Revealing Jesus in the Learning Environment: Experiences of Christian Educators

Abstract

Since I started my Christian teaching career in 1979, there has been continual discussion about the integration of faith and learning. There has been endless professional development and many books and papers written. It has been included in accreditation requirements and curriculum directors in systems offices have actively worked to have it put into curriculum documentation. After having worked at all levels in Christian education from teaching to administration and now at tertiary level, I am still not sure what integration of faith and learning means. In fact, if I were to ask most of my colleagues, I believe they would say similar things. They would be able to give an academic answer, but would they have any agreement on how it looks in practice? Bev Christian and I talked about this and came up with the conclusion that a better, more modern, more understandable, and more pragmatic approach, is that the objective of every Christian teacher is to reveal Jesus to students. This can be done in whatever way suits the teacher. Bev and I decided that we would like to edit a wide-ranging book filled with chapters that capture different styles and methods of teachers at any level from school to university and how they show Jesus to the students in any learning environment – whether it be the classroom, the lecture theatre, the workshop, the studio, or outdoor. Consequently, we have been able to assemble a fascinating and diverse collection of chapters contributed by authors from three different Christian institutions. They reflect the diversity Bev and I were hoping for and will demonstrate to the reader the freedom a Christian teacher has in showing Jesus to the students. You will read variety that covers elements of multiple learning environments such as: special needs classrooms, dealing with trauma in practice, school climate and bullying, seeing Jesus in Revelation, Jesus in assessment, experiences of Jesus as reported by students, the woman at the well, and Christian classroom relationships. As you read these works, we are hoping that as educators, your lamps will be lit and you will be excited to experiment with new ways to use your own skills and imagination in revealing Jesus in the learning environment. [Book Foreword].