In June 26-30 2006, New Hope International (NHI) is undertaking a new training initiative in the Solomon Islands. At the request of the South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC) in the Solomon Islands, NHI has developed what is planned to be the first stage of a four year training cycle to equip principals and other trainers to be able to conduct a series of ten inservice training seminars to help teachers to teach from a Christian perspective.A full colour training work book has been developed for the use of the principals/trainers in teaching their staff. (pictured coming off the press recently) The work book was developed from material prepared by a team of writers from Australian Christian schools. Sufficient copies of the book have been printed to give each teacher their own copy.
A team of three lecturers, Dr David Baker, Mrs Maryanne Frisken and Rev Bob Frisken AM will conduct a five-day intensive which will train the principals/trainers to conduct the Effective Teaching Series 1 course for their teachers. This first course is entitled "Introduction to Christian Teaching" and it covers the following topics:
• What is a Christian school
• Learning in Community
• The Holy Spirit and the Teacher
• Being a Christian Teacher
• A Christian Worldview
• The Authority of the Bible
• Biblical Foundations of Education
• Students in the image of God
• Christian Classroom practice
• Teaching as Transformation
Each principal will receive a 120 page training manual and sufficient copies of the "Introduction to Christian Teaching" workbook to give to each member of their staff.
The seminar also includes a five lecture leadership training course which will help principals develop their own leadership skills. Trainers who complete the four year training will be given a certificate of Educational leadership, which NHI hopes to have credited by Australian and NZ Christian tertiary institutions to enable suitably qualified teachers from the Solomon Islands and PNG to undertake B Ed or M Ed courses of training.
The Intensive Seminar will be conducted at Kaotave Rural Training Centre in Guadalcanal. Approximately 30 participants will attend. The cost of the seminar and the training booklets has been covered by a donation by the Baptist World Aid Australia and some significant donations by schools and individuals. We praise God that this pilot program has been fully paid for.
Next year, NHI is planning, God willing to expand the course to include the 50 schools conducted by the United Church in the Solomon Islands and to take the training course to PNG to equip principals/trainers to educate teachers in the 450 or so schools conducted by the United Church in PNG, the Baptist Union of PNG and the Four Square Gospel Church in PNG and possibly other interested churches. NHI has already printed sufficient copies of the Teachers Workbook for the teachers in PNG.
The motivation for these courses is to make a difference ion the schools in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The churches want their schools to have a distinctive Christian approach. This is an amazing opportunity to influence these schools which will have a huge impact on the Solomon Islands and on PNG.
We are going to need teachers who are willing to be involved in the writing team to develop the next workbook and also people who would be prepared to be trained as lecturers in the course that has already been written. Please contact Maryanne at rfrisken@bigpond.net.au
Pleaser pray for writers and lecturers and for the funding needed to enable this next step of this most important project to happen.
