proclaiming hope, practicing discernment, working for shalom
A revision of the original 12 Affirmations by Steven Vryhof, is now available - 12 Affirmations 2.0: Christian Schooling for a Changing World. The goal of the book is to "provide fresh language to a new generation, asking it to consider again the importance and the power of...Christian schooling. ...The hope is that the book will again spark discussions that energize and improve Christian schools, that bring changes that start closing gaps between the ideal and the reality, and that make these institutions strong and effective and sustainable."

12 Affirmations 2.0 is a very accessible book. Each affirmation, a paragraph long, is followed by an exposition of the affirmation (1-2 pages), and three questions to guide discussions. The affirmations are grouped into 3 categories - Foundational Affirmations, Educational Affirmations, and Communal Affirmations.

12 Affirmations 2.0 can be used with many audiences including:
• Discussions of Christian education at the board level
• Engaging parents in understanding the goals of Christian schooling
• Orienting new teachers
• Reinvigorating current staff
• Engaging upper level high schools students in discussions about the goal of Christian education
• And more - limited only by your imagination


Obtain multiple copies and let the conversations begin.

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Commencement Address - Tonight I'll only remind you of what you've already learned, and encourage you to...

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Blogs, Wikis, & more
Spaces where learners flourish - http://ebrouwer.blogspot.com/
Young people making a difference - http://elainebrouwer.blogspot.com
Elaine's bookmarks related to educational innovation - http://www.delicious.com/elaine.brouwer
Alta Vista is an educational organization, based in Seattle, Washington, USA, that serves Christian education, locally, regionally, and globally. Our primary concern is to partner with schools, educational leaders, and teachers to help young people become faithful, visionary, competent, and compassionate disciples of Jesus.

Collaboration

Alta Vista is entering its third year of collaboration with Seattle Pacific University to develop Professional Learning Communities in Christian schools, a project funded by a Murdock Charitable Trust grant to SPU. AV is partnering with SPU to facilitate the development of learner-centered collaborative teacher teams in the seven schools currently involved and to develop materials that can be used by other schools in the future.

Learner-centered collaborative teams focus on four essential questions: What do we want our students to learn? How will we know what and how well our students are learning? How can we engage all students in relevant teaching and learning activities? How do we respond if some students don't learn or when students already know or learn quickly? As teachers and staff engage in this kind of collaboration, they take responsibility for the learning of all students, become researchers of their own practice, engage in curricular decision-making, become skilled interpreters of data of student learning, and initiators of their own professional development.

Elaine Brouwer continues to collaborate with Tim Krell, adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University, Bill de Jager and Joanne den Boer, Curriculum Directors from the Society of Christian Schools in BC, and Jeff Kiers, administrator and Drama teacher from Abbotsford Christian on a project called "Spaces Where Learners Flourish."

Our work so far has resulted in a one-hour presentation given twice at the October 2009 NWCSI/CTABC Teachers' Convention, at the SCSBC's Leadership Conference in November 2009, at the 2010 joint teachers convention with NWCSI/CTABC/ACSI in October of 2010, and at the July 2011 International Transforming Education Conference in Darwin, Australia.

Spaces Where Learners Flourish encourages us to think more carefully and broadly about learning spaces and what it means for learners to flourish within them. This multimedia presentation tells inspiring, hopeful stories of how educators across the world are responding to the rapidly changing educational arena. Spaces Where Learners Flourish is an invitation to consider the kind of innovative practices that can transform the way we equip disciples of Jesus for the 21st century.


A version of this project was presented at the 2011 NWCSI/CTABC Teachers Convention - Heard any tsunami sirens lately? Are you ready? By Bill, Elaine and Jeff. We plan to continue this collaborative work with the intent of inspiring teachers/leaders to consider what educating for discipleship looks like in the 21st century.

For more information about this project and how it might be useful to you contact Elaine Brouwer.