Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise

Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise is a course that seeks to help Christian educators develop their understanding and application of deeper learning. We will consider what it means to be image-bearers of God called to care for our neighbours and to be engaged in real work that is part of God’s story. Considering these ideas will inform classroom practices and signature pedagogies in apparent, unintended, and even transformative ways. Together we will examine the importance of global citizenship as a form of Christian Deeper Learning and the impact it has on developing a caring and just world.

Dr. Edith van der Boom

260004 S26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

Tuesdays July 14 - Aug 4 + Monday Aug 10, 12-3pm ET

(MA-EL, MWS)

Syllabus

Required Books:

1. Crouch, A. (2008). Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. InterVarsity Press.

Google Books sells it as an eBook

Students can buy the book directly through the publisher, InterVarsity Press.

Barnes and Noble also sells the book.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. (Note that the first class for this course takes place on - ). Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

Called to Teach: Formation and Learning - CANCELLED April 1st

CANCELLED

Called to Teach is designed to inspire and support K-12 educators in their personal and professional journey of teaching and learning. Through this course, participants will explore their vocation as educators, reflecting on their teaching practice in the context of faith and spiritual disciplines. This inner journey invites educators to seek refreshment and renewal in their work while considering the formation and learning of their students.

The course aims to address these key questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How can I intentionally live out my calling in teaching and leadership?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

260001 S26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MWS, MA-EL)

Dates/Time

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 6:15 - 9:15 pm ET

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 6:15 - 9:15 pm ET

Thursday, May 21, 2026, 6:15 - 9:15 pm ET

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 1 - 4 pm ET

Wednesday, August 5, 2026, 1 - 4 pm ET

Thursday, August 6, 2026, 1 - 4 pm ET

Syllabus

Required Books

1. Palmer, P. J. (2017). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-Bass

2. Smith, D. I. & Felch, S. M. (2016). Teaching and Christian imagination. Eerdmans.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 17, 2026. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

CANCELLED

Transformative Teaching: The Practice of Christ-Centred Education

Transformative Teaching is a course for instructional leaders as they consider their roles as Christian educators called to be transformers of society and culture by seeking justice for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. In this course we will consider constructivism (a dominant educational theory in the twenty-first century that informs student-centred pedagogies such as Project Based Learning) through the lens of Scripture and investigate the assumptions that it makes. We will explore our calling as Christian educators to transform culture in our schools, local community, and the world.

This course seeks to help Christian educators find clarity in answers to the following questions: 

• Context: Who am I called to be as a Christian educator in my particular place and time?

• Constructivism: How does constructivism inform my practice?

• Culture: What role does education play in creating culture?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260006 W26*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

Thursdays

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books

• Palmer, P. J. (1993). To know as we are known: Education as a spiritual journey.

HarperOne. 

Amazon CA, Barnes & Noble.

• Smith, D. I. (2025). Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

  
  

  Amazon CA, Barnes & Noble.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register January 2, 2026. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*Approved for Area 2 of the CSTC

Cultivating Learning Communities of Belonging

This is a course for instructional leaders and administrators considering school and classroom cultures. Course content will include attention to social and cultural contexts, racial justice, Indigenous perspectives, human sexuality, restorative practices, and how these topics impact and form school and classroom cultures.

This course seeks to help students find clarity in answers to the following questions:

• What is the relationship between the daily behaviour of educational leaders and the cultures of schools?
• How do we awaken our students’ knowledge, creativity, and critical reflective capacities in our schools and classrooms?
• How do racism and other forms of oppression underlie achievement gaps and alienation within our schools?
• How can classroom learning be linked to larger movements seeking to effect change in the community?
• How can school culture be a vehicle for social change?
• How do we cultivate learning communities of belonging in our schools?

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICSD 260008 F25*
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)


Syllabus

Required Books:

Freire, P. (2018). Pedagogy of the oppressed: Fiftieth anniversary edition. Bloomsbury Academic. (Note: Any edition of this book is acceptable for use in this course.)

Smith, D. I. (2018). On Christian teaching: Practicing faith in the classroom. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Enrolment Notes:
To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register is September 5 (Note that the first class for this course takes place on September 11).  Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.


