I am very excited to announce that on November 18 CACE will be sponsoring a gathering of individuals representing schools and organizations interested in discussing ideas and sharing progress related to Deeper Learning in Christian schools. This event will be free of charge and held in Elmhurst, Illinois preceding the Strengthening Christian Schools conference on November 19 and 20.
What is Deeper Learning, what are the reasons for this movement, and how is this approach being implemented currently in Christian schools? If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about, please take a moment to read a previous blog post. If you are interested in the spread and the effectiveness of this approach, as well as the broader context, I suggest you read another previous blog post.
Who should attend? We would love to have anyone attend who has a leadership impact, whether formal or informal, on the direction of teaching and learning at your school. Whether you are just curious or already implementing aspects of Deeper Learning, we would love to have your voice at the table. We are pleased to have some exceptional leaders in this approach already committed to helping lead the conversation on November 18.
While this event is still in the planning stages, here are some of the confirmed participants/organizations:
- Steven Levy – Steven is an award winning master teacher, author, school designer, and consultant for Expeditionary Learning. Steven helps schools move from concept to implementation and is passionate about helping Christian schools implement Deeper Learning. Read more about him here.
- Rex Miller – Rex Miller is a nationally respected futurist, consultant, speaker, and author of four books. He has most recently organized and led national Mindshift gatherings of educational experts seeking solutions to education in a time of change. You can read more about Rex here.
- Peter Baldwin – as the President of AMDG Architects, Peter and his firm have worked with many faith based schools as they consider how to change or create meaningful learning spaces for 21st century learning. Peter is passionately committed to “strengthening mission through the transformation of space.” You can learn more about him here.
- Nathan Siebenga – Nathan is a high school principal who has been instrumental in not only implementing PBL at his school, but in setting up the Christian Teacher’s Academy, which offers staff development to other Christian schools in Ontario, Canada. He will be the keynote speaker for our SCS conference to follow on November 19 and 20. To read more about Nathan, click here.
- Teaching for Transformation – is an approach that is designed to help teachers provide formational learning experiences within the context of the biblical story. Doug Monsma, Director of Learning, Prairie Centre for Christian Education and/or Darryl deBoer, Director of Learning, Surrey Christian School will share how they have helped schools implement this approach. Here is a recent training poster than more fully explains their work.
- Joshua Expeditions and Edu-Deo – are both organizations reaching out to the world in the name of Christ. Joshua Expeditions provides opportunities to explore their gifts through global service and Edu-Deo promotes sustainable Christian schools around the world by partnering with school associations and organization.
We look forward to this rich day of listening, learning, connecting, and growing! This event is free and lunch will be provided. To register for this day, please do so by clicking here. If you have questions please feel free to get in touch with me at danbeerens@gmail.com.
