director’s · undertaking we are finding that it will take longer to complete than we had hoped....

L I G H T O F L I F E 1 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8

A new year begins with manyfamilies launching out on theadventure of the formal educationof their children.

For others it is a well worn path—and youare now in the expert class. Whatever thecase I want to remind us all that we arereally about building the kingdom of Godon earth for His glory alone. LEM isavailable as an assistance to you, teachersand parents, in achieving this goal.

Projects

• The LEM Phonics Teachers ResourceKit designed particularly for schools iswell underway, but as it is a hugeundertaking we are finding that it willtake longer to complete than we hadhoped. The kit will have articles,ideas, and many photocopiable mastersfor extra worksheets, etc. Allphotocopiable sheets will be on CD foreasy reproduction. The plan is to haveit available during 2008.

• The Elements of Music Volume 3 isnow available from LEM and fromWendy Hill. A great continuation inmusic for those who have usedvolumes 1 and 2.

• LEM’s new cursive handwritingworkbook Cursive Practice Book isalso available to provide everythingyou will need to teach and practicecursive writing.

• We are planning to edit our phonicsreaders as well as producing some earlyreaders which we hope will beavailable later in 2008.

• Another project on the ‘drawing board’is a DVD of the phonograms showingmouth positions for ESL users, whichwe hope to be working on soon.

This IssueIn this issue, Exploring ChristianEducation is titled The Purpose ofEducation. Wendy Hill discusses thewisdom of learning a musical instrument.I check out the recommendations of theRowe Report into literacy and in healthwe briefly explore weight loss. We alsoannounce details of this year’s CHESSseminars and book displays.

Be blessed as you educate for the glory ofGod.

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTP E T E R F R O G L E Y


CHESSCHESS seminars for 2008 have now beenorganised and are coming (we trust) to alocation near you!

The future of CHESS, however, rests withyou, our home educating friends, as theattendance at some has become marginaland we may not be able to continue inthose locations.

We thoroughly enjoy the CHESS, meetingso many old and new friends, but we doneed to see a reasonable turnout to makeit worthwhile.

NEWS UPDATE

Locations and dates for 2008 are:

Melbourne Saturday 7 JuneAdelaide Saturday 21 JuneBrisbane Saturday 26 JulySydney Saturday 9 AugustPerth Saturday 13 September

Kingsley Education will join LEM for eachof the seminars in 2008 and various localvendors may also attend.

In addition to the CHESS seminars LEMwill be conducting three book displays:

Hamilton (Vic) Wed 18 JuneMount Gambier Thurs 19 JuneMildura (Vic) Mon 23 June

If you are living in a regional area we maybe able to conduct a CHESS or a BookDisplay in your area on our way to one ofthe other capital city CHESS seminars. Ifyou are interested and believe a seminarcould be successful please contact us forour consideration.

Overseas

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Mesia Novau’s wife Iga continues to makeexcellent progress following a seriousoperation to remove a growth in her neckon the spinal column. With almost fullrecovery she should be able to return tofull duties in PNG by mid year.


Both Mesia and Iga have a vision forChristian education in PNG, using LEMPhonics. The demand for LEM Phonicscontinues to grow throughout PNG butdifficulties with training and organisationfrustrate its effective development.

INDIA

Plans are now moving for Phonics trainingfor teachers in the first half of this year.This project is now being overseen byRaja Vundurthi, a young universitygraduate, who is planning to come toAustralia in February to train in LEMPhonics. We are planning for Evelyn tothen travel to India in May to commenceteacher training.

TANZANIA

As a result of my visit last December toArusha, Tanzania, we have beennegotiating with a ministry there to traintheir teachers in LEM Phonics to enhancetheir English program. We are planningfor Evelyn to travel to Tanzania in April totrain teachers there.

PERU

Plans are under way for Peter Frogley tovisit Peru in October to conduct furtherteacher training conferences. Likelylocations will be Chiclayo in the north,Piura in the north, Arequipa in the south,Huancayo in the Andes and possibly Sucrein Bolivia. The excellent work continueswith teacher training and curriculumdevelopment, with Bob Relyea havingcompleted a revision of the LEM DiplomaCourse to make it more appropriate for

Peru. We thank God for the energy andcompetence of Bob and Frances and theircommitment to the people of Peru.

www.lem.com.au

WHERE DO WEBSITES LIVE?

The files for every website in the worldlive on special computers called servers,which are built with reliability as the toppriority. Because anyone in the worldcould access a website at any time, theyneed to be up and running 24/7, withbackup systems available in case it goesdown.

These servers live all across the world infortress-style buildings called datacentres,which have high security and stricttemperature and cleanliness controls.

A web host rents server space for websites,and charges anything from $5 to $350 permonth for the privilege. There are also alot of free web hosts around the place, butyou usually have to put up with advertisingbanners or forum subscriptions, inaddition to patchy reliability and speed.

But if you’d like to put up your ownwebpage (for example, to post photos orinformation for your overseas relatives),chances are that you already have some webspace available. Most internet serviceproviders (ISPs) offer a small amount of webhosting space when you have an internetaccount with them. Contact your ISP or visittheir website for more information.

Send your website feedback or computerquestions any time to [email protected].


We discover God’s purpose foreducation when we understandHis revelation through thescripture.