*Approved for Area 2 or 3 of the CSTC

Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise

Christian Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practise is a course that seeks to help Christian educators develop their understanding and application of deeper learning. We will consider what it means to be image-bearers of God called to care for our neighbours and to be engaged in real work that is part of God’s story. Considering these ideas will inform classroom practices and signature pedagogies in apparent, unintended, and even transformative ways. Together we will examine the importance of global citizenship as a form of Christian Deeper Learning and the impact it has on developing a caring and just world.

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260004 S25*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books:

1. Crouch, A. (2008). Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. InterVarsity Press.

Google Books sells it as an eBook

Students can buy the book directly through the publisher, InterVarsity Press.

Barnes and Noble also sells the book.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu or complete a Google Form. (Note that the first class for this course takes place on July 14). Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

Called to Teach: Formation and Learning

 Called to Teach is designed to inspire and support K-12 educators in their personal and professional journey of teaching and learning. Through this course, participants will explore their vocation as educators, reflecting on their teaching practice in the context of faith and spiritual disciplines. This inner journey invites educators to seek refreshment and renewal in their work while considering the formation and learning of their students.

The course aims to address these key questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How can I intentionally live out my calling in teaching and leadership?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260001 S25*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books

1. Palmer, P. J. (2017). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-Bass

2. Smith, D. I. & Felch, S. M. (2016). Teaching and Christian imagination. Eerdmans.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 18, 2025. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice is a course which seeks to help Christian educators develop deeper learning. We will consider what it means to be image-bearers of God called to care for our neighbours and to be engaged in real work that is part of God’s story. Our consideration of these ideas will inform classroom practices and signature pedagogies in apparent, unintended, and even transformative ways. Together we will examine the importance of global citizenship as a form of deeper learning and the impact it has on developing a caring and just world.

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260004 W25*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Required Books:

1. Crouch, A. (2008). Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling. InterVarsity Press.

Google Books sells it as an eBook

Students can buy the book directly through the publisher, InterVarsity Press.

Barnes and Noble also sells the book.

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register is January 6 (Note that the first class for this course takes place on January 9). Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

Cultivating Learning Communities of Belonging

This is a course for instructional leaders and administrators considering school and classroom cultures. Course content will include attention to social and cultural contexts, racial justice, Indigenous perspectives, human sexuality, restorative practices, and how these topics impact and form school and classroom cultures.

This course seeks to help students find clarity in answers to the following questions:

• What is the relationship between the daily behaviour of educational leaders and the cultures of schools?
• How do we awaken our students’ knowledge, creativity, and critical reflective capacities in our schools and classrooms?
• How do racism and other forms of oppression underlie achievement gaps and alienation within our schools?
• How can classroom learning be linked to larger movements seeking to effect change in the community?
• How can school culture be a vehicle for social change?
• How do we cultivate learning communities of belonging in our schools?

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICSD 260008 F24*
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)


Syllabus


Enrolment Notes:
To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register is September 6 (Note that the first class for this course takes place on September 12).  Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.


*Approved for Area 2 or 3 of the CSTC

Called to Teach: Formation and Learning

Called to Teach is designed to inspire and support K-12 educators in their personal and professional journey of teaching and learning. Through this course, participants will explore their vocation as educators, reflecting on their teaching practice in the context of faith and spiritual disciplines. This inner journey invites educators to seek refreshment and renewal in their work while considering the formation and learning of their students.

The course aims to address these key questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How can I intentionally live out my calling in teaching and leadership?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260001 S24*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 19, 2024. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

Transformative Teaching: The Role of a Christian Educator

Transformative Teaching is a course for instructional leaders as they consider their roles as Christian educators called to be transformers of society and culture by seeking justice for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. In this course we will consider constructivism (a dominant educational theory in the twenty-first century that informs student-centred pedagogies such as Project Based Learning) through the lens of Scripture and investigate the assumptions that it makes. We will explore our calling as Christian educators to transform culture in our schools, local community, and the world.

This course seeks to help Christian educators find clarity in answers to the following questions: 

• Context: Who am I called to be as a Christian educator in my particular place and time?

• Constructivism: How does constructivism inform my practice?

• Culture: What role does education play in creating culture?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260006 W24*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register January 5, 2024. Maximum enrolment of twelve (12) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*Approved for Area 2 of the CSTC

Cultivating Learning Communities of Belonging

Cultivating Learning Communities of Belonging is a course for instructional leaders and school administrators in the consideration of both school and classroom cultures. Course content will include attention to social and cultural contexts, racial justice, Indigenous perspectives, human sexuality, and restorative practices and how these topics impact and form school and classroom cultures. 

