Echoes of Easter
I have been blessed by moments of pause and reflection, ‘I wonder’ opportunities, as I have read Jim McKenzie’s devotionals during this past season of Lent and in particular throughout Holy Week.
Teaching for Transformation Comes to Edvance!
By Justin Cook | January 11th
Because of our strong relationship with the other Christian School Associations that make up Christian Schools Canada, many of you are familiar with the pioneering work of the Prairie Centre for Christian Education (PCCE) on Teaching for Transformation. Edvance is excited to announce its partnership with the Christian Teachers Academy and PCCE in bringing Teaching for Transformation (TfT) to Edvance affiliate schools.
Student formation and learning is at the core of any educational institution. As Christian schools, we root learning and formation within our purpose and place in God’s story. But how do we specifically accomplish this every day in our classrooms? What makes our approach to learning explicitly Christian? If you crave a comprehensive answer to this question, TfT is worth your time and consideration.
TfT roots the purpose of learning in God’s story—“See the Story, Live the Story”—and does so through three core practices:
- TfT Core Practice 01: Storyline: Rooted in a teacher’s deep hope for their students and the world, a class’s storyline helps learners to “see the Story” that they are participating. The CACE’s TfT brochure describes Storyline this way:
“Using language and imagery that connects both to the curriculum and the kingdom story, storyline ensures learners see the story that invites them to be a part of how God is making all things new. A Teaching for Transformation classroom displays artifacts and evidence of students connecting their learning to God’s story of renewal.”
- TfT Core Practice 02: Formational Learning Experiences (FLEx): Seeing the story is clearly critical, but it is only the beginning—living the story is how we play the actual parts prepared for us by God in his Kingdom. So, teachers design learning experiences that are formational and connected to the class’s storyline. With clear connections to Christian deeper learning, Through a FLEx, students engage in “real work that meets real needs for real people—opportunities to practice living the kingdom story. Students from kindergarten to grade 12 are given the opportunity to respond to God’s call to be active, restorative, and creative in God’s story of redeeming love.”
- TfT Core Practice 03: Throughlines: How do we know what faithful participation in God’s story looks like? Throughlines, like justice seeking, beauty creating, and others, explicitly name the habits of living that students will practice through the other two core practices, storyline and FLEx. You can find a more comprehensive list of possible Throughlines in the TfT brochure.
Through my past work with The Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) as a TfT School Designer, I’m thrilled to be able to support Edvance affiliate schools in their implementation of TfT. However, for any approach to learning to have lasting impact, a school needs to commit to it comprehensively: both school-wide and with a multi-year implementation strategy.
Edvance and the Christian Teacher Academy is ready to support you in your TfT journey. Come to an entry event to hear more about the TfT approach and explore a proposed roll-out plan for schools wishing to pursue TfT in 2021.
This info session will be held January 15, 2021 @ 10:00am (online). For the link to join, please check the January issue of Edvance Notice, or contact info@edvance.ca.