Education Chief Calls on Teachers to Think
By Mrs Jennifer Spies
Posted on 20 April 2009
The CEO of the Anglican Education Commission has called on Christian teachers to think and teach Christianly. Dr Bryan Cowling was delivering the occasional address to teachers graduating with Masters degrees and diplomas from the College of Christian Higher Education. Over forty graduands from Southland College and the National Institute of Christian Education were awarded Bachelor of Education (conversion), Graduate Diploma in Education, and Master of Education.
In his address Dr Cowling addressed the questions of why fewer Christian teachers seem to be participating voluntarily in rigorous professional learning which engages the Christian faith with educational practice and why there was a paucity of Christian academics in education in Australia. He acknowledged that many teachers were finding that the day to day task of teaching was absorbing more and more of their time and energy. Despite the efforts of the NSW Institute of Teachers to enhance the accreditation for teachers, on-going professional learning was still not part of the culture. He also suggested that the mantra of the Government that the primary purpose of education is to enhance national productivity was sapping the soul of a liberal argument and contributing to the disinterest of many teachers in furthering their education.
But for Christians the problem is much deeper. Jesus commanded those who would follow him to love God with all of their heart, with all of their soul and with all of their mind. To quote Os Guinness, failure to love the Lord with all of our mind is both a scandal and a sin. It is, to be blunt, disobedience. If we shut our minds to the exploration of truth, in education, as in any other area, we are falling short of what God expects of us.
Dr Cowling called on the graduates to use their minds Christianly. He explained that to think Christianly involved thinking by Christians about anything and everything in a consistently Christian way and in a manner that is shaped and directed by the truth of God’s Word and God’s Spirit.
He challenged the new graduates to apply their minds Christianly to at least one significant issue in their work place – immediately – and to nudge, encourage, facilitate two other teaching colleagues to embark on disciplined further learning about the interface between Christian faith and their educational practice – and to repeat this with another two colleagues for each of the four successive years.
The more Christian teachers whose minds are being renewed (Romans 12) the more likely that education within this city will be transformed.
If you would like a transcript of Dr Cowling's address, Contact Us.
