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Dr. Joseph White, Author and Speaker
Sharing Catholic Faith
Blog
Catholic Schools Week 2015
Posted on January 30, 2015 at 3:59 PM |
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In a time of tight pocketbooks and increasing school
choices, parents are interested in what makes a Catholic school unique. Why
should they choose a Catholic school over other options available to them? One response, especially for active Catholic families, is
Catholic identity. We know that the central character – the heart -- of a
Catholic school is different. But how can we ensure that this difference
permeates everything that we do? The answer to this question can be found in the pedagogy
recommended by Church documents, such as the General Directory for Catechesis,
the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral message on
Christian education. All of these documents state that our pedagogy should be
based on the pdagogy of God. We are called to teach others in the way that God teaches
us. What exactly is
divine pedagogy? Divine pedagogy includes principles of selection of content and
of methodology. It encompasses how we arrive at the “what” and the “how” in the
educational process. In Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, we can clearly
see five aspects of the divine pedagogy: God’s pedagogy is invitational and
person-centered. God invites us into relationship with him. We don’t “find
God,” God finds us. He initiates the relationship. As God enters into dialogue
with us, we are called to follow this example by providing catechesis that it
“is rooted in inter-personal relations and makes its own the process of
dialogue” (GDC, 143). God also meets
us where we are and accommodates for our particular needs. Therefore, education based on the pedagogy of God is developmentally-appropriate and makes allowances for
adapting to special needs. God’s pedagogy is incarnational. Dei Verbum points our the “inner unity”
of deeds and words in God’s plan of revelation: “the deeds wrought by God in
the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities
signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the
mystery contained in them” (2). From
speaking the universe into existence, to his promise to Noah and his covenants
with Abraham and Moses, to the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, it is evident
that God’s word becomes action. Education built upon the principles of the
divine pedagogy will make lessons come to life through hands-on activities and
applications and multisensory teaching methodologies. It will give learners
clear ways to go out and live the Gospel in their everyday lives. The pedagogy of God is familial and
communal. God reveals himself as a communion of persons – Father, son and
Holy Spirit – and creates human beings to be in communion with one another.
Catholic education modeled on the divine pedagogy will build community in the
classroom, involves parents and families as primary catechists, and connects children to the larger parish community. God’s pedagogy is structured and
comprehensive. In salvation history,God reveals himself to humanity gradually as people are able to understand.
And one revelation builds upon the next, until revelation reaches its fullness
in the person of Jesus Christ. Catholic education modeled after the divine
pedagogy also presents key truths gradually as the learner is able to receive
them. These truths are centered around the person of Jesus. The pedagogy of God is perpetual. Isaiah
55:11 states, “So shall my word be that
goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what
pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it” (NABRE). God’s truths are
handed on through the generations in the forms of Scripture and Sacred
Tradition, which is the living memory of the Church. God’s covenants do not
end, but come to greater fulfillment and realization. Catholic education based
on the divine pedagogy prepares the learner to share the Gospel with others, in
word and deed, so that God’s Word is handed on to others and to future
generations. |
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