Volume 13 Issue 1

In her recent book, aptly named As Light Lingers: Basking in the Word of God, Nina Atcheson follows many other Christian authors in tackling the topic of how to study the Bible. Atcheson has written this book in a refreshingly honest and sensitive manner. There are many books on how to study the Bible, but I found a number of features set this book apart.

An Avondale lecturer’s third and final book in a series telling the story of a boy and the challenge of adolescence launched recently.

Nina Atcheson is the Adventist Identity Officer for Adventist Schools Australia. But she is also a writer and now published author. In the lead up to the launch of As Light Lingers, she answers questions from Nathan Brown about her new book and how spending time with the Bible can change our lives.

This book by an Avondale academic revealing the Anzac’s deep but concealed interest in spirituality is world-ranking research, says the historian who launched it.

Optimising student learning is an important goal of Christian education. It is suggested the strongest contribution teachers can make to improving student learning is to adopt a research-evidence based teaching system (The Gonski 2.0 Review, cited in Ballantyne, 2018a). In particular: Pedagogical practices must be contemporary and evidence-based, and teachers must have the resources and expertise to update their methods to those practices proven effective by current research. … Crucially, schools need to help teachers seize any opportunity to work collaboratively and review their own teaching practices.

It couldn’t have been more idyllic. A large red-brick, country cottage quietly tucked away on the edge of the woods – blue sky–white clouds– moss green grass, and great friends. A writer’s retreat: a rest from the rest of our busy lives. I have defected from my family, found a community and completely ignored housework! The Huffington Post and I agree. I found that I had followed their advice before I even knew about it. Writing is work. Yes, writing is work. I always knew this but wasn’t really committed to it as one should be with real work.

Ancient Egypt still casts a binding spell over all who encounter it. Its scale is epic both physically and metaphysically. Buried beneath millennia of sand’s time its mysterious allure has drawn men like Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon deep into its heart. Much is now known about this ancient civilisation, its might, renown, culture, science and devotion to gods both fearsome and unpredictable. Yet there is an important understanding-void yet to be filled.

Working for the wellbeing of indigenous students can be challenging, especially when a difficult home or school situation rouses them emotionally to the extent that it impacts their capacity to engage in learning and/or appropriate social behaviour.

The Context It is Tuesday afternoon at Prescott College, a Seventh-day Adventist high school in an inner suburb of Adelaide. Students and teachers are packing up their books, pens, computers and folders. But next, some are gathering garden tools, others are setting up a puppet theatre and still others are tuning up musical instruments. Students and teachers are all engaged in purposeful activity. It is service learning time, a program that fosters wellbeing for both students and staff.

It is a typical classroom in an Australian primary school. The children are not at their desks. They are lying on the floor with their eyes closed. Their teacher is guiding them through a mindfulness exercise. This is a trend that is growing in popularity as schools search out ways to address the mental health issues that are increasingly impacting the lives of Australian children in negative ways.