Good schools aim to help children develop into fulfilled adults, not just to cram their heads with facts but to support them as they discover what it is to be fully human. Laying foundations for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural growth is immensely important and goes much further than learning about how to practice one’s own religious tradition. It involves providing meaningful opportunities for children to reflect on the “big questions” which affect us all, to learn about and from other traditions and the contributions of great thinkers through history.
Rigorous and relevant Religious and Values Education is not just a matter of what goes on in RE lessons, though that is immensely important. What is prescribed as part of Religious Instruction in faith schools cannot be the sum total of what a good school offers to its students in terms of opportunities for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural growth. Helping children to think deeply and well must be school-wide priority and the responsibility of each and every teacher, though it is not easy.
The OSCE affirms that “there is positive value in teaching that emphasizes respect for everyone’s right to freedom of religion and belief… teaching about religions and beliefs can reduce harmful misconceptions and stereotypes”56 member states and 12 partners for collaboration around the world, including Australia, now endorse an open and academically rigorous approach to Religious & Values Education, such as that which Dr Peter Vardy has been promoting for more than 15 years through organisations such as DAN in Australia. This approach sees broad and balanced Religious and Values Education as the cornerstone of a good education, which underpins other disciplines (from Literature to Music, from Citizenship to Critical Thinking) and which fosters tolerance of difference and engagement with the wider world and its challenges.
There is no doubt that teachers need proper support in developing subject knowledge and the specific pedagogic skills needed to deliver this less easily measured but vitally important aspect of the curriculum. This intensive PD conference aims to provide this support and to distribute resources which will help teachers to plan and deliver a range of interesting and effective opportunities in their schools.
Supported by The Coexist Foundation, a charity set up in 2006 to promote better understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims, and between these communities and others, this PD offers a unique opportunity for schools to provide substantial training in this area without the usual cost implications. The aim is not to replace, but to augment existing training provided by dioscescan education officers which supports RE specialists in teaching students about their own particular tradition. In addition, this PD is suitable for teachers who may not currently teach timetabled lessons in RE, but who will contribute to broader opportunities for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development.
Dr. Peter Vardy is an academic and author. For 12 years until 2011 he was vice-principal of Heythrop College, the specialist Jesuit run Theology and Philosophy College of the University of London. He is the author of 14 books some translated into a number of languages from German, Dutch, Polish and Spanish to Indonesian and is an acknowledged expert on religious and values education. He was one of the founders of the ‘Dialogue Australasia Network’ which has 450 members schools across Australia and New Zealand and which is committed to improving the academic standards for religious and values education.
Peter is passionately committed to the view that high quality religious and values education begins in the primary school and that the best questions are asked by seven year olds – we do not educate children into asking questions but out of asking them! This conference will draw on films and other modern media to help make the subject relevant and interesting for young people.
DATES
Sydney – October 22nd 2012
Adelaide – October 24th 2012
Brisbane – October 25th 2012
BOOKING
The conference is open, free of charge, to primary teachers in NSW, South Australia and Queensland. Any DAN members who teach in these states and wish to attend should notify the following:
Sydney
Sandra Bejjani ()
Adelaide
Paul DeTullio (CESA)
Brisbane
Eudaemoniaconferencesin association with
The Co-Exist Foundation presents...
Laying Strong Foundations
Towards Rigorous & Relevant Religious and Values Education for Younger Students
With Dr. Peter Vardy
Much work has been done intraining teachers and providing resources to support rigorous, relevant Religious and Values Education in Secondary Schools (the Study of Religion is now a popular exam-course in many schools)however much less support has been available for the teachers of younger students – until now. This year Dr. Peter Vardy (along with resources provided by well-qualified, experienced and committed practicing Primary teachers) will provide intensive training and a wealth of practical resources to improve the quality of opportunities in Australian Primary Schools.
