Can staff from across SCEA work together and achieve success?
A recent initiative involving young men from Swan Christian College and Ellenbrook Christian College may be a good demonstration of the ‘interdependence’ that SCEA schools are working towards.
Mr Lewis McKerney (Ellenbrook Christian College) and Mr Nathan Schepemaker (Swan Christian College) have taken the opportunity to present a Professional Development (PD) session which highlights the different challenges presented in each of year of secondary education for teenagers, with a single word encapsulating the learning outcomes being presented for Christian Living classes.
A example of the whiteboarding exercise provides some clarity :
Mr McKerney elaborated on why there was a need to closely define the progression needed for teachers and students in this subject:
“Christian Living can sometimes seem like a time-table filler, plugging the gaps where required. Our College Principal Mr Mike Pitman’s goal was for us to create Kindergarten to Year 12 Scope and Sequence Plan for Christian Living that seeks to match content with the stage of the student’s life. “
Mr McKerney called on his Swan buddy, Nathan Schepemaker to help out with this massive task.
Together, they carefully considered the nature of the Ellenbrook community and how this document could inform staff in teaching Christian Living in the secondary years of education. “The goal of the PD was to simply help staff share Christ with their students, regardless of the subject they are teaching. We want to encourage staff to bring Jesus into their classrooms through story.”