Guide to Learning: Lesson
One
Use this "Guide Sheet" page to
structure your progress through the learning task. (Buttons for the
various steps are at the left, and also below). To get the most learning
benefit, work through the steps in order, and attend closely to the narrative
that accompanies each step.
Introduction
»1» Initial Notions of Neutrality (Activity)
»2» Three Key Concepts (Reading)
»3» Aiming for Neutrality (Reading)
»4» Reconsider Your Understanding of Neutrality (Activity)
»5» Check Feedback
Teachers in a private or sectarian school do not work
under the same school accountability for religious neutrality as do those who teach
in the public school. Where does the school's special duty with regard to
religion come from? How is the public school teacher affected?
»Step 1»
Initial Notions of Neutrality
(Activity)
 | Answer three questions to record your present thinking about the public school
and the idea of religious neutrality. |
Go to Activity (Step 1)
Be sure you complete this activity before proceeding to
Step 2.
»Step 2»
Three
Key Concepts (Reading)
| Study the material and try to gain a general understanding of the
meaning of each of the concepts. [The three ideas will offer background and
facilitate discussion of this lesson's main theme.] |
After reading, you should be able to comfortably answer
these questions:
- What is the civic framework that
guides how public schools handle religion?
- What is a civil public school like?
- What does religious neutrality mean in terms
of a public school?
Go to Reading (Step 2)
»Step 3»
Aiming for Neutrality (Reading)
| Read a short paper that focuses on the role of the
public school and its implications for how teachers approach religious
diversity in the classroom. |
As you read the material, consider the school's
responsibility to youngsters and what your own accountability is when you to teach
in such a school. Because public schools are supposed to be
religiously neutral, teachers need to aim for that stance
(which will of necessity guide what
you say and do in your classroom).
Go to Reading (Step 3)
Be sure you complete the reading before you
attempt the activity in Step 4 below.
»Step 4»
Reconsider Your Understanding of Neutrality (Activity)
|
Rethink your responses
from Step 1 (the pre-reading activity), and answer additional questions from
your reading in Steps 2 and 3. |
Private schools, even those not
religiously-affiliated, are not legally bound to be religiously neutral. However, as you
now know from reading, the
public schools are.
Go to Activity (Step 4)
»Step 5»
Check Feedback
To get the most learning benefit, it is
preferable that you complete all activities above before you
examine this feedback!
Go to Feedback (Step 5)
______________
»Moving on to Testing»
This is the end of
Lesson One Learning Tasks We suggest
you return to the Lesson 1 Home page and revisit the structure of this lesson.
Then, go
to "Testing Your Knowledge" and: 1) review for your test, 2) take the test, and 3)
self-check the test.
Lesson 1 Home
|
