Activity 3: Religious Education

The question of whether or not religion should be taught in public schools has been an ongoing debate among parents and teachers for decades. In the article “Religion and Education: The Pitfalls of Engaging a Complex Issue” Martin E. Marty and Jonathan Moore express their views on the matter. They express that religion in public schools could potentially bring conflict to families. They also support the other scenario that religion classes would inform students of the different beliefs of the people they will meet throughout their lives. Religion in the public school system is still an ongoing debate, one that needs to be resolved. The children that will be affected by the outcome of this debate are the future leaders of America, therefore, we should not take this decision lightly. Children everywhere and in all schools need to be taught about different religions so they can make a firm stand for what they believe in.

In this paper, Religious Analysis, I will discuss my, observation, experience, and emotions attending a religious service that is different from what I was raised. The purpose of this assignment is for me to gain an understanding of another religion practice, understand the similarities and difference between religions, and find common ground with other cultures. By doing the Religion Analysis assignment, it will allow me to become culturally competent now and throughout my journey in the field of social work. It will help me comprehend what other people believe in and why they might believe in it. This will allow me to relate to and understand people more or better. As a future social worker, it is essential to know the diversity of religion

In America today we all have choices to make in regards to our religious beliefs. Many young children are brought up today confused about religion and the significance it plays in their lives. There are many sanctions and rules now on what can and can 't be thought or displayed to people on public property, but it wasn 't always like this. In this paper I will be discussing the American religious experience in regards to the impact religion has in the public schools.

discluding religion class which is one of the most important classes that children need to keep their minds and spirits in spiritual intact. Misguided anti-religious organizations says that children have been denied to the “right-to-learn” , the “right-to-know” and the “right-to-be” all they could become because of the fact of having religious schools in the United states.

Scott (2015) and Coffrey (2008) contend that for RE provision to be purposeful, teachers must ensure that lesson content is relatable and relevant (see appendix 2.2). Jeffrey (2004) and Goodman (2015) intimate that where teaching is highly relevant to children 's lives, cultures, and traditions, lesson content is meaningful and, consequently, engagement and motivation is enhanced. Furthermore, Vygotsky’s theories argue that children’s cognitive development is enhanced through the process of linking new and existing knowledge, thereby enabling them to develop a deeper understanding of concepts (Allen and Kelly, 2015; Board, 2010; Bransford, Bowne and Cocking, 2000). Conroy et al., (2013) advocates experiential learning, such as handling religious artefacts or visiting religious sites, as a means to encourage children to forge links with their own experiences, and therefore make learning more relatable (see appendix 2.3). Certainly, in my own education, both within school and university, this has proven to be the case (see appendix 1.2). Nevertheless, NATRE (2017) and Bastide (2006) emphasise that in order to facilitate good practice and convey respect, teachers must model religious artefacts sensitively and appropriately.

A catechetical approach has an aim to guide and share a learners faith in a religion class. The teacher for this style is considered to be a catechist, meaning a minister of the Catholic Church who explains core Catholic faith beliefs to children who engage in activities seeking to cultivate their faith (Ryan, 2006). The teacher will look for students to respond to the calling of faith, requiring an expression of feeling and thoughts. The type of student for this approach is one who currently

Purpose: The study’s purpose is to explore the context of parent-adolescent conversations on religious issues, how should parents start religious conversation and the qualities of conversation that are most beneficial for the religious exploration and development of youth.

Jurinski, James. Religion in the Schools: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1998. Print.

The children will be exposed to various religions, lovely music, colorful arts, joyful languages, celebrations, and types of individuals.

A goal of this course is to develop an understanding of various religious systems and practices in the lives of individuals and their societies.”

Culture and society have profound influences on a child’s growth and development and are important considerations for early childhood teachers if they wish to better understand children and provide higher quality early childhood education and services to children and their families, (Te Whaariki, Ministry of Education, 1996). One particular example of the effect that culture and society can have on the growth and development of a child is child-rearing practices. Different cultural groups and societies have diverse styles of child-rearing practices which are uniquely influenced by a range of values, beliefs and dominate assumptions (Berk, 2003). A significant factor in view of child-rearing practices is the role

There are major discussions occurring currently about the future of Religious Education in the school curriculum. The main reason for this being the question: does Religious Education remain relevant today? In this essay I will explain why Religious Education is relevant today due to the growing secularisation of society, the increasing multiculturalism of the UK and the benefits it provides. I will also analyse the counter argument that society has moved on from the concept of religion and it should therefore not be taught as an academic subject.

The Religious Education (RE) grades 1-8 policy document highlights and provides opportunity for students to become familiar with their Religion. Within section 1.3 of the document, the Evangelization, culture and the Catholic school addresses all students, the believers, searchers and non-believers. Therefore a summary of this section of the RE is the role of Catholic school is to renewal the faith within all of the community. It is the teacher duty as evangelical nourishment to start the “spiritual growth of each person” (p. 4). It highlights how the “soil of the believer” (p. 4) is identified as essential for the connections of the student and family culture. The connection is the power needed to encourage the students’ experiences, values and beliefs in their journey of their faith. This section guides the missionary activity for non-believers, initial catechetical activity for those partaking in the Gospel and pastoral activity for those more enrich within mature faith community. As our students grow up in Canada they are fortunate to have the freedom of religion and appreciation for diversity (p. 4). In summary this section is calling upon the educators to embrace the faith and teach the learning to meet the standards and reaching all students, no matter where they stand in evangelization. Therefore, we as educators share with the Catholic Churches responsibilities for the development of social and cultural society views and need to work in collaboration with the

Early childhood providers do many difficult tasks. The hardest task is to provide the children with multicultural and diverse experiences. Since the beginning of time, the extended families, clans, and the communities raised the young children. Even today, many early childhood programs and family child care institutions tend to be similar and homogeneous to the children’s home backgrounds. The common criteria parents use to choose the early childhood programs, and the child care facilities are programs and providers who match the parents’ view of discipline and education and prefer teachers who speak a similar language and are of the same religion. Therefore, most the family child care, religious programs, and public schools are traditional reflections of a community’s race, religion, socioeconomic status, and language. Still, parents expect such traditional programs to provide their children with experiences and opportunities outside their group that could teach them to accept, tolerate, and respect the differences.

Early childhood students need to build on their curiosity and make connections to the world around them. Connecting experiences to their interests allow children to construct their own identities and understanding the world around them (DEEWR, 2009, p. 7). Educators must observe children to build an understanding towards their interest and implement these in there programming. According to School Curriculum and Standards Authority SCSA (2014) early childhood educators provide experiences that look at diverse families, culture linguistics, school and community influences. Implementing experience, which follows the children’s interests and ideas helps the child to build on their sense of being, belonging and becoming which are the fundamental principals of the Early Years Learning Framework EYLF (DEEWR, 2009, p. 7).