The Teacher's Lounge Presented by Curriculum Trak: Recent Episodes
Curriculum Trak
Welcome to the Teacher's Lounge presented by Curriculum Track, a brief retreat from your daily routine to explore the latest thinking and practices from faith-based educators and instructional leaders from all over. Join us as we swap innovative ideas geared towards promoting your school's mission and we'll keep the conversation as fresh as you like your coffee.
Kelly Tuten, Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator for Virginia Academy will be presenting to us today how to build a classroom community that lasts. Kelly has 11 years of classroom experience and is now applying her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction to her Instructional Leadership role there at Virginia Academy.
And her dream is to coach others in adapting and aligning Christian curriculum frameworks within the relevant pedagogy in the current educational landscape.
What commonalities exist for those students who not only navigate young adulthood well, but thrive? Learn the intellectual challenges most prevalent on college campuses, how the Christian worldview shines in response, and which practices help the most.
Kent Ezell, founder of Faith Journey, joins the Teacher’s Lounge to discuss the value of portfolios to faith-based education, provide an overview of the Faith Journey approach, and to discuss the recent partnership formed with Curriculum Trak.
Justin Ariel Bailey works at the intersection of Christian theology, culture, and ministry. Having served as a pastor in a number of diverse settings, his work as a professor explores the ways that culture shapes the practice of Christian faith, as well as the ways that that Christian faith enables culture care. His written work has appeared in Christianity Today, The Banner, Fare Forward, and the Reformed Journal, and he is the author of two books: Reimagining Apologetics and Interpreting Your World. He is the host of the In All Things podcast.
Books:
Reimaging Apologetics:The Beauty of Faith In a Secular Age by Justin Bailey
Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s Heart by Jim and Lynne Jackson
Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology by Justin Bailey
Lifting the Veil: Imagination and the Kingdom of God by Malcolm Guite
Perhaps: Reclaiming the Space Between Doubt and Dogmatism by Joshua McNall
Culture Care: Reconnecting With Beauty for Our Common Life by Makoto Fujimura
Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto
Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts by Steve Turner
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Piranesi by Susanna Clark
The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch
We will address these FEW ideas that are the essence of teaching. When we attend to feedback, engagement, and wellbeing for each student, we are doing justice. In the session we will address techniques and mindsets for addressing each student - not some or even all. We will also ensure that this work is sustainable for educators as we also need to attend to FEW for ourselves.
Lara Aston, founder and leader of the Book Hook Schoolhouse in Houston, Tx, joins the podcast today to share what I think you will find to be an inspiring story and a aspirational approach to education. Lara’s background is in special education and preschool education. She is also a book lover, homeschool mom, and I think she also finds time to quilt from time to time. We are honored to have her visit the Teacher’s Lounge.
We are joined by C.J. Harris, president of Positive Action for Christ and Roy Faletti, VP of Customer Care for Positive Action. They join The Teacher’s Lounge for two purposes, to talk about Positive Action, a Bible curriculum publisher for churches and schools since 1969 and now shipping their products to over 60 countries around the world, but also because between them, they have several decades of experience in Bible curriculum at Positive Action and other prominent Bible publishers. So, we wanted to ask them to provide a more global look at the role of Bible curriculum in the Christian school more generally as well.
Lynn is well known to the Curriculum Trak community, currently serving as our primary trainer. She originally began using Curriculum Trak over 7 years ago when she adopted it for her own school, Saint Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona. Due to a move with her husband's job, she stepped away from the school and was looking for a flexible way to stay engaged with faith based education and ask if there's anything she could do to help us here at Curriculum Trak. And she's been providing remote training for Curriculum Trak schools just about ever since then.
She joins us to talk about another topic near and dear to her heart, meeting the needs of the diverse learners in our classroom and to share a training event that she'll be providing for Curriculum Trak users in March.
Dustin Jizmejian is Director of Conferences and Events at Summit Ministries. He has an undergraduate degree from Biola University and a Master's degree from Denver Seminary and Regent College in Vancouver Canada. While his work is operations, he spends much time teaching and mentoring the students who attend Summits two-week confrere and gap program. Dustin lives in Colorado Springs, with his wife of 15 years Ruthann, and their 5 kids, 2 puppies, 1 cat, and lots of chaos.
