The theme for this year’s state conference is Pedagogy: The Leadership of Learning. Central to the program are the PeRL resources. PeRL is an acronym for Pedagogies enabling Redemptive Learning. In essence, the resource asks whether a Christian teacher does anything different to a secular practitioner?
Teaching in a Christian School
In Christian schools, we employ Christian staff knowing that they teach out of who they are. We also encourage our staff to ensure that the content they cover in their teaching is wholesome and that they seek to make biblical connections where possible. This is the very basic entry level of what it means to teach in a Christian school.
A Biblical Worldview Approach
The next step on this journey is for schools to adopt a biblical worldview approach. CSA has released the God’s Big Story series which focuses on a creation, fall, redemption, restoration lenses. There are a number of other approaches that schools can use. Our hope is that schools adopt an approach rather than not adopt any approach at all. The adoption of a biblical worldview is the next step up from simply employing Christian staff and expecting them to teach out of who they are. It provides a framework to learning and eventually a worldview to approach society when they graduate
Explore God's Big Story Resources
A Genuine Christian Approach
Christian staff in schools and more specifically in the classroom, “walk with” students in distinct ways. This is the third step in ensuring a genuine Christian approach to what we do in a Christian school. The PeRL document outlines four distinct aspects of pedagogy (or walking along side students) these are: connection; inclusion, justice, voice.
Connection: this approach highlights that learning and knowledge acquisition is enhanced through relationship and in community.
Inclusion: this approach focuses on hospitality and invites and welcomes all participants into the teaching and learning process as co-creators of knowledge and wisdom.
Justice: this approach promotes a reflective awareness of self in relation to the world.
Voice: this approach enriches student expression and engagement through dialogue.
The concepts of connection and inclusion establishes that our schools operate as communities and that we are invitational and welcoming in our approach applies to all staff. All members of a school establish the type of community we become. The environment we create as a school is intentionally established by all participants.
The PeRL document that has been explored above ties in well with the overall CSA Architecutre approach
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