Frequently Asked Questions

What topics are coming next?

Every cluster of courses takes a specific theme within the broad scope of Christian reflection and engaged intensively with its implications for teaching and learning. This allows for more specific learning and more concrete application than can be provided by a general emphasis on “faith and learning”. Exploring a different facet of faith each year also helps keep engagement fresh. To begin with we have focused on developing courses of each kind that explore Christian Community and Hospitality. We plan to continue to broaden the range of topics to include courses on themes such as Hope, Shalom, Sin, the Image of God, Creation, and more. We will, however, be taking the time needed to thoroughly develop each topic in interaction with schools and teachers before adding it.

What is a Pathway?

We are developing each course topic in four different delivery modes, called Pathways. Our goal is to offer a richer and more holistic pattern of learning than why is typically provided by the occasional training day. The Intensive option provides everything you need to run a professional development day. The Extended option allows you to extend learning into a whole-school conversation that runs over 7 sessions during the school year. The Self-Paced course let individual teachers engage in self-directed learning and can be used by schools with new hires or teachers who missed a training session. Finally, the Graduate Credit courses offer individual study with graduate credit.

How can I combine different Pathways/course types?

While each pathway is designed to be a complete experience, you may find that combining multiple pathways or courses works best for your school. We suggest choosing a topic for a school year as a faith and learning focus and building a coherent series of contact points with the topic for your staff. For instance, you could choose to focus on practices of Christian community and start the year with a professional development day using the Intensive resources, then follow up during the year using the Extended option to sustain a school conversation on the same topic over weeks or months and ensure connection to everyday practice. You could then assign the Self-Paced resources to individuals who are leading the overall conversation, who want to go deeper, or who join the community having missed earlier training. The Self-Paced resources could also be used for a small group, such as a single department, to dig deeper together. The Graduate Credit option allows leaders or interested individuals to study the topic in more detail.

Is the course material for a given topic the same in different Pathways?

The different Pathways are designed to complement each other. Where they address the same topic there will be consistency in theme and reinforcement of core concepts, but the videos, activities, discussions, and readings will be different in each type of course.

How much time will it take me to prepare as a leader?

Each Pathway and topic for the Intensive and Extended curriculum comes with a leader guide that will help you plan the program for your school. You can see some sample materials here. Alongside all the information you need about the content, it also has support for how to structure the professional development experience and pitch it to your school. Supporting slides and handouts as well as suggestions for how to structure activities and lead participants through discussions are also provided throughout.

What if my school can’t afford to buy the resources?

We aim to make all resources available to every school that can benefit from them. The cost of many of the resources is scaled to the size of your school. We anticipate that some schools will have difficulty paying for the resources due to international location, currency exchange issues, or basic lack of funds. If this is the case, we encourage you to contact us (kuyers@calvin.edu) and let us know about your situation. We will make the materials available at low or no cost where there is need to do so.

Can I use a course more than once in my school after purchasing?

Yes! Once you have bought an Intensive or Extended course, it is yours to use as you wish within your school community. The Self-Paced course can also be revisited any number of times by the individual user. The Self-Paced and Graduate-Credit options are for individuals, and offered on a per-user basis, so each new individual user should purchase a fresh license.

Can I share my downloads with friends or with other nearby schools?

We applaud the impulse to share, but we ask that you not do this. This helps us sustain the development of these resources. When you purchase a course, that gives you a license to use the materials in your own school as often as you like. If you invite a neighboring school to your professional development day and want to use the Intensive resources with them at a live event, that’s OK. But if other schools in your area would like to use the materials for their own training at their own sites, please point them to everydaychristianteaching.com.

Who is behind these materials?

These resources were developed by the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning (www.pedagogy.net) in collaboration with the School of Education at Calvin University, a Christian liberal arts university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information, see pedagogy.net. Video materials have been created with the help of an international network of Christian teachers in various kinds of schools. The primary authors of the courses are David I. Smith and Rachael Baker, who together lead the Kuyers Institute and who between them have extensive experience working with Christian educators.

What if I want to learn but my school is not planning to use the resources?

While the Intensive and Extended pathways are designed for use by a whole school community, the Self-Guided and Graduate Credit options are suitable for use by individuals, and the Self-Guided option can also be used by a small group.

How can I help?

We are not a business, but a small research institute in the field of Christian education seeking to develop innovative and constructive resources for Christian educators. If you find value in the learning you experience through these resources, you can help simply by letting others know about them and encouraging them to purchase at everydaychristianteaching.com. As we continue to develop courses, we may have a need from time to time for pilot schools to test course drafts. If you would like to be involved in this, send us a note at kuyers@calvin.edu and we will let you know if opportunities arise.

Who should I contact if I have additional questions?

You can contact us with any questions at kuyers@calvin.edu.