Teaching and Christian Imagination by David I. Smith

by David I. Smith

Excellent Book

Genres: Education, Christian, Teaching, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology

Paperback

About the author

I started out as a secondary school foreign language teacher in England. I quickly became intrigued by the ways in which implicit beliefs and values shaped the materials and ways of teaching that I experienced in classrooms. That theme has become my career-long research project. Most of my books have something to do with how faith gets expressed in classrooms. I now direct a research institute focused on how Christian faith relates to education as well as being involved in teacher education at Calvin College as an education professor. I serve as senior editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education, and travel widely to work with schools and universities on faculty development. I have also been involved in shaping some online curriculum projects at http://www.whatiflearning.com and http://www.teachfastly.com.

Reviews

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate anything David Smith is involved in and he and Susan Felch have done a fine job of giving us three distinct metaphors for the task of teaching and what learning involves. Pilgrimage, gardens and buildings along with journeys, wilderness and walls all help us to think about our task as teachers differently. They all give purpose and meaning to what we do and I think this is vital for teachers. So often, we get caught up in the routines and the detail and the stresses of teaching and we need images that lift our eyes beyond these things and give us a reason to persevere. Should have read this twenty-five years ago (only published in 2016 though!).

[Matthew Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 Read: Taught an inservice at the Christian school where I teach from this book.

2016 Read: What a beautiful book! I've found, in my short teaching career, that the time between spring break and summer vacation is a difficult stretch for both teacher and student to remain imaginative and creative; it easily becomes dry, stale, and a tired march to the end. This was a timely read to stir my imagination for what the Christian classroom might look like and gave me vision for how to approach the last 5 weeks and preparing for next year. .

This is not a "how-to" manual or an attempt to impose a system or philosophy of teaching. The authors re-imagine teaching through the lens of three metaphors (pilgrimage, garden, and building) and walk with the reader as we ponder and reflect how this might change the way we think about teaching and approach the building of a syllabus, lesson plans, and instruction. I may make this an annual read over the next few years at this time of year.

If you read this book for what it is and what it seeks to be, I think any Christian teacher will glean immense benefit from this book.

[Becky Marietta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a discussion group at the university where I teach. I really enjoyed the first chapter, didn't care too much for the second, and liked the third fine. The inspiration for teaching with an eye to glorifying God was there, but the authors sometimes got a little carried away with trying to slap metaphors and lovely language on everything, so I was often distracted and forgot the purpose of the reading. Though the book was not meant to be a practical guide for teaching, it was the concrete examples that I actually enjoyed most, and there just weren't enough of those for me. I'm probably the wrong audience for the book.

[Jeremy]

Donnelly says here that this book "explores a series of key metaphors that provide alternatives to those that often govern contemporary reflection on teaching" (29–30n3).

[Raphael A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Teaching and Christian Imagination, David I. Smith and Susan M. Felch, in both content and style, offer an alternative to pragmatic and secular views of education, which are frequently dry and exhausting. But the book is also an indirect counterpoint to the, at times, over-intellectualized ‘biblical worldview movement’, for it clearly acknowledges that we need more than beliefs and techniques, but a renewed mind and imagination. Imagination here should be understood as fancy or escapism because everyone, consciously or unconsciously, holds to orienting images which shape how we view reality and education.

After a brief introduction, ‘journeys and pilgrimages’, ‘gardeners and wilderness’, ‘buildings and walls’ are explored through a theological perspective which draws on the Bible and Christian tradition. Each part is subdivided into several sections that don’t discuss these images academically, but more inspirationally. Since this is not a ‘how-to’ book, the final paragraph or two of each section is usually a set of questions, designed primarily not to be answered objectively, or even rationally, but to spark the reader's imagination of what Christian education might look like.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the summer required reading for staff, and it was actually pretty good! I generally have a really hard time staying interested in non-fiction (unless it's a good biography), but this was exceptionally well-written and quite interesting. The book is divided into 3 main parts--each looks at education using a different metaphor: a garden, a journey and a building. We're shown how people have historically used the metaphor in art, poetry, literature, etc. and prompted to envision ways this might be possible/helpful to us. We had been given a chart to use with the book, asking for our comments , specifically what resonated in each section and what presented questions for us. Well worth reading.

[Miranda Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the weary, exhausted teacher: READ THIS BOOK! It’s not a list of steps towards greatness, but rather, a vision of a classroom imbued with stunning imagery of cathedrals, gardens, and pilgrimages. Read this: you can thank me later💁🏻‍♀️

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book during my final year as a teacher. It's an incredible resource for thinking imaginatively about teaching and learning. Smith (and his co-authors) are insistent that our paradigms/stories about education significantly shape our practices in the classroom, and that thinking "Christianly" about education must begin by carefully examining the assumptions we hold about the nature of learning. Although it's primarily intended for teachers in formal academic contexts (particularly in higher education), I think many of its principles could be relevant for *anyone* who takes on the role of a teacher (e.g. parents, coaches, pastors).

It is, admittedly, a difficult book to read casually though. This final year of teaching was very demanding for me, and I had trouble giving Smith's book the attention it deserves in the few minutes I had between planning lessons and grading papers. I had ambitions to meditate on it throughout the year but ended up abandoning it about 3/4 through the book.

The fault, however, is with me--not this wonderful book! Even though I am no longer a teacher, I hope to return to this book (and finish it!) as I continue reflecting on education.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "gloriously impractical" book on teaching and learning which stirred my imagination and certainly helped me to think outside the box. It's a book I should keep nearby and nibble at from time to time, just to shake up conventional assumptions about what teaching is or what teachers do. Here I am invited to consider the learning process as a journey, a garden, or building. Within each metaphor biblical uses of these metaphors are explored. Questions are offered to consider how these metaphors might guide teachers or be incorporated into classrooms. I found the whole thing quite stimulating!

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based around metaphors of building and buildings as it explores how an educational institution can offer a Christian liberal arts education. The ideas are worth exploring with a staff or educational leadership team and discussing in the context of one's own school system and what it offers. Took a while to read as I read it in the summers and kept misplacing it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books I’ve consumed in small bites. Many times I’d read a section and have to sit back and just think a while. It casts a vision for education through three metaphors—education as a journey, a garden, and a building. These may be well-worn metaphors, but they’re presented in this book in fresh, thought-provoking, and vision-inspiring ways.