Overview
In this unit, pre-service teachers in the Catholic Education strand of the Bachelor of Education courses prepare for pedagogical roles in the teaching of Religion in Catholic schools. You will build professional knowledge of approaches to reading and interpreting religious texts that recognise the relationship between these texts and the cultural, historical and social contexts in which they were constructed. You will reflect on the guidance provided by official documents to explain how frameworks can be utilised to assist contemporary learners to construct meaning from Scripture. In addition, you will make connections between contemporary meanings of religious texts and the rationale, aims and content of curriculum learning areas that focus on personal and social development and wellbeing (HPE) and human expression of culture and spirituality (The Arts) for the purpose of implementing curriculum that is inclusive, engaging and purposeful for students from diverse social, cultural and religious backgrounds. You will apply your knowledge of reading and interpreting religious texts to select and justify resources and strategies for teaching a parable or miracle that model inclusive practices. A focus of this process will be to explore religious perspectives, values and beliefs with learners from diverse social and cultural backgrounds in a chosen level of primary schooling (early, middle or upper primary year levels).
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student emails
Excellent support from the lecturer
Maintain high levels of support and communication with students
Feedback from Student feedback
Interesting content and engaging, interactive tutorials
Maintain content and high quality teaching practices
- Explain ways in which interpretation methods for religious texts make their meaning accessible for contemporary audiences
- Identify relationships between contemporary meanings of Scripture and the rationale, aims and content of curriculum learning areas that focus on human expression, personal and social development and wellbeing
- Select and justify resources that actively engage learners in understanding the contexts, symbolism and messages of religious texts
- Select strategies for interpreting religious texts with contemporary learners from a diverse range of linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
- Reflect on the support provided by official documents and sources of professional learning for teachers in Catholic schools.
Successful completion of this unit provides opportunities for students to engage with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Career Stage) focus areas of:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.2 Understand how students learn
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
2.2 Content selection and organisation
2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs
3.3 Use teaching strategies
3.4 Select and use resources
3.5 Use effective classroom communication
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
Outcomes combine these standards with the knowledge and understanding required to be eligible for accreditation to teach in a Catholic school.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.aprile@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Guidance for the teaching and learning of Religion in Australian Catholic Schools (Dei Verbum, ECSI data and theology)
Chapter
National Catholic Education Commission. (2018). Framing paper: Religious education in Australian Catholic schools. https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/NCEC_Framing_Paper_Religious_Education-1.pdf
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Introduction to the Catholic Bible - Old Testament
Chapter
Rymarz, R. Engebretson, K., & Hyde, B. (2021). Teaching religious education in Catholic schools: Embracing a new era. Garratt Publishing. Chapter 14, 199-214.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Introduction to the Catholic Bible - New Testament
Chapter
Rymarz, R. Engebretson, K., & Hyde, B. (2021). Teaching religious education in Catholic schools: Embracing a new era. Garratt Publishing. Chapter 15, 215-226.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
11 Characteristics of Scripture
Chapter
Saltana, C. (2022). Religious Education in transition: From content-centred to student-centred. Religions, 13(10), 986. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13100986
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Approaches to interpretation of religious texts - exploring identity and sociocultural influences on meaning
Worlds of the text
Chapter
Pollefeyt, D. (2021). Teaching the unteachable or why too much good is bad. Religious education in Catholic schools today. Religions, 12(810), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100810
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No tutorial
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Modes of human expression including the Arts and language to interpret Religious texts
Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton (CEDR) Religious Education Curriculum
Chapter
Bopardikar, A., Bernstein, D. Drayton, B. & McKenney, S. (2021). Designing educative curriculum materials in interdisciplinary teams: designer processes and contributions. Instructional Science, 49:249-286, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09538-5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Catholic schools and the development of the whole person
Personal, social and community health strands -Australian Curriculum
Responding to diversity and individual difference
Chapter
Gilbert, R. (2019). General capabilities in the Australian curriculum: promise, problems and prospects. Curriculum Perspectives, 39, 169-177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-019-00079-z
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Planning for the teaching of religious texts from the CEDR Religious Education Curriculum (Parables)
Chapter
Ryan, M. (2012). Jesus and the Gospels. Lumino Press. Chapter 8, 179-200.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Planning for the teaching of religious texts from the CEDR Religious Education curriculum (Miracles).