Mary Lou Capan of Capan Consultants and an experienced Curriculum Trak trainer helps clarify the role of the teacher when it comes to curriculum design. She also provides some insights into her upcoming Instructional Practices Cohorts.
Register for her webinar at https://support.curriculumtrak.com/support/events.cfm?view=list_view&categoryid=&month=3&year=2024#date_202431
Dr. Lisa Joyner, Chair of Christian Education for Veritas Baptist College, describes her path into special education and how she is using her experiences to equip other educators who are seeking to serve every student who comes their way.
vbc.edu
lisajoyner@vbc.edu
Serving Learning Disabled Students In Christian Schools by Debbie Irwin and Myrna Easom
Planning, Writing, and Implementing IEP's: A Christian Approach by Bunnie Loree Claxton
Dr. Lisa Joyner, Chair of Christian Education for Veritas Baptist College, describes her path into special education and how she is using her experiences to equip other educators who are seeking to serve every student who comes their way.
vbc.edu
lisajoyner@vbc.edu
Serving Learning Disabled Students In Christian Schools by Debbie Irwin and Myrna Easom
Planning, Writing, and Implementing IEP's: A Christian Approach by Bunnie Loree Claxton
Chris McKenna is a former consultant and youth ministry director and founder of Protect Young Eyes whose mission is to help families, schools, and churches create safer digital spaces. Chris joins the Teacher’s Lounge to help educators understand the current landscape of challenges facing kids and adults today.
protectyoungeyes.com
Amy Clauson, chief venture strategist at Maranatha Christian School near Minneapolis, MN joins the Teacher’s Lounge to discuss the efforts Maranatha Christian is engaging in to help faith-based educators in their region. Hear Amy describe how their strategic plan has driven them host a regional conference and how you might be part of it.
Biblical integration has been an important element of the Christian school movement. However, in order to nurture genuine growth in a Biblical worldview, we must also look at our total school and classroom environments to ensure that we’re immersing our students in the life of the Kingdom of God at every turn. Join us to learn four central teaching commitments that every Christian school teacher should make in the process of creating Biblical worldview immersive environments for students. You may be surprised at how much our pedagogical choices can impact our students’ worldview development.
Dr. Roger Erdvig serves as headmaster for a Christian school and teaches qualitative research methods to doctoral students. He is a recognized leader in the field of Biblical worldview formation and is the author of Beyond Biblical Integration: Immersing You and Your Students in a Biblical Worldview and co-author of Bring It To Life: Christian Education and the Transformative Power of Service-Learning. In the summer of 2023, Roger will be assuming the role of Director of Worldview Education at Summit Ministries in Colorado Springs, CO, where he will give his full time to equipping churches, parents, and educational institutions to nurture a Biblical worldview in the emerging generations.
Dawn Fountain, a teacher and administrator with over 20 years of both public and faith based educational experience will be our presenter today. Most recently, Dawn helped to start Northeast Christian High School. She also works to support other startup schools and promote curriculum mapping and other best practices of Christian education.
Ryan O’Dowd is creator of the Wrink.ly app, a free Scripture memory app. He joins the Teacher’s Lounge to discuss how his passion for Scripture memory, picked up in his childhood Bible quizzing days, led him into software engineering. He shares why he wants to make Scripture memory easier for students, classrooms, and even adults.
Notes:
wrink.ly
rodowd@wrink.ly
Ron Gordon, from Renew a Nation joins the Teacher’s Lounge to provide some practical insights into the pursuit of a Christian worldview in Christian education.
Julia Appleton, former English teacher, curriculum director, and yearbook advisor at the bilingual Christian school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Acadmia Los Pinares, joins the Teacher’s Lounge to talk about the realities of highly sensitive teachers and students. She adds some context to this trait found in 15 to 20% of the population and provides some research-based insights into this often misunderstood approach to life likely taken by you or teachers and students around you.
In recent years, the number of K-12 and collegiate gaming programs across the U.S. and Canada have grown exponentially, often utilizing competitive esports and gaming labs to drive enrollment and to further each institution's unique mission and goals. However, despite a growing amount of scholarship on educational gaming programs, there has been very little forthcoming practical scholarship on how religious educational institutions might integrate gaming and faith in a practical manner that is educationally well grounded, spiritually rigorous, and practical. In this presentation, Dr. Brad Hickey offers a new educational paradigm for Christian gaming programs that he calls “Gaming Coram Deo, ” a set of terms, ideas, and age-appropriate practices that trains students to engage gaming holistically and in ways that provides community, strengthens SEL skills, and inspire students to reimagine the possibilities of gaming-related spaces and industries.
