STUDIES OF RELIGION CONFERENCE 4

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STUDIES OF RELIGIONCONFERENCE4 5 September
2006

• Lindsay Swan
• Board Inspector - HSIE

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Religious education in NSW
• HSIE K-6 syllabus
• Years 7-10 and Stage 6 school based, Board
  endorsed courses, most of which are faith based
• Stage 6 Studies of Religion I II
• General religious education

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Stage 6 Studies of Religion I II promote an
  understanding and critical awareness of the
  nature and significance of religion and the
  influence of beliefs systems and religious
  traditions on individuals and within society.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Stage 6 Studies of Religion I II and the
  purpose of the Higher School Certificate program
  of study (among other things)
• foster the intellectual, social and moral
  development of students, in particular developing
  their
• knowledge, skills, understanding, values and
  attitudes through their study of religion
• students to manage their own learning
• develop student desire to continue learning in
  formal or informal settings after school

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Stage 6 Studies of Religion I II and the
  purpose of the Higher School Certificate program
  of study (among other things)
• develop respect for cultural diversity in
  Australian society
• develop student capacity to work together with
  others
• provide a context within which schools have the
  opportunity to foster students physical and
  spiritual development.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Trends of student enrolments
• Studies of Religion HSC courses
• 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
• SOR I 8793 8934 8873 9084 9155
• SOR II 1425 1927 2088 2321 2875

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SOR Conference September 2006

• The Board of Studies approved the revision of
  Stage 6 Studies of Religion in February 2003.
  This was a result of recommendations from the
  Masters Review of the HSC 2001, submissions from
  individual teachers, the professional
  association, the 2001 and 2002 examination
  committees and the 2001 and 2002 marking centres.
  

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SOR Conference September 2006

• The revision of the syllabus followed the Boards
  syllabus development process which uses a project
  management approach and involves four phases
• syllabus review
• writing brief development
• syllabus development and
• implementation.
• Wide consultation with teachers and other
  interest groups in order to receive the highest
  quality advice from across the education
  community.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Syllabus writers were chosen from applications
  from practitioners of Studies of Religion
• The project was managed by the Board Inspector
  and overseen by the Studies of Religion Board
  Curriculum Committee (SOR BCC)
• The Board approved key phases of the syllabus
  development
• New SOR syllabus approved in April 2005

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• A more thorough developmental approach where the
  HSC course builds on the Preliminary course in
  relation to
• knowledge and understanding
• skills including research
• sophistication of content and concepts

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• fewer, simpler outcomes, organised in relation to
  the objectives and the content
• a more accessible content structure with linked
  students learn about and students learn to
  statements

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• Aboriginal beliefs and spiritualities included in
  the core of both the Preliminary and HSC courses
• two religious tradition depth studies in the
  Preliminary and HSC courses of SOR I
• three religious tradition depth studies in the
  Preliminary and HSC courses of SOR II

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• Preliminary course core study in both SOR I and
  II , Nature of Religion and Beliefs
• additional studies in Preliminary SOR II for
  Religion in Australia Prior to 1945 and Religions
  of Ancient Origin
• HSC course core study in both SOR I and II,
  Religion and Belief Systems in Australia Post
  1945
• HSC additional topics for SOR II, Religion and
  Peace and Religion and Non-Religion

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• an emphasis on a study of the whole religious
  tradition with common aspects of study for each
  tradition
• Preliminary course
• Origins
• Principal beliefs
• Sacred texts and writings
• Core ethical teachings
• Personal devotion/expression of faith/observance
• HSC Course
• Significant people and ideas
• Ethical teachings in the religious tradition
  about bioethics or environmental ethics or sexual
  ethics
• Significant practices in the life of adherents.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Key features of the new syllabus include
• variants no longer specified across the syllabus
• no compare and contrast across the religious
  traditions
• Interest Study Project (ISP) no longer required
  a research based task can still be implemented in
  the Preliminary and/or HSC courses as part of
  formal or informal assessment
• assessment requirements clarified noting
  students will need to take care in the
  examination, especially SOR II students.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Studies of Religion I HSC

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Studies of Religion II HSC

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Studies of Religion I HSC

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Studies of Religion II HSC

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SOR Conference September 2006

• Current status of SOR I II
• The Studies of Religion syllabus is being
  implemented in the Preliminary course from 2006
  with the first HSC examination of the revised HSC
  course in 2007.
• The new syllabus replaced the previous 1999
  syllabus which is being examined for the last
  time in the 2006 HSC.
• A Studies of religion support document is
  scheduled to be available on the Boards website
  from term 4 2006.

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SOR Conference September 2006

• What next for Studies of Religion?
• As the new syllabus is being introduced to
  students for the HSC for the first time from
  later this year, it will be important to maintain
  an on-going dialogue with teachers, students and
  key groups to review and analyse the
  implementation of the syllabus and the operation
  of the examination over the next few years.
• Studies of Religion will be included in the
  annual syllabus evaluation report to the Board of
  Studies.