Making a difference

Editor’s new book adds to series about revealing Jesus in learning spaces

How would you help a student with a disability feel like they belonged in an abled-bodied classroom? The answer appears in a new Avondale Academic Press book described as connecting research “to our being rather than just our doing, to our moral purpose as Christian educators.”

Revealing Jesus in the Learning Environment: Making a World of Difference reflects the “creativity that abounds in the way teachers reveal Jesus to their students,” says Beverly Christian, head of the School of Education and Science who co-edited the “eclectic” book with colleague Associate Professor Peter Kilgour. The compilation features a range of academics from Avondale and other tertiary institutions “writing about revealing Jesus through history, theory and reflective practice, about revealing Jesus in the classroom, and about preparing graduates to reveal Jesus in the workplace.”

The tertiary educator who wrote the chapter about creating hospitable inclusion classrooms suggests teachers:

• Build a sense of community and social acceptance by, for example, allowing the student with a disability to serve as a “host” to their peers or “guests”;
• Embrace diversity by asking their students to research people with disabilities who have contributed significantly to society;
• Tailor instruction for a range of learner needs, not just the needs of the student with a disability, and;
• Build collaborative relationships with co-teachers, teacher aides and families.

Dr Elizabeth Belcastro from Geneva College (Pennsylvania, USA) submitted her paper with encouragement from Dr Marion Shields, who she met at an academic conference. “As soon as I read the paper, I thought, Wow. It’s perfect for the book,” says the Avondale alumna, who is also the author of a chapter in the section about special education. “So, I sent it to Peter and Bev who were pleased to receive a piece of tailor-made content.”

Revealing Jesus in the Learning Environment: Making a World of Difference is the second book published by the Christian Education Research Centre and a second editorial collaboration for Peter and Bev. “If somebody had told me during my 30 years of being a secondary maths teacher that I would have anything to do with a book later in life, I would have laughed at them,” says Peter, the new Dean (Research).

The book launched on the first day (February 2) of Avondale University College’s annual staff professional development. “It’s a testament not only to your go-to attitude but also your deep spirituality,” said Associate Professor Carolyn Rickett in her last official role as Associate Dean (Research). Connecting research “to our being rather than just our doing, to our moral purpose as Christian educators,” is important, she added. In his blessing, Dr David McClintock, the education director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, prayed that the research would continue to “impact lives for you, God.”

Revealing Jesus is now a series, with the publication last year of Experiences of Christian Educators and the planned release next year of Evidence and Impact. Bev encourages educators in all learning environments—early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary—to read the books because “being a Christian teacher is not only an awesome responsibility but also an awesome privilege.”