Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Faith Integration: What Does It Really Look Like?, Paul Shotsberger

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Beginning with the excellent treatment of faith integration by Patrick Allen and Kenneth Badley (2012), based on the seminal work of Boyer (1997), this article delves into the issue of faith-learning integration on a discipline and classroom level. There are two major categories of integration that are considered: the single application, intended primarily for that day’s lesson, and focused on technical terminology or concepts; and the series that deals with larger issues beyond just those of the particular class being taught. Examples are provided for each, as well as the thought processes behind their generation. Resources are included at the …

Toward A More Loving Assessment Practice, Ellen Ballock

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

One distinguishing mark of the Christ-follower is meant to be love - for God and for neighbor. What does this mean in the context of our everyday work as teachers or teacher educators? This paper specifically explores the relevance of loving heart attitudes for assessing student work. This paper first provides a conceptual foundation to justify taking up a lens of love while looking at student work and then reports on findings from a self-study of my own assessment practice. This paper highlights the importance of moment by moment disciplined choice to look away from self and self-interest towards the …

What Is A Christian Teacher To Do With Louise Rosenblatt’S Transactional Theory Of Reading?, Andrew P. Huddleston, Dawan Coombs, Katlin Sehres, Ashley Miller

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

In this theoretical analysis, the authors explore the question, What is a Christian teacher educator to do with Louise Rosenblatt’s transactional theory of reading? They begin by outlining the primary components of Rosenblatt’s transactional theory, focusing on reading as a transaction and the efferent and aesthetic stances. Next, they discuss who they are as teacher educators and former students, how their faith backgrounds intersect with Rosenblatt’s work, and the approach they took to address areas of tension that they and other Christian educators have experienced with Rosenblatt’s theory. Finally, they conclude by discussing implications of Rosenblatt’s work for reading scripture, …

Inquiry, Identity, And Integrity In A Biblical Studies Methods Course, Philip Teeuwsen, Abigail Deelstra, Jonathan Van Santen, David Grills

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

In this study, a university professor, a high school teacher, and two teacher-candidates engage in an inquiry into the identity and integrity of the religious studies teacher. Using Charteris’s (2014) ‘epistemological shudders’ as a framework, the authors explore the experience of learning to teach Bible in Christian schools by paying attention to the ways in which their experience with the unfamiliar intersected with their taken-for-granted beliefs and perspectives. The authors believe such reflections on experience are essential in particular to teachers of the Bible in Christian schools, but also, more generally, for ongoing lifelong teacher growth. This paper offers insights …

Professional Preparation In A Caring Christian Institution: Experiences Of Holistic Change In The Lives Of Students Who Do Not Profess Christian Faith, Ruth Smith

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Many Christian tertiary educators deeply long to see holistic transformation in students' lives. This qualitative study grew out of the desire to discover whether students who are not Christ-followers, but who apply to study within an overtly Christian context, experience such change. This second of two articles investigates what specific changes respondents observed in relationship to God, Christian faith, others, and self, linking to the institutional vision of being transformational and relational, as well as when in relation to their program, and through what means any changes occurred. It also discusses recommendations from the participants on how to enable non-Christ-followers …

The Power, Structure, And Practice Of Gratitude In Education: A Demonstration Of Epistemology And Empirical Research Working Together, Jane Wilson, Rob Foster

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

A growing body of philosophical, psychological, and educational research shows that gratitude has positive effects on mood, relationships, and learning. This paper explores the power of gratitude, investigates how the ontological (inward), teleological (forward), and metaphysical (upward) structure of gratitude can enhance learning, and then highlights a research study revealing teachers’ perspectives on the impact of practicing gratitude in the classroom environment. Four themes emerged from the empirical study that support the gratitude structure: two themes relate to the impact on teachers (enhanced well-being and calm amidst stress), and two themes relate to the impact on students (enhanced classroom environment …

