Terenure College

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY

Introduction

Terenure College is an all-boys secondary school founded by the Carmelites. It is essentially committed to the holistic education of students in every area of their lives as is set out in the preamble of the mission statement of Terenure College:

"Conscious of the mission of Jesus: ‘I have come that you they may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10), we aim to have a school community which is concerned with people as sons and daughters of God. In an atmosphere of welcome and warmth each individual is valued for himself or herself irrespective of ability and achievement. Each and everyone learns to grow at different levels – intellectually, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and physically – through involvement in a balance of academic, religious, cultural and sporting activities."

Religious Education in the Curriculum: An Educational Rationale.

Human development is the development of the awareness of self as separate and unique, with the capacity for reflection, imagination and creativity; open to ideas of truth, goodness, and beauty. From earliest times, the experience of the spiritual and the human search for meaning have frequently found expression in a religious interpretation of life. The history of humanity has been indelibly marked by the contributions of religious traditions.

In Ireland, Christianity is part of our rich cultural heritage and has played a significant role in shaping a vision of ourselves, our world, and our relationship with others. However, effective functioning in an increasingly complex culture demands that individuals have an understanding of a variety of religious traditions encountered not just in Ireland but also in Europe and in the wider global context. Increasingly, modern culture also calls for engagement with the secular response to human experience.

While the whole curriculum built around the principles of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes, is concerned with promoting personal growth and facilitating the spiritual development of students, Religious Education is well placed to provide students with opportunities for reflection on human experience, as well as for understanding and interpretation of that experience. Such opportunities encourage the students’ participation in their own conscious and critical development.

Religious Education should ensure that students are exposed to a broad range of religious traditions and to the non-religious interpretation of life. It has a particular role to play in the curriculum in the promotion of tolerance and mutual understanding. It seeks to develop in students the skills needed to engage in meaningful dialogue with those of other or of no religious traditions.

Religious Education, in offering opportunities to develop an informed and critical understanding of the Christian tradition in its historical origins and cultural and social expressions, should be part of a curriculum which seeks to promote the critical and cultural development of the individual in his or her social and personal contexts.

Religious Education makes a significant contribution to a curriculum that seeks to provide for the moral development of students. It introduces a variety of ethical codes and norms for behaviour. Students are encouraged to engage critically with these moral systems in an effort to arrive at a thought-through moral stance, which will serve as a foundation for the decisions they will face as adults, and for the patterns of behaviour and commitment, which will mark how they will relate to their local communities and to the world in general.

In summary, Religious Education can justly claim an integral part of any curriculum that aims to promote the holistic development of the individual in the light of the stated aim of education.

Aims of Religious Education in Terenure College

Religious Education in Terenure College is committed to catechesis and embraces its role in the Church’s evangelising mission. As an RE faculty, we should aim for our students…

• To develop and mature in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ
• To be formed in the wealth and richness of the Christian, Catholic and Carmelite ethos and tradition
• To be informed about this ethos and tradition and learn about the sacraments, liturgy, sacred scriptures, social and moral teaching of the Church
• To appreciate the richness of a spiritual and reflective life, the responsibility of material wealth and value of good friends.
• To take informed responsibility for life choices and decisions.
• To be "filled with great zeal for the Lord of Hosts."

As educators and adults we seek to…

• Help our students grow in their faith and relationship with God.
• To travel alongside our students as they journey towards a mature faith.
• To travel alongside our students as they learn about true freedom and love.
• To form and inform the students in the tradition of the Christian, Catholic and Carmelite ethos.

Terenure College is open to and welcomes students of all faiths and none. Conscious of our catechetical ministry and being mindful of students from other faith traditions and none, all students are encouraged to respectfully attend liturgical celebrations within the college as fully as they can. Moreover, students from other faith traditions, if they so wish, should be encouraged to share the richness of their own faith tradition in class.

Curriculum.

