| CODE | PLC5016 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | The Religious Educator | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Pastoral Theology, Liturgy and Canon Law | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit will evaluate what it means to 'teach' RE, and will emphasize the three dimensions identified by the Directory for Catechesis, namely, the being of the teacher (the maturity, the faith, the spirituality, the holiness, the virtues), the knowing of the teacher (the theological and the educational training, knowledge of the Scriptures and of the social teachings of the Church, knowledge about Catholic music, art, architecture and traditions, the understanding of the structures of the Church, the psychology of the adolescent, the various vocations within the Church, acquaintance with other religions etc.) and the savoir-faire (creative skills, technical skills, conversing skills, conflict management, knowing how to pray, IT skills, and so on). Distinctions will be made between the three teaching languages identified by G.Moran: the homiletic, the therapeutic and the academic, as well as between the role of the RE teacher in the public school and the role of the RE teacher in the Catholic school. Practical issues will be explored, such as the contribution of the RE teacher to the pastoral and spiritual life of the school, as well as his or her contribution to the life of the Church. Study-Unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: - Emphasize the being of the teacher, the knowing of the teacher and the savoir-faire; - Distinguish between different teaching languages; - Reflect on the difference between the role of the RE teacher in the public school and the role of the RE teacher in the Catholic school; - Explore the contribution of the RE teacher to the pastoral and spiritual life of the school; - Explore the contribution of the RE teacher to the life of the Church; - Explore the contribution of the RE teacher to society; - Explore ways which could serve as personal and communitarian support for the teacher. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyze and discuss the role of the RE teacher in a changing society; - Evaluate the meaning of the teaching ministry and teaching within a professional context; - Interpret and reframe the three dimensions identified by the Directory for Catechesis, namely, the being of the teacher, the knowing of the teacher and the savoir-faire. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Seek and find ways of improving their 'being', deepening their 'knowing' and improving their skills (creative, technical, conversing, conflict management, prayer, IT etc); - Seek and find personal and communitarian support for themselves as teachers; - Share resources and provide support to other RE teachers. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Bruna, Katherine, ‘Learning to Love the Questions: Spirituality and the Practice of a Multicultural Teacher Educator’, in Multicultural perspectives, 12:2, 103-106, 2010. Dees, Jared, 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator: Leader’s Guide. Edie, Fred P., ‘The Christian Educator’s Imagination’, in Religious Education, 107:1, 9-29, 2012. Groome, T. H., 'The spirituality of the religious educator,' in Religious education, 1988, 83(1), 9-20. Irizarry, José R., 'The Religious Educator as Cultural Spectator. Researching Self in Intercultural Pedagogy', Religious Education, 2003, 98:3, 365-381. Hofinger, Johannes. You are My Witnesses: Spirituality for Religion Teachers. Our Sunday Visitor, 1977. Lines, Timothy Arthur, Functional Images of the Religious Educator (Birmingham, Religious Education Press, 1992). Prevost, Ronnie, ‘The Prophetic Voice of the Religious Educator: Past, Present, and Future’ in Religious Education, 93:3, 288-306. Streib, Heinz, ‘The Religious Educator as Story-Teller: Suggestions from Paul Ricoeur’s work’, in Religious Education, 93:3, 314-331, 1998. Supplementary Readings: Glenn James & Elda Marinez, ‘What can Jesus Teach Us About Student Engagement’, in Journal of Catholic Education, 19:1, 2015. Trenti, Zelindo (ed.), Manuale Dell’Insegnante di Religione: Competenza e Professionalita’ (Torino: Editrice Elledici, 2004). |
||||||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualification: First cycle degree (70ECTS) in Theology | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | |||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||