Competences of an RE Teacher/Catechist in the Opinion of Schoolchildren (original) (raw)
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The present work aims at presenting and comparing challenges faced by religion teachers in Catholic and state schools in Poland. For that purpose, 10 religion teachers from Catholic and 10 from state high schools were interviewed. First of all, the concept of teaching religion was discussed, followed by an analysis of the Catholic schools’ situation in Poland. The subsequent research stage was focused on analysing the interviews with religion teachers, concerning perception of their students, contents and methods of education, as well as their satisfaction and fears related to Religious Education. There was also a comparison carried out, between the opinions of teachers working in Catholic and those employed in state schools. The paper is concluded with a discussion of the currently advocated changes in relation to methods of teaching religion in Poland.
Journal of Religious Education, 2020
Recommendation 6 of the Commission on Religious Education's Final Report has focused attention on teacher preparation in England for Religious Education (RE) during primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE). It recommends at least twelve hours for 'all forms of primary ITE', challenging the current provision of many primary ITE providers. Information gathered by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) and others demonstrates the need to improve not only the hours taught, but also the quality of provision across all training routes. Many beginner teachers lack confidence in their RE subject knowledge and fear causing offence. If RE is to play a valid part in a twentyfirst century primary curriculum, training needs to address these concerns and develop understanding of the complex knowledge the subject requires. This paper explores aspects of knowledge in RE, the importance of relating developing practical wisdom to subject knowledge and considers a project which responds directly to the Commission's report.
The Character of the Religious Educator
Religious Education teachers should have 'a tremendous sense of humour and a hide like a rhinoceros', wrote Bernard R Youngman in 1953. The most successful author of RE textbooks in his day, Youngman was commenting on the qualities RE teachers needed to negotiate the lowly status of RE as a curriculum subject, and the contested nature of religion in postwar Britain. As well as the virtues of having a thick skin (tolerance) and a sense of humour (joy), Youngman also identified several other character traits necessary for the task of teaching religion in the 1950s: patience, sincerity, purpose, curiosity and determination. While many things have changed since then, we must be careful of our assumptions about RE in bygone eras. When you imagine the 1950s, you may think of an age when religious education was a respected and uncontested subject, taken very seriously by students, teachers, parents and school administrators. However, you would be quite wrong. While the style of RE has evolved over the last six decades, the precarious status of RE – the 'Cinderella' of the curriculum as it was later called in the 1960s – was contested and uncertain. Among the problems Youngman observed then are perhaps familiar now: lack of curriculum time devoted to RE, ineffective teaching methods, and the poor religious knowledge of students. The British approach to RE has developed out of an ongoing compromise between religious, political and educational stakeholders. When universal education was first enacted in the 1870s, various denominational bodies clubbed together to provide public schooling on the understanding that RE would be non-sectarian. At subsequent milestones, such as the introduction of compulsory secondary education in 1944, and again in the landmark 1988 Education Act, RE had a compulsory mandate, but was conceived in such a way that it should engender consensus between vested religious interests (including after 1988, the main non-Christian religions represented in Britain). One present corollary of this history has been the creation of a unique professional, the RE teacher, who religiously educates without confessing a particular creed. At one point in time, such as during the height of Youngman's popularity, it was assumed that this enterprise was broadly Christian in character, but undenominationally so. However, since the 1970s, when the religious studies movement influenced RE, the subject has included the study of the world's main religious traditions. The multi-faith curriculum was made statutory in 1988 and RE today is often promoted as a subject primarily concerned with promoting social cohesion and interreligious tolerance and understanding. It should be noted that parallel to local authority schools and academies, there have always been schools of a specific religious character – usually Church of England or Roman Catholic – that could, and do still, provide religious education of a confessional and denominational nature.
The Mission of a Teacher of Religion in the Contemporary Polish School
Roczniki Teologiczne, 2018
Work in a contemporary Polish school puts before teachers of religion new challenges in the areas of teaching, care, education and prophylaxis. They arise not only from structural, but also from syllabus-related changes. A new approach to education and prophylaxis, especially placing the proper value on holistic education in the Polish school, based on universal values, helps to fulfil the mission and vocation of a teacher of religion. Because, along with transmission of religious knowledge and evangelisation, other important issues include supporting students in discovering general human values and their internalisation and in developing social attitudes, as well as in pro-health, ecological and patriotic education. These actions have an educational and prophylactic dimension. The way in which a teacher of religion performs educational and prophylactic tasks largely affects the quality of religious instruction in Polish schools. This study is based on the current Law on Education and catechetical documents. The importance of a teacher of religion's activity is emphasised as well as his personal traits and testimony of faith.
