JAE Summer 2016

Teaching is more than just a paycheck. Slogans such as this are popular in the secular world of education, yet for Christian teachers it goes even deeper.

The Journal of Adventist Education June 30, 2016

Teaching is more than just a paycheck. Slogans such as this are popular in the secular world of education, yet for Christian teachers it goes even deeper. As Faith-Ann McGarrell summarizes in her editorial titled Whole-Souled and Large Hearted, “Teaching, then, is a sacred act. It is not just about completing lesson plans, grading student work, or supervising students in various activities; it is more than maintaining one’s standing in a given community or enjoying the perks of the profession; instead, it is living in the present and simultaneously, the future. It involves guarding the condition of soul for it has a marked impact on the lives of those within the teacher’s care.” Additional articles in Volume 78, Issue 5 of the Journal of Adventist Education include:

The Christian Teacher in Secular Society – The Challenge of Becoming, Being, and Living by J. Wesley Taylor V
Christian teachers should focus on three factors: having a foundational biblical paradigm, living their Christianity both in and out of the classroom, and reaching out to those influenced by the secular world view. The article discusses key elements of each of these factors and provides a wide variety of additional reading suggestions.

The Teacher Par Excellence: Matthew’s Jesus as a Role Model for Teachers by Laszlo Gallusz
Matthew is the gospel most focused on Jesus’s teaching ministry, as shown by the structure of the gospel and the progression of educational formation. The article discusses five specific lessons for teachers found in Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus.

The Four H Teaching Strategy: An Interactive, Multisensory Approach to Teaching Bible by Barbara Fisher
“The Four H Teaching Strategy (History, Head, Heart, and Hand) is designed to place equal emphasis on each of the four H’s, thus ensuring a balance between Bible knowledge and life-application in an interactive and modality-based learning approach.” Fisher explains how to incorporate the four H’s during lesson planning and provides descriptions and examples of each of the four aspects. A checklist for quality Bible lessons and two sample lesson plans are included.

Using Literacy Support Strategies to Enhance Reading Comprehension in Science by R. Lee Davidson and Tammy Overstreet
“This article discusses methods for helping students understand—not just memorize—the scientific concepts presented in the textbook and reinforced by the activities.” The authors explain the use of literacy techniques in the science classroom, including concept mapping, SQ3R, selective underlining, and paired use of academic word walls and quick writes.

Summer Bridge: Helping Prospective College Students Build Bridges to Success by Renard Doneskey and Jayne A. Doneskey
This article describes a summer program at Southwestern Adventist University that targets students who may not be academically prepared for college. The program focuses on academic preparation, formation of supportive friendships, and involvement in campus life. The article discusses the impact of the program on student reading and math scores, retention, grades, and need for remedial courses. It also includes implications and recommendations for Adventist institutions based on this program.

Chimpanzees, Genes, and Epigenetics: Changing Views of Inheritance by Leonard Brand and Carl Person
“It is imperative that we encourage our students to learn to critically evaluate scientific interpretations before accepting them.” Brand and Person argue that scientific discoveries are constantly being updated, so teachers should work from a biblical worldview and trust that new discoveries will modify understandings that seem to contradict the biblical account of Creation. To illustrate this point, they describe recent discoveries about regulatory DNA and the influence of environmental factors on how DNA functions and explain how these discoveries raise questions about the evolutionary theories that consider random selection to be the sole factor for evolution.

Author

CIRCLE Editor

The Curriculum and Instruction Resource Center Linking Educators (CIRCLE) helps Seventh-day Adventist educators locate the ever-expanding array of resources for the ministry of teaching. Visit CIRCLE.adventistlearningcommunity.com to find and share Adventist educational resources anytime, anywhere.

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