Faith in the Classroom: Christian Perspectives on Teaching and Learning

David Smith, Calvin College

June 27-July 1, 2005

Funds provided by the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning at Calvin College

Workshop Description
There has been a good deal of discussion in Christian higher education regarding the integration of faith and learning understood as the development of Christian perspectives on the disciplines. There is less extensive exploration of what it means to teach and learn in a Christian way. Can the processes of teaching and learning, as well as the content taught, be informed by faith? How is our calling as teachers affected by our faith? Does the Christian tradition offer developed answers to this question from which we can still learn in contemporary classrooms?

The goal of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for faculty to explore significant scholarly resources that can frame an understanding of our calling as Christian educators. The approach will involve close interaction with two particular sets of resources, drawing past and present into conversation. Going back to the roots of modern schooling, we will explore the educational reflections of John Amos Comenius, the 17th century Moravian thinker, on the relationship between faith and learning. His influence on modern education has been considerable, and his writings still attract international scholarly attention, yet his profound explorations of a Christian vision of teaching and learning remain unfamiliar to many in North America. Alongside Comenius we will examine various more recent attempts to articulate the calling of the Christian educator, including work from influential Christian educators such as Nicholas Wolterstorff (on pedagogy and justice), Mark Schwehn (on learning and virtue) and Parker Palmer (on the spirituality of teaching and learning).

Some reading will be assigned in preparation for the workshop. Time will also be scheduled in the afternoons during the workshop for individual study. It is recommended that participants come with particular questions that they wish to pursue during the week; there will be an informal opportunity to share progress at the close of the workshop. It is hoped that this workshop will not only enable participants to articulate more clearly the connections between faith and their own teaching, but also inform future scholarly work.

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