welcome! philosophy of religious education renaissance program
TRANSCRIPT
WELCOME!
Philosophy of Religious Education
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Introductions
I’m ___________from ______________where I ________________.
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AffirmationWe celebrate ourselves.
We celebrate our being together.We celebrate our being together
here.We celebrate our being together
here in a spirit of learning.Blessed be!
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Getting to Know You
• Name
• One person who influenced
you religiously
• Why you chose that person
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Renaissance ProgramAdministration
Adult Faith DevelopmentCurriculum PlanningMinistry with Youth
Multicultural Religious EducationPhilosophy of Religious Education
Teacher DevelopmentUU Identity
UU History (online)Worship for All Ages
UU Theology (coming soon)
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Focused ConversationsSmall Groups
Provide collective leadership around two or moreEssex Conversations essays, organized around topicsof the session
30 minutesCan be used for presentation, small group work, and/or large group sharing
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Religious Education is...
What is Unitarian Universalism?
What is Unitarian Universalist religious education?
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Essex ConversationsQuestions
• As we enter the 21st century, what is the core of our evolving Unitarian Universalist faith?
• What is my vision of the goals for our lifespan religious education?
• What are the vital components for Unitarian Universalist curricula?
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Essex ConversationsRecord on newsprint; designate a recorder.
Work together to list main themes,especially in response to:
• What is my vision of the goals for our lifespan religious education?
• What are the vital components for Unitarian Universalist curricula?
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Focused Conversation
WHAT?
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WHAT is religious education?
• Barry Andrews, “Educating for Faith”• Susan Brown, “For the Generations to
Come”• Patricia Hoertdoerfer, “Religion as
Relationship”• Elizabeth Strong, “To Teach an Abiding
Faith”
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I Believe, I Feel, I Act
• I Believe (world view)
• I Feel (loyalty of my heart)
• I Act (way of life)
You are invited to consider your faith in these terms...
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Fowler’s Faith Development Theory
• Faith Stages According to Fowler
• Integration of Developmental Characteristics
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Faith Stages & Group Portraits• Groups of 4-6 people, choose one:
Preschool / Elementary / Adolescent / Youth / Young Adult / Adult / Elder
• Create a faith development portrait of the age chosen. Use pictures, words, phrases, symbols. List 3-4 implications of faith development for religious education and the congregation as a learning community.
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Tough terms for UUs
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Faith Religion
Spirituality Ethics
Focused Conversation
WHEN?
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WHEN does religious education take place?
• Susan Archer, “Outside the Box”• Logan Harris, “What Youth Want”• Jen Harrison (Devine), “Youth Groups as a Model for
Transformative Ministry”• Frances Manly, “The Principle Behind the Principles”• Kathy Silver, “Doing the Work of Becoming Unitarian
Universalists”• Laura Spencer, “Our Seven Principles”
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Who?
• Who has historically influenced religious
education?
• Who are the partners in the enterprise of religious
education?
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William Ellery Channing• Liberal Christianity – “Unitarian”• Faith: in child, in God, in scripture• Get attention of child through love,
inviting questions• Feared Sunday School would teach
religion as “lifeless tradition and not quickening reality”
• Address to Sunday School Society in 1838
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John Dewey• Experiential learning• Child-centered vs. creed-centered or
content-centered curricula• Focused on “whole child”• Founded Religious Education
Association
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Channing, Dewey• Do their ideas speak to you?• Do you see evidence of their
philosophies in the RE program in your congregation?
• Any new insights?• Do you see the purpose of religious
education as (1) to hand on a religious tradition or (2) to create a new world?
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Sophia Lyon Fahs• Curriculum editor, American Unitarian
Association, 1937-61; UUA, 1961-64• Education process: discovery,
examination, decision• Today’s Children and Yesterday’s
Heritage• New Beacon series of curricula
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Angus MacLean
• Professor/Dean, St. Lawrence Theological School (Universalist)
• “The method is the message.”• Learn by doing, with heart and hand• Importance of parents as religious
educators
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Fahs, MacLean• What were Fahs’ and MacLean’s philosophies
of religious development?• What were some of the principles of their
religious education theories?• What was their understanding of the nature of
the child and how we nurture religious growth?• What did they see as the role of experience in
education? • What was the goal of religious growth and
learning?
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Recent Eras• Multimedia era—Hugo Holleroth, 1964-80;
multimedia kits, AYS, emphasis on process• RE Futures Committee—Elizabeth Anastos,
1980-90; Stone House Conversations, UU identity, UU Principles, social justice, teacher-friendly curricula incl. Stepping Stone Year, Neighboring Faiths, LIFT, Race to Justice
• Lifespan Faith Development—Judith Frediani, 1990-2013; Essex Conversations, Our Whole Lives, Tapestry of Faith, lifespan, praxis model
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Influencesfrom Larger Culture
• Paulo Freire
• Howard Gardner
• Faith Formation 2020
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Parents as Religious Educators
• Some knowledge...
• Some attitudes
• Some skills...
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Focused Conversation
WHO?
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WHO influences religious education?
• Pat Ellenwood, “Changing Lenses”• Susan Harlow, “Spreading the Good News”• Jacqui James, “Building Strong and Radical
Religious Communities”• Elizabeth Jones, “Building a Strong Community”• Roberta Nelson, “The Teacher As Spiritual Guide”• Jeanellen Ryan, “Looking Back”
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Where Is Religious Education?
Sacred SpacesGuided Meditation
Journal WritingSharing
Religious Community
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John Westerhoff• Professor at Harvard, Duke University
Divinity School• Editor of religious journals, incl.
Religious Education, the journal of the Religious Education Association
• Critic of “church school;” advocate of church community
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Maria Harris
• Fashion Me a People, 1989
• Curriculum is the entirety
of congregational life
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Focused Conversation
WHERE?
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WHERE does religious education occur?
• Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, “Toward Wholeness and Liberation”
• Ginger Luke, “The Children’s Fire Is the Community Fire”
• Rebecca Parker, “Education As Liberation”• Meg Riley, “The Core of Our Evolving Unitarian
Universalist Faith”• Tracey Robinson-Harris, “Margin and Center”
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Communitiesof Memory and Hope
What memories are we making
with our children and youth?
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Focused Conversation
WHY?
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WHY do we do what we do?
• Judith Frediani, “Making Sure There is a There There”
• Tom Owen-Towle, “Seven Reminders”• Gary Smith, “Taking Our Children
Seriously”• Tom Yondorf, “Outcome-based Religious
Education”
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Focused Conversation
HOW?
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HOW do we go about it?• Richard Gilbert, “Usable Truth”• Daniel Harper, “Learning Types and Their
Needs”• John March, “Practicing the Scales of
Rejoicing”• Makanah Morriss, “Doorway to the Sacred”• Greg Stewart, “Sunday School Is Dead—Long
Live Sunday School”• John Tolley, “Child’s Play”
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Visioning:Taking It Home
Articulate your philosophy of
religious education.
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Why: Mythical Religious Education Committees
Goal Setting (in groups of 3-4)•Create a religious education brochure that
articulates a philosophy of religious education.• Create goals for the program. List these on
separate index cards for use during closing worship.
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Closing
Evaluation online
Worship
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