Religious Education

Curriculum Objectives

In this unit, students will study how the Godly Play approach can influence the development of religious education pedagogy in Catholic schools. The contributions of Maria Montessori, E. M. Standing and Sofia Cavalletti to religious education will be examined, as will the influence of the Montessori Method on Jerome Berryman’s approach to religious education, known as Godly Play. Students will apply key principals of Godly Play to contemporary religious education to create new stories and materials, as well as identify some of the challenges this approach poses for pedagogical practice in Australian Catholic classrooms.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• critically evaluate the work of significant thinkers who have contributed to the development of Godly Play as an approach to religious education
• discern and articulate particular challenges the Godly Play approach may pose for pedagogical practice in contemporary religious education in Australia and suggested creative ways in which these might be addressed, and
• apply key principals of the Godly Play approach to create new materials for religious education which have relevance for their own particular contexts.

Assumed Knowledge 

D8120 & D8121

Study hours

10 hours per week for 12 week session, comprised of

• At least 1 hour per week for online lectures
• At least 4 hours per week of reading.
• At least 6 hours per week of directed study, including optional and assessable online activities.

Teaching methods

Online lectures; online activities; guided reading; scaffolded assessments; feedback on assessments. Opportunities for face-to-face offerings also exist.

Indicative Assessment

At the Institute, we use a range of assessment tasks, including essays, research papers, online posts, critical reflections, projects and praxis exercises. Within a unit of study, each set of assessment tasks is designed as an integral part of your learning experience. These tasks vary across units and programs. All assessment tasks are aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework level appropriate for graduate awards.