◄Unit 1 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES SYLLABUSUnit 3 GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES OF TEACHING RELIGIOUS STUDIES►

Unit 2 TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES

  • Unit 2 TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES

    Key Unit competence: Differentiate available/possible
                                                      learning and teaching resources
                                                      required for the learning of

                                                      Religious Studies in primary.

    Introductory activity 2
    Basing on the information learned in Foundations of Education on
    teaching and learning resources brainstorm and come up with materials
    that can be used in teaching Religious Studies and discuss how they can

    be used.

    Teaching and learning resources belong to the channels of communication
    wich a teacher can use to develop competences and convey vividly knowledge
    to learners. In other words, they constitute the media of exhange through
    which message transaction is facilitated between the teacher and learners.

    Teaching and learning resources are important to the teaching and learning
    process of Religious Studies. Its use ensures effective preparation and
    delivery of Religious Studies lessons. They help to concretize concepts and
    contents in teaching and learning process. They also allow to share feelings
    or experiences to learners as results of someone else than the teacher in
    teaching and learning situation. There are three major types of teaching
    and learning resources: printed materials, non printed materials and

    Resource persons.

    For an effective use of teaching and learning resources, the teacher should
    pay attention on the level of learners while selecting materials because
    some concepts may sound abstract or may be above the level of the learners.
    A Religious Studies teacher should think critically before using a given
    material. This will allow him/her to relate the content to be taught with

    the right material to be used.

    2.1 Use of printed materials
    Activity 2.1
    After discussing and identifying the printed materials that can be used
    in the teaching and learning process, select those that can be used in the

    learning of Religious Studies.

    The teaching of Religious Education relies on reference materials; one
    type of them is “Printed materials”. These consist of all written materials,
    excluding non-print resources.The most important printed materials are :
    Religious Studies students’ Textbooks, Teacher’s Guide, Sacred Scriptures
    (the Bible in Christianity and Judaism and the Qur’an in Islam), Religious
    dictionaries, Holy Scriptures commentaries, Religious pamphlets, Religious
    maps, religious magazine and news papers and Religious books written by

    the right authorities to explicite or to explain various doctrines.

    Again, other books can be used when revealed necessary in preparing
    Religious Studies lessons. For example, in preparing a lesson on civic
    education topic ordinary, textbooks can be used. For teaching Relationship
    and friendship, justice and peace, human sexuality the other textbooks
    which are not related to Religious Studies can be used. Although, these
    topics sound civic, the teacher can also use the Holy Scriptures to make

    sure that they are understood in the light of Holy Scriputres.

    Regarding the use of Sacred Scriptures, the teacher should be aware of
    potential difficulties related to the contemporary pluralistic world and
    multicultural environment. In view of those difficulties, the teacher has
    to consider how to use Sacred Scriptures in lessons in an educationally
    approved way. This may vary according to the context. For instance, in
    a faith situation, where the teacher and pupils recognize the Bible as
    inspired book and use it at other times liturgically and devotionaly, the

    teacher may feel justified in presenting it as God’s truth and the arbiter of

    sure beliefs and sound morals. In a multicultural situation caution may be
    necessary. In that context, the use of Sacred Scriptures is still possible but
    without infringing pupils’ intellectual freedom. For example, teaching must
    recognize that there are those who hold that Bible or Qur’an is sacred and

    brings the information which they belive true (Cox E.: 1984).

    Application activity 2.1
    Suppose that you are given a lesson to teach on “The journey of Israelites
    from Egyptian captivity to the Promised Land”. What printed materials
    could you use and how would they be used in preparation and delivery of

    the above mentioned lesson?

    2.2 Non-printable /Technological Teaching & Learning aids

    Learning activity 2.2

    Basing on the knwoledge from Foundations of education on teaching and
    learning aids, recall non-printable materials that are used in teaching
    and learning process. Select teaching and learning aids that can be used

    in teaching religious studies and explain how they can be used.

    Teaching and learning aids are tools that a teacher uses to reinforce learning
    (Shitohi . 2008).Recently, educational technology has expanded to include
    ICT tools. These tools present teaching-learning programmes to pupils. The
    use of ICT has helped to improve in many ways including teaching and
    learning aids. These include:
    ▪ Visual aids: these are items of illustrative matter such as real
       objects, slides, models, posters, maps, charts, flash cards, pictures,
       photographs, insects, flowers, models, etc.
       Examples: posters of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary, pictures of Churches
       and Mosques buildings, photographs of natural environment, crucifix
       and rosary, portrait of King Pharoah of Egypt, maps of ancient Egypt
       and Israel, etc.
    ▪ Audio aids: these are materials on which only sounds are stored/
       recorded and can be played back mechanically, electronically or both.
       These materials include diskettes, cassettes tapes or cartridges, radio,

       audiocassettes, talking books, tape recorders, etc.

