TeachingRE Issue 4.pdf - the Second Level Support Service

Each day we strive towards achieving and living out this vision. The entire staff of Our Lady’s Grove embraces andsafeguards the ethos of the school and supports the cross-curricular nature of Religious Education. One exampleof this would be a cross-curricular link between Leaving Certificate Geography and Religious Education. Whenexploring the topic of India for Leaving Certificate Geography, the Geography and RE teacher share resources sothat the religious context can be supported in RE class and the cultural and geographical context can be supportedin Geography class. Both subjects give an all-encompassing view of India.First, second, third year non-examination classes have three RE periods per week. Fourth, fifth and sixth year studentshave two RE periods per week and exam classes have four RE periods per week. Senior Cycle RE students are blocktimetabled and those who choose RE as an exam subject go into one group. The fourth period a week comes froma study period that is on the fifth year timetable. This means that Leaving Certificate Religious Education studentsdo not also study non-examination RE.In accordance with our RE policy, RE is taught by trained RE teachers. Therefore, RE is seen as a high priority in ourschool. Apart from the classroom and the timetable, RE pervades our entire school life. For example, we have anopening of the academic year mass in September, a Remembrance Service to remember our loved ones who areno longer with us in November, an Advent and Carol Service in December, an event to remember St Claudine onFebruary 3rd, the distribution of Ashes on Ash Wednesday and our sixth year students celebrate the Eucharist tomark and celebrate their graduation from Our Lady’s Grove.As well as these very important whole school, or at least whole year liturgical celebrations, we also have regular andconsistent celebrations of our faith. Each Monday morning, a class takes responsibility for a morning prayer whichis broadcast over the intercom. This prayer is inspired by the liturgical year, social issues, or issues of particularrelevance to the school. In the front hall of our school, we have a liturgical space. Each month the space is decoratedaccording to the liturgical season. For example,Academic YearSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayLiturgical YearTheme: New Beginnings & WelcomeTheme: MaryTheme: Our Remembrance Book is on display for students to enter namesof their loved ones and then we place the book in a special place duringthe November ServiceTheme: AdventJesse Tree & Advent WreathTheme: ChristmasChristmas Tree & CribTheme: Catholic Education WeekSymbols of Catholicism (Posters and Displays)Daily announcements over the intercomTheme: SaintsDisplay for the SaintsCelebration for St Claudine (3rd)Theme: LentSymbols and Readings associated with LentAshes on Ash WednesdayTheme: EasterDisplay of posters for the TridiumDecorated Easter EggsTheme: MaryMay AltarAll of this shows the prevalent role that Religious Education plays within our school community. In addition to theusual resources available to RE teachers, Our Lady’s Grove provides interactive rooms, where possible. Thereforethe internet, the use of a data projector and interactive whiteboards aids and supports the teaching of ReligiousEducation.Earlier in the article I stated the vision of Religious Education in our school. These, along with the aims of RE, formthe value system from which we draw all our beliefs and motivation for what we wish to impart to the entire schoolcommunity. The aims of Religious Education as laid out by the RE syllabus are as follows:• To foster an awareness that the human search for meaning is common to all peoples, of all ages and at alltimes42TEACHING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ISSUE FOUR SEPTEMBER 2009