Spiritual Development for All Pupils: The contribution of worldview - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Spiritual Development for All Pupils: The contribution of worldview education

Anglican Edcomm Professor Trevor Cooling 31st July 2019

Spiritual Development

In what ways are young people spiritual?

The Spiritual – an official view

l ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective

• n life and their interest in and respect for different

people’s faiths, feelings and values. l sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them. l use of imagination and creativity in their learning and willingness to reflect on their experiences.

Religious or Spiritual?

Religious Faith as Clutter (secularization)

Shared human values are entirely independent of religious beliefs

Richard Norman, On Humanism, 2004

Religious Education Council

Commission on Religious Education (September 2018)

lNational Entitlement lFocus on Worldview

National Entitlement

l Grasping the diversity of worldviews in our society l Understanding what worldviews are and how they work l Understanding the impact that worldviews have l Exploring how people with different worldviews use them to make meaning, answer existential questions, & deal with controversial issues

Commission on Religious Education (September 2018)

l Everyone has a worldview; their way of seeing, making sense of and giving coherence and meaning to the world and to their own experience and behaviour (Page 30)

Worldview

A worldview is a person’s way of understanding, experiencing and responding to the world. It can be described as a philosophy of life or an approach to life. This includes how a person understands the nature of reality and their own place in the world. A person’s worldview is likely to influence and be influenced by their beliefs, values, behaviours, experiences, identities and

• commitments. (Page 8)

An Influential Critic

James KA Smith l Brains on sticks l Cognitive machines l A steady diet of ideas fed somewhat intravenously into the mind through lines

• f propositions and

information

The Worldview Curriculum

Worldview in the Commission

Institutional Personal

Habitus

lHabitus refers to the physical embodiment

• f cultural capital, to

the deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess due to our life experiences

The Debate about Worldview

Worldview Habitus l ingrained habits, skills, and

• dispositions. It is the way

that individuals perceive the social world around them and react to it. Virtues and desires matter. l Practices matter l Participants l Character l a comprehensive conception or apprehension

• f the world, especially

from a specific standpoint (weltanschauung) l Propositions matter l Spectators l Knowledge

Pedagogy: The Missing link?

lPupils should evaluate their understanding of religion in personal terms and evaluate their understanding

• f self in religious

terms (p. 15)

The Purpose of Christian Education

lto enable each pupil to understand, reflect on and take responsibility for the development of their

• wn personal

worldview lBenefit from the interaction between the institutional Christian worldview and their developing personal worldview

Teaching End of Life Issues

l Three arguments for and three arguments against assisted suicide l Fixed positions l The Bible as a source of proof texts l Christian ethics is all about winning arguments.

Hospitality as Holiness

(Luke Bretherton)

Teaching End of Life Issues

Ten Leading Schools

St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol

l 63% said God was very real to them l The glory of God is a human being fully alive. l Justice, forgiveness, trust, faith and hope. l Ikoba secondary school, Kenya

Bishop Luffa School, Chichester

l 36% said God was very real to them l Quiet Space l Restorative justice l Prioritising reflection l Wannsee conference centre

Archbishop Tenisons, Croydon

l 76% said God was very real to them l Theological literacy. l The Bible inspires me 70%+ l Eschatology l Questioning, intelligent, wise faith

Ten Leading Schools

l Development of the person l Strong dialogue Christian community l Deepening knowledge and understanding l Connection to God l Context appropriate

Character Education

l ‘a global leader in teaching character and resilience…ensuring that young people not

• nly grow

academically, but also build character, resilience and grit.’

Grit

What Character? When all is said and done, all I will have left is my character

Hope?

Hope and Grit

Aristotelian Grit l Individual self- determination l Personal legacy l Lonely hero l Who dares wins Christian Hope l Part of a community of God’s grace l Contributing to a shared vision l Faithful disciple l Eschatological confidence