Year
2022Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
Nil
Unit rationale, description and aim
Learning about history informs current and future practice in Religious Education. The historical development of Religious Education has been driven by the contextual elements of Australian society, and the wider Catholic Church, and hence knowing about the contexts and how they have changed over time provides foundational knowledge in this unit. The unit then sets out to help develop an informed, critical, panoramic perspective on the development of theory and practice in school religious education. Different approaches that emerged in the history of Catholic religious education in Australia are examined in relation to the sociocultural, religious and educational contexts in which they emerged. Consideration is given to the shaping influences on developments as well as to speculation about what can be learned from this history in relation to contemporary implications. Contributions from a range of theorists internationally will be evaluated, illustrating the different emphases that have developed in the different countries and contexts. Attention will also be given to ideas about how a relevant contemporary religious education might be able to address critically and constructively a number of issues that have arisen in current globalised, consumer-oriented, digitally savvy, Westernised cultures.
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 - Critically examine and explain how Catholic Church documents have had a bearing on Catholic school religious education in Australia (GA8; APST Lead 2.1, 2.3)
LO2 - Analyse and evaluate issues related to the language of religious education, particularly in relation to the range of religious/ecclesiastical constructs that have been applied and used in religious education (GA8; APST HA 3.6, 6.3)
LO3 - Identify and evaluate the distinctive emphases that appeared in the historical development of approaches to religious education in Australian Catholic schools and comment on what might be learned from this history that can be applied to contemporary religious education (GA5, GA8; APST Lead 1.1)
LO4 - Critically analyse the approaches to religious education proposed by a number of theorists/researchers (internationally) (GA4, GA5; APST Lead 3.6).
LO5 - Identify some of the contemporary spiritual/moral/religious challenges that might be addressed in some way in religious education (e.g spiritual/moral influence of media, social networking, globalised consumer-oriented lifestyle) and comment on how these topics might be approached (GA5; APST HA 3.6)
LO6 - Develop a personalised position about what constitutes a meaningful, relevant contemporary religious education that reflects a high regard for equity and human rights in the context of a broad understanding of globalisation (GA5, GA6; APST Lead 1.1)
Graduate attributes
GA4 - Think critically and reflectively
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
GA8 - Locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Lead
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
1.1 Lead colleagues to select and develop teaching strategies to improve student learning using knowledge of the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students. |
2.1 Lead initiatives within the school to evaluate and improve knowledge of content and teaching strategies and demonstrate exemplary teaching of subjects using effective, research-based learning and teaching programs. |
2.3 Lead colleagues to develop learning and teaching programs using comprehensive knowledge of curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements. |
3.6 Conduct regular reviews of teaching and learning programs using multiple sources of evidence including: student assessment data, curriculum documents, teaching practices and feedback from parents/ carers, students and colleagues. |
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Highly Accomplished
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
3.6 Work with colleagues to review current teaching and learning programs using student feedback, student assessment data, knowledge of curriculum and workplace practices. |
6.3 Initiate and engage in professional discussions with colleagues in a range of forums to evaluate practice directed at improving professional knowledge and practice, and the educational outcomes of students. |
Content
Topics will include:
- develop a broad perspective on the Catholic church documents that are regarded as having an important bearing on Catholic school religious education.
- explore the relationships between theology /scripture and religious education, and the relationship with other disciplines and the social sciences. Interpret the problem of confusion of purposes that can arise because of the many ecclesiastical constructs from the whole of church life that have been applied to the limited context of classroom religious education.
- develop a critical perspective on the historical development of different approaches to Australian Catholic school religious education, identifying and evaluating the various emphases and developmental influences;
- explore the emergence of state-based religion studies courses in Australia and their educational, multi-faith focus; Consider why it has been almost exclusively the church schools that have implemented these courses.
- identify and evaluate the approaches to religious education proposed by a range of religious education theorists/researchers, noting the distinctive emphases and contributions.
