A Catholic View of Learning
At St Mary MacKillop, a Catholic view about Learning and Teaching is reflected in both dimensions of Religious Education, namely, the classroom teaching and learning of Religion and the Religious life of the school. Teaching and learning in Religious Education is intentionally developed on the foundation of a Catholic theology and philosophy of curriculum. Essential to this is the ongoing spiritual formation for religious educators. A person-centred understanding of spiritual formation begins with honouring and exploring the personal narrative of each individual’s experience of My Story through an approach that engages the head, the heart and the hands (experience, knowledge, practice and application). At St Mary MacKillop, such an approach is supported by staff spiritual development through initiatives such as:
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Reconceptualist Approach, Time Allocation and Timetabling
At St Mary Mackillop School, teachers use a reconceptualist approach to Religious Education. The delivery of our Religious Education Program operates from an education framework. Teachers embrace a pedagogy that ensures presumptive language and assumptions about student’s faith development based upon their particular religious affiliation are avoided. Our Religious Education program focuses on allowing students to explore their own religious tradition whilst exploring and building empathy and understanding of the religious beliefs and practices of others. Students are given the opportunity to investigate and inquire about their own faith and the faith of others with enhanced understanding. As is evident in its practices and instructions to teachers in the Staff Manual, this school strongly supports the mandated minimum of 2.5 hours per week of religion teaching from P-6. This equates to 92 - 100 hours per year, based on 37 - 40 available teaching weeks per year. Liturgy, prayer, hymn practice and other religious practices are not included in this provision. The effective timetabling of religion classes is given high priority within the life of the school. Evidence of this is shown by:
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Scope and Sequence
The Religious Education scope and sequence is a working document that continues to evolve every year. The scope and sequence informs how the achievement standards and core content descriptors for each year level are linked to classroom teaching and learning at St Mary Mackillop School. St Mary Mackillop School’s scope and sequence clearly outlines the yearly progression of learning in Religious Education for every year level. It includes fertile questions that are linked to core content descriptors, mandated and supplementary texts, explicit prayer, Religious Life of the School and the school charism. This document is used to inform year level and classroom planning and allows alignment with Visible Learning practices. Evidence of this is shown by:
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