For two weeks in September, classrooms across Queensland became places of learning not only for Australian students, but also for Papua New Guinean educator Geoff Narekine. Geoff travelled to Queensland from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG), where he is developing the Christian Life Studies (CLS) Rainbow Curriculum for Lutheran schools. With […]

For two weeks in September, classrooms across Queensland became places of learning not only for Australian students, but also for Papua New Guinean educator Geoff Narekine.

Geoff travelled to Queensland from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG), where he is developing the Christian Life Studies (CLS) Rainbow Curriculum for Lutheran schools. With support from LCA International Mission, his visit provided something difficult to gain while writing curriculum from an office: the opportunity to sit in classrooms, watch teachers and students interact, ask questions, talk with Lutheran educators and consider how some of these ideas might work in Papua New Guinea.

His journey took him to Redeemer Lutheran College at Rochedale, St Paul’s Lutheran Kindergarten and Primary School at Caboolture, Immanuel Lutheran College at Buderim, St Peters Lutheran College at Indooroopilly, Peace Lutheran Primary School at Gatton and Living Faith Lutheran Primary School at Murrumba Downs. Geoff sat with children from Kindergarten and Prep through to secondary school, observing Christian Studies lessons, classroom devotions and school worship.

Through these visits, Geoff noticed that students weren’t only listening. They were talking, asking questions, discussing ideas with one another and explaining what they thought. Teachers asked students questions such as “What happened?”, but also encouraged them to consider “Why?”, “What do you think?” and “What might this mean?”

This is quite different from the learning culture Geoff knows in Papua New Guinea, where teaching places more emphasis on listening to and learning from the teacher. Watching these classroom conversations encouraged Geoff to consider how the Rainbow Curriculum could create more opportunities for PNG students to think about what they are learning, discuss it with others and put their understanding of faith into words.

Observing classrooms at different levels gave Geoff new ideas about how Christian learning can grow with the students. With younger students he saw simple language, stories, songs, play and activities helping them understand, while older students were asked more questions and had more discussion and reflection.

At Lutheran Education Queensland, Geoff met Pastor Brenton Altmann, who encouraged him to remember that a helpful curriculum needs more than well-written lessons. Teachers also need clear guidance, useful resources and support to help students participate more actively in their learning.

Geoff also met with Pastor Dan Mueller to review some of the Rainbow Curriculum lessons from a theological perspective. Their discussion focused particularly on Law and Gospel and on ensuring that the curriculum clearly communicates God’s grace, forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. Pastor Dan has offered to continue supporting Geoff as he reviews existing lessons and develops new material.

Geoff stayed with Anne Maczkowiak and her husband Bob during his time in Queensland. Anne has been walking alongside Geoff throughout the development of the Rainbow Curriculum, sharing her experience in Lutheran education and supporting him particularly with teaching approaches, lesson structure and editing. The visit gave Anne and Geoff valuable space to work on the curriculum together, discuss what Geoff was learning through the school visits and consider how those learnings could be applied within the PNG context. We thank God for the time, care and experience Anne continues to share with Geoff, and for the hospitality and support Anne and Bob provided throughout his visit.

As he continues to develop the Rainbow Curriculum, Geoff will be thinking carefully about how students participate in their learning and how the Gospel is communicated in every lesson so that children don’t only learn what God asks of them, but understand and dwell in what God has already done for them in Jesus.

If you would like to join in God’s mission by financially supporting the distribution of the rewritten Christian Life Studies Rainbow Curriculum, we invite you to visit Donate Now – LCA International Mission and select ‘Papua New Guinea’ and ‘Christian Education’.

Read more stories about our partner church in Papua New Guinea at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/international-partners/papua-new-guinea/