There are many books on Christian education, but few consider pedagogy with a biblical focus on formation, and a grounding in varied related disciplines. This book seeks to recapture the term pedagogy and place it at the center of the teacher's role--not as a pseudonym for other things, but as the critical foundation for the orchestration of classroom life. This is a view of pedagogy that accepts that children come to classrooms as inhabitants of multiple and varied communities. Some are known and shared with teachers, but many are not.
Children cannot be left to find their way in the world, for as they encounter competing and contradictory worlds, their hopes, dreams, and intentions are shaped. Teachers play a key role in students' formation by “shaping” classroom life, for all of life is used by God to reveal himself. The things taught, the priorities set and activities planned, the experiences structured and books shared--indeed, everything in and outside school acts upon and shapes our students. Pedagogy is the vehicle for shaping the life of the school. Learning requires more than subject content and good teaching. The central task of teachers is the development of a pedagogy that shapes “life.” This book offers challenge and guidance as teachers engage in this noble task.
