Year
2021Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Unit rationale, description and aim
This is an advanced unit designed for experienced practitioners of Religious education, aspiring leaders, and recognises leading religious education in schools occurs in a range of educational settings and contexts. In order to remain current and successful in leadership roles, professionals need to develop skills around engaging with cutting-edge leadership practices and practitioners. This unit is designed to help participants succeed in leading religious education in schools. The unit gives students an opportunity to engage with emerging leadership theories, practices and opportunities. The students will examine the works of innovative, contemporary research and policy development in the area of leadership in religious education in both the educational and religious dimensions of schools. Various dimensions of leadership associated with the responsibilities for leading religious education are analysed in the light of the potential for leadership to improve the achievement of outcomes for students. Recent developments in policy and practice are appraised in the light of their potential to support learning for leadership in religious education. The unit provides evidence-based resources for teachers and school leaders looking to implement professional growth strategies, build leadership capacity within school and develop their own skills as leaders. The unit examines strategies for promoting leadership and succession planning and how school communities can take advantage of this. It also considers contemporary challenges associated with leading religious education in schools through critical reflection. The unit aims to expose students to new and innovative leadership practices and encourage them to freely experiment with and engage with colleagues to improve practice in religious education in the school context.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Identify and analyse key dimensions of leadership associated with leading religious education in schools emanating from contemporary research and practice to improve the educational outcomes for students (GA5; APST Lead 6.3)
LO2 - Appraise policies and practices oriented towards supporting learning for leadership in religious education in schools (GA5; APST Lead 2.3)
LO3 - Critique strategies for promoting leadership density and succession planning for leading religious education in schools that fosters professional engagement in leadership actions (GA6; APST Lead 7.4)
LO4 - Critically reflect on contemporary challenges associated with leading religious education in schools and initiate strategies to implement supportive and safe learning for students from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds (GA1; APST Lead 1.3, 4.2)
Graduate attributes
GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Lead
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
1.3 Evaluate and revise school learning and teaching programs, using expert and community knowledge and experience, to meet the needs of students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
2.3 Lead colleagues to develop learning and teaching programs using comprehensive knowledge of curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements. |
4.2 Initiate strategies and lead colleagues to implement effective classroom management and promote student responsibility for learning. |
6.3 Implement professional dialogue within the school or professional learning network(s) that is informed by feedback, analysis of current research and practice to improve the educational outcomes of students. |
7.4 Take a leadership role in professional and community networks and support the involvement of colleagues in external learning opportunities. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Contemporary theories about the dimensions of leadership associated with leading religious education in schools (religious, spiritual, faith, educational, curriculum and ministerial dimensions)
- Relevant policies and current practices pertaining to contemporary models of leadership in religious education, including structural arrangements and role descriptions for leader in religious education
- Recent developments and strategies to foster leadership density and succession planning suitable to leading religious education in schools.
- Challenges associated with leading religious education in schools such as but not exclusive to: the religious plurality of student populations; leadership solitude and loneliness; contextual factors associated with leading religious education.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Participants in this unit are predominantly teachers, or aspiring leaders or leaders whose geographical location is widespread. These participants are adults, all of whom are qualified with at least one tertiary degree with a special interest in the discipline of Religious Education. Participants have different experience and expertise that collectively spans the full range of contexts and levels. Notwithstanding that some participants may have decades of experience as teachers/leaders resulting in considerable ‘practice wisdom’, and some participants bring formal leadership titles to this unit. All participants in this unit will therefore have acquired some foundational or contextual knowledge of learning and teaching foundations in religious education.
This unit builds on this foundation by helping all participants to progressively develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in leadership through a lens of an evaluation of the RE programs and the religious life of the school. This developmental progression needs to be informed by contemporary research and policy development in leadership in religious education in both the educational and religious dimensions of schools. It provides opportunities to recognise the needs and circumstances of participating students, their institutional mission and the Diocesan and local Religious Education teaching and learning policies, and other governance requirements in the Catholic education sector.
This unit is delivered face to face, as an intensive and also using an online mode of delivery, facilitated primarily through online forums and webinars. It capitalises on the maturity and capability of the participants, their understanding and contextual knowledge of learning and teaching in their context, extending their comprehension to critiquing their own teaching contemporary challenge associated with leading religious education in schools and providing learning experiences where solutions continue to be developed.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the learning outcomes. It capitalises on the maturity and capability of the participants, their understanding and contextual knowledge of learning and teaching in their context, extending their comprehension to critiquing their own teaching contemporary challenge associated with leading religious education in schools and providing learning experiences where solutions continue to be developed.
A variety of assessment procedures will be used to ascertain the extent to which the students achieve the outcomes. These will include seminar presentations, research papers, audio-visual presentations, electronic multi-media presentations, discussion papers and a range of other options.
The total assessment tasks will be the equivalent of 5,500 words.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Policy Review Review a diocesan policy pertaining to leading religious education in schools and critique the extent to which is reflects contemporary research and theories pertaining to the dimensions of leadership commonly exercised to those leading religious education in schools. Make recommendations for policy reform with the aim to improve outcomes for students in religious education. | 50% | LO1, LO2 | GA5 |
Professional Learning Activity Drawing on relevant and scholarly literature plan and prepare a professional learning activity that critically addresses a contemporary challenge associated with leading religious education in schools and promotes the quality of religious education for staff and students in the school Examples of contemporary challenges may include but not exclusive to:
| 50% | LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA6 |
Representative texts and references
Buchanan, M. T. & Gellel, A. M. (Eds.). (2019). Global perspectives on Catholic religious education in Schools Volume II: Learning and Leading in a Pluralist World. Netherlands: Springer Press. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-6127-2
Francis, L. J. Parker, S. Lankshear, D. W. (Ed.). (2021). New Directions in Religious and Values Education: International Perspectives (17-35). UK: Peter Lang Publications.
Gaus, R. & Leinhäupl, A. (Ed.). (2021). Study Applied Theology: A reading and study book. Germany: Matthias Grünewald Verlag within the Patmos Group.
Gearon, L. (2013). Masterclass in religious education: Transforming teaching and learning. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Rymarz, R. & Belmonte, A. (Ed.). (2017). Religious education in Australian Catholic schools. Victoria, Australia: Vaughan Publishing.
Stern, J., Sink, C. A., Wałejko, M., Ho, W. P. (Ed.). (2021). Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness. London, UK: Bloomsbury.
R. Wills, R., de Souza, M., Bakkar, M. A., McMahon, J. M., .Roux, C. (Ed.). (2021). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Culture and Identity from Early Childhood to Early Adulthood. London, UK: Bloomsbury.