Letter From The Editor, Scot Headley

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

I am very pleased and quite excited to introduce this issue of the ICCTE Journal to you this spring. The ICCTE-J is completing its twelfth year of publication and this issue marks the beginning of a new era for us. During the fall of 2017, the editorial team investigated the migration of our journal site from a self-managed WordPress site to a new site, hosted on the Digital Commons, powered by bepress (https://www.bepress.com/products/digital-commons/). With the endorsement of the ICCTE Board, we have migrated the journal to this new Digital Commons site. This platform offers several advantages. It brings more stability …

Hated On Both Sides Of The Aisle: Overcoming The Tension Between Christian Foundation And Present-Day Social Advocacy, A. Gillian Stewart-Wells

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Heeding the imperative of recent social movements calling for racial justice, university educators are faced with the challenge of developing curriculum that eliminates cultural stereotypes and mobilizes students toward social action. There is an imperative (Smith, 2015) to increase Anti-Racist Pedagogy (ARP) (Ladson- Billings, 2005) and refine Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) (Gay, 2000) in our education systems, leaving university faculty and administration with the daunting task of designing curriculum that reflects both an understanding of and respect for all students’ identities. The author shares how she blends the social justice research she conducts, the education courses she teaches, and her …

Mighty Teacher Mentors, Michelle C. Hughes

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Teaching is about cultivating curiosity, fostering a love for course content, and making connections with students. Educators who serve as mentors and pass on their passions for the profession and a love for sharing their craft can thoughtfully encourage prospective teachers into the field. This article captures and links one educator’s journey with the teaching mentors that encouraged a contagious love for teaching and learning in her. The article provides encouragement and practical suggestions for educators that desire to learn from authentic mentors and pay it forward with others in the faith. The article is adapted from a chapel talk …

Encourage, Enlighten, Engage: Using The Three E’S To Build Students’ Intercultural Competence, Tolulope Noah

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This essay explores the experiences of a young female faculty member who transitions from being a K-12 classroom teacher to a teacher educator in an undergraduate program at a Christian university. She is initially apprehensive about teaching the diversity course due to fears regarding the sensitivity of the subject matter, personal competency, and classroom dynamics. However, she soon comes to embrace the opportunity she has to help build students’ intercultural competence. The essay includes practical activities and strategies that professors can use in their courses to help students grow in their intercultural competence skills. This essay is based on a …

Relearning Professionalism: From High School Teacher To University Professor, Molly Quick

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

In this narrative response to stories from the field, the author chronicles her transition from high school teacher to university professor. The transition was marked by a dissonance about what it means to be a professional in each setting. The author shares several lessons learned about the autonomy in higher education, which was at first daunting, and later a relief in her new environment.

Cultivating Inclusive Learning Communities With Careful And Caring Conjunctions, Sunshine Sullivan

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This essay was originally the invited lecture I shared at ICCTE 2016. I arrived there, prepared to share about inclusive learning communities and our responsibilities to both model and teach our emerging educators to plan, teach, and assess diverse learners with inclusive and responsive practices. But just as I had to listen to the Sabbath whisper, I could not ignore the and whisper. So I ask that as you finish reading this essay and we go our separate ways, remember that we are embodied conjunctions. We are an important part of our language system that communicates so much about our …

Honoring And Maintaining A Dual Identity, Andrew Dean Mullen

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

My father taught at a church-affiliated college as a professor of philosophy. My mother, for much of my growing-up years, was a fifth-grade public school teacher. Although I was shaped by both of these models, and attracted to each, I initially came down on the side of elementary teaching. For close to 10 years I worked, mostly happily, with upper-elementary children in both public and private settings. Professionally, at least, I seemed to have much more to talk about with my mother.

Having subsequently completed a doctorate in the history of education (including much formal and informal study of philosophy) …

Reflections On Teaching Over A Decade In A Christian Institution Of Higher Education, Sandra F. Mclendon

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

After many years in public education followed by 10 years of preparing teachers in a faith-based institution, this essay shares insights into what it means to cultivate and maintain a Christian ethic of care, toward self and others. This story of God’s faithfulness in my life is reflected outward through multiple lenses of care.

