by: Chris Prior and Andrew Leslie
In the midst of the busyness of our roles at Plenty Valley Christian College, we regularly discuss what we consider to be “big picture” issues of Christian teaching. A significant portion of our time is spent working with students and their families. We earnestly desire for the students we teach not only to understand the gospel but to seek the kingdom of God themselves, to follow Christ, including at school. As we reflect on our practice, there are days when we think we are maturing in our understanding and practice as Christian teachers. We also have moments when we look at our own teaching and the practices of our school and wonder whether we are truly gospel focused. In this article, we offer a few reflections on our teaching of citizenship in year 9, particularly on our approach to teaching justice, including biblical justice.
Our Context
Plenty Valley Christian College is a growing Christian school with approximately one thousand students located on the northern suburban fringe of Melbourne, Australia. Like many other Christian schools, our promotional material includes several lofty claims regarding the education provided within our classrooms and across our various programs. We are “Christ-centered.” We state that the curriculum at Plenty Valley Christian College is taught from a Christian or biblical perspective. Additionally, like many Christian schools, we aim to equip students for Christian discipleship.
We rely on technology. Almost everything we do requires digital connectivity.
In many respects, if we were to remove the word “Christian” from our signage, our school and our classroom spaces could be described as typical of schooling in Australia. Whether our classrooms have been recently refurbished or not, it is evident that “digital devices and the media they access have moved to the center of our lives and many of our classrooms. Digital technologies and the practices associated with them therefore loom large in our cultural and educational conversations” (Smith et al. 16–17). We rely on technology. Almost everything we do requires digital connectivity. While some classrooms still have projectors, most have large smart televisions as a central feature. Students are issued a personal laptop, and almost all of our textbooks are online. Indeed, without a digital device, it can be difficult for students to participate in classroom activities.
There is undoubtedly an intentionality to our uptake of technology. It is also true that many Christian schools, like ours, have, over the past generation, mirrored the culture we are embedded in. Additionally, the COVID pandemic had a significant impact. During that time, our state government enforced a series of lockdowns. Students were not permitted to attend school, and schools were instructed to provide online learning opportunities. Today, although some secondary school classes still involve writing in notebooks, the majority of learning is now computer based. Most lessons and curriculum materials are delivered through a digital learning management system.
As teachers, we certainly see the impact of technology in the classroom, both positive and negative. Among the benefits is ease of access. Students can access their learning whether at school or at home. Work can be submitted and feedback given using the same technology. Parents can also easily monitor their children’s progress. We have also found that this approach has unintended consequences. Classrooms, at times, are seemingly more device directed than teacher directed. This is evident when students automatically open their devices upon entering a classroom. We have also found that students often turn to the internet or artificial intelligence for answers to posed questions, rather than wrestling with ideas and collaborating with others.
Classrooms, at times, are seemingly more device directed than teacher directed.
Teaching Citizenship
In our year 9 program, we emphasize citizenship, particularly justice. More accurately, across several subjects, we aim to deepen our students’ understanding of the communities in which we are embedded, the issues that affect our communities, and the diverse peoples who live in our local communities. Our ideal is to ground students’ learning in the biblical story. A significant theme across Scripture is for the people of God to adopt “a distinctive way of being and living in the world” (Watkin 137). The call for those of us who profess to follow Christ is to love the Lord with all of our hearts (Deu. 6:5; Matt. 22:37), and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matt. 22:39). A key verse we anchor learning in is Micah 6:8. Our ideal is for students to go beyond knowing about justice issues to living in ways that are consistent with God’s call to love our neighbour.
Our ideal is for students to go beyond knowing about justice issues to living in ways that are consistent with God’s call to love our neighbour.
Our teaching of citizenship begins with classroom projects. We introduce students to community issues and show them how to seek the perspectives of others, including through interviews and surveys. Students work in groups of four, exploring issues and presenting their findings to their classmates. This year, there have been many moments when we were reminded of the extent to which young people are prone to being “formed relationally and ideologically through a screen” (Burrows 37). Despite working in groups, on several occasions, we noted the students weren’t talking with each other, weren’t sitting together, and weren’t discussing the issues they were exploring. When quizzed on this, the replies were unanimous. They said they were working in groups, discussing ideas, and doing it all through online platforms. Several also balked at personally interviewing or surveying others. Again, the preference was to interact online. From our vantage point, there appears to be a growing disconnect and relational distance within certain sections of our student body.
Admittedly, like the goals of the Christian school where we teach, ours are lofty! Our ideal is for students to engage deeply with the material. We do not want them to understand topics like justice simply as concepts. Instead, we desire that they take up that intentional countercultural love of neighbor we bear witness to in Scripture (Luke 10:25–37), to seek justice and love mercy (Mic. 6:8). We know that our own actions, how we relate to the students in our care, and our own passions are essential. We also believe this requires time away from screens, time in community settings, and time listening to voices students may not otherwise hear.
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Works Cited
Burrows, Sam. “Beyond Rational Detachment Within the Digital Canopy: An Open Letter to Those Who Teach Worldview.” Reflections: Conversations on Worldview and Christian Schooling, edited by Chris Prior and Fiona Partridge, National Institute for Christian Education, 2024.
Smith, David, et al. Digital Life Together: The Challenge of Technology for Christian Schools. Eerdmans, 2020.
Watkin, Christopher. Thinking Through Creation: Genesis 1 and 2 as Tools of Cultural Critique. P&R, 2017.
Chris Prior and Andrew Leslie are both experienced Christian educators who have worked at several Christian schools. Andrew coordinates the year 9 citizenship program. Both serve in leadership roles within the secondary school of Plenty Valley Christian College. Chris also lectures on worldview with the National Institute for Christian Education.
