SRE vs Ethics; CGN's say.
May 10th 2010 01:12
The talkback has been running hot on ABC 702 this morning, regarding the interestingly dubbed "Ethics trial" in NSW Public Schools. Here is my impromptu email sent to Deborah Cameron on the issue this morning:
As a former student, and current teacher and parent within the Public Education system, I'm a passionate advocate for SRE. I am a Protestant Christian, and have participated as a student and as a volunteer and paid (by a Board of local, interdenominational church representatives) SRE teacher, but I also stand with Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Bahai, Orthodox, Catholic, and other SRE providers/teachers in support of the continuation of SRE in Public Schools. Each group has a right under the Public Education Act Really Long Link
,and implementation policies Really Long Link
,outline clearly the difference between General Religious Education, which occurs across the curriculum, through teaching and learning activities within the classroom and in school communities through "extra curricular" events such as excursions and multicultural festivals, and Special Religious Education, which enables students to participate in UP TO, but rarely (ie never in my 30 year experience of SRE) one hour of SRE a week, in the denomination of their choice, as provided within their school context.
Unfortunately, not all options are available in all school communities. This is because some organisations lack the local resources, in the form of volunteers, to be able to "staff" SRE classes each week. However, I do not believe those who can provide SRE teachers and resources should be disadvantaged because of this.
Furthermore, values ARE taught in Public Schools. There is no such thing as values free education. Each person in a school teaches a "hidden curriculum", which students learn from. This is the expression, through words, deeds and body language, of their own particular world views or "agendas". One of the schools providing the Ethics trial, for example, put the quip "Atheism is a Non-Prophet organisation" on their main road noticeboard in the week leading up to the Easter School holidays. No values indeed!
As an SRE teacher, I have had the honour of being the person providing much needed positive reinforcement to kids who struggle socially or academically in their schools, who are beseiged by their peers and teachers as they do not "fit" into school as learners. I can reflect my ethics, as a Christian, that though they may not be a perfect student, they are still a person of value, and have the right to be treated with respect and kindness. Furthermore, our SRE curriculum resources acknowledge that learners can have "multiple intelligences", ie we all have preferred learning styles, and thus seek to use multiple teaching styles (teacher talk, cooperative learning, visual, aural, kinetic, musical etc) in order to engage all students in learning.
Ultimately, each student gets to make up their own mind about what information they are given access to; to believe and accept what is taught, or not. Experiments in Science, primary and secondary sources in History, effective written and visual texts in English, and technical prowess demonstrated in practical outcomes in D&T, IT, Dance, Music and Drama, prove whether what is taught is true. This is the same process that occurs across the overt and hidden curriculum, and occurs as students process the lessons taught in SRE throughout their lives. We shouldn't think kids blindly accept everything that they "learn" at school. SRE gives another world view, by which we can try to understand the world we live in. I hate Maths, and had a negative experience as a student, but I am humble enough to realise that some people love it, and not arrogant enough to impose my view on my kids by withdrawing them from Maths classes, or to lobby for its removal from the curriculum. I also admit that despite my lack of comprehension of it, Maths does permeate every area of our existence on Earth; from basic numeracy skills to appreciating the geometrical brilliance of both worker bees and ancient Muslim architects.
Getting rid of SRE with increase the divisions we see in society along cultural and religious grounds, and will, in my view, increase the political and militant nature of various groups, including Anglicans!
As a former student, and current teacher and parent within the Public Education system, I'm a passionate advocate for SRE. I am a Protestant Christian, and have participated as a student and as a volunteer and paid (by a Board of local, interdenominational church representatives) SRE teacher, but I also stand with Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Bahai, Orthodox, Catholic, and other SRE providers/teachers in support of the continuation of SRE in Public Schools. Each group has a right under the Public Education Act Really Long Link
,outline clearly the difference between General Religious Education, which occurs across the curriculum, through teaching and learning activities within the classroom and in school communities through "extra curricular" events such as excursions and multicultural festivals, and Special Religious Education, which enables students to participate in UP TO, but rarely (ie never in my 30 year experience of SRE) one hour of SRE a week, in the denomination of their choice, as provided within their school context.
Unfortunately, not all options are available in all school communities. This is because some organisations lack the local resources, in the form of volunteers, to be able to "staff" SRE classes each week. However, I do not believe those who can provide SRE teachers and resources should be disadvantaged because of this.
As an SRE teacher, I have had the honour of being the person providing much needed positive reinforcement to kids who struggle socially or academically in their schools, who are beseiged by their peers and teachers as they do not "fit" into school as learners. I can reflect my ethics, as a Christian, that though they may not be a perfect student, they are still a person of value, and have the right to be treated with respect and kindness. Furthermore, our SRE curriculum resources acknowledge that learners can have "multiple intelligences", ie we all have preferred learning styles, and thus seek to use multiple teaching styles (teacher talk, cooperative learning, visual, aural, kinetic, musical etc) in order to engage all students in learning.
Ultimately, each student gets to make up their own mind about what information they are given access to; to believe and accept what is taught, or not. Experiments in Science, primary and secondary sources in History, effective written and visual texts in English, and technical prowess demonstrated in practical outcomes in D&T, IT, Dance, Music and Drama, prove whether what is taught is true. This is the same process that occurs across the overt and hidden curriculum, and occurs as students process the lessons taught in SRE throughout their lives. We shouldn't think kids blindly accept everything that they "learn" at school. SRE gives another world view, by which we can try to understand the world we live in. I hate Maths, and had a negative experience as a student, but I am humble enough to realise that some people love it, and not arrogant enough to impose my view on my kids by withdrawing them from Maths classes, or to lobby for its removal from the curriculum. I also admit that despite my lack of comprehension of it, Maths does permeate every area of our existence on Earth; from basic numeracy skills to appreciating the geometrical brilliance of both worker bees and ancient Muslim architects.
Getting rid of SRE with increase the divisions we see in society along cultural and religious grounds, and will, in my view, increase the political and militant nature of various groups, including Anglicans!
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