TeachingRE Issue 4.pdf - the Second Level Support Service

Comments from the students about JuniorCertificate R.E.‘I found the way the course was taught was very good - chapter by chapterwith frequent assessments made sure we knew most of the material on thecourse.’‘I found the Religious Education course a very informative and interestingexperience; the homework assignments and projects were varied andinteresting; and the class work ranged from watching ‘Bruce Almighty’ onDVD, visiting our local mosque and studying different world religions.’‘The Junior Certificate R.E. course is very broad with a wide variety of topicsmust be learned. This is both positive and negative because it meant that Ihad to spend a lot of time keeping on top of the R.E. topics, journal work,exam questions etc.’‘I enjoyed studying R.E. for the Junior Certificate - it was one of my favouritesubjects. As a Muslim it was interesting to see how Islam was taught. I wasgiven the opportunity to talk to my fellow students about my faith and Idemonstrated the wudu, the rak’ah and other important Muslim rituals. Thestudents really responded to what I was showing them and they asked manyquestions. I liked the journal work and how it was approached because itallowed me to be confident that I had a portion of the marks before I enteredan exam situation.’Concerns from the students about Junior Certificate R.E.‘Things that I did not like were that we only got to study one of the majorworld religion in detail along with Christianity.There is a lot of writing in theexam and the text book was very big.’‘The textbook was quite large, and I found that, though it featured immensequantities of information regarding Christianity, the sections regarding otherworld faiths were shorter by comparison.’13 in 6th year in 2010. The overall results in the Leaving Certificate in2008 were higher then the national average, with one student gaining anA1. In Transition Year R.E. is sampled by students. While the TYprogramme does not cover Leaving Certificate R.E. course work, it canhowever help students decide if they wish to pursue R.E. as an examsubject to the Leaving Certificate.The coursework is seen by students and teachers alike as a challengingaspect of the course. There are discussions around the titles, focusingon which topics would be easiest to gain information on from a varietyof sources, but also which topics the students would enjoy doing. Thestudents feel that it is an important element of the coursework thatthey have been involved in the process of choosing which courseworkto do. In the past 3 years, as part of their coursework, students havegone of pilgrimage to Knock, interviewed a Buddhist about their beliefson non-violence and spoken to various clergy and academics about Jesus’treatment of women.Comments about R.E. as a Leaving Certificate subject‘It is a lot of work as it covers many different topics and it is really enjoyableand worthwhile to do. You learn things you would not learn anywhere elselike Philosophy, Ethics, Issues of Justice and Peace and about the WorldReligions. If there is discussion and debate in the classes then these can besome of the best classes and the ones you leave the Leaving Certprogramme really remembering. The classes can be for anyone, not just forthose who profess a religion, and the Leaving Cert course is structured so thatit does not have a feeling of promoting one religion above any other. It helpsbroaden your mind as you learn and it promotes tolerance and acceptance.Religion has been part of society since the earliest people and so tounderstand humanity and the world today you really need to understandreligious backgrounds. Unlike some subjects, RE is the one that no one cansay of it ‘When will I ever use all of this outside school’, because you knowyou will use it, especially as Ireland becomes more diverse.’Leaving Certificate Religious EducationGeneral Religion for 5th Years and 6th Year is timetabled once a weekand includes topics / discussions on the Travelling community, whatChurch means to students, priorities in their lives, faith today in Ireland,meditation, cults etc. Various teaching methodologies include guestspeakers, DVDs, discussion, debates etc. The students find it enjoyableto talk and debate about current affairs, the impact they have on theworld around them but also in their lives as teenagers. General Religionin 5th and 6th Year is seen as a subject that engages students, fostersdiscussion, deals with current affairs and encourages students to voicetheir opinion on matters that are important to them.R.E. as a Leaving Certificate examination subject was introduced intoVilliers School in 2006. It was an exciting time for Villiers and thepopularity of the subject continues to grow. After completing the JuniorCertificate exam in R.E., many students asked about the LeavingCertificate exam. They wished to progress onto Leaving Certificate levelbecause they were very interested in the many topics that are covered.The Chaplain Jonathan Lawes started with 9 students and now we haveConcerns from a student about R.E. as a LeavingCertificate subject‘The course is way too broad and because of this there is too muchinformation to learn off. In the exam, there is not enough time to completethe exam satisfactorily, and the lack of choice in the exam is a major worryfor students. If students are not able to answer one question in the exam,they automatically loose 20% of the overall mark. The vagueness of themarking scheme is another real worry for teachers and students because,unlike other subjects where the amount of points required for each answeris outlined, the R.E. marking scheme does not do this as clearly.’Religious Education within Villiers School is a very exciting and allinclusive experience, which offers students, parents and staff theopportunity to express their faith in a variety of ways, ranging fromliturgical services, charity events etc. The Religious Education departmentis very lucky because of the on-going support we receive from the HeadMaster, Deputy Principal, Board of Governors, Board of Management,P.T.A. and the local community. The R.E. department would like to thankthe students, staff and parents of Villiers School for their continuedsupport and participation in ensuring the success of Religious Educationas both a living tradition and an academic subject within Villiers.40TEACHING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ISSUE FOUR SEPTEMBER 2009