It is our knowledge and understanding ofHim who is the sum of all things. Toeducate Christianly is to educate fromGod’s perspective, through a personalknowledge of God. To merely understandand use His principles may be no morethan rationalism; which was the error ofthe Deists and their fellow travellers. Wemust know HIM as a precursor to beingable to represent Him educationally. Thescriptures speak eloquently to this.

He made known His ways to Moses, Hisacts to the children of Israel.

Psalm 103:7

Yet indeed I also count all things loss forthe excellence of the knowledge of ChristJesus my Lord, for whom I have sufferedthe loss of all things, and count them asrubbish, that I may gain Christ and befound in Him, not having my ownrighteousness, which is from the law, butthat which is through faith in Christ, therighteousness which is from God by faith;that I may know Him and the power ofHis resurrection, and the fellowship of

EXPLORING CHRISTIANEDUCATION

67 The purpose of education

P E T E R F R O G L E Y

His sufferings, being conformed to Hisdeath.

Philippians 3:8-10.

As we learn to renew our minds throughour dependence on the revelation of theHoly Spirit through the study of scripture,we learn to function in conjunction andcooperation with God. We begin learningto think His thoughts after Him, and toexplore the creation both seen andunseen, in His wisdom and ability.

Biblical Christian education has two majorpurposes:

1. to progressively reveal God, and

2. to bring students’ lives into conformityto the revealed will of God.

This will enable students to progressivelyexhibit the character and nature of Godthrough their redeemed personalities.

UNFOLDING GOD

During a time of prayer in 1976 God gaveme the following definition: Education isthe unfolding of God—His character andHis creation.

God has chosen to reveal Himself andthus truth to us through His person and


character. This most beautiful character ofGod is most clearly revealed in His Sonthrough the Scripture. Christ’s work ofRedemption has revealed to us the perfectcharacter of God, in Christ. It is thisnature and character that gave us Hiscreation, both seen and unseen, as shownin Colossians 1. A study of this passagewill give rise in our understanding to thevarious disciplines of study.

OBEDIENCE

The fundamental quality we seek toengender in children; which I suggest is afoundational purpose in education, isobedience.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord:for this is right. Honour your father andmother; which is the first commandmentwith promise; that it may be well withyou, and you may live long on the earth.And you fathers, provoke not yourchildren to wrath: but bring them up inthe nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1–4

Obedience is the foundation for alllearning and the key to learning is in thechild’s submission to the teacher. Thisprinciple of obedience has been neglectedin our psychology driven, my rights,society where independence is paraded asa virtue. A vital benefit of obedience andsubmission is the suppression of pride,which after all was the trigger for ourinitial downfall.

Obedience must be taught by the parentsin the home; as the responsibility of theschool is only to maintain what parentshave already inculcated. Respect for

God’s ordained authority must be taughtand upheld in the home and the school atall times.

Fathers are given the oversight of andresponsibility for every aspect of thechildren’s life including their educationaltraining. Children are to be nurtured;(from the Greek paideia—education andtraining, especially by tutorage) andadmonished; (from the Greek nouthesia—to call attention to, a mild rebuke orwarning to alert the mind). Paul makesthe roles of the father and child clear—thechild is under authority as would be aservant and this not only to his father butto those appointed by the father.

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is achild, does not differ at all from a slave,though he is master of all, but is underguardians and stewards until the timeapproved by the father.

Galatians 4:1–2

Education in the home is characterised byobedience, a training of the mind,personal tutorage and rebuke throughloving discipline. There is no biblicalwarrant for the modern ideas of raisingchildren and the fruits of these methods isplain for all to see. Fathers, however,should guard against unjust punishmentadministered in uncontrolled anger. Suchabuse of children is a major cause ofbehavioural problems. Anger is not wrongof itself, it is how we handle it thatdetermines whether it is wrong.

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION

The Commission given to the church by


Jesus Christ, following His victory on thecross, summarises the reason why we arestill here on the earth. That Commissionincludes and indeed demands, teaching forobedience. It is given in the context of thenations and our training of children is tobe part of that equipping nations—it is tobe much more than personal, family oreven church.

Therefore go and make disciples of allnations, baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of the HolySpirit, and teaching them to obeyeverything I have commanded you andsurely I will be with you always, to thevery end of the age.

Matthew 28:19,20

The development of obedience is throughthe process of discipleship anddiscipleship demands learning. Adisobedient scholar is a menace to himselfand to society. Jesus’ Commission is todisciple and the first aspect of teach is todisciple, or make a scholar throughinstruction; (teach all nations). Thesecond aspect of teach is to learn doctrine;(teach to observe, implying a learning inorder to do). It is interesting that moderneducation teaches doing in order to learnrather than vice-versa—the biblicalpattern. The point being that the individualdetermines what is to be learnt, ratherthan seeing a body of knowledge andunderstanding that exists because Godexists. From a biblical perspective it isclear that education is discipling to a goalof godliness where obedience andsubmission are paramount virtues.

This is reflected in the church whicheducates for discipleship and whereformal instruction is given for the expresspurpose of teaching obedience to thecommands of Christ.

Discipleship is bringing the Christianunder the discipline of obedience; that isthe building of Christian character. Toooften in our day Christianity is seen aslittle more than a ‘salvation experience’ toensure a heavenly eternal destiny—or ‘fireinsurance’ as some may say!