I.  In Terenure College, Religious Education occurs on two levels:

1. Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate RE Examination Syllabus.
2. Terenure College RE Catechetical Programme
   
   (i) 1st – 3rd Year

Even though the Junior Certificate RE Programme implicitly requires an objective and academic approach to religious education, there are many opportunities for faith formation and evangelization. If RE is taught with the same skill, intellectual challenge and rigour as other subjects, the new RE syllabus can indirectly assist the development of pupils’ faith.

Consciously as a school in the Catholic tradition, teachers should use every opportunity to allow students to reflect on their own faith and religious identity through the study of the syllabus content. The document Guidelines for the faith formation and development of Catholic students (The Irish Catholic Bishop’s Conference) is an integral document in regard to this aspect of RE and teachers should refer to it wherever possible. Furthermore, each year will have a set of catechetical targets that are to be covered in connection with the syllabus scheme of work outlined for each year. (see also section on Liturgy)

(ii) Transition Year & 5^th – 6^th Year

Transition Year and non-exam Senior Cycle RE is taught on a modular basis. There is a theme for each year and teachers create a module based on this theme. The following themes are presented:

Transition Year: The Moral Person
This theme is explored in a theoretical and practical way. The content of each module will focus on this theme in varying degrees while Care Week allows for further moral development through providing students with an opportunity to care for those who need it most in our society. The Transition Year Care Week is marked by a Commissioning Service and a Thanksgiving Service on the students return.

Fifth Year: Reflections On The Journey Towards A Mature Faith.
The Fifth year RE programme aims to continue to build on the foundations of the Transition Year programme by helping students grow towards a mature faith. Thus, the programme modules will address key elements of this stage of faith – images of God, a healthy prayer life, mature faith, the need for self-reflection and the integral relationship between faith and justice.

Sixth Year: Bread For The Journey.
The focus of the Sixth Year RE programme is to give the students a firm grounding in faith and spirituality, building on the solid foundations laid down by their previous five years of religious education, that will nourish them as they leave Terenure College to embark on their life journey.

The students will be offered opportunities to discuss their faith, religious beliefs, spirituality and life experiences with their teachers and each other. Essentially, this will be a dialogue that hopes to enrich and challenge their faith and religious beliefs.

The RE Handbook given to each RE teacher at the beginning of the academic year will provide details of each module so as to maintain unity and coherence within each year’s RE programme.

II. Assessment

1. Class assessment/Examinations Policy
   In each year, each class will begin and end with an assessment of the students’ knowledge and understanding of the material covered in the previous or present class. Furthermore, the start of class will also be used for the correction of homework set in the previous class. Assessment should be used during class to affirm the students and positively reinforce the material being learned. Teachers should vary assessment techniques as much as possible (e.g. quizzes, matching questions, questions based on DVD/picture clips, basic oral questioning.)
   
2. Homework Policy
   The homework policy in RE classes is closely aligned to the school homework policy as set out in the student’s homework journal. The RE faculty’s particular policy is the following:

1^st Year - Homework should include textbook questions, short essay type questions (used to summarize material at the end of a chapter/topic) and reading/learning of material covered in the class. Students’ homework will be checked at the beginning of class and taken up by the teacher as deemed necessary.

2^nd Year – Building on the above, students homework should be assessed for a depth of knowledge and critical thinking that is especially relevant for the writing of the RE Junior Certificate Journal. Teachers will set homework that will familiarize and teach students the key concepts, vocabulary and phraseology of the syllabus and the examination. Students’ homework will be checked at the beginning of class and taken up by the teacher as deemed necessary.

3^rd Year – Homework will focus on a number of elements in the course. Primarily, homework will focus the students on (a) learning key concepts/dates/figures/definitions, (b) summarizing work covered in previous years, (c) place an emphasis on the skills of analysis, application and synthesis and (d) exam technique and the structure of the examination paper. Moreover, students will complete a mock journal as part of their homework in the first and second term. Student’s homework should be checked at the beginning of class and taken up by the teacher as deemed necessary.

4^th/5^th/6^th Year Catechetical Programme - Due to the nature of various modules, the homework policy is at the teacher’s discretion. Where appropriate, it is important that the homework set by the teacher aims to develop the student’s ability to critically reflect and think deeply about the issues being taught and discussed in each module and that it aids the student in developing a mature and integrated faith and spirituality.

