Larry D. Burton

Refocusing on the Learning in “Integration of Faith and Learning"

The purpose of this study was to assess student perceptions of the faith-learning integration process in instructional methods courses taught by a single professor. Thirty-one students were asked by the professor to complete an open-ended questionnaire at the end of their course experience. Results indicated that students in this study described or defined the integration of faith and learning in ways reflective of the content of the courses, which was teaching methods. While not all students said integration of faith and learning occurred in the classes, all students did provide examples of integrative moments. Most students described faith-learning integration in terms of teacher actions rather than student actions. Thus, it appears that these students were describing integration of faith and teaching more so than integration of faith and learning.

Curriculum Design and Children's Learning at Church.

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between curriculum design and childrens learning in church. Participants in this study included 12 six-year-old children attending two different Sabbath school classes in the same Midwestern Seventh-day Adventist church. A traditional curriculum guided instruction in Class 1. GraceLink, a new curriculum, guided instruction in Class 2. Data were collected to document childrens attitudes and growth in knowledge of a Bible story. Both classes demonstrated comparable factual and conceptual knowledge growth, although Class 2 achieved these results with fewer storytellers. Children in Class 2 demonstrated more positive attitudes toward Sabbath school and the Bible story.

Education in the Abrahamic Faith Traditions: Learning about, Learning From, and Learning with Each Other

The contemporary world is one in which international conflict at the national level often emerges from firmly held religiocultural positions and long histories of ethnic conflict. In the case of three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam these long-standing conflicts can be characterized informally as a family feud. All three religions claim the patriarch Abraham as their spiritual father and founder. All claim to worship the same monotheistic God. Throughout history conflict has often raged as each group tried to achieve the ascendency in one particular part of the world or another through the union of governmental and ecclesiastic power. What would happen, however, if educators could transcend the ambitions for power that are often evident within nations or regions where these three Abrahamic faith traditions wield political power? What would happen when educators from these three traditions met for professional conversation and discussion? Could they get along? Could they share something of value for the ‘‘others’’ in the larger group? Could they learn from each other? It has been my privilege to annual conferences sponsored by international organizations such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies. In both of these venues it has been my pleasure to interact with scholars from all three of the major Abrahamic faith traditions, as well as a colleague from the Baha’i faith, which also traces its roots back to Abraham. In all these settings, I have found my educational colleagues to be consummate professionals who engage in discussions with one another on the topics of the papers presented, enjoy social interactions with each other during scheduled conference breaks, contribute to professional

Instructional Patterns in Science An Exploratory Study

This article describes a re-analysis of a national study of instructional practices in seventh- and eighth-grade science classes. Responses from a subset (n = 81) of Christian-school teachers taken from the original study population (n = 543) was analyzed to determine what instructional practices predominated in Christian-school science classes. Results indicate the use of a variety of both teacher- and student-centered instructional approaches by science teachers in Christian schools.

Toward a Christo-Centric Perspective of Scholarship

In spring 2003 I attended the second annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (AAACS) in Chicago, USA, and attended several autobiographical presentations. AAACS members represent a broad spectrum of philosophical and theoretical traditions. I listened to political theorists, queer theorists, feminist theorists, and others. What impressed me about each of these presenters was the depth of thought their papers demonstrated and the obvious alignment between their lives, their use of language, and their curriculum scholarship. I walked away from that conference wondering if that same

Instructional Practices in Fifth-Through Eighth-Grade Science Classrooms of a Selected Seventh-Day Adventist Conference.

This investigation focused on instructional practices within fifth- through eighth-grade science classes of selected Seventh-day Adventist schools. Teachers reported regular use of discussion, student projects, and tests or quizzes. Most respondents said they did not feel prepared or had “never heard of” inquiry, the learning cycle, or constructivism. Over half the respondents felt discussion, student-projects, and hands-on laboratory work were effective instructional practices in science classrooms. Learning cycle and constructivism were described by most respondents as “not at all” effective; many respondents had “never heard of” these same two instructional approaches.

Educational Practices in Christian Schools

As I worked to bring together this issue, I was struck by an apparent coincidence when looking at the authors’ first (given) names. Each of the lead authors’ first names include some variation of the name Ann: Andrea, Ana, Deana and Anne. Rather than let this pass as a mere coincidence, I decided to investigate this shared name phenomenon. Doing a bit of looking on the Internet, I discovered that Anne is a popular name in France. In the United Kingdom and the United States, it can be spelled Ann or Anne, although at least 19 variations of the name exist. Ann, Anne, and Anna, are derived from the Hebrew name Hannah. Many of us remember Hannah in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Old Testament, as the mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel, chapter 1). Hannah and its derivatives can be traced from Hebrew, to Greek, to Latin, and through time into modern French, English, and other languages. The names are most popular in English-, French-, Dutch-, and German-speaking countries and in Scandinavia. Ann and Anne are single syllable names in English and French, while Anne is pronounced “annah” in Dutch, German, and Scandinavian languages. The meaning of Ann(e), at least on the Internet, is “grace.” However, the word “grace” itself has many meanings. As an imported word from French into English as a result of the Norman Conquest, the French translations of “grace” look very familiar to us in English. In French, it can mean “gracefulness,” “pardon,” “mercy,” “blessing,” “grace,” “favor given,” or a prayer before a meal, among many other translations (see http://www.wordreference.com/fren/grâce). The meaning of Hannah is given as “favor.” Note, “favor” is one of the meanings of “grace” listed above. The association of the name Hannah and the meaning “favor” can be seen directly from the text of 1 Samuel. At Shiloh, the high priest Eli sat by the doorpost of the Lord’s house and saw a woman moving her lips but not uttering any sounds. She looked half-crazed, and Eli assumed she was drunk at the Tabernacle. However, Hannah explained that she was praying earnestly, out of “great anguish and grief ” (1 Samuel 1: 16, NIV). Once Eli understood the depth of her faith and belief in God’s ability to answer her petitions, he told her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him” (verse 17). Upon hearing the High Priest’s support for her prayers, Hannah replied, “May your servant find favor in your eyes” (verse 18). Hannah indeed found favor in the eyes of Eli and in the eyes of God, for shortly thereafter, Samuel was born to her and Elkanah, her husband.

Adventist Perspectives on Faith Integration: Subject Index for Christ in the Classroom, Volumes 1–20

ABSTRACT This article presents a bibliography of essays focused on the integration of faith and learning (IFL) from the Christ in the Classroom collection. The contents of the first 20 (of a total of 40) volumes of this collection are organized here by subject area. An index for the remaining volumes will be published in 2018. All essays are available for free download at http://www.aiias.edu/ict/.

Can a Tomato Increase Your Productivity

How can a tomato or even a lot of tomatoes help increase an individual’s productivity? The answer lies in the Pomodoro Technique, a time management strategy developed by Francesco Cirillo while he ...

Revisiting Our Mission: What We Publish and Why

In my editorial in Issue 24(1), I raised the issue of border crossing and its necessity in contemporary social contexts. As a follow-up to that editorial, I am sharing some recent updates to the purposes and coverage of the Journal of Research on Christian Education. These changes were voted at the May 2015 JRCE Executive Board meeting. These updates and changes bring greater clarity to the mission and purpose of JRCE and to the types of research we publish.