Junior Certificate R.E. Section E The Celebration of Faith

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Junior Certificate R.E. Section E The
Celebration of Faith

• RTA Meeting
• 16th September 2006

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Aims of J.C.R.E.

• To foster an awareness that the human search for
  meaning is common to all peoples, of all ages and
  at all times
• To explore how this search for meaning has found,
  and continues to find, expression in religion
• To identify how understandings of God, religious
  traditions, and in particular the Christian
  tradition, have contributed to the culture in
  which we live, and continue to have an impact on
  personal lifestyle, inter-personal relationships
  and relationships between individuals and their
  communities and contexts
• To appreciate the richness of religious
  traditions and to acknowledge the non-religious
  interpretation of life
• To contribute to the spiritual and moral
  development of the student

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• The aim of JCRE is to provide students with a
  framework for encountering and engaging with the
  variety of religious traditions in Ireland and
  elsewhere
• The students own experience of religion and
  their commitment to a particular religious
  tradition, and/or to a continuing search for
  meaning, will therefore be encouraged and
  supported (JCRE Syllabus p4)

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Syllabus Sections

• A Communities of Faith
• B Foundations of Religion Christianity
• C Foundations of Religion Major World
  Religions
• D The Question of Faith
• E The Celebration of Faith
• F The Moral Challenge

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E Celebration of FaithAims

• To show how ritual and worship have always been
  part of the human response to life and to the
  mystery of God
• To identify how communities of faith express
  their day-to-day concerns in various forms of
  ritual
• To explore an experience of worship
• Higher level To explore the link between
  patterns of worship and mystery/that which is
  ultimate concern to individuals and communities

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Part 1 The World of Ritual Part 2 The
Experience of Worship Part 3 Worship as
response to Mystery (Higher Level) Part
4 Sign and Symbol Part 5 - Prayer
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E Objectives

• Have an understanding of how particular places
  and times come to be significant
• Be able to identify elements of worship
• Have an awareness of the impact of the experience
  of mystery in human life
• Be able to identify participation in worship as a
  response to that experience
• Be aware of the place of sign and symbol in human
  life and in religious traditions
• Have an understanding of the power and meaning of
  religious symbols or
• Be familiar with the Christian understanding of
  sacrament and have a detailed understanding of
  the place of sacrament in two Christian
  denominations
• Have an understanding of the importance of prayer
  in the lives of individuals and in religious
  traditions
• Be able to differentiate between different types
  of prayer

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The elements of worship include people gathering
together in a sacred/holy place at a time of
significance in order to experience God in a
meaningful way by participating in religious
rituals/prayers/actions.
Mayo Fans Heading to Croker
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Examiners Report (SEC 2003) Lack of
understanding of key concepts main reason
identified for loss of marks Marks also lost due
to leaving out parts of an answer and giving
irrelevant answers 246 key concepts in the
syllabus NCCA Guidelines p56.the higher level
student will be expected to Use websites and
varied methodologies to teach this section,
especially part 3 for higher level
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Websites found to be useful by some teachers

• www.ask.com
• www.teachingideas.co.uk
• www.bbc.uk/religion
• www.worldreligions.co.uk
• www.religioustolerance.org
• www.ress.ie
• www.examinations.ie
• www.silk.net/RelEd
• www.witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/sacredness
• www.pics.tech4learning.com (royalty free
  photos)
• www.wikipedia.org (free on-line encyclopaedia)
• And the search engine www.google.ie

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Suggested Methodologies

• Concept Formation and Case Study
• Problem - Solving and Decision Making
  Exercises
• Role Play / Simulation Games
• Modelling
• Presentation and Interpretation of Data
• Self-Assessment Activities
• Discussion
• Group Work
• Activity Based Learning

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Activity Based Learning

• JCSP recommends activity based learning
• 3 key activities seem to work well
• Crosswords
• Table Quizzes
• Visual Verbal Squares

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• Rationale for visual verbal square
• Based on the principle that material created by
  the individual is retained in the memory for a
  far longer time in contrast to that which is
  imposed by someone else
• Have students create as much of it as possible
• Teacher creates most of the definition. Do a few
  on the board with students.
• Elicit words associated with the concept
• Put them into sentences
• Draw a picture
• See examples on handout

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Begin where the student is at e.g. Sacrament
Opportunity for communion When you greet someone
with how are you you give them an opportunity
to respond Symbol candle physical aspect,
function/usefulnessput this object into a
different context and see it as symbol e.g. love,
hope etc Sacred spacewhat is it about the
atmosphere that changes? How does this affect
people? Door threshold - sacredness as
threshold experience, awareness of otherness
created by sacredness. Successful ritual
involves us crossing this threshold and creating
awareness of othernessand returningchanged.
Bring back signs of new life into our ordinary
life e.g. blessing ourselves with holy water as
we leave a church
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Use plenty of
visual material
?
and
music
?
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The End Thank you! Lorraine Gillespie Regional
Development Officer R.E. Support Service Mob
087- 4196398