Bible-Shaped Teaching

by John Shortt, David I. Smith (Foreword)

The Bible can and should be an environment in which we live and move and have our being, an environment in which we are shaped by God in different and interrelated ways. As with aspects of our physical environment, we may have never noticed many elements of this spiritual environment before or may have only the vaguest sense of their influence. While we may be more familiar with certain elements, we may not realize the full extent of their influence or be too preoccupied to see how they relate to form the larger whole of how we are shaped. This book looks one-by-one at several ways in which the Bible's environment influences us as people and, in particular, shapes our beliefs, attitudes, and practices as teachers in the classroom. It is concerned with helping readers to be, at one and the same time, faithful to our common calling as educators and faithful to the Scriptures as Christians.

Genres: Education

92 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2014

Reviews

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great summary of the thinking and work of a wise Christian educator. John Shortt has walked the talk and here challenges us to do the same. The value of the Bible in training our thinking about education, our practice of education and who we are as educators remains as fresh today as when he wrote it. The great need is for Christian educators to work at putting this into practice.
I loved his metaphor of teaching as helping students look through different windows at the world and so to discover it’s different aspects but also it’s coherence. What some have called an integrality or an integral approach. His example of the study of a ring was very helpful. A book I would commend to all Christian educators.

[Nick Diverio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short introduction to the topic but, as to be expected from its length, little detail. A great first book to read about Christian teaching, but if you've read anything else in the area it will likely just be an exercise in reminder - which has its own value, just not one which corresponds to a 5 star rating.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the summer book for staff this year, discussed at retreat on Mon. Aug 25. Decent book, short, to the point. Nothing earth-shakingly new for anyone who's gone to Calvin or Redeemer (or Dordt, Trinity, Kings...), but a good review of Christian worldview approach. Parts were interesting--made me think of a few things, esp. how the metaphors we use (like 'your word is a light on my path'--we see just the path near our feet, but not all around, big picture) really determine our understanding. Some parts were just tedious, though, so happy it wasn't a long book!