Staying real and relevant

January 29th 2015

In this session we will explore

O Your identity as a teacherO Balancing the tensions O What’s it all for?O Staying relevant –some practical

examplesO Useful resources and websites

‘Knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my

subject…We teach who we are’

The Heart of a Teacher – Identity and Integrity in Teaching,

Parker J Palmer

‘Here is a secret hidden in plain sight: good teaching cannot be reduced to

technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher’

Parker J Palmer

‘At the heart of education is

the heart of the educator’.

Thomas H Groome, Professor of Education, Boston College

Take some time now to reflect and complete this…

1.When I think about my identity as a Religious Educator these are the characteristics that are important for me…

Or if you prefer come up with an

image that captures how you see your identity

‘‘Teaching at its core is a moral profession. Scratch a good teacher and you will find a moral purpose.’

Michael Fullan

My moral purposeShaped by OA commitment to changing the worldOA belief that we cannot teach with our backs to the worldOThe challenge of God’s preferential love for the poor

What’s it all for? “ …My heart is moved by allI cannot change.So much has been destroyed.I must cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely,and with no extraordinary powerreconstitute the world ”.

Adrienne RichNatural Resources

2nd reflection O For me, the purpose of religious

education is…

Staying real – Recognizing the tensions

For example betweenOInforming and transformingOChange and constancyOEducating for faith and about faiths

Staying relevant

We might ask, as a criterion for any subject taught in primary school, whether, when fully developed, it is worth an adult’s knowing, and whether having known it as a child makes a person a better adult. If the answer is negative or ambiguous, then the matter is cluttering the curriculum.Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education

Some practical ideasO Collaborative learning O Asking and encouraging good

questionsO Making links between what students

are doing outside the classroom and in the classroom

O Making links to real world issues of concern today (see examples on next slides)

Charlie Hebdo

www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/

Web page

http://www.loretoeducationcentre.ie/development-education