Dr. Mark Witwer, former science teacher, administrator, curriculum director, Dean of Faculty, and adjunct professor of Christian Education joins the podcast to further expand on some of the articles he has shared for the Curriculum Trak blog around “Teaching Christianly.” He also shares his three non-negotiable texts for teachers in the graduate courses he teaches.
Dr. Mark Witwer, former science teacher, administrator, curriculum director, Dean of Faculty, and adjunct professor of Christian Education joins the podcast to further expand on some of the articles he has shared for the Curriculum Trak blog around “Teaching Christianly.” He also shares his three non-negotiable texts for teachers in the graduate courses he teaches.
Josh Holtcamp, principal at Whitewell Middle School with its own Holocaust memorial, and Anna Salton Eisen, daughter of Holocaust survivors and the founder of a Jewish Synagogue in Texas, share their observations and experiences related to the current events in Israel.
Stacy Kok, kindergarten teacher at Cairn Christian School in Stoney Creek, Ontario, joins The Teacher’s Lounge to talk about the joy of teaching. After teaching at a missionary school in Indonesia, Stacy met her future husband, got married, and raised four children. For the past seven years, she has returned to the classroom full-time. She is currently also a part-time student pursuing a Master’s in Educational Leadership with the Institute of Christian Studies. In this podcast, Stacy previews a blog series she is providing around the joy of teaching.
Kristen Mast shares her passion for Social Studies instruction and highlights the value Social Studies plays in the outcomes of a faith-based school. Along the way, she provides tips for making Social Studies an engaging and stimulating topic. In this conversation, she encourages teachers to find ways to make Social Studies instruction more student-centric rather than teacher-centric and provides an overview of some of the topics she will cover in an upcoming webinar for the Curriculum Trak community.
Kristen Mast currently teaches 7th-12th grade Social Studies at Avail Academy in Minneapolis, MN. She received a BA in History from Calvin University, a MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Florida Gulf Coast University, and is working toward a PhD in Educational & Organizational Leadership from Concordia University St. Paul. She has taught various grade levels and subject areas in Christian schools for the past 13 years, but her deep passion is Social Studies education. She especially enjoys modern East European history and travelling to new places.
Kellie Tuten is the curriculum and instruction coordinator for Virginia Academy, a private christian school in Ashburn, Virginia. Her classroom experience covers a wide range of junior high and high school English classes. She recently completed a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction which she is hoping will help her get even more involved in coaching others in relevant pedagogical practices, especially in faith-based education. She joins The Teacher’s Lounge to share her insights into classroom leadership and compares and contrasts leading the classroom with managing the classroom.
Dr. Lynne Little of Compass Education shares some of the core principles of classical education that any educator or school could embrace.
Dr. Mark Eckel provides insights into the “wisdom of approach” and how educators can be more intentional about meeting their students where they are in the cultural climate.
As the executive director for the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE), Dr. Tim Van Soelen invests much of his energy into helping Christian schools meet their mission while promoting high academic results. In this episode he shares some wisdom and insights for educators along with highlights of the work CACE is doing to help schools thrive into the future while meeting the needs of their students today.
Marlene Dickinson outlines the reasons schools should be more engaged in the performing arts for the sake of their students, and she highlights the resources she and her team make available through faithbasedstudentmusicals.com.
Ernie Delgado and Lauralyn Vasquez of Beyond Technology Education join the podcast to describe some of the challenges and concerns related to changes in technology and how they are seeking to serve educators in the midst of those changes. We also outline our upcoming Innovative Educators Conference held in Brea, CA, July 24-27, 2023.
After 40+ years in both public and private education, and most recently serving as the assistant superintendent for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Dr. Mark Majeski shares his view on the value of Catholic education and how the gospel lived out through faith-based educators can provide a consistent and steadying force for good in the community.
Ashton Tate wants to help make physical health a greater priority in faith-based schools. Drawing on his own personal and spiritual journey into health and in collaboration with faith-based curriculum writers, he has developed a series of curriculum resources to support any teacher in their efforts to equip their students for healthy lifestyles through their school years and beyond. Find out why he believes the focus in PE and Health class should be more about coaching students to develop healthy habits even over the delivery of content of developing game-specific skills. Ashton offers a free health devotional guide which you can access here: https://www.formcurriculum.com/devotional-guide-free-resource-edu.
