Habit drives education.
The heart is the source of all thoughts, feelings, actions, and foundational beliefs. In the context of the classroom, it is corporate habits that shape the hearts of students. The below 6 practices add relational color to our learning outcomes.
6 Formational Practices
Student Centered Teaching
Relational, narrative, visual, inquisitive, and experiential
Following in the example of Jesus, the best way to educate students is in the context of a intentional teacher-student relationship. Additionally, the majority of students in Middle School are visual learners and emerging research supports a narrative, visual, inquisitive, and experiential learning approach for Gen Z.
Biblical Narrative Focus
Teaching the Word, connecting stories, revealing themes
Authentic, personal understanding of Scripture comes when students are able to identify a text’s meaning and trace that from a biblical paragraph, through connecting stories, into the larger thematic messages of the Bible before application. This focus is a natural progression as the Middle School curriculum builds on the K3-5th grade storying methodology.
Word Skills
Reading the Bible with mind and heart
The most foundational framework for future spiritual growth is the ability to read God’s word, contextually understand it, and correctly apply it to one’s life. This involves both the student’s ability to walk through the basic steps of Biblical Hermeneutics as well as learning to find joy in an ever-deepening love for God’s word.
Intimacy with Jesus
Developing Habits of Grace, personally experiencing the heart of the Father
Intimacy means excavating the essentials of Christian faith, removing the clutter, and working towards ongoing closeness with God. To accomplish this, students develop strong rhythms in the essential habits of grace (reading his word, communing through prayer, and belonging to his body). These habits function as the trellises along which an authentic relationship with Jesus can grow for decades to come
Cultural Discernment
Developing a worldview and engaging with others
In a growing complex world, students must be equipped to develop the muscle of cultural discernment to identify lies, apply truth, and engage the world with Christ’s love. True discernment does not come through a Google search. Rather it takes place as students are encouraged to engage with their parents, teachers, church leaders, and older generations on key worldview topics.
True Connectivity
Engaging in authentic relationships with parents, peers, and teachers
This generation’s epidemic of loneliness is only countered by authentic, face-to-face, and mutually spiritually beneficial relationships. This type of connectivity is not the default of culture and must therefore be intentionally modeled and developed. A growing body of research informs us that sustained spiritual growth takes place with stable, secure, and spiritual relationships with parents, teachers, church leaders, peers, and mentors.
“Experiencing Jesus is found along a relational pathway with family, friends, and other people who love and experience Jesus. We are loved into loving Jesus.”
— David Kinnaman, “Faith for Exiles”
