Program Overview

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EDRE623 - Issues in the Teaching and Coordination of School Religious Education

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

This unit investigates issues in religious education that have a bearing on the ways in which it is planned, coordinated, and taught. It gives special attention to the perspective of educators who have responsibility for the religion curriculum, including reference to contemporary research on this role, while taking into account other new religious role positions that have appeared in Catholic schools.

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

• Identify and critically evaluate a range of issues that have a bearing on the ways in which religious education is planned, coordinated, and taught in schools at different levels.
• Analyse and appraise contemporary research and writings about the role of coordinating religious education in schools.
• Appraise varied and sometimes conflicting expectations of the purposes of religious education.
• Examine the key roles of religious education in the handing on of the religious tradition and in skilling young people to construct their own meaning and purpose for life.

Content

Topics will include:

• Investigation of a range of expectations of religious education.
• Review of key findings from research on the role of religion coordinators.
• Identification and evaluation of issues in the teaching of religion at different levels in the school.
• Investigation of some important pedagogical issues that can have a shaping influence on religious education.
• Review of practical professional issues and challenges for the coordinator and religion teachers in the management and leadership of the school religious education staff group.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment tasks are designed to scaffold and support students' learning in a sequence that makes their learning as simple as possible. The assessments start with an "early and low stakes" assessment, which helps students progress to more complex and challenging assessments.

Overview of Assessments

• Conduct a mini-research project and prepare a powerpoint or audiovisual presentation on one from the range of contemporary issues set for the whole class to investigate (50%).
• In a written essay, identify and evaluate three issues that have a bearing on the way that religious education is planned and taught in church schools (50%).

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

The learning and teaching strategy adopts an inquiry framework that places the student at the centre of the learning experience. The unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, consisting of lectures, tutorials, recorded lectures, videoconferencing, and webinars.

Representative Texts and References

• Buchanan, M. T. & Gellel, A. M. (Eds.). (2019). Global perspectives on Catholic religious education in Schools Volume II: Learning and Leading in a Pluralist World.
• De Lors 1996, Learning: The treasure within/ report to UNESCO International Commission on Education for 21st Century.
• Dowling, E. (2014) Sometimes the obvious is not always so obvious! Some perceptions about religious education in Catholic primary schools.
• Gearon, L. (2013). Masterclass in religious education: Transforming teaching and learning.
• Neidhard, H. Lamb, J. (2016). Australian Catholic Schools Today: School Identity and Leadership Formation.
• Moran, G. (1989). Religious education as a second language.
• Rossiter, G. (2018). Life to the full: The changing landscape of contemporary spirituality - implications for Catholic school Religious Education.
• Sharkey, P. (2015). Educator's guide to Catholic identity.

Credit Points

10

Year

2026