How Religion Can be Taught at School
Searching for an Appropriate Relation between Religion and Curriculum Design
By Grace Hui Chin Lin
Texas A&M University, Dept. of Teaching, Learning, and Culture
Tunghai Christian University,Taiwan. Dept. of Foreign Language and Literature
Introdution
Recent years, increasing diverse attitudes to religion education in the classroom make many private and public school have to face the controversy of ¡¨should religion be taught as a subject at schools?¡¨ (e.g., Kaiser, 2003; Slattery & Rapp, 2003; Wallace, Forman, Caldwell & Willis, 2003). As a result, many administrators and teachers are making efforts in searching for an appropriate relation between religion and curriculum design in order to ensure that they handle this sensitive issue in a democratic fashion. Indeed, religion topics make teachers feel nervous when introducing the conflicts in religions to students in difference races in class (Joanne M. &Kappan, 2003). Especially, at the current sensitive moment after 911 event happened, both the teachers and administrators have to learn how to face the challenge of explaining the confronting positions between Islam and Christians.
Difficulties and Problems to Investigate
Generally speaking, both teachers and students have their problems in religious education that probably only a perfectly designed curriculum can resolve. For teachers, they don¡¦t know how much they are allowed to lecture about the religion subjects in class and what are the best applicable pedagogies for teaching religions. For students, they are too young to recognize if their teacher introduces a certain religion with personal prejudice, and to identify if the teacher has an intention to preach for his own religion. In other words, it is possible that students are misled to favor or disfavor a religion because of complying with their teachers¡¦ thoughts.
A Problem of Religion Textbook
Kasier (2003) argues the inappropriate religion introductions might perplex students toward a religion if the teacher does not instruct it in a neutral attitude. He believes the wrong adoption of textbooks for teaching religions is one of the serious problems. Accordingly, he points out that a religion subject textbook like ¡§ A History of Western Society¡¨ might not be a proper religion material, because it creates a negative impression to students that Islam is disfavored.
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In reality, Kaiser (2003) indicates Mckay¡¦s seventh edition religion textbook as well as the popular ¡§ A History of Western Society¡¨ is indeed an improper religion textbook choice because it establishes a negative impression for the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Actually,...