Education Commons^™

Letter From The Editor, Christina Belcher

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

With the approach of the 2014 ICCTE conference at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, ON, Canada, (we are still accepting proposals and registration), excitement tends to be a prelude to this issue. As manuscripts arrived, and were reviewed a common theme emerged for this issue. The theme probed faithful practice from a secure spiritual identity while navigating post and post-postmodern landscapes in the realm of education. Our final founding paper from reprints of the first published works following an ICCTE conference, explores this within the scope of 14 years prior. Our newer submissions build upon aspects of that discussion.

Researching The Teaching Context: Faithful Practice, Geoff Beech

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Christian teachers are called to a teaching practice that is biblically grounded or based on a biblical world and life view, but can the same imperative be applied to those wishing to conduct research in Christian education contexts? This paper considers one approach to qualitative methodologies that considers the ultimate goal of truth-seeking in research in the sciences to be a deeply religious activity. The ultimate goal of biblically grounded research is proposed as being greatest-commandment driven, and to accomplish this, an epistemological base that is holistic and relational is proposed. This epistemology moves from a biblically oriented sense of …

The Postmodern Paradox: How The Christian Scholar Has Both Declined And Thrived As A Result Of Postmodernism’S Influence In Higher Education, Patrick Otto, Lani M. Malcolm

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The Christian scholar faces an interesting paradox concerning postmodernism’s influence in higher education (Edlin, 2009). One of the key components of the modernism paradigm was the ability for humans to reason (Pells, 2007). Universities were based largely on a model in which young adults were expected to first acquire knowledge, principles, and skills, and then later apply that which was learned to their career ambitions, citizenship, or professional development (Willis, 1995). But in the 1960s and 1970s, higher education began to face increasing social pressure as the ideas of modernism associated with knowledge acquisition, power, and authority came under scrutiny …

Book Review: Heart Deep Teaching, Heekap Lee

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Teaching has been and continues to be “the most universal and appreciated role of the Christian ministry through the ages” (Nouwen, 1971, p. 10). However, the teaching in churches has not made a positive impact on the young. According to Ham and Hillard (2009, p. 31), over 60% of children who grow up in the church will leave it as young adults. Christian churches need to understand the Gospel’s call to develop human potential to the fullest through what Newton terms heart-deep teaching.

How should Christians in vocations respond to this situation? As the author of this review and …

Book Review: The Shaping Of An Effective Leader, Glen Green

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The Shaping of an Effective Leader has been fundamentally encouraging to me in the area of leadership because I have been fortunate enough to be a recipient of the leadership of the author. Serving on my dissertation committee, Gayle Beebe encouraged me to development a Christian theology of suffering. He recommended reading the works of Diogenes Allen, Lawrence Bowker, Herbert Lockyear, Henri Nouwen, as well as others. In our meetings to discuss these works, it did not take long for me to discover that I was in the presence of one of the most Christlike individuals I had ever encountered. …

Letter From The Editor, Christina Belcher

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Col. 1:17 – He [Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together (NIV).

At the time of virtually penning this letter, I am eagerly anticipating being able to meet many of you at the ICCTE conference this May 28-31 at Redeemer University College in Hamilton, Ontario. The theme of this conference is Faithful Presence and Practice,which flows from the verse cited above. Our pre-conference session with Dr. Ken Badley on writing for publication is wonderful, and I highly recommend it to you as well as the full conference session.

Non-Believing Students At A Christian Tertiary Institution: What Drew Them, What They Expected, And What They Found, Ruth Smith

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Many Christian tertiary educators share a passion to see holistic transformation in students’ lives. This qualitative study grew out of the desire to explore whether students who are not Christ-followers, but who apply to study within an overtly Christian context, experience such change. It investigated why they chose to apply, their initial expectations, the positives and challenges of their lived experiences, and self-perceptions of any holistic change. While geographical proximity appeared to be the strongest motivator, many did experience holistic change during their time of study. The most daunting challenge appeared to be the biblical critique required in assignment and …

Eating Baby Food Or Eating Meat? Student Voices On The “Everyday” Use Of Powerpoint In University Teaching, Christina Belcher, Kimberly Maich

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This research study centres on the use of PowerPoint in university classes. It poses the question: How do students perceive PowerPoint specifically and technology overall impacting their university experiences as a process for learning, as an element of social community building and as a worldview lens for examining and critiquing their world? In a qualitative ethnographic narrative, based on the work of Dorothy Smith, student voices in the everyday are heard in order to provide insider perceptions on the key question. Twenty-four volunteer participants signed consent to engage in focus groups flowing from 3, twenty-one hour face-to-face courses. These courses …

Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® [UMS®] or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data of Christian school students from six Texas schools. The Stanford-10 controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, found school type to be a statistically significant predictor for the SAT Composite score, but not for the SAT Writing score or the ACT Composite score. Although the UMS® seniors …

Exploring Spirituality In Teaching Within A Christian School Context Through Collaborative Action Research, Alaster Gibson

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This article reports on a collaborative action research project conducted in New Zealand, during 2012, exploring spirituality in teaching within a Christian school context. The experienced primary school teacher participant chose to take action around the issue of personal fear and insecurity which were believed to be hindering professional growth and relationships. Through self-directed inquiry, critical reflective journaling, Bible study, fellowship and prayer with trusted friends, the teacher experienced a renewed sense of peace and freedom in Christ. This personal transformation was believed to be influential on subsequent professional practice, assisting the teacher to become more relational, responsive and compassionate. …

Addressing Cultural Pluralism From An Evangelical Christian Perspective, Jeanette L. Hsieh, Louis B. Gallien Jr., Jillian N. Lederhouse

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The complex issues surrounding cultural pluralism are rapidly turning the public square into a battlefield that divides our country. As Charles Haynes summarized, “At issue for this nation, as for much of the world, is the simple but profound question that runs through modern experience: How will we live with our deepest differences?” (Haynes, 1994). At a time when many citizens of our diverse nation have become disillusioned with the motto e pluribus unum, the Christian higher education community deals with issues involving race, ethnicity, and gender through a variety of responses ranging from isolationism to unqualified inclusion.

Evangelical …

Iccte Spotlight: Hee Kap Lee

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

HeeKap Lee, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Azusa Pacific University. HeeKap is the book review editor in our ICCTE team. Guidelines for book review submissions are on our ICCTE.journal page.

A Visit To The Kilns: A Formative Experience For Two Christian Teacher Educators, Karen S. Buchanan, Thomas D. Buchanan

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

The C.S. Lewis Study Centre at the Kilns is located near Oxford, England in the previous home of C.S. Lewis, the highly influential 20th century Christian intellectual and apologist. Two professors, who coupled a brief stay at the Kilns with an inquiry into the life of Lewis and his writings, present insights into their work as teacher educators. Three main areas are explored. The first area is the nature of our work, including a discussion of the distinct roles associated with Christian teacher educators and the importance of professional community. Next is a discussion on the quality of our work, …

Iccte Spotlight: Josiah Philipsen

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

As a Technical Editor for ICCTE and a Project Manager at Miller Technologies, I have a passion for helping others with technology. I remember a fellow student in the third grade asking me how to fix a problem in Microsoft Word. My reaction was to click yes to everything that popped up on the screen, because that made sense to me. I ended up erasing the entire document … oops, but my passion for helping others in their technology grew with a little more skill. I enjoy tech questions and getting to meet new people. If you would like to …

Annotated Bibliography: Faith, Learning And Christian Higher Education In The Twenty-First Century, Joshua M. Avery

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.