How Does Worldview Affect Your Teaching?

I taught Bradley[1] and his sister history over five years. Their exam scores indicated they’d learned as I had hoped they would. But two years after he last sat in my classroom, Bradley was now sitting across from me in my office recounting a story I had long forgotten. At the time, he had been struggling, and I had noticed, had delicate conversations with him, and apparently had encouraged him to “get right with Jesus.” He was the type of student who needed, and received well, this kind of lesson in righteousness. As he left high school, what he remembered most was not the revolutions of the 18^th century from our world history class, but how God had transformed him that year.

There is no such thing as a neutral classroom. In his book, On Christian Teaching, David Smith invites our faith to frame our approach.[2] Every classroom reflects a worldview—whether intentionally or not. This means that our faith is not a separate compartment we check at the classroom door but a living lens through which we see every aspect of our educational work. For Christian educators, our faith shapes everything?from how we arrange our space and spend our time, to how we define success, build a classroom community, and relate to students. A classroom’s practices can influence students’ loves, habits, and imaginations. The transformational classroom isn’t just about communicating facts or transferring knowledge but cultivating hearts and minds to love what God loves. Our teaching is a deeply spiritual and sacred activity.

This leads to questions such as,

• Do classroom routines reflect respect for students’ dignity?
• Does the way I use time point to values of rest, reflection, and relationships or only efficiency?
• Does my instruction invite wonder, curiosity, and the pursuit of truth?

These questions challenge us to make our classrooms spaces of shalom—where peace, justice, and flourishing are nurtured through intentional design and practice.

Corroborating Smith’s insights, Donovan Graham’s Teaching Redemptively gives us an additional lens: Christian educators are called not only to teach about redemption but to teach redemptively—in a way that reflects God’s redemptive work in the world.[3]

The Hidden Curriculum of Space & Time
In a Christian worldview, time is not just a resource to maximize but a gift from God requiring stewardship. Similarly, space is not just functional but formative. The use of this “hidden curriculum” is often more powerful than the explicit content.

Space as a Theological Statement
Every classroom is a place of worship. The only question is: what is being worshiped? The arrangement of space communicates priorities. A room designed for community rather than control communicates that relationship and collaboration matter. A bulletin board with student work implies that each student’s contribution is valuable.[3]

Time as a Stewarded Resource
Our daily rhythms communicate what matters. Do we rush for coverage, or do we slow down for meaning-making? Do we leave room for failure, creativity, and reflection?

Transformational teaching ought to value process over performance. Grace takes time. In all settings, teachers can build in

• Moments of silence at the beginning or end of class.
• Reflection time for students to consider how God is shaping them through their learning.
• Time for collaboration and relational learning.
• Margin for mistakes, encouraging a classroom where failure is part of growth.

Instructional Planning Through a Transformational Lens
Christian teachers are challenged to see learning as part of a larger human calling to know and steward God’s world. This perspective encourages rhythms that allow for deep engagement, not just productivity. When planning lessons, our worldview affects how we define success, what kinds of questions we ask, and whose voices we highlight. A transformational educator sees teaching as a formative activity, a shaping of the soul. How might we do so?

Frame Content Redemptively
A Christian worldview doesn’t mean forcing Scripture into every subject. Rather, it means approaching every subject considering God’s truth. The goal is to frame content in ways that affirm the goodness of creation, the complexity of human nature, and the hope of redemption.

• A literature class becomes a place to explore brokenness, beauty, and hope.
• A science class cultivates wonder and stewardship.
• A history class explores justice, power, and human responsibility.

What redemptive purpose could God have in this content? What might He want my students to learn about Him, His creation, His kingdom? Let’s also ask, as Graham suggests, “So what? ... Now what? (responding to what we know in loving service to God and humankind).”[4]

Teach with Curiosity
Invite students into wonder, not just answers. Model a posture of learning and awe that reflects the Creator’s infinite creativity. We do this when we ask open-ended questions, use interdisciplinary connections, or allow students to pursue inquiry-based projects.