Anna Salton Eisen, daughter of Holocaust survivors, author, speaker, and community leader, has made it her mission to learn about her parents’ experiences, make their accounts accessible to others, and confront hatred, bigotry, and prejudice with hope and love. In this podcast episode, Anna describes why she considers it her calling to share the stories of the Holocaust today. As you listen to Anna’s perspective on the value of sharing these authentic experiences, you can also explore the resources Anna provides to support educators at www.annasaltoneisen.com.
Dan Beerens, co-chair of Christian Deeper Learning, shares about why Christian Deeper Learning was founded and what it is seeking to do. Hear from Dan about how this initiative is an outgrowth of his over forty years seeking to strengthen Christian schools and build Kingdom Educators.
Since 2005, Echoes and Reflections, a content partner with Curriculum Trak, has been dedicated to reshaping the way teachers and students understand, process, and navigate the world through the events of the Holocaust. Jesse Tannetta, program manager, discusses how they go about that mission and the resources they offer to educators and schools.
Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, author, teacher, professor, theologian, and a long-time friend to Curriculum Trak, shares his thoughts on Christian education, faith-learning, and what it means to be a Christian educator. Mark Eckel draws from over 35 years in Christian education as a high school teacher, undergraduate and graduate professor, curriculum writer, and conference speaker to support not only Christian educators but anyone seeking to engage their culture in practical and engaging ways. In today’s conversation, he focuses primarily on the role of the Christian teacher in the Christian school classroom. Be sure to check out his wide-ranging resources at MarkEckel.com.
Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, author, teacher, professor, theologian, and a long-time friend to Curriculum Trak, shares his thoughts on Christian education, faith-learning, and what it means to be a Christian educator. Mark Eckel draws from over 35 years in Christian education as a high school teacher, undergraduate and graduate professor, curriculum writer, and conference speaker to support not only Christian educators but anyone seeking to engage their culture in practical and engaging ways. In today’s conversation, he focuses primarily on the role of the Christian teacher in the Christian school classroom. Be sure to check out his wide-ranging resources at MarkEckel.com.
Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, author, teacher, professor, theologian, and a long-time friend to Curriculum Trak, shares his thoughts on Christian education, faith-learning, and what it means to be a Christian educator. Mark Eckel draws from over 35 years in Christian education as a high school teacher, undergraduate and graduate professor, curriculum writer, and conference speaker to support not only Christian educators but anyone seeking to engage their culture in practical and engaging ways. In today’s conversation, he focuses primarily on the role of the Christian teacher in the Christian school classroom. Be sure to check out his wide-ranging resources at MarkEckel.com.
Jonathan Edmonson, product manager and administrator of the Herzog Foundation Schoolbox Platform, shares an overview of the free services the Herzog Foundation. The Herzog Foundation is providing to expand and equip Christian schools in the United States. Find out which resources may be valuable to your school and how you might support their efforts to expand Christian education.
Christina Sasso shares her insights into mapping a teacher-designed language arts curriculum. Listen to her explain why every teacher should see themselves as a curriculum designer and how a designed curriculum may better fit the needs of the student and the goals of the course. Michael and Christina discuss the connection between curriculum design and teacher efficacy. For more information related to Collective Teacher Efficacy, visit https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie/
Elizabeth Dombroski, Executive Director of All Belong Center for Inclusive Education, outlines the 40-year history of their network and how every Christ-centered school can be an inclusive school. See why she says practicing inclusion can be so impactful for every student. Find out more at www.AllBelong.org.
Dr. Renee Mungons shares her process and helpful tips and tricks for a curriculum review process. Hear her describe why she believes published textbooks is still a valuable tool for faith-based schools, unforeseen pitfalls in the review process, and why the work is just beginning when the textbooks are finally ordered. You can access her curriculum review process guide here.
Dr. Renee Mungons shares her process and helpful tips and tricks for a curriculum review process. Hear her describe why she believes published textbooks is still a valuable tool for faith-based schools, unforeseen pitfalls in the review process, and why the work is just beginning when the textbooks are finally ordered. You can access her curriculum review process guide here.
Cindy Hunter has leadership experience in both US and international (American) schools as well as Ed.S and PhD (almost) degrees in Educational Leadership. She shares her perspective on the vital role curriculum mapping plays in school leadership and her insights into developing student and teacher leaders.
