NATIONAL INSTITUTE for CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONLecturers
Geoff Beech
Dip Teach (MCAE), Grad Dip Ed (CSU), MEd (CSU), EdD (Cand)
Geoff taught in primary schools in New South Wales for fifteen years before he and his family were called to the mission field to serve in an SIM school for missionary children and also to serve Bolivians in Cochabamba, Bolivia. After teaching for two years and serving as principal for three, Geoff undertook several other education-related ministries in Bolivia including the supervision of missionary language learning, working for a year as SIM's international education consultant and for a number of years in a consultancy position working with Bolivian Christian schools and Christian educators.
In this position, and as the Vice President of the National Association of Christian Schools of Bolivia, Geoff organised national level conferences for teachers and administrators. His work has also involved visiting and meeting with educators in many countries in the Americas as well as other continents.
Geoff's EdD research thesis is entitled "The ethical decision-making of culturally differentiated educational leadership."
Associate and Adjunct Lecturers
Sue Barter
DipTchg, DipRSA (LD), MSpEdSue Barter commenced her teaching in Wilcannia (far western NSW) in 1975, and after a variety of teaching experiences has most recently been teaching at Tyndale Christian School where she has served as Coordinator in charge of Special Education-Learning Difficulties from 1994 to the present day. She completed a masters degree in special education from the University of Western Sydney in 2000 and is in demand as a speaker in her field of Special Education, particularly in the area of "inclusion".
Sue was invited as a keynote speaker in October 2002 and 2005 to the Conference for the Independent Schools Association of South Africa and has made presentations for a number of other groups such as the Association for Independent Schools in NSW, the Royal Society for Deaf and Blind Children, for individual Christian schools and for Christian school conferences.
Sue has a passion for Christian education, a passion to see children with learning difficulties succeed, and a corresponding passion to encourage and support the parents of students with special needs.
Caroline Blake
BSc(Hons) (Melb), DipEd (Melb) MEdSt (CCHE)
Caroline began teaching in a state high school in Victoria, in 1974. Apart from a short break to have three children, she has been teaching ever since.
In 1988, Caroline began teaching at Swan Christian College in Perth, WA. Although a practising Christian for many years, Caroline found the notion of an education where Christ is the centre of everything as new and profoundly exciting. Initially she taught in the science department in the areas of science, biology and chemistry.
In 1995, she moved into leadership roles and she is currently deputy principal. She has completed her MEdSt with NICE and has also been responsible for producing through NICE the Teaching in a Christian School: New Staff Induction Unit which is now in its third edition.
Melissa Brown
BArts (Macq), MEdSt (CCHE)Melissa began her teaching career as a TAFE teacher in the Central West, before moving into secondary education. She has been involved in Christian education, teaching at Orange Christian School (OCS), for the past 14 years. During this time she has worked both part-time and full-time, teaching food technology, science, mathematics, career education and community and family studies.
For the past six years she has served as Senior Secondary Coordinator. During her time at OCS she has become passionately committed to Christian education and to casting the vision for Christian schools far and wide.
Jill Ireland
AMusA (oboe). BA Hons I (UTas). M Litt (Oxon.), MEd (Professional Leadership and Training, CCHE) PhD cand. (Macquarie)
Jill Ireland has been involved with NICE since 1994, first as a Council member, and then as an adjunct lecturer. She has taught in WA and NSW, supervised distance education school students, and has been an academic staff member of the University of Wollongong since the establishment of their Bega campus.
Her Oxford research on 17th and 20th century poetry was followed by independent research on values in Australian children's literature. Jill is now investigating the influence of literary theory on the teaching of Year 12 English.
She has been involved in editing and writing for a number of books and journals including NICE's most recent books, and in judging the Australian Christian Book of the Year. After a mobile decade in various mining camps and outback towns, Jill and her husband Stephen have been living in Bega, NSW and raising their five children.
Charlie Justins
BA, DipEd, MEd (Syd), BD (Melb), EdD (ACU)
Charlie has been at Tyndale Christian School in Blacktown for close to 30 years, teaching in the areas of mathematics, economics and studies of religion. He has been Deputy Principal since 1991. Before this he had 12 months in a government school and in the middle (1986) spent 12 months at Marrara Christian School in Darwin.
His interests lie in the relationships and tensions that exist between education, culture and biblical foundations. Developing a Christian approach to the teaching of economics, commerce, arithmetic, number theory and algebra for example, is an abiding interest.
In 2002 he was awarded a Doctorate in Education through the Australian Catholic University for research which culminated in the thesis - Christian Parent-Controlled Schools in Australia: Foundational Values and Prevailing Practices.
He has been a lecturer with NICE since 2000 and a member of the Academic Planning and Review Committee of NICE since 1995. He is currently chair of the congregation and a lay preacher at Blacktown Uniting Church.
