Teaching for Religious Literacy in Public Middle Schools

Autor/inn/en	Bishop, Penny A.; Nash, Robert J.
Titel	Teaching for Religious Literacy in Public Middle Schools
Quelle	In: Middle School Journal (J3), 38 (2007) 5, S.20-31 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0094-0771
Schlagwörter	Constitutional Law; Religion; Middle School Students; Religious Education; World History; Cultural Awareness; Early Adolescents; State Church Separation; Teaching Methods; Social Bias; Student Diversity; Consciousness Raising; Developmental Stages; Moral Values; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Constructivism (Learning); Relevance (Education); Interdisciplinary Approach + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Staatsrecht; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Kirchliche Erziehung; Religionserziehung; Religionspädagogik; Weltgeschichte; Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Kirche-Staat-Beziehung; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Bewusstseinsbildung; Moral value; Ethischer Wert; Entwicklungsbezogene Bildung; Relevance; Relevanz; Fächerübergreifender Unterricht; Fächerverbindender Unterricht; Interdisziplinarität
Abstract	Talking about religion in public middle schools has moved from taboo to necessity during the past few years. Although some middle schoolers hold knowledge of their own religion, most remain uninformed about any of the world's religions, including, for many, their own. The purpose of this article is to make the case for religious literacy--the ability to understand the languages, meanings, and beliefs of the world's major and minor religions--as an important aspect of the middle school curriculum. By describing the diverse and changing religious world in which people live, the authors first put forth why a religiously literate population is critical. Next, they discuss young adolescents' developmental readiness for such an education. They then consider the issues pertaining to the separation of church and state, exploring the clear and crucial parameters of the First Amendment. Following this, they describe multiple strategies that can be helpful in teaching middle schoolers about religion in a non-biased manner, garnered from ongoing conversations with educators and from their own experience. They conclude with a call to middle grades educators to recognize the importance of teaching for religious literacy. (Contains 1 figure.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Middle School Association. 4151 Executive Parkway Suite 300, Westerville, OH 43081. Tel: 800-528-6672; Tel: 800-528-6672; Fax: 614-895-4750; e-mail: info@nmsa.org; Web site: http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleSchoolJournal/tabid/435/Default.aspx
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10