Teaching Religion NOTE: Comedian Dave Allen remembers his introduction to religion - his first day of school! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxo81Ok9Urk (5 mins) Yes, there are challenges faced when planning, teaching and assessing religion ... Importance of good teaching! Good discipline knowledge and good pedagogy ... So difficult to ‘unteach’ or ‘unlearn’ REFLECTION: Participants are asked to reflect on and respond to the Introductory Activity: Teaching Religion Statements about Teaching Religion EEKK strategy? NOTE: James, you will notice mention of an introductory activity we have used in the past. I don’t know how useful it would be in the new way we are doing things. IF you decide to use or adapt it, I think it would be better at the beginning of Mark’s session on the Five Insights???

Approaches to the classroom learning and teaching of Religion Approaches used in Brisbane Archdiocesan schools in different historical periods: Catechism Approach ( mid-1960s): doctrine-centred, rote learning Apologetics Approach ( mid-1960s): assumed Catholic tradition based on faith & reason – able to be defended using reasoned argument Kerygmatic Approach (1960s, 1970s): oriented to study of material from the Bible Experiential Approach (1960s, 1970s): drew material from scripture and traditions of the Church to depth life experiences of students Reconceptualist Approach (1980s present): educational emphasis in contrast to previous ecclesial and theological emphases Phenomenological Approach (1980s present): religion can be studied and appreciated as a phenomenon, without making a judgement as to whether it is true or false A brief history walk: (refer to REAP CU 2 site: Religious Education Approaches CATECHETICAL APPROACH: Aims to share and nurture the faith of students ‘catechesis’ – from Greek term used to describe the process of echoing or resounding – calling and responding “the process of echoing the faith that was handed on from previous generations. Each rising generation would be able to echo the faith passed on to it by the previous one. .. The teacher is the one who calls the students to a response in faith. Several ‘models’ of this approach: DOGMATIC CATECHESIS – Focused on essential truths found in the formal beliefs rather than in stories and rituals Used the CATECHISM KERYGMATIC CATECHESIS Catechetical renewal – reforms in methods of instruction (doing not just listening) AND a revised theology proclaiming the joy and Good News of Christianity (rather than imposition of doctrines) From ancient Greek word meaning a herald or messenger; used to describe one who proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection Vat II emphasised importance of Bible; oriented to study of material from Bible Lessons linking with Gospel for the Mass of the coming Sunday Some texts produced in Australia; simply not enough to adapt catechisms EXPERIENTIAL CATECHESIS: Emphasised and took account of the life experience and interests of students; the starting points would now be the person’s own experience of life; then draw of scripture and Church tradtition to depth understanding Life-relevant and personally focused; moving from life reflection to religious meaning Fitted with understanding of God’s revelation proposed by Vat II – God being revealed to people, here and now, in the ordinary experiences of their lives EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES: In response to changes in the background and experiences of students coming into C schools Classrooms could not be presumed to be a context of shared faith

A Reconceptualist Approach Does the subject incorporate a unique mode of thought and awareness that is worthwhile for a person’s understanding of self and human life? Does the subject widen and deepen the student’s perspective in a unique and valuable way and so contribute to human development? Can the subject be taught in ways that ensure understanding and foster the student’s ability for independent thought? (Michael Grimmitt, What can I do in RE? , 1973, pp. 9-10) A Reconceptualist Approach “ …learning about religion and learning from and through religion” (Strategic Plan, p.3) A Reconceptualist Approach to RE: A principle: The design and development should continue to align with a reconceptualist approach to religious Education” (from the Strategic Plan); approach taken in this Archdiocese since c. 1997) it came about as a result of the efforts by religious educators to reconceive or rethink ways in which the learning and teaching of religion in schools is most effectively understood and implemented in a contemporary multicultural and multi-faith world. has an educational emphasis and contrasts with a traditional ecclesial and theological emphasis for the Religious Education curriculum in schools. From a Catholic point of view a Reconceptualist Approach is in harmony with the distinction made in Church documents between catechesis and religious instruction. Scholars include: Michael Grimmitt, a scholar from the United Kingdom proposes an educational emphasis for Religious Education in schools. students learn about religious traditions, from religious traditions and through religious traditions. Religious Education needs to meet three criteria to justify its inclusion in the school curriculum as a worthwhile subject on educational grounds (see slide) Grimmitt’s thought suggests a constructivist approach to learning - humans build up knowledge and meaning from their own experiences. A constructivist approach to learning in Religious Education supports pedagogy of inquiry that is open, active, free and engaging.

A Reconceptualist Approach Crawford and Rossiter Gabriel Moran Yoram Harpaz Importance of creating ‘zones of freedom’ in the religion classroom for an authentic educational process and genuine student engagement the tragedy would be that that academic inquiry is not challenging enough and formation is not particular enough A powerful questioning pedagogy, within the context of a community of thinking, stimulates and supports genuine, active and authentic student engagement A Reconceptualist Approach A Reconceptualist Approach to RE in schools is elaborated and nuanced in a variety of ways in the work of a number of scholars. Key insights include: Marisa Crawford and Graham Rossiter : approaches to Religious Education that align with approaches in related curriculum areas are likely to be more educationally effective in a school context. Religious education needs to be academically challenging from Year 1 to year 12; RE in primary school needs to keep pace with the level of critical pedagogy and critical content that pupils normally experience in other learning areas The approach to studying the religious tradition needs more problem-posing content and a critical, student centred, research-oriented pedagogy Gabriel Moran: “Endless talk about Christianity is not religious education. What deserves that title is teaching people religion with all the breadth and depth of intellectual excitement one is capable of – and teaching people to be religious with all the particularity of the verbal and non-verbal symbols that place us on the way.” Yoran Harpaz: Teaching and Learning in a Community of Thinking 2005 (Director, Mandel School of Educational Leadership, Jerusalem) the ability to pose questions to understand ourselves and our world lies at the heart of what it means to be authentically human. sees in many schools what he calls an ‘answering pedagogy’ where the underlying assumption is that knowledgeable teachers are asking ignorant students questions that are largely examining student recall rather than stimulating the genuine exploration of problems and issues “ …learning about religion and learning from and through religion” (Strategic Plan, p.3)

Describe this approach using the ‘Y Chart’ strategy. Read about different approaches to religious education using the Tiki-Toki timeline. Identify one of these approaches that you have used as a teacher of Religion or experienced as a learner. Describe this approach using the ‘Y Chart’ strategy. Read about different approaches to religious education using the Tiki-Toki timeline. Identify one of these approaches that you have used as a teacher of Religion or experienced as a learner. Describe this approach using the ‘Y Chart’ strategy. (NB: Important to point out to students that these approaches are not ‘locked into’ timeframes .. That all or most continue to happen right up to today! The timeline indicates timeframes in which an approach came to prominence)