Religious Education

CATECHESIS PUBLICATION LOGOS Vol 49 3-4 pgs 209-233

by Leanne Pupchek

Teaching Buddhism in Britain's Schools: Redefining the Insider Role

by Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

Contemporary Buddhism (2010), Vol.11, No.1, pp.69-84.

Dialogical approaches to Religious Education in Britain's schools have opened the subject to input by Buddhist... more Dialogical approaches to Religious Education in Britain's schools have opened the subject to input by Buddhist insiders more than ever in its history, although shortcomings remain in the way Buddhism is portrayed in the classroom. With the proviso that insider input can move beyond the ‘do-ut-des’ religious style, this paper describes eight possible areas of classroom experience where Buddhist insiders can make a beneficial contribution. Of these, examples could be found in the educational literature where insider input through home nurture, teaching materials, teacher expertise, insider input and pedagogy had already been applied to good effect in the classroom. However, in the areas of the Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education, school ethos and national representation input was found lacking or skewed toward ‘convert’ Buddhist expectations, while the voice of the more numerous ‘migrant’ Buddhist community remained relatively unheard.

Finding a moral homeground: appropriately critical religious education and transmission of spiritual values

by Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

International Journal of Children's Spirituality (2010) Volume 15, Issue 2, pp.175-187

Values‐inspired issues remain an important part of the British school curriculum. Avoiding moral relativism while... more Values‐inspired issues remain an important part of the British school curriculum. Avoiding moral relativism while fostering enthusiasm for spiritual values and applying them to non‐curricular learning such as school ethos or children’s home lives are challenges where spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development might benefit from leadership by critical religious education (RE). Whether the school’s model of spirituality is that of an individual spiritual tradition (schools of a particular religious character) or universal pluralistic religiosity (schools of plural religious character), the pedagogy of RE thought capable of leading SMSC development would be the dialogical approach with examples of successful implementation described by Gates, Ipgrave and Skeie. Marton’s phenomenography, is thought to provide a valuable framework to allow the teacher to be appropriately critical in the transmission of spiritual values in schools of a particular religious character as evidenced by Hella’s work in Lutheran schools.

Measuring attitude towards RE: factoring pupil experience and home faith background into assessment

by Phra Nicholas Thanissaro

British Journal of Religious Education (2012), Vol.34, No.2, pp.195-212.

Recent studies have increasingly favoured contextualisation of religious education (RE) to pupils’ home faith... more Recent studies have increasingly favoured contextualisation of religious education (RE) to pupils’ home faith background in spite of current assessment methods that might hinder this. For a multi-religious, multi-ethnic sample of 369 London school pupils aged from 13 to 15 years, this study found that the participatory, transformative and dialogical activities of church visits, computer use and classroom debate improved attitude to RE. It revealed more readiness in girls to apply RE to their own religiosity and particularly negative attitudes to RE in pupils with no religious background. Besides indicating the validity, reliability and unidimensionality of a new short quantitative measure of pupil attitude to RE which acknowledges pupil experience and home context, the findings suggest ways to move beyond ‘banking’ paradigms to which RE remains prone.

'Take this Normal Class Idea and Carry it Throughout the Land': Sunday School Teacher Training in Ontario, 1870-1890

by Patricia Kmiec

published in Historical Studies in Education, Spring 2012

Nurturing spirituality through symbol literacy in religious education

by Adrian Gellel

Gellel, A. (2010). Nurturing spirituality through symbol literacy in religious education. Journal of Religious Education, 58(3), 44-51.

Spirituality is the characteristic that distinguishes our species, the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, from any other creature.... more Spirituality is the characteristic that distinguishes our species, the Homo Sapiens Sapiens, from any other creature. From the very beginning, humans have been able to conceptualise and create symbols for them to be able to construct meaning and give order to their cosmos. By so doing they were able to transcend everyday reality. It is argued that in our post-modern reality, which is marked by an individualistic and fragmented ethic, many have lost the ability to read symbols. This has considerably diminished access to the Spiritual and impoverished the quality of their Spirituality. It is suggested that the inclusion of symbol literacy in Religious Education programmes will not only serve as a means of teaching religious facts but above all it holds the potential of opening the doors of meaning, giving access to the Spiritual.

