October 2018
Editorial
BY PAT KORNELIS, GUEST EDITOR In this issue of the CEJ, you’ll be introduced to Teaching for Transformation (TfT), a framework for the development of authentic and integral Christian learning experiences that are grounded in a transformational worldview with a focus on seeing and living out God’s story. In his book Desiring the Kingdom, James […]
Feature
An Interview with Two TfT Storytellers
The Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE), an outreach arm of the education department at Dordt College, had a wonderful opportunity in 2017 to partner with the Prairie Centre for Christian Education (PCCE) to further develop and distribute the teaching and learning framework known to many Christian educators as Teaching for Transformation (TfT). […]
Article
Deeper Learning in Christian Education: Deeper Learning into What?
BY DARRYL DEBOER AND JUSTIN COOK For good reason, when people talk about learning in schools, the conversation usually involves language of deeper learning. The idea of deeper learning can be traced back to the Hewlett Foundation and is generally aimed at ensuring “students compete globally and become engaged citizens at home” (“Deeper Learning”). Appropriately […]
Article
Listening for Echoes: Storylines in Teaching for Transformation
What’s your story? How would you answer this question if it were posed to you by a curious seatmate on an airplane? Would you tell her about your childhood, where you’ve lived, your education and job, your family? What you choose to share tells her about you, your history, your priorities. What you choose not […]
Article
Living Inside an Unfinished Story
“We live inside an unfinished story, a story that began with the Spirit of God hovering over the primordial waters at the beginning of time and which took a dramatic, climactic turn two thousand years ago when that same God became human, lived among us, and beat death once and for all. We share this […]
Article
Peering into the grade five classroom at Surrey Christian, you might be surprised to see a hub of students excitedly decorating tables, blowing up balloons, and setting up games and activities they have created. As the Syrian refugee families arrive, the excitement grows and echoes of “marhaba,” which means hello in Arabic, are heard around […]
Article
More Than a Pious Wish: Living into the Story
It is nothing but a pious wish and a grossly unwarranted hope that students trained to be passive and non-creative in school will suddenly, upon graduation, actively contribute to the formation of Christian culture. —Nicholas Wolterstorff Every parent and high school teacher prays that the years spent engaging in Christian education will have a lasting […]
Article
Early on in our implementation of Teaching for Transformation (TfT), it became apparent that the journey was as much about the transformation of teachers and staff as it was about the transformation of students. During our first morning spent together around TfT, teachers were asked to engage with this quote: “Christian schools are about the […]
Article
Act Justly: A Model for School Leadership
The adventure of grafting Teaching for Transformation (TfT) into our school culture, while intimidating, is at the heart of the work we are called to do as leaders in Christian schools. That work is summarized well in one of the commands from Micah 6:8: “Act justly.” By choosing to implement TfT, we are inviting, nurturing, […]