This paper discusses educational insights drawn from a mixed-methods study in Religious Education (RE). The study involved 238 teachers and school leaders, working in 65 Catholic schools in Western Australia (WA). The focus of the study was the educators' perceptions of a large-scale, standardised assessment (LSA) called "The Bishops'…

The personal formation of students is an important goal in Religious Education in secondary schools in the Netherlands. This article, which is based on the design research of my PhD dissertation, examines how a contemplative approach to reading stories can, according to Religious Education teachers, contribute to the personal formation of…

This article explores conditions and enablers for teacher professional learning in religious education in Catholic schools. It examines the impact on religion of the pluralising and secularising influences in Australia today and identifies what this asks of religious education and religious educators in response. New pedagogical approaches which…

Exemplary religious education (RE) teachers were identified by school based RE leaders and interviewed as part of an ongoing study of the implementation of a new senior high school religious education program in Catholic schools in NSW, Australia. Contextualisation was provided by examining dominant social influences utilising Dobbelaere's concept…

This paper explores the educational practices of the Syriac Antiochene Maronite Catholic Church in the United States towards Maronite children and adults. The paper proposes, to a large extent, that the current educational forms have led to an uncritical obedience to the ecclesial tradition. These forms are: Qurbono (liturgy), catechetical texts,…

In response to a religiously diverse and culturally enriched Australia, this paper will discuss the instance of one Catholic primary school which has taken up the challenge of engaging in Religious Education through integrating the beliefs and practices underlying the KU Leuven's Hermeneutical Communicative Model to Religious Education. This…

Catholic Studies is a religious education course used in senior high schools in New South Wales, Australia. The course is not counted for university entrance but meets the requirement for students to undertake religious study whilst in catholic schools. This paper examines the perceptions of teachers on why students take the course and what parts…

As the Catholic Church encounters secularism and pluralism, one of her main responses has been dialogue. Some of the prime manifestations have been the political initiative of the Courtyard of the Gentiles and the plea from the Congregation for Catholic Education for a grammar of dialogue as envisaged in the recent document Educating for fraternal…

This paper surveys and evaluates the contribution of Jules Isaac to the reorientation of relations between Christians and Jews. Jules Isaac, French educator, historian and bureaucrat committed his life to the repair of relations between Christians and Jews. He played a pivotal role in promoting consideration of Jews and Judaism at the Second…

This paper explores the question, "What is the individual's experience of interreligious learning and teaching?" It utilises hermeneutic phenomenology to interpret the rich and hidden meanings of lived experiences. van Manen's (Phenomenology of practice: meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Routledge, New…