1. Session 1 - learning in faith

2. Sessions sequence 1. Learning – faith learning – history – catechesis 2. Content: what are we passing on? 3. Delivering catechesis: planning a presentation 4. Your presentation and feedback

3. Module aims an understanding of the nature and history of Christian religious education within the Christian tradition; a basic understanding of the ways in which people learn and the implications of this for adult formation; an awareness of the links between catechesis and Christian initiation. An understanding of the current role of Catholic schooling An ability to communicate what they have learned from an adult stance

4. In this session we will - Set out the module content Start asking some related questions Look at tools you will use Survey briefly broad educational theories Think about adult learning and ‘good’ learning Focus on RCIA as adult learning Consider your presentation task

5. Your presentation A short ‘catechesis’ in the last session Working in pairs perhaps? Choose a topic Find relevant tools Plan a session and tell us about it Receive feedback from the rest of us Could be written up as an assignment

6. Passing on the good news Where did WE hear the Good News? How? Who was responsible? What did we hear? What role does evangelisation / catechesis have in our life of faith?

7. What questions is this module trying to answer? How do we do faith learning now? How should it be done? To whom? When? Whose job is it?

8. Tools : you will need: A Bible A Bible commentary A Catechism of the Catholic Church A developing sense of how adults learn best

9. Your experiences of learning..... Think of a really good learning experience What made it good? ~think of a really awful learning experience. What made it so bad? Think / pair/share – then write on the poster

10. So....... What constitutes ‘good’ learning?

11. Broad pathways of understanding learning and teaching 1. Information processing 2. Social 3. Personal 4. Behavioural 5. Experiential 6. Reflective

12. 1. Information processing People need to make sense of the world People naturally categorise / classify We develop data into concepts We invent a language to communicate this

13. 1a: Learning styles Different versions Honey and Mumford popular Assumptions? Warranted? Theoretical basis? Can learning be restricted to a ‘style of learning’? Implications for your teaching: diversify!

14. 2. Social People learn naturally from learning communities Learning develops through interaction with others Learning increases with group membership Emphasises group work and group skills

15. 2a : Informal learning contexts Situated learning A specific context The development of a specific language Learning means a movement from the periphery to the centre E.g. An apprenticeship

16. 2b: Informal learning contexts Communities of practice Communities of people Learning within this Building identity within this Developing meaning within this community Learning and membership and creating meaning entwined

17. 3. Personal Begins with the individual Focuses on self-knowledge and self understanding Seeks the creative Aims to achieve confidence, competence and self- worth Associated with the work of Carl Rogers

18. 3a: Emotional intelligence Daniel Goleman – associated author ‘Intelligence ‘and ‘competence:’ confused? Promotes learning – the claim

19. 4. Behaviour Associated with Skinner and Pavlov early 20 th C Human beings can correct / modify behaviour Feedback from failure allows modification Rewards and threats can be used to stimulate appropriate behaviour Still very significant in schools

20. 5. Experiential learning Builds on concrete experience Which leads to further observation / reflection Leads to generalisation and abstraction Leads to testing implications A spiral process

21. 6. Reflective learning Practitioners reviewing their own practice A reflective cycle: experience – reflection – amended plan – experience Important for religious people? Is this a ‘faith journey’?

22. Education and faith Learning in faith is affected by ideas in society about how people learn and learn best When behaviourism dominated schooling faith learning was often about rote learning Now we might see faith learning as more experiential and reflective

23. Key elements Words – catechesis, evangelisation, kerygma, androgogy Theoretical rooting - Education or socialisation – where are the roots? History Tools What framework will help you? RCIA

24. Evangelisation Is usually used of an initial pronouncement of the ‘good news’ But the term ‘new-evangelisation’ is used recently of those who are Catholic but not evangelised Kerygma – the basic formula of Christian faith eg the fish This would be followed by catechesis

25. Catechesis A very old term Resurrected recently particularly in the RC Church Means faith-sharing within a community ‘Re-echoing’ or ‘re-telling’ Is concerned with maturating of faith

26. Kerygma A summary statement of faith in words or symbols Fish – Jesus the Christ of God the Son, Saviour Kerygmatic theology focuses on the essentials of Christianity (Jungmann, p207 in Sourcebook Warren, 1983)

27. Kids v adults Pedagogy – teaching children Androgogy – teaching adults Today adult learning is seen as the priority ( see website for E&W Bishops ‘The priority of adult formation’

28. Theoretical rooting Faith learning has been seen both as education and socialisation (nurture in a family or community) If faith learning is seen as education it can use the language of education (progress, curriculum, rote learning, resources for example) If it is socialisation, there is no or little vocabulary. Does this matter? (Marthaler, 1983 in Warren vol 2)+

29. History Early Church – Didache (?50-60 AD) Constantine (312) Dark Ages (600-1000) Middle Ages (1000-1450) Reformation / Counter Reformation (1519 – 1564 +) 20 th century: educational and ecclesiological change Catechetical movement (1960s +) 2012 – secularism; anti-authority; anti-church; anti- Christian; symbolic poverty [Wesite material on this topic]

30. Tools: Catechisms Existed in 8 th century – Alcuin Common format of ‘question – answer’ Luther produced a catechism ‘Penny Catechism’ produced by Charles Borromeo after the Council of Trent 1560+ Need for orthodox statement of faith after the Reformation Subsequent danger of ‘cementing in stone’

31. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Discussed through the 60s and then included in Ad Gentes (Vat 11, 1964) RCIA – now the norm for acceptance of adults into our communities It has become a template for modern catechesis Key issues: sponsorship; readiness; learning in community

32. Important things in RCIA Faith seen as dynamic Faith journey and faith story important ideas Staged initiation Celebration The community is seen as both the source and expression of faith Christological and Trinitarian Scriptural Anthropocentric

33. Religious education - schooling Originally all schooling was religious 19 th England: Christianity made a huge contribution to English school until 1988 ERA 1988 – no confessional RE anymore for state schools Support for religious pluralism now required Education about religion – the tolerance agenda Faith schools have their own RE curriculum

34. The task of the module is: To explore your own experience of faith formation To find the framework which best describes this To reflect on this and consider the implications for your parish / school context To apply these thoughts to your presentation

35. Catechism of the Catholic Church http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catech ism/ccc_toc.htm

36. Love your Catechism! Look at the contents page Then the different parts Where are the sections on the creed? And the section which includes the 10 Commandments? And the section on prayer? Where is there material on forgiveness? Check out some references – abbreviations given on P. xv

37. So how will your Catechism be useful to you? Use the index to see what is written about your topic Find the ‘in brief’ box and read this first Read the main section Use the references to see where this is / has been discussed In particular, check the Scripture references Perhaps look at a Commentary? From this starting point, think about your experience of this issue/area. Any reflections?