Stimulating Critical Literacy Consciousness, Kathryn S. Hastings

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This story from the field recounts how, after being an educator for over ten years, I became aware that I had been responsible for misrepresenting information to my first-grade students. This difficult realization shook me to the core, but it also became the impetus for me to learn about critical pedagogy and critical literacy. Both of these educational practices align with my faith and have been transformational to my teaching. As a result, I am able to teach my pre-service and graduate students how to instruct in more socially-just ways.

Interdependence: Being Reformed By Students With Disabilities, Melinda Eichhorn

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Throughout my career in special education, I have reconsidered my beliefs about disability. As I have transitioned from a special educator to a teacher trainer in India to an assistant professor in a Christian college, I have looked beyond limitations and deficits of my students to see individual uniqueness. In this article, I share my lived experience of people with severe special needs ministering to me in India, explore the lived experiences of other disability advocates, and describe the implications this has for my teaching at a Christian college.

Book Review: Encyclopedia Of Christian Education, Ken Badley

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Kurian, George Thomas, and Lamport, Mark A. (2015). Encyclopedia of Christian Education (3 vols). New York: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108- 8493-9 (e-book). 1665 pp. $340US

This three-volume set is truly a monumental achievement. With more than 1200 articles filling its full-size, two-column pages, it will serve as an important reference work for years to come. Some might wonder if a market still exists for such an encyclopedia when one can find so much of what it contains on the internet for free. To wonder that would be mistaken. While, yes, one can quickly find an article on Comenius in …

When Women Faculty Write: The Power Of Community In Scholarship, Eloise Hockett, Brenda Morton

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

With the variety of teaching and leading roles placed on faculty members within higher education institutions, finding time to engage in scholarship can be very challenging and often problematic. One way to support scholarship requirements, is finding likeminded colleagues who can provide encouragement and assistance in such efforts. This article describes the formation of a women’s faculty writing group at one Christian higher education institution, and how the support from within that group, helped to facilitate and increase each member’s scholarship agenda and productivity.

Spotlight: Tom Buchanan

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The ICCTE-J editorial team is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas Buchanan to the work of online journal publishing in service to the ICCTE community. Tom is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at George Fox University.

Engaging Lgbtq Issues: It’S Still Complicated, Gary F. Sehorn Dr.

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Public school administrators deal with a range of culture war conflicts on a regular basis, and LBGTQ issues are particularly challenging. When I joined my Christian university’s faculty after a long career working as an Evangelical administrator in public schools, I looked forward to shifting from experiencing these conflicts as a public-school administrator to equipping others to handle them. Instead, the challenges have become even more complicated.

Integrating Domains: My Work As A Christian Teacher Educator, Thomas D. Buchanan

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This essay on one teacher educator’s integration of faith, learning, and scholarship articulates the author’s exploration into what it means to be a Christian teacher educator who seeks to integrate the cognitive and the spiritual domains at a small private Christian university. Drawing from both educational and spiritual literature, the essay examines both the ideals and applications of one who seeks to be a teacher educator who is informed by the life and teachings of Jesus.

Letter From The Editor, Susanna Thornhill

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Nearly two years ago, the newly-formed ICCTE editorial team sat around a conference table and tried to come up with ideas for how to generate increased interest and submissions to the journal. We wanted to invite authors into a shared space of collaboration, encouragement, and sustainability. Story proved to be the vehicle; we designed a call inviting our colleagues to share stories about their experiences in the classroom that would be shorter and less formal than an average article. We imagined that this invitation might offer our colleagues a chance to reflect on the moments of education that seem most …

Breathing Deeply: Surprises Encountered On Sabbatical, Jane Wilson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

After seven years of college teaching, many tenured-track professors are granted a sabbatical for their professional enrichment to increase their scholarship and instructional quality. Though expectations vary among institutions, the first time a professor embarks on a sabbatical can be both exhilarating and unsettling. This essay describes one professor’s personal story with surprises encountered during a first sabbatical.

