: A framework for Christian teaching. Melbourne, VIC: Mount Evelyn Christian School. Ford, D. F. (2007). Christian wisdom: Desiring God and learning in love. Cambridge, UK. Cambridge University Press. Goheen, M. (2005). The legacy of Lesslie Newbigin for today. Reformation and Revival Journal, Volume 14, Number 3. Himes, B. (2018). For a better worldliness: Abraham Kuyper, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and discipleship for the common good. Eugene, OR: Pickwick. Longman III, T. (2017). The fear of the Lord is wisdom: A theological introduction to wisdom in Israel. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. McCrindle, M. (2018). The future of education: The education trends shaping Australia’s future. Norwest, NSW, Australia. Ramachandra, V. (2008). Subverting global myths: Theology and the public issues shaping our world. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. Reinke, T. (2017). 12 ways your phone is changing you. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. Staub, D. (2007). The Culturally Savvy Christian: A Manifesto for Deepening Faith and Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite. Manhattan, NY: Jossey-Bass.

Endnotes 1

I recently came across these words again in Patrick Brown’s small book entitled The Integration of Christian & Secular Education (2018, p. 11). They are not original to him, however he cites them along with the memorable words of Augustine who is believed to have asserted the following: “If a person was a teacher then he or she was not evil; and if he or she was evil, then that person was not a teacher”.

Rod has taught in both government and Christian high schools. In 2003 he completed a PhD at Macquarie University exploring the foundational impact of the Bible on Christian schooling in Australia. Rod served as the national principal/CEO of Laidlaw College in Auckland, New Zealand from 2010-2015. Rod is now a minister in the pastoral team of Springwood Presbyterian Churches, as well as working as principal of the National Institute for Christian Education.

CONFLICT REIMAGINED: PEACEWISEKIDS GROWING PEACEMAKERS FOR LIFE By Steve Wickham

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

The tendency to focus on gifts and not on the Giver, on human ability and achievement and not on God’s power and glory, results in the education endgame removing God as the source and sum of true learning.

Sam is a Year 9 student and he or she is in every Christian school in our great land. He is a trouble-maker because of a problematic home-life. She is shy and withdrawn and is vulnerable to self-harming. Then there’s the Sam who’s got as normal a home-life as anyone, but who’s got an anxiety disorder, and has a parent who abuses alcohol. And then, finally, there’s the Sam who is sensitive to exclusion, to being gossiped about, and the 101 things any student—or any one of us—is susceptible to suffering from a social viewpoint. These are all normal enough situations. Scarily normal. Yet that’s life, isn’t it?

Conflict is everywhere Not one home, nor any school, or any other arena of life, is devoid of conflict. Such conflict ranges vastly from the garden-variety disagreement that is swept under the carpet to the insidious and deadly forms of violence that fill our news feeds. Ken Sande (2004) defines conflict as, “A difference in opinion or purpose that frustrates someone’s goals or desires” (p. 29). Bullying in schools and the dynamic of aggressive parents has become all too common. A recent 60 Minutes report (Channel 9, 2019) cited a parent who felt perfectly within their right to “speak their truth”, hang the circumstances or effects. In the same report, another parent was alleged to have sent a teacher 66 aggressive emails in just one term. Little wonder teachers and other school staff are suffering burnout! Conflict wreaks havoc within school communities as much as any place in society. School staff and boards are growing increasingly concerned that violence endemic in other strata of society is featured in the schoolyard, classroom, car parks, administration areas, and so on.. Christian schools and Christ-centred faith methods are also facing various challenges from other corners of society. The Safe Schools program is a serious challenge. Freedom of speech is under attack. One could venture to say that a threat remains; potentially a fierce undertow to tear away at the fabric and traditional underpinning of Christian schooling in Australia.

Biblical peacemaking principles Into this space, a peacemaking ministry called PeaceWise has embarked on a determined quest: to grow peacemakers for life through a program called PeaceWiseKids (primary) and PeaceWiseYouth (secondary). The courses that have been developed—currently catering to Years 3-10 with more

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

on the way—meet national curriculum outcome guidelines and can be run in schools’ scope and sequence through PDHPE/Health. The courses can also be delivered in Bible or Christian studies lessons, and even through SRE/Scripture for public high schools. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” Matthew 5:9. PeaceWise started training adults in peacemaking in 2007. From the start, the ministry had a vision to ultimately teach biblical principles in relationships to children of all ages— even from kindergarten age. That vision came to bear fruit in reality when PeaceWiseKids launched in 2016. PeaceWise believes that whole communities can be transformed by learning the biblically-based relationship principles which witness the teaching of Jesus Christ—both to those who belong to the community, and to those who are looking on from the outside to see whether the people in it truly do model grace, love, forgiveness, and mercy. PeaceWise genuinely conceives of PeaceWiseKids and PeaceWiseYouth as “change the world” projects, because of the deep impact they can have on the lives and communities who embrace them. There is a belief that as schools deploy PeaceWiseKids, students will use the language of peacemaking and schools will develop peacemaking-conducive policies in terms of discipline, promoting peace and reconciliation in relationships through biblical principles and the power of Christ. Even now, as PeaceWiseKids is beginning to be used in schools across our nation, we are already hearing stories emerge of children taking these principles home, and sharing them with their parents and other family members as the children seek to be peacemakers in all of their life—even beyond the school context.