Mark Lewis
BEd (Macquarie), MA (UTS), MEd (CCHE)
Mark Lewis is currently the Principal of Swan Christian College; previously he was the Principal of Sutherland Shire Christian School in Sydney, Deputy Principal of Maitland Christian School and has taught at Knox Grammar School, Green Point Christian College and Covenant Christian School.
He was originally trained as a primary school teacher and has subsequently completed two Master's degrees; the first being a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and Literacy, through the University of Technology in Sydney, and a Master of Education Studies through the National Institute for Christian Education.
Mark has a wide variety of interests ranging from lecturing on Christian Education at Edith Cowan University through to enjoying the outdoor life with his family: wife, Leigh and four children - Josiah, Kaleb, Samantha and Jared. Mark also completed the Avon Decent last year after learning to Kayak only two months prior to the event.
Fiona Partridge
BEd (SecMus)(SACAE), MEdSt (CCHE), PhD (Cand)
Fiona has been teaching at Torrens Valley Christian School since 1990. During that time, she has been a music teacher, middle school core teacher, R-12 Performing Arts Coordinator, Middle School Coordinator and currently is R-12 Curriculum and Policy Coordinator with a focus on Staff Professional Development.
Fiona is a sessional lecturer in Curriculum and Middle Schooling at Tabor College Adelaide within the Bachelor of Education program. In 2000, she completed her MEdSt through the NICE.
Fiona enjoys working in the area of teacher professional development, and has recently enjoyed leading PD activities in Indonesia and with teachers in India through the Worldwide Christian Schools Organisation. She is in the process of completing a doctorate exploring preservice teacher education for middle schooling through the University of South Australia.
Fiona enjoys relaxing with friends and bike riding with her family.
Andrew Schmidt
BSc (Monash), BEdSt (Monash), MEdSt (Monash), GradDipEd (Burwood), GradDip (CurrSt) (ICE), EdD (Cand), Cert IV Training & Assessment
Andrew majored in psychology at Monash University, but he abandoned his plans to become an educational psychologist after two years of primary teaching in an inner city school. Over twenty years later, he still loves teaching.
Andrew has worked at Donvale Christian School and Mountain District Christian School teaching at both primary and junior secondary levels. In recent years Andrew has been heavily involved in setting up vocational courses and structured work placements for students in years 9-12 in both Mount Evelyn Christian School and Mountain District Christian School. In the past two years he has pioneered the development of the new Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning for Mt. Evelyn Christian School.
He was in the first group of graduates from the Institute for Christian Education and ever since has been an enthusiastic supporter of the need for teachers to be involved in continuing professional development.
He has pursued his interest in teacher development, assessment and evaluation, and curriculum development through a master of educational studies program and is currently undertaking doctoral studies at Monash University.
Rod Thompson
BA, DipEd (USyd), ThL (PTC), MEdSt (CCHE), PhD (Macquarie)
Rod has previously been both a high school teacher, for over twelve years in state and Christian schools, and a Presbyterian minister in Sydney's western suburbs for over twelve years.
In 2003, Rod completed his PhD concerning the relationship between the Bible and education. Until the end of 2006 he worked on secondment from NICE to the MASTERS Institute in Auckland as its Dean of the Centre for Worldview Studies. In 2007 he returned to Australia as Assistant to the CPCS CEO with a part-time contribution to the work of NICE.
Rod's main concern continues to be the way in which the Bible is used foundationally both in the formation of Christian worldview and specifically for the practice of education. He believes this to be the single most important factor in the ongoing effectiveness of the Christian schooling movement in Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
At the beginning of 2008 Rod and his wife Rosanne returned to Auckland NZ for further work in areas of leadership, theology and education. Currently, Rod is the Head of the School of Theology with the Bible College of New Zealand and Lecturer in the Reseidential Internship Program with the Maxim Institute.
Geoff Wilson
BA (Macquarie), MEdSt (Monash), Grad Dip Lib (NSW), Grad Dip Ed (GIAE), Grad Dip Curr St (ICE)
Geoff has been employed at Mount Evelyn Christian School (MECS) since 1977, initially as teacher-librarian and later teaching humanities in the senior school. For seven years he was senior school coordinator and is currently curriculum coordinator in which capacity he contributes to the development of eductional policy and practice as well as curriculum resources.
Geoff has wide experience at the post-compulsory level of schooling and related changes in educational policy and practice. He has also served the broader Christian Education National community on the editorial committee of Nurture and as a member of the NICE council. He served for many years as managing editor of the Christian Teachers Journal.
Geoff has written on Christian schooling in various popular and academic contexts. He has also written responses to a number of state and federal government educational initiatives.
Updated on 23 July 2008