But as for you, continue in what you havelearned and have become convinced of,because you know those from whom youlearned it, and how from infancy you haveknown the Holy Scriptures, which areable to make you wise for salvationthrough faith in Christ Jesus. All Scriptureis God-breathed and is useful forteaching, rebuking, correcting andtraining in righteousness so that the manof God may be thoroughly equipped forevery good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

FORMAL EDUCATION

Education conducted by those outside thehome is a continuation of that which hasbegun in the home. Timothy had beeninstructed by his mother (2 Timothy 1:5),and this had grounded him not only in thefaith, but in the whole of life.

Christian education rests on:

1. the covenant grace of God in thesalvation of the child,

2. the inspiration of Scripture as the one,true, infallible textbook for life andliving.


The Bible should be at the centreof the teaching process; as thetruth of the Word will expose sinin a child’s life and set the childon a straight path.

The example set by the teacher,and the curriculum, are to instruct thestudent in the way of righteousness; theright way to live. Thus, the teacher is tofully ‘equip’ the child ‘unto all goodworks’. This includes the fact that theBible’s teachings should be integratedwith every discipline; including maths,science, reading, history, etc.

Paul Jehle in Go Ye Therefore and Teachdraws the following scriptural conclusionsregarding Christian Education:

Christian education cannot be neutralwith respect to one’s philosophy of life. Itwill be either guided by Humanism (deityof man), “trapping” the mind andcorrecting and forming the character ofSocialism, or it will free the mind andrenew it, helping to build it under thediscipline and obedience to Christ,forming the character of Christ (2Corinthians 10:5, Colossians 2:8).

Christian education is edification,primarily (where one is built up inChrist), rather than evangelistic (whereone is brought to Christ). The basicfunction of discipleship is to disciple thechildren of Christian families; (on theJunior-Senior high level it should includethe student also), to the ways of God.(Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Timothy 3:14–17).

Although there are many other aspects tothe purpose of education it is mycontention that if we fail to instruct and

demonstrate the way of obedience insubmission we have missed the point andeducation will be simply knowledge orinformation. Christian education must bebuild around the character of Christ, ‘whohumbled Himself and became obedient tothe point of death’ (Philippians 2:8).

Upon the foundation of obedience theLord is able to build a godly young personwho not only is a blessing to family andchurch, but also to the nation.

In military circles there is a popularsaying: ‘Obedience alone gives the right tocommand’. That is worth pondering, for ifwe are to see obedience in the children weteach they must first see it in our lives. Itis tragic to see so many young peoplegrowing up as rebels who have been welltaught by parents and/or teachers. Theirlives are potentially ruined as they seek thebest for themselves, their rights, and thelike. They may have degrees and excellentemployment prospects, but they areunusable in the Kingdom of God.

It is worth the effort even with thecriticisms to pursue the biblical course ofdiscipleship and obedience for the youngpeople in our care as the alternative is notattractive.

children must first see

obedience in our lives


‘Should my child learn a musicalinstrument?’ may appear to be asimple yes or no question.

As a music teacher my bias should bringan automatic ‘Yes’. However, the answeris not so straightforward. I have beenteaching music for over thirty years. Onehalf was spent as an unbeliever trained inhumanistic philosophies and constantlywondering exactly why I was teachingmusic; and the other half has been spentdiscovering the truth of Isaiah 55:8:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways.

There is enormous pressure on parents tostart their child on an instrument. Seeingothers’ children play may inspire, ‘I wantmy child to do that.’ Some may haveguilty feelings and think, ‘I’d never be ableto afford that and my child will bedeprived of a musical education.’ Othersmay reason, ‘I learned music so my childwill too.’ Not many would consider, ‘Isthis what God wants for my child?’

THE WORLD’S REASONS

Over the years I have taken many teachingcourses including a Diploma ofEducation, Yamaha and Suzuki training,each with their own rationale. All of the

courses were essentially humanistic,emphasising man and not God. Here is asummary of their thinking about music.

Music:

1. develops sensitivity, imagination,creativity and aesthetic awareness.

2. has great impact on the brain andimproves spatial awareness forlearning maths and science.

3. relates to other subjects such asscience, physics, maths, language,history, physical development andbody co-ordination.

4. develops memory, concentration anddiscipline.

5. is a means of personal expression,emotional release and relaxation.

6. helps develop character eg. diligence,perserverence, obedience, patience.

7. provides a wide range of careeropportunities.

8. can improve family relationships byinvolving parents in child’s activitiessuch as practices.

9. adds greater quality to one’s life.

10. may produce a better generation thanthe present one.

11. may even save the world. This wasquoted from a famous cellist, Pablo

B Y W E N D Y H I L L

MusicalInstrument?

SHOULD MYCHILD LEARN A


Casals, who said ‘Perhaps music maysave the world’. The ‘perhaps’ hassince been removed.

12. replaces the need for religion. Afamous composer, Terry Riley,claimed that ‘Music replaces theneed for religion’. Obviously hedoesn’t know the difference betweenreligion and a relationship withChrist. But his message is thesame—if we have music we don’tneed God.

Most of these reasons for learning aninstrument are interesting, but they revealthe humanistic basis from Rom 1:25—

They exchanged the truth of God for a lieand worshipped and served created thingsrather than the Creator.

Today many worship the god of music andconsequently the focus shifts to man’sabilities and commercialism.

While I don’t agree with the last three, thefirst nine justifications can be achieved byleading a Christian life. The samephysical, intellectual, emotional, creative,social, character and educational benefitsare also found in Christian fellowship,worship, Bible study and growing inChrist.

