CONT625: Religious Education in Catholic Schools Part 2

Course Schedule

Course Description

Religious Education Part 2 will build on the professional knowledge and religious literacy that you began in your Part 1 course. Through the readings, course discussions, assignments and interactions with your instructor and colleagues, you will learn more about the foundations of Christianity in Scripture and Tradition, taught and lived out in Catholic schools through faith, prayer, sacraments, and Christian morality. This knowledge will enhance your abilities as a teacher in a Catholic school and as a teacher of Religious Education.

You are being invited to take part in a journey of faith that will help you grow in confidence and the wisdom needed to be a leader in Ontario's Catholic schools. The online learning context presents unique challenges. One of the distinctive features of the Religious Education courses is the experience of a faith community. Without the face to face contact, we will have to make the effort to build community online through open and honest communication, respectful dialogue and active engagement in the learning. We all come from different places in our life experience and in our faith journey. This course challenges you to get to know your instructor and colleagues, to growth in personal faith and in your professional capacity as a Catholic teacher.

What You'll Learn In this course

• learn how to enhance the religious dimension of Catholic Education
• relate Catholic themes to the Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice and the Ethical Standards
• reflect critically on the teaching of religious education and family life education
• understand the significance of being a member of a faith community
• enrich our understanding of the New Testament and St. Paul through the use of online resources
• integrate a sacramental view of life into teaching
• enrich your understanding of Eucharist
• consider various issues related to young people and the Eucharist
• appreciate the importance of the sacrament of Reconciliation
• engage in online resources for prayer
• apply a Catholic social justice principles to Religious Education and to other curriculum areas
• explore ethical concerns related to Family Life Education
• relate the role of biblical prophets to the prophets of our time

What You'll Do In this course

• create a Catholic Education Portfolio that organizes and focuses your learning around key Catholic themes
• reflect on your story and the stories of Catholic teachers
• explore what makes us Catholic
• identify learning skills and work habits in religious education
• share your ideas on a wide range of religious issues with other course participants
• identify and investigate a value or trend in today's society
• use Scripture as a source for prayer and teaching
• compare and reflect on various parts of the Scripture
• familiarize yourself with various Catholic documents such as the Catholic Catechism
• outline an approach to deal with moral and ethical issues in the classroom
• use online resources as a source for prayer
• assess your learning in the course through your Faith Portfolio 2.0

Application Requirements

1. OCT Membership showing completion of Part 1 or a qualification in Religious Education at the Intermediate or Senior level.
2. CONFIRMATION OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE FORM Signed by a Supervisory Official* from your Board confirming that you have one year (194 days) of teaching experience since becoming a certified teacher.

*The Ontario College of Teachers defines "Supervisory Official" as the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of the school board for a teacher employed by a Board of Education. A principal or headmaster is not recognized in this capacity. For a teacher employed by a private school, the "supervisory official" is the Ministry of Education official (Education Officer) appointed to your school. For overseas experience the appropriate Supervisory Official is the person your Principal reports to.

Please note that if you have an existing Part 2, Part 3 (Specialist), or Honour Specialist qualification on your OCT record you are not required to submit a form for a Part 2 course. A new form is always required for Part 3 (Specialist).

Course Materials

N/A

Accommodations

Applicants who require accommodations for a specific learning need (e.g., learning disability) within their AQ/ABQ course, should click here for further information and support.

Have a question? Contact us!

Refund Schedule

If you drop a course:

1. by the midpoint of the course, you will receive 100% of your course fee.
2. after the midpoint, before the end of the course, you will receive 50% of your course fee.

For more about our refund policies, visit our Fees & Refunds page.