By Anthony V. Coccia
EXED 550Dr. Fisher
Suggestions on How to Make Catholic RE Programs Inclusive
Observed a Catholic Religious Education Program- 2 classrooms, 3 different Sundays
Interviewed: Director, 3 teachers, and 2 parents of students with Special Needs
Researched a wide range of websites- Scholarly articles and journals- Websites- Books
Research Method
Teachers had little or no SPED background- Not a requirement for volunteers
Low motivation
Collaboration is weak- Teachers do not collaborate with each other- There is a weekly written update for parents but little face to face.
What Was Discovered
The curriculum is very traditional- Does not allow room for change
Assistive Technology is limited- The parish does not have any- Teachers do not know where to get them- Difficult to get them from the diocese
More Discoveries
Restructure curriculum to include students with special needs
Try to change teachers’ attitudes
Find volunteers that have SPED Background
More easier: Educate, educate, educate- Provide resources and materials (Inclusion and access, 2009).
- In-service
Suggestions for Changes
Collaboration (Kluth, 2004-2005)- Teachers with Teacher/Directors- Teachers with Parents (Connor, n.d.)- Teachers with students
Hands-on materials and Visual Aids
Differentiated Instruction (Collins et al., 2001)
Assistive Technology
More Suggestions
Set up conferences about inclusion
The goals of the conference (Collins et al., 2001) :
- Provide methods
- Create curriculum
- Explains and discuss guidelines
That’s All My Worship
Special Religious Development
Started by Fr. James McCarthy of Chicago Diocese in 1960.
Set up centers. Each center has a core team- Each core team belongs to the parish- Leader, spokesperson, and activity catechist on each team
Volunteers are either SPED cert or experience
SPRED ( Harrington, 2009)
They help children become active members in the parish.- Inside and outside of the classroom
Volunteers work with students w/ special needs
They use manipulatives to talk about religion- i.e. paper crosses to talk about God (Muckelbauer, 2009)
More on SPRED
Foundation of Inclusive Religious Education
Non-profit organization founded in 1996
Main focus is to assist RE programs with SPED
Helps subsidize the cost of SPED
F.I.R.E.
Negative Aspect: Not a national organization- A service for Diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph
Willing to help other diocese set up their own
Can be an example of starting block for others
Teaches all about differentiated instructions
More About F.I.R.E.
ResourcesBlackburn, B. (2007). Religious teachers. In Archdiocese of St. Louis. Retrieved
May 1, 2009, from Archdiocese of St. Louis Web site: http://www.archstl.org/ education/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=217
Collins, B. C., Epstein, A., Reiss, T., & Lowe, V. (2001, May/ June). Including children with Mental Retardation in the religious community. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(5), 52-58. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. (4563109)
Connor, D. J. (Ed.). (n.d.). Supporting inclusive classroom: A resource [Brochure]. (Available from People with Autism Special Citizens Futures Unlimited, New York City)
FIRE: Foundations for inclusive religious education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2009, from Diocese Kansas City Web site: http://www.fire-program.org/ Home/ UntitledFrameset-9.htm
Harrington, S. M. T. (2009, April 30). About SPRED. In Special religious development. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from Archdiocese of Chicago Web site: http://www.spred.org/ index.html
ResourcesInclusion and access: Parish religious education programs. (n.d.). [Pamphlet].
Retrieved May 1, 2009, from Archdiocese of Philadelphia Web site: http://archdiocese-phl.org/ evangelization/ resplife/ prepresourcesweb.pdf
Kluth, P. (2004-2005). Paula Kluth: Toward more inclusive classrooms and communities. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from http://www.paulakluth.com/
Muckelbauer, D. (2009, February 27). SPRED leads kids with special needs on spiritual path. In gmToday. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from gmToday Web site: http://www.gmtoday.com/ news/ local_stories/ 2009/ Feb_09/ 02272009_08.asp
Schipani, K. (2007, September/ October). Inclusion is at the heart of catechists. Momentum, 38(3), 20-23. Retrieved November 13, 2008
Special religious education. (2009). The Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee. Retrieved May 1, 2009, from Catholic Diocese of Memphis Web site: http://www.cdom.org/ departments/ religious%20education/ specialreleducation.htm
Webster, J. (2004, August). Religious education for children with severe learning difficulties. Support for Learning, 19(3), 119-124. Retrieved November 8, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. (14173565)