TeachingRE Issue 4.pdf - the Second Level Support Service

The typical criticism levelled at the Leaving Cert is thatit is a rote-learning based system and as such fails toprepare students for 3rd level education where theymust engage rather than regurgitate knowledge. REdiffered in this regard as, particularly through the project,one was able to engage the knowledge and form anindependent opinion. One was not punished for, whereappropriate, offering an opinion as opposed to recitinga passage from a textbook. Through this emphasis onlearning as opposed to recollection it was the subjectmost akin to 3rd level and eschewed the rote learningwhich makes the Leaving Cert such a stressful andtedious exam for many students.A criticism I would have is that while the project was agood experience I believe it more appropriate to submitthe actual project as opposed to a booklet upon it.Thestressed Leaving Cert student loathes nothing morethan unnecessary work. In my opinion, preparing aproject before being forced to invest yet more time inretelling it in booklet form counts as unnecessary work.The project should stand on its own merits and notneed explanation through a booklet. This is the wayprojects in all other walks of life are judged so I fail to seethe benefit of the current approach.The section of the course that I particularly enjoyed wasSection I: Religion:The Irish Experience. This section isnot only relevant but the information is appreciable andobservable in everyday experience. It also enlightenedme as to Ireland’s interesting role in the developmentof Christianity as a whole. It stunned me that no onehad ever informed me in 14 years of religion classes thatone of the core Catholic sacraments has its roots inIreland!”Fiona O’Brien (A1 student, LCRE class of 2008):“Leaving Cert RE is a relatively new subject and so isone that is not well known and quite limited to certainschools. However, I feel very fortunate to have chosenit as one of my exam subjects. The subject itself isexamined in essay form that ranges from short, detailedparagraphs worth 20 marks to 3-4 page essays worth80 marks.These paragraphs/essays can be prepared asthe course is covered and so this exam may be verywell suited to those who are good at learning.As Junior Cert exam RE is being taught in many schoolsat present, it provides a basis upon which the LeavingCert subject builds.The subject is divided into varioussections and between some sections there is an overlapof material which cuts down on learning. However, asthe course is quite newly established, the booksaccompanying it can sometimes be lacking in places andin my opinion they sometimes do not provide enoughinformation to base an answer on, and so the onus fallsto the teacher to provide suitable material. It is thus veryimportant to have a copy of the curriculum outlinewhen studying RE to ensure all aspects and objectivesare covered for the exam.The exam itself is worth 80% with the remaining 20%coming from coursework in the form of a project whichis submitted prior to the exam, generally in April. Thisproject offers a good opportunity to gain some valuablemarks prior to the exam in June.I found the subject itself to be very interesting as itaddresses topics such as world faiths, philosophy,morality and religion within society, to mention a few. Iam currently studying primary school teaching inuniversity which requires students to study an Arts(L-R) Diarmaid O’ Donovan, Honor O’ Brien (Chaplain), Bríd Kearney,Tracy Fleming, Ita O’ Donovan,Anne Kelly. Missing from photo: Orla Prendergast36TEACHING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ISSUE FOUR SEPTEMBER 2009