Teaching and Learning Conference
Transcarpathia Ukraine
March 2003

Led by Ron Sjoerdsma and Bob Keeley,
Professors of Education, Calvin College

How do Education professors spend their spring break? Two of them spent their time teaching. In March, Professors Ron Sjoerdsma (on the right) and Robert Keeley gave a two-day seminar on teaching and learning for a group of Christian High School teachers from the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine.

This trip came about as a result of a relationship that Ron Sjoerdsma developed with George and Sarah DeVuyst, missionaries with CRC World Missions. George and Sarah live in Munkacs, Ukraine. In this part of Ukraine, which was once part of Hungary, there was a long history of Reformed Christian schools. Under Soviet rule, however, the schools and churches were closed. Within the past twelve years, since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the schools and churches are once again open and worshipping and educating, much as they did before. The DeVuysts work in these communities doing outreach and leadership training in the Ukraine. In spring 2002 they started talking with Ron Sjoerdsma about assisting with a Christian Worldview conference for Christian high school teachers in Transcarpathia sponsored by Worldwide Christian Schools. In July Ron and his wife traveled to Ukraine, and Ron lectured at the conference. Because those lectures just scratched the surface of a Christian worldview of teaching and learning, he was encouraged to come back to expand on his initial lectures.

After several selections and cancellations a March date finalized, and Ron invited his colleague Bob Keeley to go with him. Together they prepared a two-day workshop that focused on developmental theories and differentiating instruction for students – a concept that isn’t common in Ukrainian schools. On March 18 the two professors left for Budapest and, after doing a bit of sightseeing, took the drive to Ukraine. After getting across the border without incident, (something that one does not take for granted in that region), they made their way to Nagydobrony Academy where approximately 40 Ukrainian teachers squeezed into a classroom to listen and interact with the two Calvin professors.

 
There were many challenges teaching in this environment. Neither Sjoerdsma nor Keeley speak Hungarian and only a few of the teachers speak English so all the instruction was done through an interpreter. The classroom was not really big enough to fit all the people who attended the first session so people were shoulder to shoulder, filling every nook and cranny of this classroom, which was first built in 1810. Another challenge was the temperature – by Saturday morning, the time of the 3rd session, the temperature had dipped to 18°F. The classroom had little heat and the nearby church, where 7AM devotions were held, had none at all. Nonetheless, the people came to the sessions and sat through 6 hours of instruction. Afterwards the teachers asked if the Calvin instructors could come back again, perhaps as often as twice a year, to continue talking about teaching with them. While no plans have yet been made for a follow-up session, both professors are excited about the prospect of moving further with these teachers and helping them gain a vision of what is possible in their classrooms.
See more pictures