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Religious Education: what's it all about?

15/11/2010 - Samantha Rich

Religious Education is an important part of the broader faith development, prayer life and culture of a Catholic school. So what is taught in the Religious Education curriculum and what do students learn?

Twenty per cent of Australian students attend a Catholic school, chosen for a variety of reasons including the schools’ faith-centred environment, a strong focus on the education of the whole person, and high expectations of achievement and conduct. His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI emphasises the focus on the whole person:

‘Catholic schools offer an important contribution to the intellectual, spiritual and moral formation of the new generations.’

Formal Religious Education makes a significant contribution to the overall mission of a Catholic education along with a focus on prayer, liturgy and social justice, as well as opportunities for personal and faith formation. The parish priest plays a leadership and pastoral role in the religious life of a Catholic school, focused on the formation of students, staff and families.

Catholic schools aim to prepare children and young people during the most formative times of their lives so that they can live lives full of faith, hope and love no matter the challenges they face. Religious Education plays a vital role in this preparation for life.

The subject ‘Religious Education’ (RE) as studied in Catholic schools throughout the Parramatta diocese aims to:

help individuals to understand themselves and their Catholic faith tradition
foster an appreciation of the faith traditions of others
enable individuals to participate fully in the life of the Catholic community
encourage a growing understanding of, and relationship with, Jesus
develop an appreciation of the love of God, the wonders of God’s creation and the dignity of the human person

Students spend around 2 ½ hours a week on RE (1 ½ hours for Years 11 and 12 students). This is about half the time spent on any of the main key learning areas such as English and Mathematics.

RE complements the other learning areas and provides an ethical and moral viewpoint for students to address a range of personal and social issues. RE helps students develop skills that are invaluable to them in all aspects of their education and their lives, such as:

reflection
critical thinking
problem solving
analysis
deciding how to act in accordance with conscience.

Whether working on a complex mathematical problem, analysing a novel for English, or deciding what to do when a shop assistant gives them double the correct amount of change, a foundation in RE helps young people to deal with life's challenges with an understanding of ‘right and wrong’.

The syllabus for RE in the Parramatta Diocese is Sharing Our Story (senior secondary students undertake either Sharing Our Story or Studies of Religion as a HSC subject). This comprehensive program, developed in the Parramatta Diocese, is approved for use in all schools (K-12) by the Bishop and is endorsed by the Board of Studies (Years 9-12). The syllabus is taught by teachers who are specially trained and accredited to teach RE. The syllabus receives ongoing evaluation and teachers are provided with school-based opportunities for ongoing professional learning.

The Sharing Our Story syllabus is based on outcomes and key concepts in seven (primary) or eight (secondary) major content areas - God, Jesus, Church, Sacraments, Scripture, Christian Life, Prayer and Religion and Society (secondary). The syllabus has been developed in line with the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The way in which these content areas are covered is tailored to the individual needs of students taking into account factors such as developmental stages and life experiences. Most importantly, the content areas are linked with the real life experiences of the generation that they address. For example, students in Early Stage One (Years 1 and 2) study units of work such as ‘God loves me’, ‘My family loves me’ and units on Easter and Christmas. Stage Three students (Years 3 and 4) would cover the content areas in a more complex way, studying units such as ‘Living the message of Jesus’ and ‘The story of the Catholic Church in Australia’. Students learn about the Catholic faith in ways that make sense to them, and are able to relate the Church’s teachings to their own lives.

In recognition of our multicultural society, the secondary program includes the study of various cultural expressions of Catholicism, other Christian traditions and other world religions. Like all other subjects studied in Catholic schools, RE is outcomes-based and the way it is taught seeks to reflect the best of current educational theory, research and practice.

Catholic schools in the Parramatta diocese are constantly seeking improvement in learning outcomes for all students, and the subject of RE is no exception. All teachers are aware of the importance of using the latest educational approaches like integrating technology into everyday learning, to offering students hands-on, practical learning experiences. For example, Year 9 students at Parramatta Marist High, Westmead are about to start a project based on the Bible's New Testament, using the technology of ‘claymation’ (stop motion animation generated on a computer) to bring the Bible to life for younger students.

Like all other subjects, the achievement and progress of students in RE is regularly assessed to improve the teaching and learning for all students. The focus of formal assessment is on students' developing knowledge, understanding and skills. While students’ levels of participation, cooperation and interest in the study of RE may be discussed with parents, it is important to note that a student’s personal faith is not the subject of assessment or reporting within RE.

Catholic schools aim to educate the whole person and RE is an important aspect of this holistic approach. Schools aim to help students to grow in independence, maturity and responsibility and as young people growing in their knowledge and love of God revealed in Jesus and lived as a member of the Church.

Student Say

‘I find Religious Education important, because it helps develop your morals and how to act within the world. Also it is important because you get a spiritual self and you have something to believe in. It gives you guidelines which help you in your life.’ – Ryan Bell, Year 10, Parramatta Marist High

‘Projects that show us how to consider our morals and allow us to present them in new and creative ways, are a much needed revival for Religious Education’ – Jadd Abdallah, Year 10, Parramatta Marist High