THE PROS OF LEARNING ANINSTRUMENT

The rewards of learning music areenormous but hard to measure and value.

Music differs from the more intellectualsubjects like maths, reading and writingbecause it has artistic value. We must

know how to read, write and usenumbers. However, music is morespiritual, artistic and creative and isharder to assess and value. Thus it is oftenset aside in the educational process.

Music is an intricate and vital part ofGod’s design of man.

God designed us in His image to becreative. Music flows from the spirit andis one of the features that differs us fromanimals, plants and rocks. Music touchesthe heart/spirit and brings a desire forbeauty and truth.

Music is an intrinsic part of our lives.

Many parents want a musical experiencefor their children without understandingwhy. My family was not Christian butdecided to send me to an Anglicanboarding school for two years so I couldhave weekly lessons. For my family musicwas more important for entertainmentthan worship, but God designed us toworship Him and music is one of theinstinctive ways that we do that.

Music is an extension of language and ispart of our worship and communicationwith God.

Our voices have inflections, rises and fallsand accents, without which our voice is amonotone and uninteresting. Spokenwords are the basis of melody, harmonyand rhythm. In singing we exaggerate thedistances between pitches of words.Melody comes from this greater range ofhigher and lower sounds/notes. Harmonyis when two voices sing different melodieswith notes which agree with each other.

L I G H T O F L I F E 1 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8

When we speak we accent or emphasisecertain words and make some syllableslonger or shorter. This is the basis ofrhythm.

Music is a beautiful, creative, artistic andspiritual extension of our speech andprayers.

THE CONS OF LEARNING ANINSTRUMENT

We don’t need music to be reconciledwith God and get to heaven.

1 Corinthians 1:19 and 27 tell how Goduses the foolish things of the world toshame the wise and he frustrates theintelligence of the intelligent. Exams,competitions and music knowledge abouttheory, playing, history and composing donot guarantee salvation.

I am not against instrumental lessons. It isOK for your child to learn. The Biblevalues instruments and Psalms is full ofreferences to skilful playing. I have writtena Biblical piano course and train teachersfor it. But God wants to give a bigger,balanced, eternal perspective of music.

God does not want everyone to be amusician.

In David and Solomon’s time the Leviteswere set apart to be trained musicians for theTemple. The musicians had no other dutiesand even lived in the Temple. This still lefteleven tribes, the majority of the Israelites.Most people were not trained musicians. Ifwe look at a church service, are there moremusicians or people in the congregation? Aminority are trained musicians.

Exodus 31:3 tells how God gifts usdifferently. He filled Bezalel ‘with skill,ability and knowledge in all kinds ofcrafts’. Verse 6 tells how the people whobuilt the tabernacle had skills and abilitiesaccording to God’s gift.

Proverbs 22:6 says, ‘Train a child in theway he should go and when he is old hewill not depart from it.’ Some translationssay in the way ‘he leans’ or ‘is bent.’ Goddoes not give everyone equal musical gifts.All the piano students I have had have beendifferent—from the musically gifted tothose with little sense of rhythm, andeverything in between.

God gave everyone a free musicalinstrument—the voice.

Not everyone needs to play an instrumentbut everyone can sing, whether in tune ornot. The Bible says to ‘make a joyfulnoise’.

KEEPING PERSPECTIVE

There are enormous rewards in learning amusical instrument, but we needperspective from the Lord so that themusic god does not lure us into theworldly trap of exams, performance,competitions, feeding the music industryand humanism. Here are some challengingquestions to help provide perspective.

1. How much time and effort is spentpractising an instrument compared withpraying and memorising scripture?

2. Which does your child fear the most:the exam, the examiner and making amistake in front of the teacher? Or


God, knowing we are accountable forevery thought and deed?

We need to know our motivation anddevelop a desire to glorify God and knowHim.

Performance is impressive because it is sovisible and audible. The world judgessuccess based on the outward appearanceof performance, but we know that Godlooks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Without acknowledging the basic fact thatGod is the Author of all knowledge, weare lost. Education is a consequentialblessing from God, a bonus to enable us toknow Him more. God created our brains,intelligence, sensitivity and creativity toappreciate and love Him more.

Music is as important as any other subjectin that they are all tools to understandGod’s world. We can learn much aboutan author, composer or painter throughtheir writings, compositions and pictures.But the musical instrument should notbecome more important than God. Thereis the danger of the instrument becomingan idol (Habakkuk 2:18–20).

SO SHOULD MY CHILD LEARN AMUSICAL INSTRUMENT?

Ultimately it is the parents’ decision afterweighing up the justifications and facts.The answer will depend on yourrelationship with God through Christ. Ittook me over thirty years to understandthat it all comes down to knowing Godand obedience to His will. Here are fivepoints to consider.

1. You need a firm belief andconviction from God.

Weigh up the pros and cons presented.If you go down the music path, save andprepare for a long expensive journey.We plan for at least twelve years for abasic education. Music is no different.

2. If you can afford it, commit yourselflong term.

Be prepared for much expense in time,effort, discipline, transportation,expense of one-to-one lessons, booksand instruments. The blessings andrewards will outweigh the cost.

My programme The Gift of Music hasa biblical piano course which can bedone with trained teachers. Details areat www.thegiftofmusic.com.au

3. If you can’t afford it, don’t feel guilty.

Your children are not missing out.Encourage them to sing, sing, sing usingthe free instrument God has given them.