    ▪ Audio-visual:these are the educational materials directed at both the
       sense of hearing and the sense of sight. They include films, video clips,
       computers,televisions, etc.
    The strength of audiovisual resources lies in the fact that they can present
    the closest thing to a real life experience (Groenewegen: 1995). Therefore,
    the use of audiovisual aids in teaching and learning can make concepts
    more real to students and more applicable in their lives.
    For this, a Religious Studies teacher should ensure that all the teaching
    aids to be used in the lesson are prepared before the lesson. For example,
    charts, posters,pictures can be locally made. The teacher can use a manilla
    paper or rice sack to draw them.
    Some real objects can be obtained from the local environment. For
    example, the teacher can get flowers, fruits, insects etc. to teach about
    God’s creatures. Others materials can be bought in bookshops like rosary,
    crucifix, etc. or can be borrowed from people who have them. Maps can be
    borrowed from the Library and Teacher Resources Center (TRC) or some
    are found in some religious textbooks and sacred books like Bible. Audiovisual
    aids can be borrowed or bought like radio-cassettes, video clips,
    religious education films, etc.
    When using charts, pictures, map and posters, the following elements
    shoul be takedn into account :
    ▪ Selected teaching aids should be appropriate to the topic in order to
    avoid confusion.
    ▪ The Religious Studies teacher should stand beside the chart or map
    so that he or she does not block learners from seeing the teaching aid.
    If possible, he or she can fix them on the wall and request students to
    make a gallery walk to see them.
    ▪ After using charts, posters and pictures they should be displayed in
        the Religious Studies’ corner to reinforce learning.
    ▪ Religious Studies teacher should first know if the selected objects are
       really needed in teaching and learning of a given topic.
    ▪ Before using audio materials, a Religious Studies teacher should first
        find time to listen to it and make sure they are not damaged or contain
        the right information. Depending on the level of learners, the teachers
        should ensure that the audio-visual materials is not too speedy nor too

        slow for the learners.

    In sum, Julia Situma (2016) attests that if resources are properly selected
    and used, the following benefits can be realized:
               i. Knowledge obtained through instructional materials is retained
                    longer than that obtained by purely verbal teaching.
               ii. Greater benefits can be obtained from the use of multimedia that
                    enhances students’ participation.
               iii. Learning becomes easy, more interesting, effective and meaningful.
    Application Activity 2.2
    Using Religious Studies Syllabus, select a unit of your choice and identify
    teaching and learning aids that can be used in the teaching and learning

    process.

    2.3 Resource persons
    Activity 2.3
    Brainstorm some examples of people who are models regarding religious
    matters in your locality.
    A resource person refers to a person who is knowledgeable in a given
    subject. He or she should be well experienced. A resource person is useful
    in teaching and learning Religious Studies. The teacher can invite them to

    intervene for clear understanding of the learner on a given topic.


    To use a resource person, a teacher should do the following activities :
      ▪ Identify a relevant resource person and the area of specialization.
      ▪ Send an invitation letter with detailed information on the topic to be
           covered and the time of presentation.The resource person should be
           invited earlier and be given enough time for preparation.
      ▪ Inform the head of the institution about your intention to invite a
          resource person.
      ▪ Prepare the learners for the resource person by asking them to bring
         writing materials, be attentive during the presentation and ask
         questions on areas that they do not understand.
      ▪ Introduce the resource person to learners.
      ▪ Give the resource person time to make the presentation.
      ▪ Ensure that there is class control during the presentation.
      ▪ Allow learners to ask questions or give comments.

      ▪ Summarise the presentation.

    Application activity 2.3
    Identify some topics in the primary religious syllabus which would use a

    resource person.

    End of unit assessment 2
    1. Describe the resources used in teaching religious studies.
    2. Classify the resources used in teaching Religious Studies.
    3. Explain the importance of using teaching aids in Religious Studies
         teaching process.
    4. Give the examples of resource persons and the respective topics in

         primary religious syllabus that you would invite them to talk about.

    ◄Unit 1 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES SYLLABUSUnit 3 GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES OF TEACHING RELIGIOUS STUDIES►