The day will be modelled on the “Five Strands Approach” to Religious and Values Education, which was originally developed by Dr Peter Vardy in 1995 and which has become influential and popular across Australia and elsewhere. Delegates will each receive a copy of Dr Vardy’s new and revised guide to the Five Strands approach as part of their resource pack, as well as model documentation which can be edited and otherwise used to support policy and planning in this area.
Sessions will include...
Towards Rigour and Relevance in primary Religious and Values Education.
This introductory session will establish the need for schools to offer all children the opportunity to learn about and from a range of religious traditions and the wisdom of great thinkers through history as well as learning to practice within their own faith tradition. It will survey the latest research, considering what good schools should teach and how they can approach policy, planning and classroom delivery and will show how all religious communities should be working together to challenge the dominance of relativism, materialism, apathy and despair, which was identified as the most significant threat the world faces by Pope John Paul II in “Fides et Ratio”.
Using movies to engage with The Gospels
Teaching about the Bible can be difficult with younger children. The language can be challenging and it can be tricky to explain the historical context and some adult themes. Helping them to understand the importance of Texts and something of the foundational story of their own and other religions is of real importance however, not least in establishing skills and attitudes which will be necessary later on if RE is to be effective. This session will focus on the stories of Jesus’ birth, ministry and crucifixion found in the Gospels of the New Testament. It will suggest a new strategy for teaching about Jesus in the classroom which draws on Art and Film to help students to gain a deeper understanding of the stories. Lesson starters (using clips from flims such as ‘The Miracle Maker’, ‘Antz’ and Ice Age to explore elements of this topic) will be provided and tried and activities described.
What is God?
Understanding what is meant by “God” is not straightforward and has a huge effect on how children come to understand religious beliefs and practices as well as the wider world. We assume a great deal and rarely make time to explore the concept in detail. This actively enables celebrity atheists to gain ground, despite attacking a straw man. This session will explore how to help young people to understand what people mean when they speak of God and the wider implications of these beliefs, not least for the nature of language, truth and reality. How to use poetry, literature, art, music and film in teaching this topic will be considered.
Good and Evil: Tackling Big Questions with Little People
Introducing the ‘big questions’ to younger children is exciting and rewarding; they are often able to think through and respond to ideas as well as older students, though they may need more help with vocabulary and discussion skills. This session will consider two “big questions”: ‘why does evil exist?’ and ‘how do we know the difference between right and wrong?’, and will suggest ways of approaching teaching these topics to year 5&6 students. Ideas for lesson starters, using clips from films such as‘Wallis and Gromit’, ‘Flushed Away’ and ‘Ratatouille’ will be provided. This session will also explain the basic essentials of the Natural Law approach to ethics (using clips from ‘The Lord of The Rings’, ‘Harry Potter’ and other movies) and explain why “what it means to be fully human” lies at the heart of good religious and values education.
Citizens of Tomorrow’s World
Not all people have the same Religious Faith and many young people struggle to emgage with other beliefs and practices, often finding them confusing, alien, and so finding it difficult to sympathise and empathise with others and to understand major world issues. This session will consider the challenge of helping children to learn about and from other World Religions, suggesting how the business of teaching should be approached and providing practical resources and innovative ideas to support the delivery of schemes of lessons in schools to children in Years 3-8. The particular focus will be on how to teach about Islam and Buddhism.
A Moment of Stillness
This session will draw on current research into the value of stillness and silence in the classroom, both in helping children to concentrate for longer periods and as a strategy to help them to cope with personal challenges as they grow older. Religious traditions from across the world affirm the value of stillness and silence; Ignatian and Benedictine Christianity and Zen Buddhism agree that in silence we can find out more about ourselves and about the Truth. This session will explore how opportunities for silence, whether drawing on a faith tradition or non-denominational “mindfulness” techniques, can be created within the school context and will enable teachers to lead and guide young people in using quiet to focus, to become open and to listen actively.
Each participating teacher will be provided with an exclusive DVD of resources, including the revised guide to the Five Strands Approach, an editable model curriculum and RE policy statement and schemes of work suitable for students of different ages.