Humanities - Religion and Values Education (RAVE)
Graduate Diploma in Christian Education (Religion and Values Education)
- enabling faith to come alive in the classroom
- addressing the big questions of life from a Christian perspective
- studying God and reason, good and evil; the quest for meaning, significance and Truth; Christianity and the major world religions; and a range of other topics
- offering an exit point at Graduate Certificate
This customised version of the Tabor Graduate Diploma in Christian Education is designed for those who wish to teach Religion and Values Education in Australasian schools. It assists teachers to develop a religious and values curriculum and to present this in a practical and professional manner.
The program is planned so that it can be completed over two years on a part-time basis. It is anticipated that Australian citizens undertaking this course will be eligible for Commonwealth Government FEE-HELP tuition loans.
A recent study commissioned by the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson, Federal Minister of Education, confirmed the need for improved Values Education in Australian schools. This Tabor program addresses this need. It equips teachers to use the five-strand approach to Religious and Values Education pioneered by Dr Peter Vardy, which is becoming increasingly popular in schools in Australia, particularly in the Christian and independent sectors. Interest has also been shown by some state schools.
The growing need for teachers professionally trained to deliver religion and values education is highlighted by the fact that the Dialogue Australasian Network, which is a non-profit making organisation dedicated to improving the standards of religious and values education in Australian and New Zealand schools, already has 230 member schools, with over 184,000 students.
The five-strand approach to religious and values education
Dr Peter Vardy has suggested that the time has come for schools in Australasia to re-examine their Religious and Values Education programs to produce a vision that:
- is distinctively Australasian
- gives real insights into values and key areas of religious belief
- is academically sound and relevant to children
- is acceptable to parents
His five-strand approach puts forward five themes as the curriculum base for each school’s Religious and Values Education program from Reception to Year 12. Each school develops these strands according to its curriculum, tradition, ethos and strengths. The strands are:
- The Values Strand
- The Biblical Strand
- The Philosophy of Religion Strand
- The World Religions Strand
- The Affective Strand
Topics in the Tabor program include: God, Reason and Religion; Biblical Studies; World Religions; Ethics; Foundations of Christian Education; Teaching Ethics and Values Education; Teaching the Bible; and Teaching Spirituality and World Religions.
The staff who will teach this course are well qualified in Philosophy, Theology and Ethics, and are experienced classroom teachers. They include:
- Dr Mark Worthing, Head of Humanities, Tabor College Adelaide
- Dr Brian Trainor, Senior Lecturer in Education, Tabor College Adelaide
- Ms Tracey Price, Senior Lecturer in Education, Tabor College Adelaide
For more detailed course information download the Graduate Diploma in
Christian Education brochure (300 KB)