Teaching adult principles to children Many of us adults who have weathered the heavy seas of relational distress, including divorce, family estrangement, unforgiveness, and so on, know how much we would have given for the opportunity to learn these principles and strategies much earlier in our lives. God has given us a plan for how to handle conflict well. PeaceWise teaches these biblical principles to adults and now PeaceWiseKids makes the skilling-up of peacemaking for children both fun and easy. PeaceWise teaches adults about the “slippery slope of conflict”, and, with a simpler range of terms, PeaceWiseKids teaches the same thing. Adults learn about Ken Sande’s “4 G’s”—Glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31), Get the log out of

There are three choices you have in every conflict. You can escape, work it out, or attack. God wants us to work it out. (Jessica, age 10)

your own eye (Matthew 7:3-5), Gently restore (Galatians 6:1), Go and be reconciled (Matthew 5:23-24)—and PeaceWiseKids has adapted these adult concepts to be taught through what’s called the “peacemaking pizza”. The adults are taught “7 A’s of confession”, and PeaceWiseKids teaches the “5 A’s of apology”. The “4 promises of forgiveness” are the “4 choices of forgiving”, and the “PAUSE principle” within PeaceWiseKids is reframed for primary school courses as the “PAWS principle” (with suitable paw print graphics!). Children are taught the principles of how selfish desires drive us to harmful behaviour—these are our “roadblocks to peace” and there is no watering down of sin’s devastating

effects. Also, PeaceWiseKids refers to peacefaking as escaping responses, whilst peacebreaking is referred to as attack responses. Children are taught how to Make Peace, which is about discerning when and how to overlook an offence, when and how to talk with the other person or people involved, and when and how to seek appropriate help. Peacemaking terms are gaining traction in young minds and are beginning to augment the transformation of school cultures as a language for handling conflict biblically is used. Communities of peace are being advanced.

Figure 1. PeaceWiseKids tools—sample from the Year 5-6 course

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

In our Bibles, God has given us a plan for how to handle conflict well.

A snapshot of outcomes Some snapshots of student quotes follow. They depict the effectiveness of peacemaking principles and strategies (Linossier, 2019): • “When I learnt about how conflict starts in the heart it really helped me to understand how bad desires start conflict.” (Djamel, age 11) • “Now I think about consequences and peacemaking has changed my life.” (Eden, age 10) • “Conflict situations can get sorted out through God’s way of dealing with our everyday problems.” (Courtney, age 10) • “There are three choices you have in every conflict. You can escape, work it out, or attack. God wants us to work it out.” (Jessica, age 10) • “We have learnt about the 5A’s and how we should alter bad choices.” (Joshua, age 10) At a high school in Western Australia, senior staff have noted the effect PeaceWiseYouth has had in mediating conflict. One situation involved an entrenched case of bullying where a Year 9 boy was being cruel to a Year 9 girl. Following intense counselling, conflict coaching, and two one-day suspensions for reflection, the boy—without solicitation— applied peacemaking principles in astounding humility and was himself instrumental in restoring the relationship with the girl to the point that the girl responded to his full apology with a full unsolicited apology herself. The staff was amazed at the heart transformation of the male student who later committed himself to Jesus Christ. Later, one of the students involved even visited the other when they were ill and in hospital (Hayward, 2019). In another school in NSW, the school intentionally taught PeaceWise principles to its students. When a serious case of cyberbullying was discovered, rather than imposing a formal bullying policy, the boys involved (who were the ‘top of the food chain’) were asked to reflect on what they had done and what they should now do. They genuinely acknowledged their sin and repented before God, gave unqualified apologies to the boy they had been bullying (who gladly forgave them), and accepted their punishment. Moreover, they then asked for a meeting of their year group, where they confessed to all their peers as well, and asked their year group to hold them accountable for the future. They committed to hold them accountable as well. That story spread into the broader community and became an ongoing beacon, attracting new families to that school (Allen, 2012). This is heart transformation, and this is the building of a culture that witnesses Jesus to the world—what PeaceWise calls the culture of peace. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” Romans 12:18. 30

