Reading: Discussion in religious education: developing dialogic for community cohesion and/or spiritual development. Nurturing students’ spirituality Key insights Connections to previous learnings Implications for Religious Education

1. Prioritise spiritual development within religious education and the whole life of the school Declining influence of Church and parish as communities of engagement for development of religious spirituality. Reduced involvement in parish means Catholic schools’ responsibility to address needs of contemporary youth spirituality. (Rossiter, 2010) Move away of religious and spirituality from formal organisations such as churches. (Bouma, 2006, p. 5) Whole life of school – holistic spirituality, contemporary approach needs concrete experience of searching for God. (Downey, 1997, p. 91)

1. Prioritise spiritual development within religious education and the whole life of the school Nurturing spirituality priority for Catholic schools. Nurturing a healthy and holistic spirituality is founded in the Bible and Gospel loves. (Schneiders, 2002, Rolheiser, 1998, Au, 1990) ‘Catholic Schools to join their work of education with explicit proclamation of the Gospel – most valuable resource for evangelisation of culture’ (Pope Francis, 2013, Eangelii Gaudium)

1. Prioritise spiritual development within religious education and the whole life of the school Implications for religious education Large Catholic education system – resourcing needs to enable schools to deliver Clear messages about religious education for contemporary spiritual development Importance of strong Catholic Identity evidenced within schools – educational mission of Church.

2. Build capacity of teachers for deep knowledge and understanding of Christian history and tradition Dialogic pedagogy requires teachers to feel confident and competent to create this environment Students need a solid foundation of knowledge from which to dialogue. Uniqueness of Catholic religion knowledge – ‘partly subjective, not dependent of empirical observation and seeks commitment’ (p.100) Ranson’s cycle of spirituality – separating spiritual from religion limits healthy spiritual development (Ranson, 2011) Engagement of students begins with subject matter (Harris, 1987) Interdisciplinary and diversity important for holistic spirituality (Downey, 1997) Explicit teaching of religious traditions key strategy (Rossiter, 2011, p. 61)

3. Contemporary pedagogical approach – dialogic for active engagement of students in the discussion and creation of meaning More than question and answer – relational trust Students want to be involved in discussion. Older students prefer small groups. Teacher’s perspective but willingness to engage with students’ views. Teachers confidence in engaging discussion. Contemporary spirituality implications for both content and pedagogy. (Rossiter, 2010) Pedagogy – active, co-operative process. (p.100) Creation of space where students become active learners (Palmer, 1998)

3. Pedagogical approach – dialogic for active engagement of students in the discussion and creation of meaning Time for sharing and reflection to build closer relationship with God (Rupp, 1995) Different spiritual styles of students – needs talk and silence (Bellous and Csinos, 2009) Enable critical interpretation and evaluation of culture (Rossiter, 2011) Religious imagination needs teachers to be receptive to student voice (Harris, 1997) Continued research and change to enable dialogic for spiritual transformation. (Watson,2011p.107)

Key Insights 2 and 3 – knowledge and pedagogical approach Implications for religious education: Expectations of teachers Invest in professional capacity of teachers Authentic PD for contemporary understanding of strong Catholic Identity Formation of teachers System research for developing religious spirituality