{"id":865,"date":"2014-05-21T15:32:40","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T20:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/?p=865"},"modified":"2015-08-11T18:05:35","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T23:05:35","slug":"how-do-we-learn-the-catholic-faith-or-anything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/2014\/05\/how-do-we-learn-the-catholic-faith-or-anything\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do We Learn the Catholic Faith (or Anything)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"File:Sermon<\/a><\/p>\n

Over at Amazing Catechists, I wade back into the religious education debates with a piece laying out what might be a philosophy of education, but really it\u2019s just what I see happening<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I start with a disclaimer:<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a scholarly piece, and you could take the components I\u2019ve put here and divide them out differently. \u00a0(I tackled the subject from a completely different angle last summer, when I wrote about the\u00a0Four Ways of Loving God<\/a>.) \u00a0Think of this more as a rough framework to help you think about what you are teaching, and why it\u2019s working as well as it is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I identified 5 things that I see as the big elements of learning. \u00a0#1 is \u201cInterest\u201d<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no education happening unless the student has some desire to learn. \u00a0Ideally, in a parish faith formation context, the student desires to learn more about his faith because he is pursuing an active, personal relationship with Christ.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But of course that\u2019s not exactly who shows up at your average parish religious ed program. \u00a0I talk about the other folks, and the remedy.<\/p>\n

My #2 is \u201cUnderstanding\u201d<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

There are levels of understanding, and in education it is tempting to jump straight to the \u201cdeeper meaning\u201d before students even have a grasp of the essential facts of the situation. \u00a0In religious education, first we want to make sure students understand the basics . . .<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to be dismissive of all this \u201cfact\u201d stuff, but without the facts, our learning is not grounded in reality. Once we have the facts, we can go deeper in our understanding. \u00a0We can ask, \u201cWhy is this true?\u201d \u00a0\u201cHow does this fit together?\u201d \u201cHow does this apply to my personal life?\u201d \u00a0\u201cHow does this draw me into a closer relationship with God?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMemorization\u201d is my #3<\/strong>, and when you read that word it probably made you either seize and foam at the mouth, happy, or seize and foam at the mouth, horrified. \u00a0Or else you went, \u201cUm, yeah. So?\u201d<\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t remember what we\u2019ve learned, we won\u2019t get far.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I talk about different ways people remember stuff \u2013 stories, telling back in their own words, repetition . . . lots of choices, each has its time and place.<\/p>\n

Also I insert my usual reminder about the Holy Trinity, because sheesh how many catechists couldn\u2019t answer, accurately, easy Trinity stuff. \u00a0Please. \u00a0Pastors, send your catechists to summer school until they at least know that. \u00a0(I don\u2019t include that rant at AC. \u00a0Patheos exclusive.)<\/p>\n

My #4 is \u201cCritical Thinking\u201d<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fashion in education to favor \u201ccritical thinking\u201d but to not be too critical about what that means. \u00a0\u201cCritical thinking\u201d does not mean \u201cWhatever I made up because look at me I\u2019m so creative let\u2019s have an argument!\u201d. \u00a0Critical thinking means being able to wade through a pile of noise and sort out what\u2019s true and what\u2019s not.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was going to stop at #4, but then I remembered the obligatory \u201cservice hours\u201d component to 98% of American high school catechetical programs. \u00a0I thought about it. \u00a0And then I was swept into a weird alternate universe where I ignored my inner teenager (\u201cThey really are treating you like slaves, aren\u2019t they?\u201d), and allowed that there is indeed a time and a place for practicing all sorts of stuff. \u00a0Hence #5, Skill:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a fully-formed faith if I only go feed the hungry because I want my confirmation certificate; but I\u2019ll never get good at feeding the hungry unless I practice it a few times.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And so forth.<\/p>\n

And then I finish with the big surprise answer to the money question, \u201cWhat\u2019s the Perfect Religious Education Program?\u201d \u00a0You probably already know what I\u2019m going to say, but to verify, go read the whole thing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0***<\/p>\n

Also, I think I have a medical condition that causes me to want to punch someone every time I hear the name \u201cPiaget\u201d. \u00a0I don\u2019t write about that at AC.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about Piaget, not really. \u00a0It\u2019s about the notion that somehow the only way to become an effective teacher is to have sat through a class where someone told you all about Piaget. \u00a0Which I suppose explains why there were no good teachers prior to . . . I\u2019ll stop now. \u00a0Carry on. \u00a0Nothing to see here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Artwork: By \u041c\u0430\u043a\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0432 (http:\/\/ru-oldrussia.livejournal.com\/11583.html) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over at Amazing Catechists, I wade back into the religious education debates with a piece laying out what might be a philosophy of education, but really it\u2019s just what I see happening. 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