Overview
In this unit, you will examine the characteristics of the contemporary educational context of Catholic schools and explore the features of quality Religious Education. You will engage in curriculum planning processes for the teaching of Religious Education, designing a short learning cycle and selecting resources and strategies that support dialogical and inquiry-based pedagogy. You will reflect on your understandings of the selected curriculum content and skills and sources of professional knowledge to identify challenges and opportunities in teaching Religious Education in the contemporary classroom context. Classroom planning decisions, implementation techniques and evaluation of resources regarding their suitability for use with a specific class will be justified. In addition, you will develop an understanding of the complementary nature of the religious life of the school.
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 Postgraduate 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 email
Feedback was constructive and promoted further learning
Maintain high quality feedback processes.
- Examine the characteristics of the contemporary educational context of Catholic schools
- Explain the features of quality religious education
- Plan for instruction in Religious Education showing knowledge and understanding of curriculum content and skills and sources of professional knowledge for teachers
- Identify challenges and opportunities in teaching religious education in the contemporary classroom context
- Justify religious education planning decisions, implementation techniques and evaluation of resources regarding their suitability for use with a specific class
- Discuss the complementary and invitational nature of the religious life of the school.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 50% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||||
| 4 - Research | ||||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||||
| 8 - 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
My religious background, experiences and practices
Chapter
eReading list - Week 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The contemporary context
Chapter
eReading list - Week 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
What is Religious Education?
Chapter
eReading list - Week 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Resourcing Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Pedagogy in Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No tutorial
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Student engagement in Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Content and skills in Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Differentiation in Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Assessment of Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
How to plan a unit of work in Religious Education
Chapter
eReading list - Week 10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
How to plan a prayer experience
Chapter
eReading list - Week 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Presentation
You have been asked to mentor a graduate teacher who has provisional accreditation to teach Religious Education and has never taught in a Catholic school before. To prepare this teacher to be able to teach Religious Education effectively in the contemporary Catholic school classroom, create a presentation that:
- Examines the characteristics of learners and the educational context of contemporary Catholic schools
- Explores the features of quality Religious Education
- Identifies inquiry and dialogue as preferred pedagogical approaches for teaching Religious Education in contemporary classrooms
- Discusses the complementarity of the classroom teaching and learning of Religious Education and the invitational nature of the religious life of the school
Submission Requirements:
This task is to be submitted in a multi-media format. Use Microsoft PowerPoint to record your presentation.
Use unit learning materials and some independent research to complete the task.
Evidence of engagement with the unit materials must be apparent in your submission.
Length: Approximately 15 minutes (2000) 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.
Week 7 Monday (26 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.
Understanding of the ways in which characteristics of contemporary learners and learning environments influence planning and teaching in Religious Education
Explanation of the features of quality Religious Education
Knowledge of preferred contemporary pedagogical approaches for the teaching of Religious Education
Knowledge of the complementarity of the classroom teaching and learning of Religious Education and the invitational nature of the religious life of the school
- Examine the characteristics of the contemporary educational context of Catholic schools
- Explain the features of quality religious education
- Discuss the complementary and invitational nature of the religious life of the school.
2 Written Assessment
Critically reflect on the planning decisions made within a short learning cycle in Religious Education.
Scaffolding:
1. Select Religious Education curriculum to form the basis of a short learning cycle that you will plan, teach and evaluate.
It must contain the following:
- Achievement standard statement, knowledge and skills (content descriptors), links to other curriculum areas (such as The Arts and Technologies), profile of learners in the classroom (including religious backgrounds of students and specific modifications or adjustments to the learning environment to meet NCCD requirements), assessment, guide to making judgements (achievement standard elaborations), teaching strategies and resources.
Note that the short learning cycle is submitted as a means of supporting your critical reflection. Therefore, specific examples of planning decisions and strategies in your short learning cycle should be referred to in your critical reflection.
2. Submit a critical reflection which must contain the following:
- Understanding of the curriculum content and skills and sources of professional learning to assist teachers to build their specialist knowledge prior to commencing the short learning cycle with students
- Justify how, according to contemporary literature in Religious Education, planning decisions and strategies in the short learning cycle respond to the complexities of the contemporary classroom and the pluralistic reality of the wider cultural context
- Identify how challenges and opportunities in teaching Religious Education in the contemporary classroom context were addressed through the pedagogies of inquiry and dialogue
Length of the critical reflection 2000 words.
Note:
Evidence of engagement with unit materials must be apparent in your submission.
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.
Review/Exam Week Monday (7 Oct 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Feedback on this task will be returned to students following moderation and in accordance with university policy on certification of grades.
Demonstrated understanding of the curriculum content and skills that will form the basis of the short learning cycle
Critical reflection on the impact of sources of professional learning to support the planning and reaching of Religious Education curriculum content
Knowledge of contemporary planning processes and teaching approaches underpinning quality Religious Education
Justification of Religious Education planning decisions, implementation techniques and evaluation of resources regarding their suitability for use for a specific class with reference to contemporary literature
- Plan for instruction in Religious Education showing knowledge and understanding of curriculum content and skills and sources of professional knowledge for teachers
- Identify challenges and opportunities in teaching religious education in the contemporary classroom context
- Justify religious education planning decisions, implementation techniques and evaluation of resources regarding their suitability for use with a specific class
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?
