Courses

The course is designed to help prepare students for the challenges of teaching. In a Christian context the goal is to “make disciples wherever we may go, then teach them to observe the things that Jesus has taught.” Research is critical to the teaching process, to know how to rightly discern the word of truth, but this truth must be taught. Teaching is not to be subordinated to research, as tends to happen in most post secondary institutions in a post-modern world.

Teaching requires an understanding of students in social, emotional, physical, and intellectual dimensions; every aspect of a student’s life is integrated in the learning experience of each student. Teaching and learning take place in a physical environment that almost invariably has distractions. Curriculum must take all these factors into consideration. This course will attempt to help future teachers integrate all these elements as they prepare for their task.

Every teacher has unique individual strengths that have corresponding vulnerabilities for which there must be compensation. This course will analyse a variety of methods of instruction, learning competencies and outcomes, teacher and student roles, course design, lesson planning, and assignment design. It will take into account student diversity, social issues (such as the current sensitivity to racism and gender issues), and the use of technology. It will seek to prepare students for the task of teaching and enable them to reach their full potential as an instructor.

This is not a course on theories of education or learning. It is intended as a pragmatic guide for those whose life vocations will involve teaching in some format (for which this instructor has 50 years of experience teaching in churches, at undergraduate, and graduate levels – no exaggeration – he is old and he started young – he did not simply repeat all his mistakes for 50 years). This course will seek to guide each student in developing their own pedagogical skills.

Knowing

• Understand the roles of teacher and learner
• Understand a variety of techniques and methods in teaching to facilitate learning
• Understand effective means of evaluation for teaching success
• Understand ways accommodating the unique learning situation of each class

Being

• Become a person that can positively relate to students to facilitate learning
• Cultivate faith that students will learn from their teacher
  (The ultimate goal of Christian teaching is to strengthen faith to withstand the force of secular faith that dominates in education. Secularism is a strong delusion that leads to believing a lie.)
• Become a life-long learner equipped to help all students grow in faith and understanding

Doing

• Fides quaerens intellectum (St. Anslem: Christian thinker and Christian thinker)
• Create lessons and courses within the scope of the student’s discipline
• Develop effective evaluation tools
• Develop a personal teaching style for pedagogical success