Dr. Marj Terpstra

Biography

I am passionate about building relationships as I develop learning communities. My prior positions, first as a fourth-grade teacher, and later as a K-8 school technology coordinator, ground and shape my relationships with Calvin education students and educators in our partnership schools. I aim to inspire and equip future teachers to make thoughtful decisions around curriculum content and pedagogy, including perspectives and practices surrounding technology.

I aim to foster my students’ development into the teachers God has created and called them to be. I desire that they immerse themselves in the complex process of instructional preparation and implementation, gaining a glimpse of the possibilities of authentic, engaged learning. I hope they, in turn, will engage their students in rich exploration of God’s world and their place in it.

My current research examines the complexities of learning and teaching with technology in a Christian school system. The research informs my exploration of technological perspectives and practices with Calvin education students. Cross-cultural work with Calvin students in Zambia continues to enlighten my class practices and encourages students in navigating and capitalizing on the wide diversity of students in their classrooms. I have especially appreciated opportunities to mentor student researchers in the technology research and the Zambia education research.