Abstracts for Session 1C

"Pray without Ceasing: Prayer as Posture and Pedagogical Act," Syd Hielema (Redeemer University; Dordt College)

Abstract
Prayer is both a way of being Coram Deo and a specific act of worship.  What implications does the intersection of these two understandings of prayer have for teaching, learning and Christian practice?  First, it defines the posture of the teacher vis-à-vis the students and the curriculum.  Second, it shapes the character of the community which is formed in the classroom.  Third, this intersection weaves through the community’s engagement with the curricular material.  Finally, it liberates prayer to function as a pedagogical act, thereby adding a uniquely irreducible dimension to teaching and learning as prayer so understood and practiced transforms the epistemological framework at play in the classroom.     

"Can I Get a Witness? The Writing Portfolio as a Religious Narrative: Confession, Conversation, and Discipleship for (Almost) Every Classroom," Joel Boehner, Timothy Erdel, & Robby Prenkert (Bethel College)

Abstract
The writing portfolio is a common assignment in first-year composition courses.  While we enthusiastically endorse the portfolio as an assignment in traditional first-year composition courses, we would suggest that the portfolio can serve as a framing device for (almost) any course.  In our experience, the writing portfolio mirrors and sometimes even becomes a transformational religious narrative.  Similarly, confession, conversion, and discipleship emerge so frequently in student writing that they almost seem like natural entailments of course portfolios. How far should this powerful framing device be pressed?  How widely should it be used in the Christian Liberal Arts context? 

"Integration of Neuroplasticity and the Spiritual Disciplines and Implications for the Practice of Teaching," Laura Barwegen (Wheaton College)

Abstract
Current research in neuroplasticity demonstrates that our brains physically change throughout the course of our lives.  Concurrently, the literature of the spiritual disciplines describes Christian practices whose aim is to draw us into a deeper relationship with Christ, transforming us into His likeness.  This session will (1) define and describe current research on neuroplasticity; (2) identify ways that the spiritual disciplines interact with neuroplasticity and bring about transformation both spiritually and biologically; and (3) discuss how this interaction influences our role as Christian teachers in addition to recommending ways to bring the practice of spiritual disciplines into a secular classroom sans proselytizing. 

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Abstracts for Session 2A

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