Worldviews and Educational Practice

Worldviews give rise to cultural practices across all areas of life, including education. Educational practices are never neutral. They are always grounded in and shaped by beliefs, commitments, assumptions, and perspectives which rise out of trusted accounts of the meaning and purpose of life. For Christian educators, the Scriptures are uniquely authoritative in this regard, however they are never read, or adhered to in isolation. They must be interpreted well within educational communities and contexts which are deeply engaged with and challenged by alternative mainstream cultural narratives and practices. This course seeks to equip educators for the task of educating out of a deep immersion in the Scriptures as well as an incisive engagement with our cultural times and places.

Awards offering Worldviews and Educational Practice

This unit is offered as a part of the following awards:

• Graduate Certificate in Education*
• Graduate Certificate in Education (Leadership)*
• Master of Education*
• Master of Education (Leadership)*

Unit Content

Outcomes

1. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of worldview assumptions and their implications on life and educational practice.
2. Critically analyse and appraise the harmonies and tensions between a biblically informed worldview and current cultural narratives.
3. Articulate a clear understanding of a biblically-informed worldview and its impact on theory and practice in education.
4. Apply worldview analysis to the critical evaluation of educational policies and practices.
5. Critically reflect on the formative nature of cultural stories, liturgies, and practices in life and education.

Subject Content

1. Living for Christ in a disenchanted age
2. Educational assumptions?
3. A vision of the heart
4. You might not love what you think
5. The Bible and a Christian worldview
6. Are we just people of our times?
7. Worldview and curriculum
8. A Bible-shaped worldview and its impact on Christian living

This course may be offered in the following formats

• Face-to-Face
• Distance/ Global Online
• Intensive

Please consult your course prospectus or enquire about how and when this course will be offered next at Alphacrucis University College.

Assessment Methods

• Critical Reflection (10%)
• Essay (40%)
• Critical Analysis (50%)

Prescribed Text

Goheen, M. W., & Bartholomew, C. G. (2008). Living at the crossroads: An Introduction to Christian worldview. Baker Academic.