Adapting to the Requirments of the Individual in the RE Classroom

by Adrian Gellel

Gellel, A. (2006). Adapting to the requirements of the individual in the R.E. classroom. In M. De Souza, K. Engebretson, G. Durka, R. Jackson & A. McGrady (Eds.), International handbook of the religious, spiritual and moral dimensions of education (pp. 1093-1109). Netherlands: Springer.

An Inter-religious Basis for a Denominational Religious Education: A Paradox?

by Adrian Gellel

Gellel, A. (2010). An inter-religious basis for denominational religious education: A paradox. In K. Engebretson, M. De Souza, G. Durka & L. Gearon (Eds.), International handbook of inter-religious education (pp. 441-456). Netherlands: Springer.

Confessional or Denominational Religious Education is a reality in different schools, both private (normally... more Confessional or Denominational Religious Education is a reality in different schools, both private (normally denominational schools) as well as state-funded schools. If we agree that amongst the main aims of Religious Education are the formation of identity and character, and the enhancement of one’s spiritual, social and cultural, development, then we also have to agree that Religious Education needs to respect and take into consideration various tensions, amongst which the rights of parents versus the rights and duties of the wider community, and contextual realties versus global realities. The present paper explores how Denominational, in particular Catholic Religious Education, can be inclusive without playing down its confessional character. After presenting the philosophical basis for this standpoint, the paper will also illustrate examples of how a Catholic Religious Education Syllabus can not only include at its very basis a sense of openness, respect and a will to grow through interaction and dialogue with other faiths but can also present contents and beliefs present in other world views. The paper will take into account various difficulties that arise from this approach, particularly the tension between the will and aims of the institutional Church and the biases, especially of interpretation, that a Catholic approach may generate.

Adaptive religious education at the service of inventiveness: A scientific way of being creative and effective in religious education

by Adrian Gellel

Gellel, A. (2011). Adaptive religious education at the service of inventiveness: A scientific way of being creative and effective in religious education. The Person and the Challenges: The Journal of Theology, Education Canon Law and Social Studies Inspired by Pope John Paul II, 1(1), 99-111.

Student uniqueness demands that the teacher/catechist is inventive not only in the learning methods and teaching... more Student uniqueness demands that the teacher/catechist is inventive not only in the learning methods and teaching techniques employed but also in the way content is structured. Only in this way can the teacher ascertain that his/her students’ requirements are met and, consequently, student learning facilitated. However, teachers’ creativity should not mean haphazard choice of methods and techniques. Teaching is both an art and a science. The limitless nature of creativity should be used judiciously and made to bear fruit through the application of knowledge of educational psychology and instructional design. By using Adaptive Religious Education, the teacher may be guided to use different techniques in a methodical manner in order to ensure and enhance student learning. In particular, the systematic use of different symbol systems can help teachers to improve student learning. The paper will put forward a number of principles and practical suggestions that may guide teachers in planning R.E. lessons

Religious Education in England after 9/11

by Dan Moulin

In the ten years following 9/11 there was unprecedented interest
in, and commitment to, religious education in... more In the ten years following 9/11 there was unprecedented interest
in, and commitment to, religious education in the school curriculum
in England. Politicians, academics, and professionals all argued
that learning about religion could foster “social cohesion” and even
preventterrorism.Accordinglytherewereanumberofnationaland
international initiatives to develop religious education as a part of
intercultural education. With a focus on England, but taking full
consideration of landmark transnational collaborations, this article
examines developments in policy and professional discourse concerning
religious education that occurred after, and sometimes as a
direct result of, the events of 9/11. It is argued that this emphasis,
often instigated at the behest of politicians, led temporarily to an
increased status of the curriculum subject in England, but that this
influence may have also led to increased instrumentalism, and with
it,associatedrisktothesubject’sintellectualautonomyandintegrity.

More Seminal Ethics Implications

by Mark Singer

Tandem works include: "Seminal Ethics," "Kant Concept Art," "Addendum - More Seminal Ethics Implications" - also on this site.

These implications are: moral, epistemology, love, happiness, time and space, psychological, art, education, medical, economic, war, capital punishment, and abortion.

"Addendum - More Seminal Ethics Implications" includes additional categories.

Deconstructive Religious Education

by Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast

Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast & Zohreh Khosravi. Deconstructive Religious Education. Journal: Religious Education. Volume 106, Issue 1, January 2011, pages 82-104.