Assess with Grace and Purpose
How do we define student success? Christian educators must resist defining students solely by grades, behavior, or productivity. We remember that each learner is a whole person—emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and relational.

Assessment, then, should seek not just to measure mastery but to encourage growth. Incorporating student reflection, peer feedback, or creative expression can foster ownership and dignity. This includes

• Reflection journals
• Project-based learning
• Narrative feedback
• Growth-oriented rubrics

In both open and creative-access settings, assessments should communicate hope, not judgment.

More Practical Tips for Transformational Educators

• Practice Hospitality: Create an environment where students feel safe, known, and valued. Hospitality is a deeply Christian act that makes space for others to flourish.
• Cultivate Relationships: See your students as whole people. Relational teaching reflects Christ’s incarnational ministry and builds trust. In time, this may open doors for deeper conversations. Examples: Learn about students’ lives, celebrate birthdays, or follow up when a student seems not him- or herself.
• Model Redemption: Handle conflict and failure with grace. Let students see forgiveness and restoration at work.

In Openly Christian Contexts,

• Reflect the Gospel in Discipline: Treat behavior issues as moments of restoration, not merely consequences.
• Design Worshipful Learning: Invite students to wonder, ask deep questions, and see God’s fingerprints across subjects.
• Integrate Faith Thoughtfully: Ask worldview questions regularly—What is this showing us about God? About ourselves? How does a Christian view of humanity, creation, or community reframe the topic?
• Live Your Faith Publicly and Humbly: Share personal stories of growth, forgiveness, and joy in the Lord. Dispense grace regularly.

In Creative-Access Contexts

• Practice Redemptive Presence: Be a visible model of peace, patience, grace, compassion, and integrity. This is a powerful witness.
• Let Questions Lead: Foster inquiry and reflection that leads students toward His Truth organically.
• Teach with Purpose: Highlight themes that resonate with Gospel truths—justice, beauty, hope, stewardship, reconciliation—even if they’re framed in non-religious terms.
• Pray in Preparation: While you may not pray with students, you can pray for them, for moments of encounter, and for God’s redemptive presence in your teaching.

Christian teaching is not a neutral act—it is a profoundly transformational and spiritual practice. Our classrooms are sacred spaces where God’s truth and grace can be encountered in every detail. Whether we work in a Christian school or in a setting where faith must remain unspoken, we can shape our practice in a way that embodies the Gospel.

By reimagining space, time, curriculum, and assessment through a redemptive, transformational lens, we participate in God’s mission of renewal—and invite our students to do the same.

Megan R.
Megan currently leads the Global School Services Team and is based in Europe. Prior to this role, she spent a decade teaching Social Studies in both the USA and Asia. During her final five years in Asia, she served as Secondary Principal at a TeachBeyond partner school. Megan is deeply passionate about guiding learners as they explore more of God and His world—especially in recognizing His hand throughout history. Her current role aligns with her strong pull toward viewing work as worship and equipping educators to be instruments of God’s transformation. Beyond her professional life, Megan loves reading, traveling, and spending as much time as possible with her two nieces.

Recommended Further Reading

• Erdvig, R. C. S. (2023). Beyond Biblical Integration: Immersing You and Your Students in a Biblical Worldview. Summit Ministries.
• Graham, D. L. (2009). Teaching Redemptively: Bringing Grace and Truth into Your Classroom (2nd ed.). Purposeful Design Publications.
• Palmer, P. J. (1998). The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. Jossey-Bass.
• Smith, D. I. (2018). On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom. Eerdmans Publishing.
• Smith, J. K. A. (2009). Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation. Baker Academic.
• Van Brummelen, H. (2009). Walking with God in the Classroom: Christian Approaches to Teaching and Learning. Purposeful Design Publications.
• Wolterstorff, N. (2002). Educating for Life: Reflections on Christian Teaching and Learning. Baker Academic.