An important point to note in regard to the assessment/examination and homework policies is the importance of commendations. Teachers should commend students for work done/results achieved in both a personal way (prizes, notes in journals, a letter home) and through the system used by the school (special commendations/prize-giving).

On a final note, the above assessment policies endorse the statement set out in the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Religious Education Syllabi:

"Student’s personal faith commitment and/or affiliation to a particular religious grouping will not be subject to assessment for national certification."

III. Timetabling

Whether for exam or non-exam classes, and whether at junior or senior level, each pupil will have Religious Education for a minimum of two hours per week.

In relation to the catechetical programme at senior level (4^th–6^th Year), classes will continue to be blocked to allow for a continuation of the modular approach to teaching.

In regard to the Leaving Certificate Examination classes, Religious Education will be allocated 5 class periods a week.

Facilities and Resources

Terenure College provides a range of facilities for RE. The College Chapel can be used for many school liturgical celebrations while the meditation room is available for class meditation/prayer services or Masses. Full use should be made of this room. The lecture hall will be booked for the whole academic year for the 6^th year RE class in order to facilitate speakers.

The RE faculty press contains resources such as textbooks, exam papers, folders containing lesson plans and resources for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate topics, DVDs, magazines and general faith formation resources. There are also electronic resources available on the college computer system for all teachers. These resources will be updated annually and it is desirable that all teachers contribute resources used in class so as to build up an excellent resource base for the teaching of RE.

RE Co-Ordinator
The RE co-ordinator organises, co-ordinates and directs the work of the RE faculty. The co-ordinator provides resources for the faculty, facilitates the sharing of ideas, experiences and initiatives within the faculty and wider staff. Furthermore, the co-ordinator works in close collaboration with the chaplaincy team in order to develop the spiritual and religious dimension of college life.

RE Faculty
The R.E. faculty meets at least once a term. These meetings involve planning, the process and overview of academic work and pastoral events throughout the year. Regular informal gatherings should also be held throughout the year in order to provide support and cohesiveness within the faculty.

1. Wherever it is deemed necessary, staff should have every opportunity to attend in-services so as to further their knowledge of the RE syllabi and any new developments within religious education.
2. The R.E. department is conscious of and acknowledges the strong level of support it receives within the school, both from management and fellow staff. Moreover, it should always be willing to involve other staff members in the spiritual and religious life of the school.
   

VI. Liturgy

1. Being a Catholic school, we endeavor to celebrate the seasons of the liturgical year and other notable events within the college year such as the November Services, Lenten Reconciliation Services and the End of Year School Mass. Students should be encouraged to become involved in the preparation and celebration of the above where appropriate.
2. The RE Faculty helps organizes these celebrations in close conjunction with the chaplaincy team.
3. School retreats are another important feature of the RE Programme as they are times when students can reflect and develop a sense of their own worth and the faith they possess. (See Chaplaincy Policy)
   

VII. Justice

In keeping with the mission statement of Terenure College, there are "social activities and projects that support the under-privileged in our society." The college is active in facilitating understanding, empathy and compassion for both local and international needs.

In any given year, the college is involved in various social justice initiatives and much work is done for various human rights groups and charities throughout the year.

The Transition Year Care Week gives the students opportunities to experience and work with those people in our society in need of care in their lives while 6^th year students will also have the chance to work in South Africa with Sli Eile, the Jesuit Volunteer Group, building food shelters and assisting with educational initiatives for the local people.

Within the academic year, students will be given every opportunity to become involved in fundraising, supporting and raising awareness for various social justice issues.

VIII. Parents

The school acknowledges that it is but one of the agencies responsible for the development of the students faith. The first and most important religious educators are the parents. The college aims to reinforce and supplement the faith that students learn and experience at home. Where RE is an exam subject, teachers are available to meet parents to allow dialogue/information exchange re the aims, objectives and content of the RE exam programme in school.