Coexist sponsored free places for trainees now available...
The Challenge of Teaching Christianity Today
Thursday 2nd July 2009, Leeds College of Music.
Previously on Tuesday 9th December 2008, Heythrop College, Kensington, London
e-mail the administrator to reserve your place @ £225 each (discounts for teachers in training, those travelling long distances and 2nd delagates from the same school)
We live in a Christian country with an established Church; 71.6% of people positively described themselves as Christian in the last Census. Most schools are inspired by Christian values to some extent in stating their ethos; they all teach Religious Studies and hold assemblies, many of which try to communicate Christian values. Yet our young people seem to have less and less understanding of what it really means to be a Christian. Why??
Previously on Tuesday 9th December 2008, Heythrop College, Kensington, London
e-mail the administrator to reserve your place @ £225 each (discounts for teachers in training, those travelling long distances and 2nd delagates from the same school)
We live in a Christian country with an established Church; 71.6% of people positively described themselves as Christian in the last Census. Most schools are inspired by Christian values to some extent in stating their ethos; they all teach Religious Studies and hold assemblies, many of which try to communicate Christian values. Yet our young people seem to have less and less understanding of what it really means to be a Christian. Why??
On one level Christianity is the easiest of the World Religions to tackle; most teachers are on home ground and are relatively secure in their subject knowledge. Yet, on another level, teaching about Christianity presents a large and particular challenge. Teaching about Christianity is deceptively easy;we all think we know about it and yet, when we are put on the spot it is very difficult to explain even the most basic principles of the faith and realise that any single Christianity is elusive. This one day conference, suitable for both new and experienced teachers of Religious Studies, will suggest new strategies for meeting the challenge of teaching Christianity today. Full resources will be provided on an exclusive DVD which will enrich the planning of schemes of lessons covering Christian themes at KS3-KS5, support the teaching of important topics and facilitate further training within departments back at school.
What is Christianity? (Dr. Peter Vardy)
This short introductory session will consider why it is important for young people to have the opportunity to learn about and from the Christian tradition and why many schools might have to reappraise the quality of the opportunities they are offering. For more than 15 years RS departments have been changing; they have started teaching about world religions, the philosophy of religion, ethics, but an increasing number of pupils leave school without the most basic understanding of Christian categories.
Who was Jesus? (Dr. John McDade)
The figure of Jesus is of central importance to all Christians and yet there is still huge confusion over exactly who He was and even over what He taught. This session will look again at the identity of Jesus and consider how students can best be enabled to engage with Him and His teachings.
Engaging with and Interpreting the Bible (Rev. Professor Keith Ward)
The Bible is undoubtedly central to Christian faith, but it is a challenging text to interpret. It contains many sorts of documents, from poems and proverbs to histories and law-codes, written over many centuries and expressing very diverse points of view.This session will present what is central to the Bible, how different interpretations of it arise, what contemporary scholars say about it, and how it can be used in the modern world to provide real spiritual insight, but not a closed dogmatic system.
Christian Ethics (Dr. Peter Vardy)
Papers on Christian Ethics are hugely popular but unfortunately many teachers and even examiners have accepted simplified versions of how Christians make decisions and what those decisions are. This has lead to many young people having a distorted view of what living a Christian life is all about.This session will look again at how Christian Ethics should be approached in the classroom. In particular, the tension between authority and individual conscience will be explored and explained.
Teaching Christianity through the Arts (Charlotte Fowler)
RS teachers face a huge challenge in helping young people to engage with the six world religions in a very limited time allocation. Some teachers may not be specialists, either in some of these traditions or in RS at all. This session will consider an approach which will help students to engage with the key issues in Christianity quickly.
Spirituality (Sr. Gemma Simmonds)
There is a long, deep tradition of Christian Spirituality which may help young people today to appreciate what believers mean when they talk about their relationship with God. This session will examine the nature of Christian Spirituality and how it can best be understood as well as showing its relevance for teaching young people about Christianity and helping them to learn from it today.
What is Christianity? (Dr. Peter Vardy)
This short introductory session will consider why it is important for young people to have the opportunity to learn about and from the Christian tradition and why many schools might have to reappraise the quality of the opportunities they are offering. For more than 15 years RS departments have been changing; they have started teaching about world religions, the philosophy of religion, ethics, but an increasing number of pupils leave school without the most basic understanding of Christian categories.
Who was Jesus? (Dr. John McDade)
The figure of Jesus is of central importance to all Christians and yet there is still huge confusion over exactly who He was and even over what He taught. This session will look again at the identity of Jesus and consider how students can best be enabled to engage with Him and His teachings.
Engaging with and Interpreting the Bible (Rev. Professor Keith Ward)
The Bible is undoubtedly central to Christian faith, but it is a challenging text to interpret. It contains many sorts of documents, from poems and proverbs to histories and law-codes, written over many centuries and expressing very diverse points of view.This session will present what is central to the Bible, how different interpretations of it arise, what contemporary scholars say about it, and how it can be used in the modern world to provide real spiritual insight, but not a closed dogmatic system.
Christian Ethics (Dr. Peter Vardy)
Papers on Christian Ethics are hugely popular but unfortunately many teachers and even examiners have accepted simplified versions of how Christians make decisions and what those decisions are. This has lead to many young people having a distorted view of what living a Christian life is all about.This session will look again at how Christian Ethics should be approached in the classroom. In particular, the tension between authority and individual conscience will be explored and explained.
Teaching Christianity through the Arts (Charlotte Fowler)
RS teachers face a huge challenge in helping young people to engage with the six world religions in a very limited time allocation. Some teachers may not be specialists, either in some of these traditions or in RS at all. This session will consider an approach which will help students to engage with the key issues in Christianity quickly.
Spirituality (Sr. Gemma Simmonds)
There is a long, deep tradition of Christian Spirituality which may help young people today to appreciate what believers mean when they talk about their relationship with God. This session will examine the nature of Christian Spirituality and how it can best be understood as well as showing its relevance for teaching young people about Christianity and helping them to learn from it today.