Chapter
Ryan, M. (2012). Jesus and the Gospels. Lumino Press. Chapter 9, 201-226.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Resources for teaching Religious texts in a contemporary Catholic school (Bible, commentaries, online resources)
Chapter
Stack-Nelson, J. (2014). Beyond Biblical literacy: Developing readerly readers in teaching biblical studies, Dialog : a journal of theology, 53(4), p.293-303.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Effective strategies for teaching Religious texts in contemporary Catholic schools (explicit teaching and assessing of cognition, strategies to maximise impact, dialogue and inquiry, negative theology)
Chapter
Pollefeyt, D. & Richards, M. (2020). The living art of religious education: a paradigm of hermeneutics and dialogue for RE at faith schools today. British Journal of Religious Education, 42(3), 313-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2019.1593106
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review
Check in Q & A
Chapter
Jones, D. (2007). Speaking, listening, planning and assessing: the teacher's role in developing metacognitive awareness, Early Child Development and Care, 177(6-7), 569-579. DOI: 10.1080/03004430701378977
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
The Catholic Church acknowledges scripture and tradition together as the source of its beliefs, liturgy, prayer and moral teaching. In coming to understand and appreciate the story of God’s engagement with humanity in scripture and in the ongoing tradition of the Church, students increasingly recognise God’s loving activity in human history and in the lives of individuals.
Describe the National Catholic Education Commission (2018) features of high quality religious education and how these inform teachers’ planning for the teaching and learning of Scripture within Religious Education.
Explain how the 11 Essential Characteristics for Scripture Learning (Nolen) and the Worlds of the Texts frameworks provide structures to interpret scripture passages from the Catholic Christian bible to assist the students to construct meaning.
Consider how teacher preparation and professional learning builds capacity to facilitate the process of interpretation of Scripture with students in contemporary Catholic schools.
Length: 1500 words
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:
• No Gen AI use at any point during this assessment.
This task provides opportunities for demonstrating achievement of the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level): 2.1, 6.2, 6.4.
Week 6 Friday (23 Aug 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this assessment task will be returned following moderation and in sufficient time to allow for academic support and advice as necessary and to inform responses for Assessment Task 2.
Knowledge and application of the 11 Essential Characteristics for Scripture Learning and Worlds of the Text interpretive framework
Understanding of the impact of personal, social and cultural backgrounds on interpretation and meaning making processes
Critical reflection on teachers’ professional knowledge base for planning and teaching Religious Education in contemporary Catholic schools
- Explain ways in which interpretation methods for religious texts make their meaning accessible for contemporary audiences
- Reflect on the support provided by official documents and sources of professional learning for teachers in Catholic schools.
2 Written Assessment
- Select a Scripture passage found within the P-6 CEDR Religious Education Curriculum and a resource from the associated short learning cycle.
- Justify how the resource can be used to support the interpretation of the chosen religious text by students with diverse backgrounds and experiences to construct meaning.
- Select teaching strategies to enable learners with diverse backgrounds and experiences to engage in the process of interpreting the selected religious text.
- Justify how the selected teaching strategies provide opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds and experiences to interpret the selected religious text to construct meaning.
- Infer how contemporary meanings of scripture can relate to the development of human expression, personal and social development and wellbeing. Make explicit links to one or more of the learning areas of HPE or The Arts and the CEDR Personal and Social Development Guidelines for the chosen year level.
Length: 1000 words.
Please note: For this task, students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) course must use the F-2 levels of the Australian Curriculum.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents is as follows:
• No Gen AI use at any point during this assessment.
This task provides opportunities for engaging with and demonstrating the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level) at a consolidating stage: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.5, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 7.2.
Week 12 Friday (4 Oct 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this task will be returned following marking and moderation.
Knowledge of documents and resources that guide interpretation of religious texts for contemporary audiences
Knowledge of developmentally appropriate teaching strategies and interpretive processes from the Arts curriculum to support meaning making at early middle or upper primary year levels
Ability to plan for the teaching of religious education curriculum content and align HPE, or The Arts curriculum and Personal and Social Development Guidelines to implement relevant and inclusive curriculum for all learners
Selection of resources that facilitate promotion of personal, social and community health and wellbeing
- Explain ways in which interpretation methods for religious texts make their meaning accessible for contemporary audiences
- Identify relationships between contemporary meanings of Scripture and the rationale, aims and content of curriculum learning areas that focus on human expression, personal and social development and wellbeing
- Select and justify resources that actively engage learners in understanding the contexts, symbolism and messages of religious texts
- Select strategies for interpreting religious texts with contemporary learners from a diverse range of linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