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

PeaceWiseKids and PeaceWiseYouth Biblically-based, PeaceWiseKids teaches God’s peace plan—the gospel—and how within this template is the plan He gave us for dealing well with conflict. The structure of PeaceWiseKids is modular, and all three modules need to be taught for the material to have impact in changing hearts and lives. There are 15 topics within the three modules. The modules teach autonomous yet integrated concepts: Module 1: Understanding conflict Understand God’s plan for peace with Him and others, how we typically respond to conflict negatively, and most importantly, why. Module One introduces students to the hope, nested in Jesus’ gospel of peace, for better relational outcomes, and it invites belief that this hope is real, that the theory and practice of responding better to conflict actually works, and whets appetites for learning how, which is covered in Module Two. Module 2: Responding to conflict In Module 2, students learn to take responsibility for their own part in the conflict (Matthew 7:3-5), the process for moving toward the other person, how to apologise, how to negotiate material issues, the choices of forgiving, and how and why, as Jesus followers, we must respond as peacemakers. Module 2 goes into the actual mechanics of the indispensable peacemaking tools. Module 3: Peacemakers for life Knowing why (Module 1) and knowing how (Module 2) helps set Module 3 up so students catch the vision that they can actually be peacemaking agents for change everywhere, in all aspects of their lives, for all of their life. PeaceWiseKids instils in this Module the heart of peace that will carry a new creation in Christ throughout their remaining days, inspiring others to the ends of lived gospel outcomes, through a 1 Corinthians 13:7 lovebuoyed-hope that neither fades nor fails. PeaceWiseKids always recommend that the full course is run and completed for the maximum impact and opportunity for the principles and strategies to sink deeply into the students at a heart level—that they have time not only to learn the principles, but also so they have time to apply them to the conflicts in their lives. Additionally, to support real cultural change within the school community, PeaceWise has developed a one-day “Everyday Peacemaking for Schools” training (accredited through the National Institute for Christian Education) that it runs in schools across the country. This ensures not only that the same language and concepts are embraced across the school, but also that those teaching the principles have

Peacemaking terms are gaining traction in young minds and are beginning to augment the transformation of school cultures as a language for handling conflict biblically is used.

authentically engaged with them and seen their power to heal and bring change in their own lives and relationships. PeaceWiseKids runs in two formats: a premium online version which provides premium online course content supported by detailed in-class activities. There is also a Group Presentation version that works ideally in SRE/ youth group/children’s church context. This has no online interactivity and is presented through a short teaching video plus group activities, but represents a great alternative where children don’t have personal access to a device. Each PeaceWiseKids course is mapped to the Australian Curriculum learning years (generally a two-year spread) and is complete with scope and sequence solutions. Each course is themed differently and has a different look and feel, with essentially the same underlying principles and content, but pitched pedagogically to the age groups it is targeted towards. This enables schools to take a whole-of-school approach where different ages can be studying the same themes in age-appropriate ways.

Summary Dealing with negative, broken, toxic relationships feels soul destroying, but the peacemaking principles and strategies taught in PeaceWiseKids gives hope for whole, positive, and restored relationships. PeaceWiseKids does this by writing peacemaking into the very DNA of our children by introducing them to the ultimate peacemaker, Jesus, and His gospel of peace. PeaceWiseKids is a world class, Biblebreathed, web-based resource that teaches peacemaking to kids of all ages in a fun, creative, and engaging way, so they can become peacemakers for life. This project is unique and ambitious, and PeaceWise literally cannot do this without your prayers, your conviction, your support. We know that God can change the world with PeaceWiseKids, and it is with eager expectation that we watch and act in line with the vision to grow peacemakers for life. References Allen, B. (2012) Video recorded for PeaceWise sharing stories of the impact of building a culture of peace in Hunter Christian School. Mayfield, NSW. Channel 9. (2019). 60 Minutes, [Television broadcast]. Willoughby, NSW. Hayward, S. (2019) Case studies of PeaceWiseYouth at Emmanuel Christian Community College. Girrawheen, Western Australia.

Discussion Questions • What do you see as the causes for “Bullying in schools and the dynamic of aggressive parents has become all too common.”? • How consistently are biblical principles shaping your school’s approach to peace-making and conflict resolution? • Steve speaks of the “roadblocks to peace” that bring conflict in relationships. What are some of the roadblocks to peace that are sometimes evident among Christian school staff? • Discuss contexts, or examples, in your classroom/s where the concepts of the peacemaking pizza could be helpfully embraced? • “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” Romans 12:18. Why do you think that Paul places caveats on living at peace with everyone? Are they really caveats?

Steve is PeaceWiseKids’ content and curriculum manager and school chaplain at Regent College in Perth. He is a pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church, a Christian counsellor, and co-author with wife Sarah of Shining Gift of God: A Memoir of the Life of Nathanael Marcus (2018).

PeaceWise is a national non-denominational not-forprofit ministry promoting peace and reconciliation in relationships through biblical principles and the power of Christ. PeaceWiseKids (growing peacemakers for life), comprising PeaceWiseKids for primary and PeaceWiseYouth for secondary, commenced development in 2016 and the full K-12 curriculum will be available by early 2021. Websites for more information: peacewise.org.au and peacewisekids.org

Linossier, J. (2019). Re-imagining how to equip young people to deal WELL with conflict. Slide 18 presented at the Re-imagining Practice: International Transforming Education Conference 2019. Sande, K. (2004). The peacemaker: A biblical guide to resolving personal conflict. Michigan: Baker Books.

The Christian Teachers Journal November 2019

Since starting with the Institute my idea around what I do and why I do it has changed. The courses provided me such a firm foundation.

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National Institute Graduate

I AM CHANGED Transformative Postgraduate Education Celebrating 40 years in 2019

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