Course offering - Intellectual Character Development
This is a new course available to participants beginning February 2020.
Course Summary:
Since Scripture’s command to love God includes loving God with our minds, Christians are concerned not only with the development of our moral character, but also our intellectual character – the habits of our thinking. And since schools are places that promote thinking, the character of that thinking should be of high importance to Christian educators. This course aims to equip Christian teachers with an understanding of intellectual character and some way to develop intellectual character in their students through their classrooms and schools.
This course explores the why, what and how of developing intellectual character, based on the book “Virtuous Minds: Intellectual Character Development” by Philip Dow. Video presentations, forum discussions, linked articles and practical application activities will enable course participants to interact with each other as they process what they are reading in the book.
Course Title: "Intellectual Character Development"
Course Format: online course at: https://acsieu.org/moodle
Course Language: English
Length of Course: 4 weeks (3-4 hours/week)
Register here
This course is available to anyone interested in understanding the why, what and how of developing intellectual character. You do not need to be a member of ACSI or even be currently teaching. We require a minimum of 10 participants to begin the course. Please contact us for more details or questions.
Participation requirements and costs:
- Time frame and requirements: 3-4 hours per week for 4 weeks (for fluent English speakers) which equals 12 class hours of instruction (2 Continuing Education Units)
- Course fee: This depends on your ACSI membership status and region. Please see the price chart. Remember that ACSI member schools in Europe receive 2 complimentary 4-week courses each year.
- The course cost does not include the course text ("Virtuous Minds" by Philip Dow).
- If you have never taken an online class before or are new to Christian education, we recommend that you first complete our pilot course, The Mission of the Christian School.
Course Objectives: Participants will…
- Understand the nature and significance of intellectual character.
- Collaborate with Christian teachers from other schools.
- Develop a plan for promoting intellectual character development in their school or classroom.
Strengthening Critical Thinking
Christian schools are often intentional about teaching worldview and preparing students to engage with competing ideas. Yet the way we structure this engagement can either nurture deep critical thinking or unintentionally foster shallow habits of argument. Here are some practical tools to support critial thinking in the classroom.
Education as a Restoration of Hope
Today we turn to the good news: God’s plan of restoration through Christ. This is not only a personal hope but also a framework for how we think about education, leadership, and the shaping of society. How can we build meaningful outcomes into the process of teaching and learning which truly reflect the hope we have in Christ?
Recognizing the Problem of Sin
The foundational, yet often overlooked, reality is the way sin impacts both teaching and learning. As school leaders, we cannot view education merely as the transfer of knowledge or the development of skills. Education is always moral and spiritual, shaped either by truth that comes from God or by distortions introduced by sin.
ACSI Europe Online Prayer
Join Christian school leaders from across the Europe region for a time of prayer, fellowship and encouragement. This group meets on Zoom the 2nd Thursday each month at 13:00 CET to focus our attention on God's presence and provision for His work through global Christian education.
ACSI eLearning Syllabi