4. If you cannot afford it but have avery strong desire, then keeppraying and God will open doors.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way andwhen it’s in accordance with God’swill, it will happen.

5. If you are still not sure aboutinstrumental lessons but would likeyour child to have a biblicalperspective of music, The Elements ofMusic course may be the answer.

This will help you assess whether ornot your child is interested and willingto commit to instrumental lessons.


THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC COURSE

The Elements of Music course (EM) is a do-it-yourself complete Bible-based musiccourse providing spiritual foundations foreach music element, basic keyboard skills,theory and history. If your child is alreadylearning an instrument, EM provides thesupporting theory course. Instrumentallessons often focus on merely learningpieces. EM can be part of a homeschoolingprogram and no previous music knowledgeis required. For a more detailed description,visit www.thegiftofmusic.com.au.

Completing all four volumes of EM willdo the following:

1. Relate the subject of music to God.

2. Help build faith in Him.

3. Develop an awareness of how musicevidences God’s creativity and design.

4. Teach what each of the fourteen musicelements reveals about their Makerwith simple definitions and supportingscriptures.

5. Develop an understanding of howcomposers and hymnwriters use theirGod-given music gifts to organise theelements.

6. Teach basic skills in keyboard, theory,ear-training and simple composition.

7. Teach history of music from Creationto present day including church andgeneral world history.

8. Not focus on performance but presenta balanced coverage of all areas ofmusic in a biblical perspective.

We live in a world of ‘specialists’ withsome teachers focusing on learning pieces,others on theory, still others technique,some encourage learning by ear whilstothers by reading.

The Biblical perspective of music is ofprime importance and EM sets thefoundation for all other music study, givinga big picture from a godly perspective beforegoing into details. It is designed to buildfaith in God using the tool of music. EM isvery economical compared with one-to-oneinstrumental lessons, about $3.50–4.00 perweek depending on the level.

I close with a quotation from theEncyclopedia of Bible Truths for SchoolSubjects by Ruth Haycock.

If we actually believe that the Bible isauthoritative in every area in which itspeaks, in history and science as well assalvation and prayer, we are obligated tofind out what it says about every topic weteach. If we fail to present what God saysbut teach other aspects of the subject, weshelter pupils from the truth and givethem only part of the story. [If we onlyteach instrumental skills, students aremissing out on most of the music story.WH] What we do teach may be purelyhumanistic and opposed to the truth inthe Bible, or it may be true as far as itgoes but is incomplete. In either case,pupil thinking is being shaped accordingto the world’s pattern. God asks fortransformed lives, not conformed to theworld, but based on renewed minds ableto prove what is good and acceptable andthe perfect will of God.’

The full version of this and otherarticles by Wendy Hill are available atwww.thegiftofmusic.com.au.


Some years ago now a group ofwell over twenty qualified expertswrote to the then Federal Ministerof Education, Dr BrendonNelson, on the state of readinginstruction in Australia.

As researchers, linguists and educatorswho have studied the process underlyingthe development of reading, and who arefamiliar with the scientific researchliterature related to the acquisition ofreading, we are writing to you to expressour concern with the way in whichreading is typically being taught inAustralian schools.…We believe the timehas come for a review of the approachesto reading instruction adopted in ourschools…

The result was the Rowe Enquiry intoLiteracy Teaching commissioned inDecember 2004. The findings of theenquiry support what LEM have beensaying for many years about thesuperiority of intensive phonics inteaching reading.

KEY ELEMENTS

The report suggests that a successfulschool is one

• that believes each child can learn toread and write regardless of thebackground

• with an early and systematic emphasison the explicit teaching of phonics

• with strong leadership and manage-ment practices, involving whole-schoolapproaches to the teaching of readingand writing.

TEACHERS

The committee found that many teachersdo not use (and are not aware of)objective, standardized diagnostic tests thatassess the essential alphabetic, decodingskills required for reading proficiency.

…direct systematic instruction in phonicsduring the early years of schooling is anessential foundation for teaching childrento read. …research evidence indicates thatALL students learn best when teachersadopt an integrated approach to readingthat explicitly teaches phonemicawareness, phonics fluency, vocabularyknowledge and comprehension.

It was clear however that systematicphonics instruction is critical if childrenare to be taught to read well, whether ornot they experience reading difficulties.

The inquiry found strong evidence that awhole-language approach to the teachingof reading on its own is not in the bestinterests of children:

…where there is unsystematic or nophonics instruction, children’s literacyprogress is significantly impeded…

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

The report recommended that:

• teachers provide systematic, direct and

THE ROWE ENQUIRYRecommendations into literacy teaching in Australia


explicit phonics instruction so thatchildren master the essential alphabeticcode-breaking skills required forfoundational reading proficiency.

• literacy teaching continue throughoutschooling (K–12) in all areas of thecurriculum.

• successful teaching of reading occursbest where there is a consistent andcomprehensive whole-school approachthat is clearly specified in a literacy plan.

• teachers put in place an explicit,literacy planning, monitoring andreviewing process in collaborationwith school communities and parents.

TEACHING PRACTICES

The report was not kind to the wholelanguage method:

Whole-language…reflects a constructivistphilosophy of learning in which childrenare viewed as inherently active-self-regulating learners who constructknowledge for themselves, with little orno explicit decoding instruction.…astrong body of evidence exists that whole-language approaches are not in the bestinterests of children experiencing learningdifficulties.

