Religious Education: Interim Edition

Chapter V

Instructional Environment of Religious Education

The Instructional Environment

....[it is required] that we honor and engage participants as agents-subjects-in-relationship rather than as dependent-objects-in-isolation, that the curriculum (environment, process, and content) be humanizing for them for "fullness of life" (John 10:10), that it be free of manipulation, domination, and indoctrination. Our pedagogy is to actively engage people's whole "being" in place and time - their physical, mental and volitional capacities, their head, heart, and action, their intellect, desire, and will, their reason, memory, and imagination, and enable them to reclaim their past, embrace their present, and take responsibility for their own and other's future. (Thomas H. Groome, Sharing Faith, A Comprehensive Approach to Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, Harper San Francisco 1991, p. 430.)

An effective learning environment will be one where sensitivity and respect is shown for all religious traditions. The learning environment should be such that it fosters in students a positive attitude towards other people and their right to hold different beliefs from their own. It should prepare students for living in a society of diverse religions. Recognizing students' varying backgrounds and experiences, the religious education instructional environment must incorporate principles and strategies which support diversity while recognizing the varied learning styles, multiple intelligences, and abilities of the individual.

It is not enough, however, that students learn about other faiths as might occur in a religious studies course. In addition to the teaching of factual material, if the religious education program is to be effective, the learning environment must be conducive to, and supportive of, experiential and spiritual components. Also, it has to be appropriate to the age and developmental needs of the child with activities being student centered. The program should include play, music, dance, song, art, and story. It may also include experiences through celebrations, festivals, food, drama and field trips. An opportunity for reflection is important as well. By its very nature and scope religious education provides an ideal opportunity for all these to occur. The environment, however, should be sensitive to the fact that there are aspects of any living belief system that can only be experienced and fully appreciated by adherents of that particular belief system. It should never be the intent to turn any of these celebrations or observances into "pretend" sessions. In many instances the teacher will have to decide to what degree practices or celebrations can be facilitated in the school with the sincerity, dignity and reverence they deserve. In this regard religious education is somewhat distinct from other curriculum areas.

Therefore, an effective religious education environment must be:

• student centered
• engaging and relevant
• respectful of diversity
• inviting and inclusive
• participatory, interactive and collaborative
• reflective and celebratory
• integrative
• challenging
• inquiry based

The framework does not advocate an over-reliance upon any one method. The teacher is viewed as an instructional decision-maker who employs a method in light of the intended learning outcomes, the need for sensitivity regarding diverse religious traditions, the needs of the learner, and the resources available. If a teacher consistently teaches using a preferred learning style there may be numerous students whose learning styles are not compatible with that of the teacher and, therefore, their needs will not be met. The process of choosing instructional methods is particularly important in religious education because, as was noted above, apart from the presentation of factual material there is the experiential and spiritual domain.

To establish and maintain an effective learning environment, teachers must:

• recognize students as being intelligent in a number of different ways, and encourage them to explore other ways of knowing both inside and outside the classroom
• value the inclusive classroom and engage all learners in meaningful activities
• acknowledge and value the ways in which religion, ethnicity, gender and culture shape particular ways of viewing and knowing the world
• incorporate new approaches, methodologies, and technologies with established effective practice
• have an extensive repertoire of strategies from which to select the one most appropriate for the specific learning task
• use varied and appropriate resources to best achieve the outcomes in a particular learning situation
• provide opportunities to integrate celebrations, knowledge, skills, and outcomes
• provide repeated opportunities for reflection and meditation so that they become integral parts of the learning process
• ensure that the religious education curriculum is linked to other subject areas

As a result, an effective religious education learning environment ensures student achievement by:

• enhancing students' understanding, knowledge, and confidence in their own religious heritage while gaining an appreciation for other religious traditions
• encouraging student responsibility for involvement and participation in the learning process
• providing students with direct and vicarious experiences and opportunities to develop and to apply religious education skills and processes in real, purposeful situations
• teaching students how to process and act upon information about the world in a rational and critical manner
• encouraging the effective use of various technology, media and print resources in appropriate situations
• emphasizing inquiry and discovery by students rather than teacher presentation of information, facts, and conclusions