e-ISSN: 1698-7802
DOI prefix: 10.14516/fde
“Foro de Educación founded (2003) and directed (2003-till date) by José Luis Hernández Huerta, and published by FahrenHouse (2003-till date). FahrenHouse: Salamanca, España
Paulo Freire and a New Curricular Framework for Catholic Religious Secondary Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14516/fde.980Keywords:
inquiry, pedagogy, self-transformation, religious education, curricular frameworkAbstract
This paper argues that certain fundamental aspects of Paulo Freire’s educational philosophy and pedagogical method should be integrated into a secondary Catholic religious education curricular framework in order to deal successfully with the challenges of the 21st century, focusing on two of Freire’s major works, Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Pedagogy of Freedom. The secondary religious curriculum for the Canadian province of Ontario is used as an example. Particular attention is given to two aspects of Freire’s philosophy and method: the student-centred inquiry process and the life-long process of self-understanding and transformation. The curricular framework itself consists of distinct ‘pillars of knowledge’ that are designed to encompass the entire four-year program of secondary religious education with the students’ knowledge and understanding increasing as they progress through the program. In this paper, Freire’s educational philosophy and pedagogical method are connected to three pillars: the intellectual tradition of inquiry, faith and reason; the living tradition of Church doctrine and teachings; and Christian humanism in the context of contemporary ethical issues.
References
Arthur, J. (2009). Secularisation, Secularism and Catholic Education: Understanding the Challenges. International Studies in Catholic Education, 1 (2), 228-239. DOI: 10.1080/19422530138226.
Barron, R. (1998). And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation. New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing.
Biesta, G. (2013). Interrupting the Politics of Learning. Power and Education, 5 (1), 4–7. https://www.wwords.co.uk/power.
Bruner, J.S. (1959). The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruno-Jofré, Rosa, & Hills (Skip), G. (2011). Changing Visions of Excellence in Ontario School Policy: The Cases of Living and Learning and For the Love of Learning. Educational Theory, 61 (3), 335–4.
Cassilly, F.B. (1934). Religion: Doctrine and Practice. Chicago: Loyola University Press.
Curtis, B. (1988). Building the Educational State: Canada West, 1836-1871. London, England: Althouse Press.
D’Sousa, M. (2016). A Catholic Philosophy of Education: The Church and Two Philosophers. Montreal & Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen’s Press.
Daniel Rogers, D. (2011). Age of Fracture. Historically Speaking. 12 (2), 12-14. doi: 10.1353/hsp.2011.0018.
Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed, School Journal, 54, 77-80. http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm.
Francis, Pope. (2013). Evangelii Gaudium, section 55. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html.
Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Freire, P. (2000). The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum International.
Johnston, D. (2016). The Idea of Canada: Letters to a Nation. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.
Kane, L. (2001). Popular Education and Social Change in Latin America. London, England: Latin America Bureau.
Leopando, I.R. (2011). A Pedagogy of Faith: The Theological Dimension of Paulo’s Freire’s Educational Theory and Practice. (Unpublished Thesis). University of New York, NY.
Lonergan, B. (1974). The Future of Christianity. In S.J. In Ryan, W. & Tyrrell, R.B. A Second Collection: Papers by Bernard J.F. Lonergan (p. 127-140). London: Darton & Todd.
Macedo,D. (2000). Introduction. In Freire, P. Pedagogy of the Oppressed (pp.11-28). New York: Continuum.
Madero, C. SJ (2015). Theological dynamics of Paulo Freire’s educational theory: an essay to assist the work of Catholic educators. International Studies in Catholic Education, 7 (2), 122-133. DOI: 10.1080/19422539.2015.1072953.
McCool, G. (1989). Spirituality and Philosophy: The Ideal of the Catholic Mind. Sacred Heart University Review, 10 (1), 26-43. http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/shureview/vol10/iss1/3.
Meier, J.P. (1994). A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Volume Two: Mentor, Message, and Miracles. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Mettepenningen, J. (2010). Nouvelle Théologie New Theology: Inheritor of Modernism, Precursor of Vatican II. New York, NY: T&T Clark International.
Meynell, H.A. (1991). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Bernard Lonergan. London, England: Macmillan Academic and Professional LTD.
Miedema, G.R. (2005). For Canada’s Sake: Public Religion, Centennial Celebrations, and the Re-making of Canada in the 1960s. Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Murphy, D. (2007). Catholic Education: A Light of Truth. Toronto, ON: Catholic Register Books.
O’Malley. J.W. (2008). What Happened at Vatican II. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Orstein, A.C. & Hunkins, F.P. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, Principles, and Issues. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Inc.
Osiek, C. (2006). Catholic or Catholic? Biblical Scholarship at the Center. Journal of Biblical Literature, 125 (1), 5-22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27638344.
Paulo Freire, Letters to Cristina, quoted in Cristobal Madera (2015). Theological dynamics of Paulo Freire’s educational theory: an essay to assist the work of Catholic educators. International Studies in Catholic Education. 7(2), 122-133. DOI: 10.1080/19422539.2015.1072953
Pereira, J. (2002). Thomism and the Magisterium: From Aeterni Patris to Veritatis Splendor. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 5 (3),147-83. https://doi.org/ 10.1353/log.2002.0043.
Pinar, W. What is Curriculum Theory? (2004). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Pitre, B. (2016). The Case for Christ: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ. New York, NY: Image.
Rogers, D. (2001). The Age of Fracture. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University.
Royal, R. (2015). A Deeper Vision: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in the Twentieth Century San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.
Schmoker, M. (2011). Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Scoffield, H. (2021, March 14). Carney focuses on Canada’s future, not his. The Toronto Star.
Shea, W. (1991). From Classicism to Method: John Dewey and Bernard Lonergan, American Journal of Education, 99 (9), 298-319. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1085788.
Stafford, J. (2019). Vatican II and Catholic Religious Secondary Education in Ontario: Changes within a North American Context. Kingston, ON: The Theory and History of Education International Research Group.
Strike, K.A. (1985). Is There a Conflict Between Equity and Excellence? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 7, (4), 409-416. https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.queensu.ca/doi/pdf/10.3102/01623737007004409.
Strong, R.W., Silver, H.F., & Perini, M.J. (2001). Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tarnas, R. (1991). The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas that have Shaped Our World View. New York, NY: Ballentine Books.
Tarnas, R. (2007). Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. New York, NY: Plume.
Weddell, S.A. (2012). Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division.
Williams, R. (1980). Problems in Materialism and Culture: Selected Essays. London, England: Verso.
Wooden, Cindy. (2019, February 14th). Pope Francis reflects on changed attitudes toward liberation theology. Catholic News Service.
Woods Jr., T.E. (2005). How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. Washington, DC: Regnery.
Wright, N.T. (2016). The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion. New York, NY: Harper One.
Downloads
Published
2023-07-01
Issue
Section
Studies
How to Cite
Paulo Freire and a New Curricular Framework for Catholic Religious Secondary Education. (2023). Foro De Educación, 21(2), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.14516/fde.980
