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From the Back Cover:
Are you ready to make changes in your Christian school? Accomplishing the Christian School Mission: Using Understanding by Design to Move Learning Forward is a book which challenges those involved in Christian schools to consider changes to better prepare students to enter and impact the world. Readers will gain insights into how:
Current brain research has revealed many things about how the brain learns that can to be put into practice in classrooms.
Christian schools can be much more mission focused than they currently are and could use the principles of Schooling by Design to accomplish this.
Understanding by Design would be an excellent framework to help shift Christian schools’ instructional programs from skills and knowledge (textbook-based) curriculum to focusing on understanding and transfer with improved curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.
Understanding by Design is a perfect platform for developing better integration of Biblical concepts in all subject areas.
The six Facets of Understanding from Understanding by Design provide a vehicle to intentionally include the development of personal characteristics that are Biblically-based and are often related to the school’s mission.
Schooling by Design is a wonderful guideline for helping Christian schools to think systemically about changes needed and for developing a three-to-five year strategic plan for improving the instructional program.
This is your opportunity to consider concrete and practical ideas for school improvement!
"Purpose in Life - Investing the treasure of time into that which will bring the most lasting results."
What motivated me to write this book? First and foremost, I believe God was prompting me to do so. I have had a blessed educational career. I have served in the majority of roles that exist within education today: teacher, department chair, assistant principal, principal, assessment director, assistant superintendent, chair of accreditation teams, adjunct professor, and educational consultant and coach. When it came time for me to retire from my last public school position, I decided that I wanted to give back to Christian education, as I learned a lot about godly leadership during my first principalship, which was in a Christian high school. Christ has been the center of most of my adult life, and I do not really believe that drinking a cup of coffee each morning and reading the newspaper is what he has called me to do in the latter part of life.
My experience with Understanding by Design began nearly twenty years ago. I have experienced the power of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s thoughtful ideas. Over this time, I personally have seen the positive impact on student learning through individual teachers; on elementary, middle, and high schools; and on whole school districts. The positive impact has occurred in traditional public schools, charter schools, and Christian schools.
Therefore, I set aside my public-school consulting work, and after a brief rest, the Lord found me a Christian school that was in need. A number of years and several Christian schools later, I came to a point where I saw a broader need within Christian education.
My hope is that this book will stimulate Christian school leaders and teachers to consider the Understanding by Design framework and Schooling by Design principles. The ideas are rooted in what current brain research is telling us about quality teaching and learning. From a Christian perspective, they transcend many of the humanistic-based ideas that exist with the public sector. They provide Christian schools with a road map, set of principles, and common language that can support Christian schools in making the necessary changes to better meet their mission and maximize their impact for God.