This course seeks to help students find clarity in answers to the following questions:

• What is the relationship between the daily behaviour of educational leaders and the cultures of schools?

• How do we awaken our students’ knowledge, creativity, and critical reflective capacities in our schools and classrooms?

• How do racism and other forms of oppression underlie achievement gaps and alienation within our schools?

• How can classroom learning be linked to larger movements seeking to effect change in the community?

• How can school culture be a vehicle for social change?

• How do we cultivate learning communities of belonging in our schools?

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICSD 260008 F23*
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)


Syllabus


Enrolment Notes:
To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register is September 14 (Note that the first class for this course takes place on September 14).  Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.


*Approved for Area 2 or 3 of the CSTC

Finding Joy in Learning

Finding Joy in Learning is a course that will inspire and support K-12 educators in their own personal journey of learning. Participants will consider a deeply Christian vision for their lives as educators and reflect on teaching practices in light of faith and spiritual practices. It is intended to guide educators on an inner journey as they pursue a path of refreshment and renewal in their work within Christian education.

This course seeks to answer the following questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How should I intentionally live out my calling to teach?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260001 S23*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 21, 2023. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

Finding Joy in Learning

Finding Joy in Learning is a course that will inspire and support K-12 educators in their own personal journey of learning. Participants will consider a deeply Christian vision for their lives as educators and reflect on teaching practices in light of faith and spiritual practices. It is intended to guide educators on an inner journey as they pursue a path of refreshment and renewal in their work within Christian education.

This course seeks to answer the following questions:

• What is my calling as an educator?
• How should I intentionally live out my calling to teach?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260001 W23*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

*NOTE: Approved for Area 4 of the CSTC

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice

CANCELLED

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice is a course which seeks to help Christian educators develop deeper learning. We will consider what it means to be image-bearers of God called to care for our neighbours and to be engaged in real work that is part of God’s story. Our consideration of these ideas will inform classroom practices and signature pedagogies in apparent, unintended, and even transformative ways. Together we will examine the importance of global citizenship as a form of deeper learning and the impact it has on developing a caring and just world.

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260004 W23*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register January 13, 2023. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

CANCELLED

Transformative Teaching: The Role of a Christian Educator

Transformative Teaching is a course for instructional leaders as they consider their roles as Christian educators called to be transformers of society and culture by seeking justice for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. In this course we will consider constructivism (a dominant educational theory in the twenty-first century that informs student-centred pedagogies such as Project Based Learning) through the lens of Scripture and investigate the assumptions that it makes. We will explore our calling as Christian educators to transform culture in our schools, local community, and the world. 

This course seeks to help Christian educators find clarity in answers to the following questions: 

• Context: Who am I called to be as a Christian educator in my particular place and time?

• Constructivism: How does constructivism inform my practice?

• Culture: What role does education play in creating culture?

Dr. Edith van der Boom

ICSD 260006 F22*

Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register September 16, 2022. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*Approved for Area 2 of the CSTC

Cultivating Learning Communities of Grace

Cultivating Learning Communities of Grace is a course for instructional leaders and school administrators in the consideration of both school and classroom cultures. Course content will include attention to social and cultural contexts, racial justice, indigenous perspectives, human sexuality, and restorative practices and how these topics impact and form school and classroom cultures.

This course seeks to help students find clarity in answers to the following questions:

• What is the relationship between the daily behaviour of educational leaders and the cultures of schools?

• How do we awaken our students’ knowledge, creativity, and critical reflective capacities in our schools and classrooms?

• How do racism and other forms of oppression underlie achievement gaps and alienation within our schools?

• How can classroom learning be linked to larger movements seeking to effect change in the community?

• How can school culture be a vehicle for social change?

• How do we cultivate learning communities of grace in our schools?

Course Format

This course is an online course consisting of six synchronous discussions and ten weeks of asynchronous online interaction. Specifically, participants will:

• Write weekly reflective responses to the assigned readings (April 25 - June 30)

• Participate in ten weekly forum discussions (April 25 - June 30)

• Participate in six 3-hour online, interactive Zoom sessions (starting late in April and concluding in an intensive series of sessions on three consecutive days early in August)

• Zoom 1: Thursday, April 28

• Zoom 2: Thursday, May 19

• Zoom 3: Thursday, June 16

• Zoom 4: Tuesday, Aug. 9

• Zoom 5: Wednesday, Aug. 10

• Zoom 6: Thursday, Aug. 11

• Complete a project that applies their understanding of Cultivating Learning Communities of Grace (Final draft due September 2);

• Provide feedback on the projects of other course participants;

• Share their project with an authentic audience; and

• Post their project in an e-portfolio.

