Teachers at Living Stones have long been pointing students to wonder at the natural world. This year, they have more support because of the science curriculum review.
Each year, Principal Liz Brown and the education committee review one subject in the curriculum, such as science, math, Bible, social studies, and language arts. “The goal is to walk alongside teachers and support them with what they need to teach with excellence,” Liz said.
“The teachers have a beautiful vision for how students can learn that they are engaging in worship by studying God’s creation and taking delight in that discovery,” said Rachael Baker, an LSA parent and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Calvin University.
Student learning through a science experiment.
“Teachers want their students to hear and respond to God’s invitation to wonder about the world, even when questions are hard, and answers are complex,” said Rachael, who served on the education review committee. “They hope to help students use their creativity and knowledge of science to address the challenges our world faces.”
After meeting the teachers, the committee reviewed what was happening at every grade level and made recommendations to make learning consistent and to consider different resources and curriculum they could use. The committee also looks carefully to see how faith is integrated.
For science, adding more hands-on learning activities was important for the teachers and the committee.
“As a scientist and a parent, I strongly believe that the best way to help children become lifelong lovers of science is to encourage them to engage in hands-on learning,” said Rachael. “When students get a chance to get their hands dirty—sometimes literally—they are engaging with scientific ideas more deeply. Students are also learning that they are people who have something valuable to contribute and can do science.”
