The Education Commission of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) has launched a programme designed to address the various formation needs of Jesuit primary and secondary schools in the region. The “Ignatian Initiative for Teaching Excellence” (IGNITE) programme offers a selection of workshops for faculty and staff to support them in their role as Ignatian educators.

“The IGNITE programme is designed by practitioners for practitioners, in consultation with experts and specialists,” said Fr Johnny Go SJ, JCAP Education Secretary.

Fr Go explained that the programme focuses on Ignatian formation rather than professional development and offers three streams – Workshop on Ignatian Spirituality in Education (WISE), Training in Ignatian Learning and Teaching (TILT), and Workshop on Ignatian School Leadership (WISL).

WISE is envisioned as an ongoing formation on Ignatian Spirituality intended for both teaching and non-teaching staff and top management. TILT is designed to train teachers and academic heads in the philosophy and principles of Ignatian pedagogy, as well as the characteristics of Jesuit education. WISL is conceptualized as an ongoing formation in Ignatian leadership for school heads, principals and middle-level administrators.

Although it is ideal that a participant completes one stream, IGNITE has been designed to be as flexible as possible.

“The consensus was to be flexible and use a combination of the modules from the various streams,” Fr Go said. “We also agreed that having a six-month course would be too long and unrealistic for schools, so we designed five-day courses.”

This year, three courses or modules will be offered under the various streams. The first of these, “Communal Discernment and Ignatian Decision Making”, will be offered from April 17 to 21 in Tagaytay, Philippines. It provides training in the basics of Ignatian communal discernment, and Fr Go recommends it for school leaders, administrators and senior practitioners who want to know how the principles of Ignatian communal discernment can be applied in the decision-making processes of their school.

Another module, “The Principle and Foundation of Jesuit Education”, will be offered from September 24 to 30 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  This provides an overview of the history and tradition of Jesuit education and is recommended for both teaching and non-teaching staff.

“This course invites Ignatian educators to appreciate their vocation in the context of the Jesuit mission of education, as well as to appropriate the characteristics of Jesuit education,” explained Fr Go.

Senior teachers and administrators who seek ongoing formation for themselves and their school communities will find the module on “Ignatian Teaching and Learning Programme” helpful. It will be offered from November 12 to 18 in Sydney, Australia.

Fr Go says this module provides an opportunity for participants to deepen their knowledge of Ignatian spirituality and Ignatian Pedagogy.  It will also help them keep abreast of significant educational trends and establish connections with the global network of Jesuit secondary educational institutions.

An IGNITE Certificate of Attendance will be given upon the completion of each module.  If a participant completes an entire stream or its equivalent of any three modules, an IGNITE Certificate of Completion will be awarded.

Registration for the module on “Communal Discernment and Ignatian Decision Making” is already open.  The deadline for registration is March 15.  More details on the programme can be found in the IGNITE brochure.  Click here to register online.

Originally published on the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) website.