Flipbooks

Jim Pingel has served as a basketball and volleyball coach and an administrator and teacher at two different Lutheran high schools. He currently serves as the director of graduate education at Concordia University Wisconsin. He is a passionate advocate for the integration and assimilation of biblical faith lessons throughout the curriculum and cocurriculars. When it comes to education, innovation is not always the first thing that comes to mind. Education systems are meant to be familiar and reproducible year after year—or so some think. But Jim Pingel, dean of Concordia University Wisconsin's School of Education, challenges this idea. Schools can and should be innovative to meet the needs of 2022's students. And it doesn't take major changes, but small ones. "Sometimes leaders feel this pressure to be Steve Jobs, Bill Gates—but I tell them that little tweaks make big differences," Pingel begins. "Have a mindset of piloting, experimenting—taking what you have and asking how you can make it great. Do self-evaluation. Put your antenna up and keep it up. You don't have to radically change everything, just take something small and tweak it." That includes, for example, brainstorming on three ideas you might have had recently or seeing what ideas people outside of education might have for the classroom. The goal is to keep things from seeming automatic so that real learning and excitement can take place. It's also important to keep faith in the classroom while seeing how you can innovate. The need for classrooms to promote religious growth is larger now than ever. "Kids in the Lutheran classroom used to go to church with their families," Pingel explains. "But now the stats look much different. We can't make that assumption anymore. Research is clear [on] the best way to innovate and teach the faith: If you want your students and school to grow in faith, your teachers and leaders need to grow in the faith." Having teachers that model maturing in the faith can also help prepare students to serve the Church. "Students need to see the joy teachers have in their Christian education," Pingel says. "It also takes one- on-one reflection and teachers working with students to recognize their potential." In his book, Imagine the Possibilities: Conversations on the Future of Christian Education, Pingel outlines ways that your school can learn to think about the future of innovation in the classroom and the future of Christian education. "We [the authors] wanted to inspire and motivate others to take ideas from other schools and customize it to your school." Innovation in Education Here are three practical and innovative ideas Pingel gives for your classroom: Take four or five of your daily Bible verses or stories and find a way to integrate those into the school year relentlessly. Integrate the lesson from each verse or story weekly and even daily. Write your own devotions. Save them in a file. Ask your students to help and write a devotion. Save those too. Try doing things at different times during the day. Instead of starting class with a prayer, try praying in the middle of the lesson instead. Make faith and intentionality a part of the lesson. Finally, Pingel leaves a word of advice to all schools: "Innovation is a problem that needs to be solved. Be prepared for the next valley or pitfall. Listen, observe, so you can be ready for the next change. The schools that are the most effective and compelling are truly mission-driven. It shows when you are relentless about your mission." w Read more about education and innovation with Jim Pingel in his co- authored book, Imagine the Possibilities: Conversations on the Future of Christian Education. Find this title and others in this issue at cph.org. IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES 2 Lutheran Life

• Cover