Textbook examples can be changed to ones that express Christian values. They can also be changed from abstract or fictional to real life and relevant — for example, choosing examples of giving rather than getting in a math lesson. Using stories in French class of real people who believe and suffer as well as eat and shop can make learning feel more related to life, and the content of the stories can challenge students to think about their own values. Generally, typical textbook activities can be changed to reflect a new way of seeing a lesson.
- Learners could work on stories of real migrants when studying population movements in geography to reflect a new way of seeing population migration—as more than lines plotted on a map. People who move to a new country often have to leave behind much that they possess. Exploring such stories can help students to think about what is important.
- Learners can calculate percentages in math using real examples of coffee growers. They can see that numbers relate to real people and a percentage can mean the difference between survival and living with dignity.
- Learners can reflect on a different way of seeing a painting in art—like a visitor from another country or culture—by engaging in activities that reflect that new insight, such as drawing up guidelines for how visitors from another country are to be treated.
Critical engagement with examples such as these reinforces new insights. Changing how the lesson is seen without also changing the examples and activities to match often will result in the change being missed altogether, or a conflicting message might come across.