In contrast, code-based approaches focuson explicit teaching of the structure andfunction of written and oral language inways that allow children…to reflect onand consciously manipulate the language.

WHICH TYPE OF PHONICS?

Reading researchers have come up with anumber of approaches and given them‘educationese’ titles:

Analytic phonics uses a ‘whole to part’approach, that avoids having childrenpronounce the sounds of a word.

Synthetic phonics uses the ‘part to whole’approach, teaching children to sound thephonograms to blend the words.

Embedded phonics teaches children lettersound relationships with context clues (asthey don’t use rules).

Analogy phonics uses parts of wordsalready known to identify new words.

LEM Phonics, according to the experts, isa synthetic or intensive approach. It usesphonics through spelling to link reading,spelling and writing in an overarchingphonetic approach to literacy.

Our many years experience has taught usthat this approach is the most successfulone available today—not only for teachingphonics, but as a comprehensive Englishprogramme.

The Registered Instructors in LEMPhonics are now working with hundredsof home educators and over 100 state andChristian schools in Australia.

The LEM Phonics programme is availablein a Christian and general version usingthe writing styles for different states.

In addition, LEM Phonics is in variousstages of development in a number ofother nations.

Contact LEM for information as to howyou or your school could introduce thissuperior method for teaching Englishorcheck out the website at www.lem.com.au.


I take my walks by attempting to playgolf—walking amongst the trees lookingfor my ball is much more fun thanfollowing that narrow fairway anyway!

Secondly, food intake—the idea is to noteat those things that add unwanted weight.The problem is that if you aim only atweight loss you will probably miss theimportance of healthy weight loss.However, if you aim to eat healthily, youwill almost certainly lose weight.

To lose weight healthily, graduallyincrease your intake of vegetables and fruituntil they become the main part of yourdiet. As you do that also increase the rawfood component (a good ratio to aim foris 70–80% raw diet).

On the other side commensurately reduceanimal products, white flour, white sugar,salt, alcohol and drugs of any kind.

Consider children’s diet too—if you feedyour children only healthy food from thebeginning they are less likely to acquire ataste for unhealthy foods.

It’s simple, but it’s a challenge! RememberRome was not built in a day so beginslowly, adding more healthy food andremoving the unhealthy. It is a good ideato have, for example, a six month plan tochange your eating habits. You’ll beamazed at the changes for the better.

HEALTH

A WEIGHTY ISSUEP E T E R F R O G L E Y

We see so much today aboutweight—weight of people that is!

Certainly being overweight is a problem asfar as our health and wellbeing areconcerned. It seems, however, that manywho are concerned about weight are notso concerned about health problems asthey are about appearance. As a result wehave seen a proliferation of weight lossdiets and exercise programs which maynot always consider the overall health ofthe person. For example, high proteindiets can stress the body, causing weightloss, but at the cost of overall health.

Most weight loss programs seem to behelpful only if they are accompanied byself-discipline—in fact most have in theirfine print something to the effect of ‘thisonly works with proper diet and exercise’.

So firstly we need to consider physicalexercise. Let me ask you, what possibleattraction is there to riding a bike thatgoes nowhere or running on a revolvingmat and never leaving the house? Trygoing outside and enjoying God’s creation.


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The Elements of Music Vol 3After much hard work from WendyHill and the LEM staff, EM3 is here!Volume 3 of this comprehensive,completely bible-based musicappreciation course builds on thefoundations laid in volumes 1 and 2.It encompasses music theory,composition, history and keyboardskills, as well as general worldhistory and philosophy. Four newmusic elements are learned.

The books are enriched with many music examples, tables, maps,timelines, detailed diagrams and illustrations.

Teacher’s Manual including 2 CDs and flashcards 233 pages $69.95Student Workbook 178 pages $49.95Student Test Booklet 38 pages $20.95Keyboard Arrangements Book 44 pages $21.95

Cursive Practice bookA write-in penmanship booklet which can beused in conjunction with the LEM Phonicsprogramme, or as a stand-alone resource. Itprovides practice in the steps of teachingcursive writing, including the connectingstrokes and special cursive letters. Studentsthen proceed with practicing multiplephonograms, words, capital letters, and finally full sentences.

Illustrated ‘did you know’ sections about the history of writing arefeatured throughout the book.

This new volume replaces the two previous and very old editions FirstCursive Copy Book and Cursive Capitals. It teaches a cursive styledesigned to flow easily with the LEM Phonics print style, not a‘linked script’ style as is often taught in schools.

A4 format, wire bound, 52 pages. $13.95

Order online atwww.lem.com.au


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Phonics in ActionThis DVD uses hand and body actionsto help students remember thephonograms—a fun and active approachto learning. Includes a CD of teacherresources.

Home version $39.95School version $99.95

Third Millennium PressWe are now stocking Third Millennium’s lavishly illustrated, fullcolour charts which fold out to double sided panoramas of history.These beautiful resources for schools and home schoolers are sure tobecome favourites now and heirlooms for the future.

THE TIMECHART HISTORY OFTHE WORLDUnfolds to a 4.5 metre long wall chartchronicling world history from 4004 BCto 2004 AD. $34.95

THE TIMECHART OF BIBLICAL HISTORYThis 4.8 metre fold-out chart showsBiblical history from 4004 BC until 100AD. Includes maps and summaries.$34.95

PANORAMA OF THE OLD TESTAMENTPANORAMA OF JESUS AND THE NEWTESTAMENTBeautifully produced 2.5 metre fold-out charts of the major events of theOld and New Testaments. $29.95 each


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Rod and Staff PublishersUNDERSTANDING THE PAST FIVECENTURIES: YEAR 9 HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY

The Mennonite version of the period fromthe Renaissance to today. A comprehensivehistory and a good addition to the rangeof history/geography courses available.