The article argues that even though deconstruction has indications for action in religious education, the action... more The article argues that even though deconstruction has indications for action in religious education, the action should be subordinated to the notion of deconstruction as event. Three strategies can be used in the curriculum of religious education inspired by deconstruction. The first strategy is to emphasize the spirit of religion as different from the corpus of rituals. The second strategy concentrates on the common core of religions as a basis for translatability among different religions. Finally, the third strategy deals with providing compatibility between faith and knowledge.

Hunger Games and Ancient Israel: May the God be ever in your favor

by Jonathan Jordan

The Hunger Games series, written by Suzanne Collins to address the impact of war and violence on adolescents, has... more The Hunger Games series, written by Suzanne Collins to address the impact of war and violence on adolescents, has captured the imagination of more than just its target audience. In the wake of the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, students as well as their parents and teachers have embraced these three novels as perhaps the next great young adult book sensation. With a movie contract set to release the first two films in 2012 and 2013, its impact will continue to be seen for years to come.

It is both the popularity as well as the subject matter of the Hunger Games series that makes it such a valuable teaching tool in a variety of religious education courses. Not only are hoards of Middle and High School students currently reading the series, by the time the last film is released, many of the series’ earliest fans will be entering college. The value of integrating this series into religious education courses could be demonstrated in a variety of contexts. This author wishes to explore the possibilities of using modern fiction such as the Hunger Games series in the context of a middle and high school Old Testament course.

Primary among correlating themes between the HG series and the Old Testament are the effect that various forces have on a given community. Several of these forces will be explored and evaluated as effective teaching tools in a Middle and High School context. For both Ancient Israel (OT) and District 12 (HG), four primary forces greatly impacted their respective communities: war and violence, music and art, identity as underdog and flawed yet inspiring leadership. The impact of these four ideas on Ancient Israel can perhaps be more fully understood when using the Hunger Games series as illustration.

Pluralism and Constructivism in Turkish Religious Education: Evaluation of Recent Curriculum of Religious Culture and Ethical Knowledge Lesson

by Halil Eksi

Recep KAYMAKCAN
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
7 (1) • January 2007 • 202-210

It is argued that a traditional approach to religious education is not sufficient to meet
the necessities of... more It is argued that a traditional approach to religious education is not sufficient to meet
the necessities of contemporary world. For this reason, pluralistic approaches to
religious education receive a particular attention in the recent years. In line with the
other school subjects, the curriculum of secondary religious education was changed
in Turkey. It is stated that the new curriculum was prepared taking the constructivist
learning theory into consideration. The new curriculum may be accepted as a
response to the demand for change in religious education. In this article, the following
three issues related to pluralism are examined in terms of the new religious
education curriculum: (i) Religious education and constructivist approach, (ii) the teaching
of Alawism and (iii) the teaching of non-Islamic religions. An analysis of the
curriculum indicates that some improvements have been made in line with pluralism.

The place of religion in education in Poland

by Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska

IN: Islam (Instruction) in State-Funded Schools. Country Reports, G. Lauwers, J. de Groof, P. de Hert (eds.), Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen 2012

It's All About Love (Synopsis)

by Mark Singer

Portraits in the Mind

by Mark Singer

"Portraits in the Mind" - composed mostly of art - is based on research at Kendall College of Art & Design (USA) in which this new link was discovered:

> 1:10 art students reported synaesthesia

> 1:3 of the above demographic reported co-consciousness.

Kant Concept Art

by Mark Singer

Tandem works include: "Seminal Ethics," "More Seminal Ethics Implications," "Addendum - More Seminal Ethics Implications" - also on this site.

The artist is P. Patten (USA).

Seminal Ethics

by Mark Singer

Tandem works include: "Kant Concept Art," "More Seminal Ethics Implications," "Addendum - More Seminal Ethics Implications" - also on this site.

Additional implications include: moral, epistemology, love, happiness, time and space, psychological, art, education, medical, economic, war, capital punishment, abortion, and possibility.

Discovering Your Ethical Core

by Mark Singer

Related works include: "Seminal Ethics," "Kant Concept Art," "More Seminal Ethics Implications," "Addendum - More Seminal Ethics Implications" - also on this site.