Equipping Teachers to Integrate Faith and Learning in the Masters of Education

Morling College’s Masters of Education program is dedicated to training teachers to integrate their faith with their teaching. Australian students typically spend at least 25 hours a week in class, which significantly influences their learning, character and worldview. A worldview encompasses how students perceive themselves, their surroundings, and their place within the broader context. The strength of a biblical worldview lies in its foundational support for understanding the education system and emphasising the importance of serious learning and critical thinking.

“Teachers can have the best prepared lesson, but does it have an impact on students’ thinking and learning? What virtually all students and teachers have in common in successful educational systems is that they take learning and thinking seriously. There is sustained self-discipline, rigour and enjoyment in the acquisition of knowledge. The Christian faith is a natural fit with this, in its pursuit of truth, knowledge and sustained, satisfying transformation.” ¹  Ken Goodlet

For the Christian educator Christ is central. This centrality means that a Biblical worldview serves as the foundation of understanding and thinking. It affirms the belief that at the centre of the universe is powerful, communicating, loving and just God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins and ascended to heaven leaving his Holy Spirit with his people. This belief shapes a Christian teacher's practice, guiding them to embody qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. The Masters of Education course encourages deep engagement with God's word, fostering personal growth as disciples.

For those teaching in Christian Schooling the opportunity to engage your  students with the truths of the biblical worldview are myriad and can vitalise your approach to teaching.

Jean Ashton writes: "As educators in Christian schools, our worldview should be integrated with curriculum and pedagogy, grounded in knowledge and understanding of God and his plan and purpose for humanity and the world. Communication with students needs to be authentic and relational, and based on genuine care and concern for their academic, social and spiritual welfare."² 

It is this skill that the Masters of Education targets. Equipping and encouraging teachers with the knowledge to engage with their students in ways which transform thinking. The goal is to create connections between curriculum and the Christian life in a natural and engaging way. What might this look like? Perhaps it is a Sports teacher engaging with students on why we find joy in sport? A Science teacher engaging with students on why we find order in the universe? A primary school teacher who is careful in their selection of reading texts? The possibilities are shaped not just by the curriculum but by the membership of the class - their interests, their questions. 

This task requires skill, creativity and critical thinking. The Masters of Education seeks to engage you with leading thinkers and experienced educators who can help you embrace an approach which is meaningful and not perceived as arbitrary by students. Trevor Cooling describes the critical realist approach. He writes 

“the critical realist approach recognises the different ways in which scriptural teaching can be interpreted on a contentious issue and prioritises a biblical approach to how we behave in the midst of ethical disputes. Above all, the critical realist pedagogy does not seek to control the students’ conclusions, whilst still acknowledging that the Bible is an authoritative source of God’s truth.” ³

Ultimately, the goal is to invite students into exploring the possibilities of a biblical worldview through engaging reasoning and critical thought. The Masters of Education will transform both educators and their classroom practices, enabling them to facilitate student transformation effectively. Learn more here.

1. Ken Goodlet, John Collier and Tony George,  Better learning : trajectories for educators in Christian schools (Barton:St Mark's NTC Publishing, 2017), 6.

2. Holding a Christian worldview by Jean Ashton in Ken Goodlet, John Collier and Tony George,  Better learning : trajectories for educators in Christian schools (Barton:St Mark's NTC Publishing, 2017), 82.

3. The Threat to Better Learning in Christian Education by Trevor Cooling Ibid, 115.