- consider how a relevant, meaningful, contemporary religious education might address some of the issues arising in today’s culture like the influence of media, social networking, consumerist social reality etc.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in multi-mode (i.e. delivered online and in face-to-face contexts) and uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of the essential knowledge associated with educating people about the history and theories of religious education. Students are able to explore the essential knowledge related to the historical development of religious education through a series of online asynchronous interactive sessions. Critical reflection on the knowledge gained will then be brought to bear on the contemporary nature of Religious Education both individually and collectively. Students also have the opportunity to attend synchronous online tutorials to participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge This approach allows flexibility for students who are largely engaged in full-time work.
Where required by cohorts, part or all of the unit could be delivered face-to-face with students engaging in lectures and workshops as well as students accessing digital resources and activities available through the LEO site.
This learning and teaching strategy will facilitate active participation in pedagogical approaches that demonstrate alignment of teaching, learning and assessment and the strategy is responsive to the diverse contexts of individual students and cohorts.
This is a 10 credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, video, workshops, and assignments etc.
Duration
150 hours in total with a normal expectation of 24 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 24 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then become private study.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to successfully complete this unit, postgraduate students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks.
The assessment strategy used allows students to progressively develop their knowledge, understanding and analytical skills to the level of sophistication where they are able to evaluate ways to draw on foundational and contemporary understandings of Religious Education, to critically reflect on the nature of contemporary RE.
The first assessment task consolidates key theoretical and contextual understandings through synthesising this factual and conceptual knowledge in a written response, appraising the key ideas and issues in a particular pertinent Church document. In the second assessment task, postgraduate students will review a published article in relation to the theories and rationale for a contemporary aspect of RE. Finally the third assessment piece expects students to critically reflect on the contribution of historical approaches to RE to the contemporary and future practice.
The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the learning outcomes. A variety of assessment procedures can be used to appraise the extent to which the students achieve the outcomes such as academic essays, seminar presentations, research papers, electronic multi-media presentations, discussion papers.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Brief appraisal of the key ideas and issues in a particular Roman document that has a bearing on religious education. | 25% | LO1, LO2 | GA8 |
Appraisal and review of a published article in the Journal of Religious Education as an example of a published academic article on religious education. | 25% | LO5, LO6 | GA5, GA6 |
A written paper describing and critiquing historical approaches to Catholic school religious education. | 50% | LO3, LO4, LO5 | GA4, GA5, GA8 |
Representative texts and references
Buchanan, M.T & Gellel, A. (Eds.) (2019). Global perspectives on Catholic religious education in schools. Volume II: Learning and leading in a pluralist world. Singapore: Springer.
Crawford, M., & Rossiter, G. (2006). Reasons for living: Education and young people's search for meaning, identity and spirituality. A handbook. Camberwell, Vic: Australian Council for Educational Research.
de Souza, M., Engebretson, K., Durka, G., Jackson, R., & McGrady, A.G. (Eds.). (2006). International handbook of the religious, moral and spiritual dimensions in education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Fleming, J. (2009). Catholic Church Documents on Religious Education. M. de Souza et al. (eds.), International Handbook of the Religious, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education, 607– 620.
Grimmitt, M. (Ed.). (2000). Pedagogies of religious education: Case studies in the research and development of good pedagogic practice in RE. Essex, Eng: McCrimmons Publishing.
Groome, T. H., & Horell, H. D. (Eds.) (2003). Horizons and hopes: The future of religious education. Mahwah, NJ; Paulist Press.
Jackson, R. (2012). Religion, education, dialogue and conflict: Perspectives on religious education research. London: Routledge.
Lut, J.M., Dowden, T., Norsworthy, E. (Eds.) (2018). Reimagining Christian education: Cultivating transformative approaches. Singapore: Springer.
Moran, G. (2016). Missed opportunities: Rethinking Catholic tradition. Bloomington: iUniverse.
Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization. (2020). Directory for Catechesis. Strathfield: St. Pauls Publications.
Ryan, M. (2013). A common search: The history and forms of religious education in Catholic schools (Rev. ed.). Hamilton, Qld: Lumino Press
Whittle, S. (2016). Vatican II and New Thinking about Catholic Education: The impact and legacy of ‘Gravissimum Educationis’. London: Taylor & Francis.