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICSD 260008 S22*
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:
To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register April 19, 2022. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*Approved for Area 2 or 3 of the CSTC

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice

Deeper Learning is a course for instructional leaders. It explores learning as a journey from wonder to inquiry to practice. This course seeks to help Christian educators develop Deeper Learning within the context of:  

    1. A celebration of the learner - What does it mean to be created in God’s image? 

    2. A mindfulness towards learning design - How does curriculum, instruction and assessment inspire us to live out our lives as Kingdom Ambassadors who are intentional about character formation and loving our neighbours?  

    3. A responsiveness to culture - How do we embody our mission in every aspect of school life and live it out in God’s world?

Students will gain an understanding of global education and how it can inform one’s Deeper Learning pedagogy.

(Source: Deeper Learning in Christian Schools: Playing our Part in God’s Story; cace.org) 

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICSD 260004 W22*
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)


Syllabus


Enrolment Notes:
To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register January 14, 2022. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.


*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Action

Deeper Learning is a course for instructional leaders. It explores learning as a journey from wonder to inquiry to action. This course seeks to help Christian educators develop Deeper Learning within the context of:  

    1. A celebration of the learner - What it means to be created in God’s image? 

    2. A mindfulness towards learning design - How does curriculum, instruction and assessment inspire us to live out our lives as Kingdom Ambassadors who are intentional about character formation and loving our neighbours?  

    3. A responsiveness to culture - How do we embody our mission in every aspect of school life and live it out in God’s world?

(Source: Deeper Learning in Christian Schools: Playing our Part in God’s Story; cace.org) 

ICSD 260004 W21*
Dr. Edith van der Boom
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

*NOTE: Approved for Area 3 of the CSTC

Cultivating Learning Communities of Grace

Cultivating Learning Communities of Grace is a course for instructional leaders and school administrators in the consideration of both school and classroom cultures. Course content will include attention to diversity, cultural complexity and increasingly blurred markers of origin and ethnicity, racial justice, and restorative practices. 

This course seeks to help students find clarity in answers to the following questions:

 

• How do we awaken our students’ knowledge, creativity, and critical reflective capacities in our schools and classrooms?

• How do racism and other forms of oppression underlie achievement gaps and alienation within our schools?

• How can classroom learning be linked to larger movements seeking to effect change in community?/How can school culture be a vehicle for social change?

• How do we cultivate learning communities of grace in our schools?

• What is the relationship between the daily behaviour of educational leaders and the cultures of schools?

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICS 260008 F21
Blended (Online Asynchronous/Synchronous)

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

Enrolment Notes:

To register for this course, email academic-registrar@icscanada.edu. Last date to register September 17, 2021. Maximum enrolment of nine (9) students. ICS reserves the right to decline registrations.

*NOTE: Approved for Area 2 or Area 3 of the CSTC

Transforming the World: The Role of a Christian Educator

CANCELLED

Transforming the World is a course for instructional leaders as they consider their roles as Christian educators. We will consider our context as Christians as we are called to be transformers of society and culture by seeking justice and righteousness for those who are marginalized and disenfranchised. In this course we will consider constructivism, a dominant educational theory in the twenty-first century that informs student-centred pedagogies such as Project Based Learning, through the lens of Scripture and investigate the assumptions that it makes. We will explore our calling as Christian educators to transform culture in our schools, local community, and the world. 

This course seeks to help Christian educators find clarity in answers to the following questions: 

• Context: Who am I called to be as a Christian educator in my particular place and time?

• Constructivism: How does constructivism inform my practice?

• Culture: What role does education play in creating culture?

This version of the course will consist of:

1. Reading To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey and 5 articles as specified in the Google classroom prior to August 3;

2. Participation in five 3-hour Zoom sessions during August 9-13;

3. Assigned reading and online discussions throughout the month of August; and

4. A project that demonstrates ones learning from the course.

Dr. Edith van der Boom
ICS 260006 S21
Remote (Online Synchronous)
Intensive, August 9 - 13, 2021

(MA-EL)

Syllabus

*NOTE: Approved for Area 2 of the CSTC

CANCELLED