"The primary goal of Christian education is the formation of a peculiar people - a people who desire the kingdom of God and thus undertake their vocations as an expression of that desire."
- James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom
The biblical truth that resounds in our Christian schools' curriculum is that all things in the world belong to God. The role of ICS teachers is to help reveal God's grand story in all things, seeking out and helping students to see a storyline of this grand story in their courses of study and their lives.
It is for this reason that Teaching for Transformation (TfT) was developed by the Prairie Centre for Christian Education. Teaching for Transformation is a design framework for the creation of authentic formational learning experiences rooted in a transformational worldview. These learning experiences invite, nurture, and empower teachers and students to play their part in God's story through their everyday learning.
The three core practices of Teaching for Transformation include:
1. Storyline - Within Teaching for Transformation's framework, the learning of every classroom is rooted in a compelling vision of the kingdom. The purpose of the core practice Storyline is to connect the learning and the learners to God's story. Storyline ensures learners see the story that invites them to be a part of how God is making all things new.
2. Formational Learning Experiences (FLEx) - As teachers and students are invited to see God's story, opportunities are provided for learners to live the story. In Formational Learning Experiences, learners engage in "real work that meets the real needs of real people." Through FLEx, K-12 students are given opportunities to respond to God's call to live actively, restoratively, and creatively in God's story of redeeming love. As they engage in meaningful school work - school work that is kingdom work - students are forming a compelling vision and desire to live restoratively within God's story. Students' engagement and motivation increase, as does their mastery of curricular content.
3. Throughlines - The Throughlines are discipleship habits and practices that form learners as they transform the world around them. Throughlines help students, teachers, and parents imagine what it means to be a disciple within God's story. The throughlines articulate a vision of how ICS graduates will live.
As students are provided opportunities through FLEx to engage in "real work that meets the real needs of real people", Throughlines give direction in how to engage - through God worshipping, justice seeking, beauty creating, and so on. The practice of Throughlines shapes the learning and sparks a desire within students to actively play their role in the formation of culture. Throughlines ensure the focus of the learning is beyond mere knowledge; they also shape the heart and hands. Throughlines propel students toward who they are called to be within God's story.