Every Teacher a Catechst: A Proposed
The paper presents a systematic view about the understanding and views of doctrine, morals and worship of the teachers. It includes the survey of the teachers view and perspective of a catechist, catechesis and evangelization, to measure whether they are actually doing formation for the young as what the catechists are doing. Quantitative results based on their age and gender, those who are female, 20 – 24 yrs bracket are more on to teaching so much so they can easily relate with the young and with motherly care. In terms of civil status and degree both single and married are the same in position for teaching who are holders of bachelors’ degrees in education. In the length of service in teaching, more teachers are in 0 to three years in service while the length of service in their religious affiliation, majority of them have joined longer service. Qualitative results based on doctrine, morals and worship, teachers understand doctrine as beliefs and or principles which need to be shared and taught. They understand morals as doing rightly and believes that doing rightly is doing morally. They understand worship as a service to the church and attending its activities which is the expression of faith and acts of praise respectively. Teachers understand catechist as a religious instruction and they view evangelization as proclamation and conversion. Not all the employed teachers in a Catholic school have joined religious affiliation for them to grow in their knowledge of the doctrine, morals and worship needed for the formation of the young people. Keywords: doctrine, moral, worship, catechist, catechesis, evangelization, religious affiliation
Conceptualising and researching the professionalisation of RE teachers20200406 118780 1er8eb3
British Journal of Religious Education, 2016
Current discussions on Religious Education (RE), both in Germany and England, focus on the quality of teaching and the professionality of teachers, but neglect the historical and institutional process of profes-sionalisation upon which conceptions of teaching quality and teacher professionality hinge. This article seeks to provide definitional clarity by differentiating between individual and collective professionalisation; exploring teacher professionalisation in general and in the special case of RE; and operationalising the concept of RE teacher professionalisa-tion for the purposes of planned historical and international comparative research. A threefold conceptualisation of professionalisation is proposed , consisting of the following interrelated levels: (1) initial and continuing professional development; (2) professional self-organisation and professional politics; and (3) professional knowledge. The breadth, complexity and significance of the historical and institutional processes associated with the professionalisation of RE teachers at each of these levels is described and discussed. It is argued that further historical and international comparative research on these lines would contribute a broader and deeper understanding of the presuppositions of RE teacher professionality beyond current debates.
Developing a Model for Teacher Formation in Religious Education
2007
The intent of this paper is to demonstrate how the development of research-based modelling can assist teachers and decision-makers in making improvements to the processes of curriculum implementation. The paper presents a model of teacher formation based upon findings from a two-year study on the responses of recently assigned Religious Education (RARE) teachers in Catholic secondary schools within Western Australia. Data from the study provided evidence that these teachers experienced deepening layers of personal and professional growth as they implemented a newly drafted RE Curriculum. The model provides a framework that caters for the desire of RARE teachers to be competent classroom managers and for their vocational aspirations about becoming highly respected specialist RE teachers. These desires were related to teachers' concerns about the RE curriculum as well as the positive social relationships they developed with students and colleagues alike. Coping with these concerns effectively was invaluable to their personal and professional esteem. The model described here draws upon the work of educational change researchers such as Fuller, Fullan, and Jacobs. Such a model may be useful in improving the processes of curriculum implementation in Religious Education by considering the legitimate concerns of RARE teachers. Recently assigned RE teachers consist of both beginning and experienced teachers who are new to the teaching of Religious Education. For both groups, their experiences of teaching RE tend to reflect the difficulties of any teaching for the first time (Bezzina, Stanyer and Bezzina 2005; Feiman-Nemser 2003; McCormack and Thomas 2003). While many of these teachers have completed mandatory accreditation requirements for teaching Religious Education, they are normally teaching outside of their field of expertise and comfort zone. They may