The student text is a 555-page hard coverwith many colour illustrations. $45.45

The teacher manual contains facsimiles of each student page with teachernotes, and answer key. 603 pages. $55.75

A test booklet is also available. $3.55

G A HentyThese new Henty story books are printed on acid-free paper in sturdyhard covers. $32.25 each

THE SHORT STORIES OF G A HENTY VOLUME 1

Contains four stories: The Sole Survivors, AFrontier Girl, The Ranch in the Valley and On theTrack.

THE CORNET OF HORSE

Rupert Holliday is a protege of his paternalgrandfather, an old Cavalier, and is taught tobe a fine swordsmen. Follow Rupert and theWar of Spanish Succession through Spain,northern Italy, southern Germany, and theSpanish Netherlands.

CAPTAIN BAYLEY’S HEIR

After being swindled of his inheritance by hiscousin, Frank Norris travels to America and theCalifornian Gold Rush of 1849. Here he encounters wagon trains,Indians, stagecoach robberies, buffalo hunts, ambushes, and more!


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YWAM PublishingHEROES OF HISTORYHeroes of History is a unique biography seriesfrom YWAM publishing that brings history tolife with the remarkable true stories offascinating men and women who changed thecourse of history. $13.20 each

Thomas Edison George WashingtonChristopher Columbus George Washington CarverClara Barton Harriet TubmanDaniel Boone Laura Ingalls WilderDouglas MacArthur Orville Wright

CHRISTIAN HEROES THEN AND NOWBe inspired by the exciting life stories of theseheroes and witness the drama of faith andcharacter being tested under the most extremecircumstances. Most suitable for ages 9–15.$13.20 each

Adoniram Judson Ida ScudderAmy Carmichael Jim Elliot Betty GreeneJohn Wesley Brother Andrew John WilliamsC S Lewis Jonathon Goforth C T StuddLillian Trasher Cameron Townsend Loren CunninghamClarence Jones Lottie Moon Corrie Ten BoomMary Slessor Count Zinzendorf Nate SaintDavid Livingstone Rachel Saint Eric LiddellRowland Bingham Florence Young Sudar SinghGeorge Mueller Wilfred Grenfell Gladys AylwardWilliam Booth Hudson Taylor William Carey

INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURESOn every continent, in every nation, God is atwork in and through the lives of believers.From the streets of Manila to mysteriousAlbania to the jungles of Ecuador and beyond.$19.20 each

Peace Child Don RichardsonLords of the Earth Don RichardsonTorches of Joy John Dekker and Lois NeelyThe Man with the Bird on his Head John Rust andAbbie Anderson


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New Eleotin ProductsEleotin is now available in pre-brewed tea form, for those who preferto take it in a drink rather than capsules. Also new in both tea andcapsule form is the Mb weight loss formula, which uses two afternoonformula tablets and one night formula.

ELEOTIN® PLATINUM TEA PLUS• Pre-brewed (20% more potent than

regular tea) plus booster capsules• for advanced diabetes• one month supply—30 tea bags and

90 capsules• should be taken for a minimum

6–12 months1 month supply $220.00

ELEOTIN® MB WEIGHT LOSSFORMULA CAPSULES• one month supply in three bottles—

2 afternoon and 1 night• for weight loss1 month supply $110.00

ELEOTIN® MB WEIGHT LOSSFORMULA TEA• Pre-brewed (20% more potent than

regular tea)• for weight loss• one month supply—30 tea bags• should be taken for a minimum

6–12 months1 month supply $110.00

NEW HOPE FOR DIABETES

Evelyn Garrard has assembled this excellentmaterial to help anyone with diabetes among theirfamily and friends to understand the disease andwhat can be done about it. 22 page booklet. $3.30


In the last month of the year I hadwhat you may call a very ‘activerest’, with visitors from China inmy home—a family of three.

Mother and Father could not speakEnglish, so it was a great opportunity toimprove the level of my Chinese. Itdefinitely did that!

We had a marvellous time together,staying in my brother’s lovely home on theshores of Victor Harbor in South Australiafor a week, visiting my relatives in theBarossa Valley, back to Canberra to enjoya flight in a hot air balloon together, aswell as a very multicultural Christmas!

Now it is back to work in earnest.

TEACHER’S RESOURCE KIT

I have been working with John on whatwill be a Teacher’s Resource Kit,containing support materials for LEMPhonics. The material is all ready but thework of combining it, refining it, makingthe layout consistent and categorizing allthe items takes a long time to accomplish,especially when there seem to be so manyother things tugging on John’s time aswell.

LEM PHONICSCORNER

E V E L Y N G A R R A R D ’ S

The kit will be available as printableresources on a CD, but there is thepossibility that many of the charts,exercises, activities and games will bemade available as hard copies for thosehome schoolers who would like to usethem.

THE TRAVEL BUG

After having a relatively free several yearsfrom travelling around, it seems that Godis again launching me into unchartedwaters.

We have one new candidate fromMelbourne planning to become aRegistered Instructor this year. So inMarch I’ll spend a couple of weeks inMelbourne training her.

