Teaching Religious Education in Schools and Adolescents＇ Social and Emotional Development. An Action Research on the Role of Religious Education and School Community in Adolescents＇ Lives

The presentation of the findings of this article is based on an action research focused on the supportive role of the school in adolescents＇ lives, whereby Religious Education＇s contribution to the social and emotional development of adolescents （11-15） is combined with the evaluation of the potential offered by a constructivist approach to the learning process. The research commenced in 2012 and is now in its third ＂year. The project is based on an intervention at a high school in an impoverished suburb of Athens and researches educational practices through interpretative-ethnographic methods. The researcher has attempted to answer the question of whether the design of the learning environments is effective not only in the learning process, but also on inter-communication and ＂connectedness＂ between the members of the learning community. The findings so far indicate a correlation between adolescents＇ emotional and social wellbeing and the school＇s approach to knowledge and learning methods, specifically in Religious Education classes. It is fair to say, however, that there exist ethnic, social and family components that are negatively related to a sense of＂connectedness＂ within the school although at the same time Religious Education as a subject is, however, found to be positively related to learning community atmosphere.

Religious Education for Effective Ministry： Confronting Leadership Challenges in One Beloved Community

Rev. Smith has been appointed to be the pastor of First United Methodist Church （FUMC）. With the appointment, it comes a specific instruction that the church must be ＂turned around,＂ and it was Rev. Smith＇s responsibility to make it happen. FUMC has been in decline for many years under the leadership of several pastors. Rev. Smith is black and the congregation is predominately Caucasian and elderly, with longtime members who have stayed on because ＂this is their church.＂ Rev. Smith comes to the church bringing her experience, energy, and vision. This appointment is a cross-racial cross-cultural appointment, which is part of her denomination＇s mandate for the future, as it places pastors that reflect the diversity of the surrounding community in churches that do not currently look like the community around them. Currently FUMC does not interact with the community--it does ministry ＂to＂ the community but not ＂with it.＂ Therefore, from the beginning, Rev. Smith knew that her job would not be easy. She accepted the appointment believing that a ＂new wind＂ must blow through the church bringing forth spiritual revival. She now faces a crucial issue in the church, which she feels is in a make or break situation. First United Methodist is located in an urban environment. FUMC has been in this city for 133 years but has been at this site for 83 years. Originally, the neighborhood consisted of predominately white, blue-collar workers, but has since transitioned into a neighborhood community of mostly African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and Hispanics. When the church was fwst built in this neighborhood and for many years after that, both consisted of white blue-collar workers. As the neighborhood began to change, no efforts were made to develop new programs or a more inclusive worship to include the growing diversity. The lines are drawn; Rev. Smith knows it but she is determined to turn First Church United around. As she has said before in conversations with the church, ＂God called me into ministry and the Bishop sent me here. No one is going to stop me from serving God and the church.＂ For a brief moment, she felt terribly alone, but then she remembered that she did have some support at FUMC. Rev. Smith took a deep breath, ＂I am going back to the drawing board. There is much work yet to be done, and I will not give up. But what is the next step？＂ This paper is based on a case scenario for a religious education program and as a response to Cooling of the ＂Spirits＂ by Marjorie Nunes of the Summerfield United Methodist Church Bridgeport, Connecticut. The author of this response paper analyzing the problems from the case study provides suggestions for a Religious Education ministry as a program for the church, and data on effective church growth and leadership.1

At a Crossroad： The Human Imagination and Educating to Reality in Religious Education

There are many indications that prove that religious education, and the religious discourse to a large extent, have reached a critical crossroad. Demands for a non-religious common ground in society is having a strong impact on how conventional religious education is perceived. Further, the harsh criticism on the legitimacy of religious from humanistic and atheistic circles also points to the fact that religious education needs to be re-evaluated. The paper takes critical look at religion both as a historical and cultural phenomenon and as a construct of the human imagination. Based on this it aims at addressing the question： Can religious education be justified if the aim of education is to educate to reality？ The question will be answered by stating an argument that views religious education as an exercise in a healthy use of the human imagination as an intellectual reference, emotional nest, and the mind＇s eye. This argument will be analysed and debated and conclusion will be drawn.

Swimming with the Tide-A living Theory Approach to Religious Education

The theoretical framework of this paper is based on the living theory of practice developed by Jack Whitehead. Whitehead holds the view that theory is an outcome of practice and that the practitioner, being an expert of her or his practice, is capable of improving practice by systematically acting, observing, reflecting, evaluating and theorizing about practice. In this research spiral activity, the main question is： How do I improve what I am doing？ By introducing teacher students to action research and living theories in the process of becoming religious education teachers, they are empowered to investigate and to analyse their practice right from the beginning of their life as practitioners. In this process their personal values and the values emerging from the variety of RE themes will inform their critical reflection about to what extent they are able to mirror these values in their actions in the classroom, particularly in their interactions with pupils. Theses purposeful activities will advance their knowledge about what they are doing and inform their evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning constructed in their practices. Teachers or practitioner -- researchers who are able to systematically observe their practice, are in the position of minimizing the gap between values and actions and to give scholarly and informed explanations for what they are doing in the RE classroom.