Supporting Teachers

The teaching and learning of Christian Studies is an important part of the curriculum in all Anglican schools. It is a significant contributor to the development of the Christian character of the school. It is therefore important that it be taught well, that students enjoy learning in the subject and that teachers and students alike have access to good resources.

The Anglican Education Commission is committed to supporting schools in this area.

To this end it has employed two very experienced teachers/executives as part-time mentors to assist teachers in the planning, delivery and enhancement of Christian Studies. They are Alison Wheldon and Jenni Spies whose specialties are primary and secondary schools respectively. They accept invitations to work in schools alongside teachers; to conduct workshops, to speak at staff meetings and to give presentations at school staff development days. They also conduct after school Hub Sessions to which teachers in a given geographical area have the opportunity to meet one another and share ideas and resources.

The Hub sessions are planned in consultation with school co-ordinators. Invitations are sent to the neighbouring schools and details are also posted on this website.

For teachers of Christian Studies, the 'Challenging Minds, Changing Hearts' conference to be held at The King's School in September 2010, provides a helpful network of school practitioners.

A Survey

Alison and Jenni are in the process of conducting a survey, at the request of the Commission, of all Anglican schools associated with the Commission to gather information on the teaching of Christian Studies and the needs of those who teach it in order to shape appropriate support over the next few years.

Resources

In response to requests from many teachers and chaplains, they have begun to develop two documents to support teachers in curriculum development. These documents are expected to be available early next year. The documents will be supported by resource guides. As Alison is one of the main writers of the new CEP materials for primary schools, she will also be preparing specific tips for K-6 teachers that can be referenced to the new Connect materials being rolled out over the next three years. In the publication she is preparing, Jenni will be providing some useful guidance on pedagogy for secondary teachers whose pre-service training was teaching in subjects other than Christian Studies or Religious Education.

In 2008 the Commission established a partnership with the Department of External Studies at Moore College through which the Diploma in Biblical Studies (normally delivered on one evening per week in term time at a handful of regional centres) has been customised for delivery by intensives (January and July) specifically for teachers. The customised version contains a Unit on Pedagogy for Christian Studies. The intensives mode caters well for teachers whose circumstances preclude them from attending weekly lectures.

The Commission and Moore College are exploring further delivery modes for the Diploma and other courses. Read more >>

Equipping School Libraries

Arrangements were made in 2008 for Anglican school libraries which open an account with Moore Books to secure highly recommended biblical resources for use by teachers and students. Many schools have taken up this offer and are using the Recommended Resource Lists as a basis for increasing the range and depth of their library collections.

Regular visitors to our website will find short practical articles on teaching Christian Studies. Many of these are written by current teachers while others are written by AEC staff.

Every Subject: The Integral Project

On June 22, the Commission publicly launched The Integral Project. It is based on the premise that Christ is Lord of every aspect of education (as He is of our lives) and that in a school setting that encompasses not only how and what is taught in Christian Studies, but how and what is taught and learned in every subject! Not only is Christ Lord of the curriculum, He is Lord of pastoral care, discipline, extra-curricula activities, sport, leadership and management.

For each school the entry or starting point for considering how education can be done more Christianly will be different. Through The Integral Project, schools, faculties, groups of teachers and individual teachers who would like support and encouragement to teach Christianly in an authentic fashion in subjects other than Christian Studies, should contact Alison or Jenni.

A network of school practitioners including principals, co-ordinators and teachers together with tertiary education staff has been established to promote The Integral Project. If you are interested, please Contact Us.

International Project

The Commission has joined with Dr Trevor Cooling  (Director of the Transfoming Lives Project) in Nottingham, Dr John Shortt (the European Christian Educators Association) and Professor David Smith (Director of the Kuyers Institute, Calvin College, Michigan) in an international project to develop materials for Christian teachers to use in their classrooms. This will complement and draw upon the work of teachers in our schools. The Commission representative on the writing group is Alison Wheldon whilst the Executive Director is a member of the Steering Committee.