Hard on the heels of that I shall be leavingfor Africa to train teachers working in theprimary school at the Joshua FoundationBible College in Arusha, Tanzania, forfour weeks.

From there, all things falling into place, Iwill travel to India where Samuel Babuhopes to have teachers in the Educationalsystem in the state of Andhra Pradeshtrained to teach phonics. He hopes thatthis can serve two aims—the first toimprove the teaching of English skills in


L E M P H O N I C S C O R N E R

India, and the second tomake a profit from thisbusiness to help fund hisorphanage of 300 or sohomeless children.

At present we have Samuel’snephew Raja here, who isjoining him with the LEMPhonics work. Raja islearning as much as he canabout the programme so hecan be a help to the teachersin implementing it into their schools.

To begin a new LEM Phonics company inIndia will be a big challenge requiring alot of work and wisdom, and for this wewould covet your prayers.

I would covet your prayers, too, forcontinuing health and strength, underconditions which may be different at timesfrom the normal, and for wisdom inhelping these people adapt the teaching ofthe LEM Phonics programme to theirunique situation.

OVERSEAS ENGLISHTEACHERS

One of the great needs in China, India, PNG andother non-English speaking nations is for nativeEnglish speakers who can instruct in the LEM

Phonics programme. We would be pleased to hearfrom anyone who feels a call to teach and be trainedin LEM Phonics to be able to serve the Lord in one

of these nations.

We continue to receive positive andencouraging reports about LEM Phonicsfrom many schools and homeschoolers.

May God continue to bless it and thepeople who use it, and to spread it evenfurther to the ends of the world.

Teaching Raja

THANKS DEREK!DEREK KELLY is a local

Christian printer who has, inaddition to printing Light of Life,generously offered us much of

his time and equipment use sincewe moved to Canberra in 1990.Derek has now retired and we

wish him every blessing.


2008 Programme9:00 Registration

9:30 Keynote Address

10:30 Morning Break

11:00 Elective sessions

12:00 Lunch

1:00 LEM Phonics

2:00 Elective sessions

4:00 Book Browse and Buy

5:00 Close

Details and registration forms for allCHESS seminars are available as PDFdownloads on our website atwww.lem.com.au. Just click ‘CHESS’ inthe ‘Quick Links’ box on our homepage.

Children are welcome at all CHESSseminars, but they must be quiet andaccountable to their parents at all times.

If you are interested in holding a CHESSseminar in your area please contact theLEM office on (02) 6259 3944.

CHESS Seminars 200801 MELBOURNE

Date Saturday 7 June

Venue Ashburton PresbyterianChurch, cnr High and High StRd Ashburton

Cost Single/Family: $25/$40Earlybird (by 9 May): $15/$25

Send to John AngelicoPO Box 310 MDCMt Waverley Vic 3149

Phone (03) 9544 8792

02 ADELAIDE

Date Saturday 21 June

Venue Sunrise Christian School

286 Sturt Rd, Marion

Cost Single/Family: $25/$40Earlybird (by 6 June): $15/$25

Send to Sue WhitrowPO Box 123, Belair SA 5052

Phone 0439 847 246

03 BRISBANE

Date Saturday 26 July

Venue St John’s Presbyterian Church23–33 King St, Annerley

Cost Single/Family: $25/$40Earlybird (by 4 July): $15/$25

Send to LEM Office200 Florey DrCharnwood ACT 2615

Phone LEM Office (02) 6259 3944

EVENT CALENDARC O M I N G E V E N T S S E M I N A R S P R O G R A M M E S U P D A T E S

Note the number of the seminar youare interested in and tick the

corresponding box on the registrationform inside the back cover


LEM Phonics Seminars

Details and registration forms for all LEMPhonics seminars are available as PDFdownloads on our website atwww.lem.com.au. Just click ‘LEMPhonics’ in the ‘Quick Links’ box on ourhomepage.

Note the number of the seminar you are interested in and tick thecorresponding box on the registration form inside the back coverEVENT CALENDAR

04 SYDNEY

Date Saturday 9 August

Venue Condell Park Christian School

29 Lancelot St

Condell Park

Cost Single/Family: $25/$40Earlybird (by 18 Jul): $15/$25

Send to CHESSc/o 6 Blackwattle Grove

Narrellan Vale 2567

Phone (02) 6259 3944 (LEM Office)

05 PERTH

Date Saturday 13 September

Venue Bull Creek Westminster Pres.

32 Bull Creek Drive

Bull Creek

Cost Single/Family: $25/$40Earlybird (by 23 Aug): $15/$25

Send to Rod and Leanne Ellis246 Duckpond RdWellard WA 6170

Phone (08) 9524 2505

Book DisplaysNo registration required

HAMILTON, VIC

Date Wednesday 18 June

Venue South Grampians Life Centre38 Kenny St, Hamilton

Time 1–5 pm

Cost Gold coin donation

Contact Sonia Gellert, (03) 5577 4378

MOUNT GAMBIER, SA

Date Thursday 19 June

Venue Mt Gambier Christian Centre15–27 Stafford StMount Gambier

Time 1–5 pm


Contact Kylie Mullen, 0418 882 500

MILDURA, VICTORIA

Date Monday 23 June

Venue Living Waters Community118 Orange Ave, Mildura

Time 2–5 pm


Contact Dale Vaughan, (03) 5022 8319

director’s · undertaking we are finding that it will take longer to complete than we had hoped....

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