Rejecting Disciplinary Insularity and Irrelation

Posted on by Paul Drake
It may seem normal that, with increasing specialization in our world, particular academic disciplines tend to stand alone, becoming insular and standing in irrelation to other subjects.  Christian educators must not only resist such a trend, but also commit to seek out, delight in, and communicate the connectedness, compatibility, and coherency of all true knowledge.  Insofar as some prominent academics, who are or have been vocal in the public square, have succeeded in convincing many people otherwise, faithful Christian educators should purposefully design their curricula such that the unity of knowledge is magnified and celebrated, and so that our students are prepared for living the life of faith in a sometimes hostile and polarized world.

Steve Mittwede

Steve Mittwede serves as Science Department Chair at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth. His academic journey began at The College of William and Mary in Virginia (BS in Geology), took him south to the University of South Carolina (MS and PhD in Geology) and Columbia International University (MA in Intercultural Studies and EdS in Educational Leadership), and took on an international flair when he studied at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales--now Union School of Theology (MTh in Modern Evangelical Theology). Steve and his bride make their home on the westernmost edge of Fort Worth, but relish opportunities to spend time with four sons and their burgeoning families. He does research and publishes every chance he gets, and is especially passionate about faith-learning integration.

A Survey of Oft-Neglected Factors in Scientific Inquiry and Instruction

Posted on by Paul Drake

Not surprisingly perhaps, many instructors at Christian schools teach in the way they were taught—whether at the high-school, undergraduate, or graduate level—and in many cases their teaching is thus tainted with scientism. Instruction at Christian schools, however, should be infused fully with a Christian worldview, key elements of which are sin, logical disciplinary scope, and creaturely finitude. Proper views of these worldview elements hold great promise not only as suppressants of scientism, but also as catalysts for truth pursuit and humility in the scientific enterprise.

Steve Mittwede

Steve Mittwede serves as Science Department Chair at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth. His academic journey began at The College of William and Mary in Virginia (BS in Geology), took him south to the University of South Carolina (MS and PhD in Geology) and Columbia International University (MA in Intercultural Studies and EdS in Educational Leadership), and took on an international flair when he studied at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales--now Union School of Theology (MTh in Modern Evangelical Theology). Steve and his bride make their home on the westernmost edge of Fort Worth, but relish opportunities to spend time with four sons and their burgeoning families. He does research and publishes every chance he gets, and is especially passionate about faith-learning integration.

That’s How We Stroll: Learning From Theophrastus

Posted on by Paul Drake

Although his work was done in the ancient, “pre-scientific” era, teachers today have much to learn from the natural science of Theophrastus, who learned from Plato and Aristotle and produced 227 works ranging from science, mathematics, ethics, religion and philosophy. Many of these works are lost, and others survive only as fragments of the originals. From these ancient mines, precious pedagogical ore can be extracted. How can we improve our serve with regard to science pedagogy? Theophrastus wonderfully models the following: close observation, copious description, varied experimentation and careful classification. Moreover, he includes information regarding the known distribution and utilization of a wide variety of materials and plants. This workshop will survey his methodology with emphasis on the value of outdoor learning.

Steve Mittwede

Steve serves as the Chair of the Science Department at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas. He has a bachelor's degree in geology from Th e College of William and Mary in Virginia; master's and doctoral degrees in geology from Th e University of South Carolina; a master's degree in intercultural studies and an educational specialist degree from Columbia International University; and a master's degree in modern evangelical theology from Union School of Theology in Wales. Steve and his bride live in Fort Worth, but relish opportunities to spend time with their four sons and their families. He publishes research every chance he gets, and is especially passionate about faith-learning integration.

Identifying Unknowns: Real Science for Logic Stage Students

Posted on by Paul Drake

Many teachers engaged in science education may recall that, when they themselves were students of high school chemistry, they were assigned the task of identifying an unknown solution. Such an assignment brilliantly thrusts the student into the heart of the scientific enterprise — namely, observation and experimentation. But why wait until so late in a student’s academic experience to introduce them to real science, especially when younger students are developmentally suited for such endeavors? Insofar as having students actually “do science” is a lofty, but altogether realistic goal of classical science education, why not get them started early in order to hone their skills of observation and experimentation? In this session, we’ll explore a three-stage “observation exercise” using unknown rock specimens that has proven to be a superb means of such honing among Logic-stage earth science students. Because the exercise is done in stages, the students move from having no knowledge to practical experimenting to identifying rock types of particular specimens. As they advance in stages from the unknown to the known, these students do real science.

