Graduate Certificate in Christian Schooling

Recognizing the interest among many teachers and Christian school leaders, TWU offers a Graduate Certificate in Christian School Education.  The purpose of this certificate is to provide teachers with a solid grounding in Christian approaches to education.  This certificate requires 15 hours (5 courses) of graduate level course work that helps teachers develop and apply a Biblical worldview to educational practice. It is intended particularly for practising teachers who already have a valid teaching certificate.

Course offerings in this certificate include:

NOTES:

  1. Courses preceded with an * are offered on-line during the academic year; courses marked with an # are offered as summer courses (not necessarily every year).
  2. Other acceptable summer courses are available from time to time.
  3. The 600-level courses are also part of the M.A. in Educational Leadership, and may be laddered into that program.

For more information, contact Jonathan Barkowsky, TWU Extension a 604.513.2121 ext. 3078 or by email barkowsky@twu.ca .

Course Descriptions

EDUC 514 Christian The Assessment of Students With Learning Needs - Level B Assessment (3 sem. hrs.)
Students have different levels of aptitude, different learning styles and different preferred modes of knowing.  All students are God’s creatures - including those with different learning needs, and effectively educating these children may require specialized evaluation procedures and standardized tests.  This course focuses on the understanding, administration, scoring and interpretation of “Level B” (APA) tests including tests of word reading, passage comprehension, arithmetic, spelling, and receptive vocabulary.  Throughout, the course will focus on the practical understanding and use of assessment devices and techniques.  Consideration will also be given to recent litigation issues about assessment and to reading and understanding “Level C” reports (school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, etc.).

EDUC 540 Christian Approaches on Teaching and Pedagogy (3 sem. hrs.)
The theory and practice of teaching and pedagogy as they relate to classroom practice and the enhancement of teaching Christianity.

EDUC 545 Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning (3 sem. hrs.)
Student assessment is more and more driving curriculum. The latest government IRPs have replaced “instructional strategies” with “planning for assessment.” How can we see and implement teaching, learning, and assessment holistically as part of an integrally Christian approach?

EDUC 548 Providing for Student Diversity in the Classroom (3 sem. hrs.)
An investigation of the importance of meeting the needs of diverse learners in regular classrooms, including physical, emotional/social, intellectual, cultural, moral, and religious diversities. How a biblical worldview provides a framework for teaching diverse learners. Teaching and learning strategies for learners with varied intellectual gifts, with special needs, and with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Developing and implementing differentiated learning for students with different learning styles, aptitudes, and interests.

EDUC 569 Curriculum and Pedagogy: Biblical Studies (3 sem. hrs.)
A course to deepen teachers’ knowledge of the Bible, its use in Christian schools, and how to teach Biblical/religious studies.

EDUC 621 Worldview Foundations For Schooling (3 sem. hrs.)
An introduction to two contrasting worldviews in which the believing community in the west must carry out its educational calling. The course will consist of four parts. The first will be a survey of the Biblical story in its progressive unfolding of God’s work of redemption. The second will articulate a Biblical worldview in its significance for education. The third will examine the modern/postmodern story as the cultural context in which we tackle academic leadership. Finally, the course will probe the complex issue of living in the Biblical story in the context of contemporary western culture. Attention will be given to the comprehensive demands of both stories and the resulting conflict. Participants will explore a Biblical resolution to this antithesis in the field of education.

EDUC 623 Developing Educational Programs (3 sem. hrs.)
Translating your school’s mission and external course requirements into educational programs and classroom units for Christian schools. Course content and assignments will be geared to curriculum leader responsibilities and teachers’ own classrooms.

EDUC 624 School Leadership & Supervision (3 sem. hrs.)
In this course participants will review the role of principals and other educational leaders in nurturing a healthy professional climate and sustaining teacher growth. They will develop an integrated model for continuous staff development. On the basis of the principles of Christian servant leadership and current supervision paradigms, they will consider how to supervise and evaluate school personnel. They will also scrutinize methods of staff selection, induction, and dismissal. Throughout, the focus will be on strategies for building positive school cultures.

 

The Assessment Of Students With Learning Needs – Level B