Philosophy of Education
Nature of Learner Role of Teacher Learning Process Curriculum
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
The Nature of the Learner
Because God created man in his own image, the learner reflects some of God’s attributes: God is righteous and good - Students have a will and thus are accountable for their actions (Romans 1:20). God is wise and omniscient - Students are rational. They can perceive, categorize, remember and evaluate, as when God gave Adam the job of naming the animals (Genesis 2:19b). God is a creator and judge - Students are both creative and critical, reflecting God’s acts of creation and his judgments that the results were good (Genesis 1). God is the sustainer and ruler of creation - Students are stewards, charged to rule over assigned responsibilities. God is love - Students are created to have fellowship with God and with other people.
Yet, the nature of the learner is fallen (Romans 3:12). No aspect of God’s image in the learner has been erased, but every aspect has been distorted by the effects of sin. Therefore, the learner requires structure, correction and discipline to curb their rebellious tendencies. They need to be trained to resist evil. However, most importantly, they need to be led to know the grace of God in Jesus Christ, who will forgive their sins and renew them in righteousness, holiness and knowledge of truth. Christ will give them his Holy Spirit who will bear fruit in their lives. The learner needs to be trained to cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).
As God is a person, so also the learner is an individual. Each learner has his own birth order, personality type, experiences, and learning style; consequently, students do not all learn in the same way. Since God did not design all learners the same, learners will benefit from a variety of instructional modes and should be taught accordingly.
Each learner has gifts and abilities, which need to be identified and developed. At the same time each learner has weak areas, which need to be overcome or compensated for in a constructive manner. To accomplish this requires an environment of mutual respect, which must be modeled for and expected from students so that they can appreciate and benefit from each others’ giftedness (1 Corinthians 12:21-22). A key aspect of learning for a Christian student is to learn to share with others out of his or her strengths and to receive from others in areas of weakness. Opportunities for this learning arise through sports, peer tutoring, student government, and service projects.
Even among learners who have trusted Christ as their Savior, Satan endeavors to overthrow God’s rule and assert his own reign through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). This rebellion works on the learner through selfishness, negative peer pressure and degraded cultural influences. The learner needs the protection of spiritual armor to deal with these attacks (Ephesians 6:10-18). Although the Christian school will shield the learner from some external attacks, it is not a place where the learner will be free from all spiritual temptations. Within the Christian school, the learner must be taught how to meet Satan’s attacks with God’s grace. Then students can demonstrate the reality of Christ’s Kingdom in their own lives, in their families and as a testimony to the surrounding culture. As a new creature in Christ, the learner is being restored in reflecting God’s image, as he or she was created to do.