Steve Mittwede

Steve Mittwede is the Science Department Chair at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1981, he was graduated from “Their Majesties’ Royal College” (The College of William and Mary) with a bachelor’s degree in geology, after which he concurrently worked as a mineral resources geologist for the South Carolina Geological Survey and completed his master’s degree and doctorate in geology at the University of South Carolina. In the mid-80s, Steve also took classes in Bible, theology and missions at Columbia International University (CIU).In the midst of all of that, he married Dana, and they were blessed with four sons in close succession — all now grown, married and raising their own broods. The Mittwedes served in Turkey for 23 years, during which Steve was awarded a master’s degree in intercultural studies from CIU and a master’s degree in modern evangelical theology from Union School of Theology in Wales. Never one to weary of the academic setting, he more recently completed an education specialist degree at CIU. Steve and Dana make their home on the westernmost edge of lovely Fort Worth.

Earth Science and Classical Christian Education

Posted on by Paul Drake

Earth Science (ES) enjoyed a prominent place in classical scientific enquiry, and the weight given to ES continued through medieval and modern times and into the present. Unfortunately, the centrality of ES as a field of study is being lost, even in many classical schools. Increasingly, ES is diminished to facts learned in the Grammar stage or, alternatively, to fragmentary insertions into other Logic- or Rhetoric-stage classes; both approaches are ill-advised. ES lends itself to study in the Logic or Rhetoric stages for several key reasons, three of which will be explored in this seminar. Properly conceived and situated study of ES prepares our students for wise stewardship of the Earth, and for responsible involvement in societal dialogue and decision-making.

Steve Mittwede

Steve Mi wede is incredibly privileged to be an instructor of Earth Science and Bible at Providence Classical School in Spring, Texas. In 1981, he was graduated from “Their Majesties Royal College” (The College of William and Mary) with a B.S. in Geology, a er which he concurrently worked as a mineral resources geologist for the South Carolina Geological Survey and completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology at the University of South Carolina. He is married to Dana, and they are blessed with four sons in close succession – all now grown and married. Steve and his family served in Turkey for 23 years, during which Steve was awarded an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Columbia International University and an M.Th. in Modern Evangelical Theology from Wales Evangelical School of Theology. He is currently pursuing an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at Columbia International University. Steve and Dana make their home in Tomball, Texas.

Faith-Learning Integration

Posted on by Paul Drake

Faith-learning integration is a stated goal of classical education that is also Christian (CCE). However, such an aspiration does not guarantee that faith-learning integration actually is or becomes a hallmark of CCE. In some CCE settings, faith-learning integration is impeded because of undue emphasis on the humanities, whereas in other CCE contexts it is waylaid because poor foundations have been laid for study of the sciences. It is suggested that science education in the CCE context can only be fruitful ultimately if the philosophical and theological foundations of science are first well-established and then made manifest throughout the teaching of specific science courses. A full-orbed approach to science education and, in fact, all truth-seeking, dictates that teachers introduce their courses with a clearly established and communicated philosophical and theological framework that both imbibes and revels in the glory of God displayed in the unity and coherency of truth within and across disciplines, and that also recognizes the limits of science due to human finitude and sin.

Steve Mittwede

Steve Mittwede is incredibly privileged to be an instructor of Earth Science and Bible at Providence Classical School in Spring, Texas. In 1981, he was graduated from “Their Majesties Royal College” (The College of William and Mary) with a B.S. in Geology, a er which he concurrently worked as a mineral resources geologist for the South Carolina Geological Survey and completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology at the University of South Carolina; between late 1984 and mid-1987, he was also taking classes in Bible, theology and missions at Columbia International University (CIU). In the midst of all of that, he married Dana, and they were blessed with four sons in close succession – all now grown, married and raising their own broods. Since the incredibly busy 1980s, he and his family served in Turkey for 23 years, during which Steve was awarded an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from CIU and an M.Th. in Modern Evangelical Theology from Wales Evangelical School of Theology. Never one to weary of the academic se ing, he is currently pursuing an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at CIU. Steve and Dana make their home in the thriving metropolis of Tomball, Texas.