Angie Parker, the latest addition to the Curriculum Trak support team, describes what it was like to leave the classroom and begin supporting Curriculum Trak schools.
Becki Goniea, Curriculum Trak Support Specialist, tells how she came to work for Curriculum Trak and what drives her to support faith-based schools. She shares some insights and encouragement for schools engaging in curriculum mapping drawn from her experiences working with hundreds of schools around the world.
Brad Dunn, Head of School at Valley Christian School, has seen an explosion in enrollments over the past two years. In this episode, he shares some of the observations he has made as a result and the steps Valley Christian School is taking to sustain that growth into the future.
Ernie Delgado started as a computer teacher over thirty years ago, and he has played a supporting role for schools and their technology infrastructure since. Ernie is the co-founder of Beyond Technology Education, a resource for equipping schools and teachers to effectively use technology in their instructional efforts. He also recently founded Funds4Solar, a company that seeks to build school and community partnerships to increase solar energy production and while raising funds and providing educational resources at the same time. In this episode, Ernie outlines this program, why he is so passionate about it, and how your school could benefit from it.
Dr. Josh Ornelas shares his insights and expertise in the area of project-based learning. He highlights how he came to explore PBL as an outgrowth of his interest in technology, the joy he finds working with his hands, and as a product of his faith. He also provides some insights and tips for teachers and schools seeking to lean into PBL while underscoring how he has seen project-based learning support the mission of the Catholic schools of which he has been part.
Lauralyn Vasquez, curriculum writer, ed tech technology expert, and current middle school Bible teacher and secondary chaplain shares her hope for schools to expand their approach to digital citizenship training. As a representative of Beyond Technology Education, Lauralyn outlines some of the components of digital citizenship often overlooked, and she provides resources faith-based educators may find helpful in their efforts.
And how do you make it happen? Dr. Renee Mungons, Curriculum and Testing Coordinator at Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, OH, where she has served for 35 years, highlights the value of curriculum mapping for teachers and administrators alike. More than just a task for accreditation purposes, Renee sees mapping as an important ongoing process for professional improvement and academic growth. She shares her tips and tricks for making curriculum mapping part of the school culture. Hint: It involves cookies!
Dean Ridder, Head of School at Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, shares the philosophy and practices that his school developed to ensure that everyone was on mission. He explains why he prefers the term “Biblical Worldview Permeation” and outlines the process whereby their Bible standards were developed and are being used as part of a comprehensive program leading to faith-formation in the teachers and students.
Kylie Nettinga, a member of FFA since high school who now applies her experience and training to launch the agricultural program at Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa, tells us why she want to promote more “agvocates” – advocates for agricultural education. She shares practical tips for launching or expanding your ag program, and highlights the benefits of agricultural education to college and career readiness.
Renee McKeone, Curriculum Director and Student Support Coordinator, and Becky Johnson, Spiritual Life Coordinator and Teacher Mentor & Coach, from Ann Arbor Christian School in Ann Arbor, MI discuss their process for implementing Faith Portfolios in their PreK-8 school. Renee first introduced this idea in the blog post Faith Journeys Made Visible and she and Becky are happy to continue sharing their story with the Curriculum Trak community. The resources Becky and Renee offer during our conversation are available in the episode show notes at CurriculumTrak.com.
Darryl DeBoer, co-creator and director of Teaching for Transformation, unpacks what Teaching for Transformation is designed to accomplish for a school. TfT is one of the fastest growing instructional models among Christian schools today. Darryl is also the K-12 Director of Learning at Surrey Christian School (Surrey, BC, Canada) and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE).
Dr. Susie Long draws from over four decades in education to highlight why she wants to promote excellence in faith-based education. Hear her share her struggles and victories and find out how your school might be able to draw from her wisdom. Check out Long Educational Consulting, LLC at https://www.longeduconllc.com/.
Lynn Cuffari visits the Teacher’s Lounge to talk about her passion for faith-based education, her experiences as a teacher and administrator in Catholic schools, and why she thinks curriculum mapping plays such an important role in the efforts of the faith-based educator. Lynn is from Tucson, Arizona, but lives part-time outside of Washington, D.C. Currently, when she isn’t nurturing her grandchildren or catching up with friends through the U.S. or in Italy, she enjoys training and mentoring Christian educators.