Building A Community Of Christ In A Mathematics Classroom, Robert Bonner

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The prevalence of mathematics anxiety and math phobia is an accepted phenomenon in our culture today (Boaler, 2013; Kimball & Smith, 2013). Multiple research studies have been conducted investigating the levels of mathematics anxiety present in both preservice and in-service elementary education teachers (Bekdemir, 2010; Mizala, Martínez, & Martínez, 2015). This article describes how the creation of a learning community within a two-course sequence of mathematics content courses for elementary teachers addressed the fears and anxieties of a cohort of prospective female teachers. The learning community was founded on three perspectives: Palmer’s (1989) community of truth, Paul’s description of the …

Letter From The Editor, Jennie A. Harrop

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

When I began preaching occasionally at my home church some years ago, I struggled at first with the ebb and flow of engagement in the eyes of those listening. I longed to flip the classroom, so to speak, or at least call on the sleepy friend in row four or the murmuring teens to my left. The head pastor assured me that some people would be shocked into staying home if I treated the sanctuary too much like a university classroom, so I restrain myself. Instead I study their responses as I speak, counting it a win when my words …

Exploring Vocation: Early Career Perspectives On Vocation In Action, Alisha Pomazon, Sarah Knudson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

As tenure-track professors at a Catholic liberal arts college, we began our academic careers four years ago with a strong desire to excel in our research and teaching. Most importantly, however, we hoped to come to a deeper understanding of how we might imbue our work in a Christian higher education context with a strong sense of purpose and connection to our beliefs. This reflection details our experience of co-developing a sense of vocation and sacramentality in ourselves and our students during the busy pre-tenure years. We discuss how religious and scholarly texts, workshop and retreat experiences, and course design …

Book Review: Grit: The Power Of Passion And Perseverance, Matthew L. Johnson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

I first stumbled across the research of Angela Duckworth after she was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2013 for her work investigating the character traits that impact the achievement of long-term goals. So, when it was announced that she would be publishing a book in 2016, I immediately pre-ordered copy so that I could dig into her insights as soon as possible. When I received my copy of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance in the mail, I was excited to crack it open… and then the self-doubt settled in. “What if, after reading the brilliant ideas of …

Letter From The Editor, Susanna Steeg

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

It is a pleasure to compose a letter to you at the outset of the 2016-2017 academic year. In composing this, my first letter as Managing Editor of ICCTE-J, I envision each of you sitting in front of a screen, scrolling through the latest journal offerings in search of new information or insight. I wonder what brief words I might offer to encourage you in the face of all we undertake to launch a new academic year and deal profitably with life’s many challenges. And I think it is this: we serve a marvelous and sovereign God who loves each …

Embodying And Modeling Healthy Self-Care In Teacher Education, Cathy E. Freytag

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

To care for others well, teachers must care for themselves in healthy and responsive ways. The “love mandate” in Scripture, says that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37-39). Far too often, Christians (particularly those in serving professions) fail to properly understand and enact healthy, God-honoring care for themselves. When teacher educators fail to model responsive self-care, they unwittingly perpetuate unhealthy messages about what it means to care well for others, and communicate to teacher candidates that doing good supersedes being well. In …

Towards More Inclusive Schools: An Application Of Hospitality In Parental Involvement, Yvette Latunde

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Parental involvement is a key factor in student success, yet schools struggle with effectively engaging diverse families in the education of school-age students. This article proposes a model of hospitality as a flexible framework for parental engagement. In this model, schools build safe and trusting environments by attending to physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual spaces for parent involvement, integrating inclusion and embrace of differences. The author examines literature on the historical and theological concepts of Christian hospitality—primarily Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Volf’s theory of exclusion and embrace, and Pohl’s reminder of hospitality as a Christian tradition—and explains how practicing hospitality …