PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
TEACHERS AID
FOSTERING FAITH The Association’s Religious Education courses have a rich history By Claire Laughlin
There is a rich history associated with our Religious Education courses that precedes the concept of Additional Qualification courses. At the heart of this long history are Catholic teachers dedicated to their own faith development.
are directly involved with Religious Education instruction in classrooms or school board support roles. All have qualifications and tremendous expertise in the field of Religious Education. Most also have Master’s-level theological backgrounds.
The Association started offering religion courses in 1969. At the outset, the courses were a tiny seed of professional development, with only 46 participants. The courses began through the efforts of then Executive Director Mary Babcock, and in their infancy were run by the sisters of Notre Dame. As the courses expanded, Religious Education co-ordinators, consultants, and administrators joined the instructor roster comprised of sisters, some brothers, and a few priests. Today, all instructors are OECTA members who
While our Religious Education courses may have started as a little seed, they have blossomed into an integral part of the Association’s service to members and Catholic education. The original course was divided into two parts in the summer of 1970, and became three parts in the summer of 1971. Within the first five years, the courses were being offered in two sessions per year, with close to 4,000 teachers participating. By 1984, the numbers had exploded to almost 13,000. By the end of the summer session in 2012, almost 87,000 Catholic teachers had taken OECTA Religious Education courses. An important facet of our approach to Religious Education is the strong, sustained partnership between OECTA and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). This partnership is reflected most directly in the face-to-face courses, which are run by local OECTA members, in central board sites. In the past few years, we have also started delivering online courses for individual board participants. The two partners, along with the Institute for Catholic Education and the Association of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, continue to monitor and manage course development and renewal, as well as the process to select instructors and course directors. OECTA Religious Education courses have continuously evolved, meeting
current standards while offering teachers enhanced opportunities to develop their faith and improve their practice. Since 1990, the courses have been offered at 30 sites across the province, including partnerships with three universities. These partnerships enable teachers to enrol in courses for university credit. Recently, the Ontario College of Teachers updated the Religious Education course titles and guidelines. As a result OECTA’s courses have been completely revamped. If you have already completed your Part 1 course, consider enrolling in another OECTA Religious Education in Catholic Schools AQ course to enhance your faith development. Haven’t done the Part 1 course yet? Jump in! You will benefit from both our rich history and our dynamic, newly revised courses.
Claire Laughlin is a member of the Professional Development department at the OECTA Provincial Office.
Go to catholicteachers.ca, under For Your Career, to access all of the information about OECTA AQ courses and Modules and to enrol.