2 November 2009

Students Encounter Bible curriculum in trials

Ringwood, Victoria
Adele Nash

The Australian Union Conference (AUC) and the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference (NZPUC) of Seventh-day Adventists have commenced trials of their new Bible curriculum, Encounter.

In 2008, AUC and NZPUC started working together to further develop a Bible curriculum to be used in both countries, for students in primary and secondary schools. The curriculum is based on a transformational planning framework developed by Lanelle Cobbin, curriculum specialist for the NZPUC.

Dr Daryl Murdoch, associate director of Adventist Schools Association (ASA), says five Adventist secondary schools have been trialling Encounter-Northpine Christian College (Qld), Lilydale Academy (Vic), Christchurch Adventist School (NZ) and Avondale High School (NSW).

"It's gathering momentum," Dr Murdoch says. "We see it as being a really powerful way to reach kids and it could revolutionise the way teachers teach the Bible. There's a strong educational focus underpinning the whole process of teaching and learning that's espoused in the units. The students who have participated in trialling Encounter units have responded well to it. The teachers involved have given positive feedback and constructive suggestions."

Julie-Anne Truscott, a teacher at Avondale High School, says, "As one of the four teachers at Avondale School currently trialling the first unit for Year 7-‘War in Heaven' by Nina Atcheson, AUC ASA secondary curriculum officer-it is almost overwhelming to witness what God can do in the lives of students through this unit.

"As a teacher, this unit is an absolute pleasure to facilitate, as it provides a great foundation with an abundance of ideas, activities and resources, and also leaves room for my own personal teaching approach. The students engage with each lesson on a personal level and demonstrate this in their spontaneous contributions to class discussions."

Writing for the curriculum commenced last year and has involved teachers. Dr Murdoch says, "Both Australian and New Zealand curriculum officers ran a series of writers' workshops, where teams of teachers came together to learn about Encounter and write units for it. We've taken what they've written to edit further for inclusion in the curriculum. We wanted to engender a strong feeling of ownership by doing this."

In 2010, these first teaching units of the Encounter curriculum with be launched. "It will probably take another four to five years to get it out in its entirety," says Dr Murdoch. "There are more than 250 units to write and produce."

Teachers at the Hidden Springs conference

Earlier this year, teachers from Australia and New Zealand met for the Hidden Springs Educational Leaders Conference. Ben Maxson was the guest speaker for the conference and Dr Murdoch says some of his work is at the heart of the Encounter program.

"Education directors in Australia and New Zealand have booked him to come back three times next year to talk about his spiritual formation model, which forms
part of the foundational structure of Encounter [and focuses on how individuals develop a relationship with God]," he says.

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