Curriculum
The Religious Education Curriculum Framework describes learning and teaching in Religious Education for Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The framework sits within the context of the Education Framework for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Horizons of Hope. The ecclesial mission of the Catholic school is the foundation for Religious Education and the core work of Catholic educators:
Catholic schools were founded to proclaim Jesus’ message of God’s love for all. Our Catholic faith calls us to embrace the contemporary world with a Catholic imagination, and a particular hope-filled view of the human person and all of creation. Catholic educators invite students to make sense of their world and their lives within a faith community that is faithful to the mission of Jesus (Horizons of Hope: Context 2016, p. 9).
The Religious Education Curriculum Framework draws from and incorporates the teachings and principles espoused in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, along with the teachings of Vatican II and post-conciliar documents. The framework seeks to address the recommendations from the findings of the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (Pollefeyt & Bouwens 2014). The findings identify three critical challenges for schools to address through Religious Education:
The framework sits within the context of the Education Framework for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Horizons of Hope. The ecclesial mission of the Catholic school is the foundation for Religious Education and the core work of Catholic educators:
Catholic schools were founded to proclaim Jesus’ message of God’s love for all. Our Catholic faith calls us to embrace the contemporary world with a Catholic imagination, and a particular hope-filled view of the human person and all of creation. Catholic educators invite students to make sense of their world and their lives within a faith community that is faithful to the mission of Jesus (Horizons of Hope: Context 2016, p. 9).
The Religious Education Curriculum Framework draws from and incorporates the teachings and principles espoused in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, along with the teachings of Vatican II and post-conciliar documents. The framework seeks to address the recommendations from the findings of the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (Pollefeyt & Bouwens 2014). The findings identify three critical challenges for schools to address through Religious Education:
- opening up a more explicit dialogue between Catholic faith and the diverse cultures and lives of students
- finding new ways to express the Gospel as alive and authentic
- engaging in rich and meaningful experiences of prayer.
- Knowledge and Understanding, i.e. seeking truth
- Reasoning and Responding, i.e. making meaning
- Personal and Communal Engagement, i.e. living story.