Teaching and learning

Detailed example

Discuss the nature and purpose of religious traditions

Use the following definitions of religion and an introduction to the nine aspects (listed on page 10 of the study design) to generate a discussion on the nature and purpose of religions and spiritualties.

‘A religion is regarded as a set of beliefs and practices, usually involving acknowledgment of a divine or higher being or power, by which people order the conduct of their lives both practically and in a moral sense.’
High Court of Australia, 1983

‘Belief in or acknowledgement of some superhuman power or powers (esp. a god or gods) which is typically manifested in obedience, reverence, and worship; such a belief as part of a system defining a code of living, esp. as a means of achieving spiritual or material improvement.’
The Oxford English Dictionary: Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022

It is widely accepted that there are nine common aspects of formal religions and spiritualities: Beliefs; Ethics; Rituals; Sacred Stories; Social Structures; Spaces, places, times and artefacts; Spiritual experiences; Symbols and Texts.

Teachers use the following prompt questions to guide the discussion:

1. Do all religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties recognise a God?
2. When and where did certain religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties originate?
3. How did they spread?
4. Do any of the religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties have common origins?
5. What are the main beliefs of the religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties?
6. Do they explain concepts such as creation, end of the world, life after death, ethical conduct?
   
7. What are the main practices?
   Consider ideas such as:
• Do the believers pray or chant?
• To whom do they pray or chant?
• Where do they pray or chant?
• How often do they pray or chant?
• Are there any dietary restrictions?
• Are there any dress rules?
8. Are there different gender roles?
9. Does the natural environment have any special significance to these religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties?

Students: Imagine you are the founder of a new religious movement, which is a totally original religion of your own creation. Provide the following for the new religious movement and present it as a portfolio or multimedia presentation:

• name of the religious movement
• list of beliefs and short explanations for each
• written story of the mythical origin of the religious movement and explanation of the main themes being presented
• religious symbols, such as ritual objects, religious clothing and places of worship.

In the presentation:

• Explain one stage of life that is significant for someone who follows this religious movement.
• Provide a hierarchy of the religious leadership as an annotated diagram.
• Write a prayer or chant that is unique to the religious movement.
• Describe any sacred food or drink and explain how it connects to the religious movement’s myths and rituals.
• Construct a system of laws and a moral code for this religious movement, as well as a way of recording these laws and moral codes in the form of a sacred text.
  

Detailed example

Research task: religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties

Allocate students into small groups to conduct research into various religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties. The aim is to research at least seven of these, with each group looking at a different one.

Description (scope of task):

Using information from a range of texts, research the origins and practices of one of the following religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties:

Yoruba, Native American spiritualties Mesoamerican religion, Shenism, Zoroastrianism, Mahayana Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Shinto, Shi’a Islam, Coptic Christianity, Calvinism, Taoism, Confucianism.

Choose a suitable method to present this research and ensure the following are included:

1. The time and place of origin.
2. The founder (person or group).
3. Why the religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty was founded.
4. How the religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty began.
5. The religious tradition’s, religious denomination’s or spiritualty’s contribution to world thought (if any) and what ‘Enduring Questions’ they address for their culture and time.

Also:

6. Evaluate the various commentaries and archaeological evidence found by your research, and provide your own comment on how accurate and believable the common theories are concerning the origins of this religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty.
7. Can you find evidence of all nine aspects? Describe the aspects you find.
8. Describe any practices and / or beliefs of this religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty that have been discarded today.

Include:

9. A bibliography (evidence of research and a range of resources) to acknowledge the source of information.

Presentation activity

As students present their religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty, other students construct a table identifying the nine aspects and record information on each as it is provided.

Detailed example

Advance Australia Fair and Australian culture over time

Students are given a copy of the original four verses of the Australian National Anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’, published in 1879.

Students read and discuss the lyrics, giving their best interpretation for what these verses say about Australian culture and society at the time.

Students are given a copy of the modern-day version of the Australian Anthem, updated on 1 January 2021. They compare and contrast these lyrics with the original ones.

Students identify any lyrics in the song that refer to specific historical events.

Students discuss specific lines of the song and what they indicate about the shift in Australian culture and society since the first lyrics were written.

Teacher guides students through research on other changes and adaptations to the anthem via the website ‘Recognition in Anthem’.

Individual task:

Students choose one song from the following list and answer the questions listed below:

‘Beds are Burning’, ‘Down Under’, ‘We are Australian’ ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ ‘Pub with No Beer’ ‘Up There Cazaly’ ‘Great Southern Land’ ‘Sounds of Then’ ‘Treaty’ ‘Waltzing Matilda’ ‘My Island Home’ ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ ‘Blue Sky Mine’ ‘To Her Door’ ‘I Was Only 19’ ‘Wild Colonial Boy’

Questions:

1. What does the song say about Australia as a land or a people?
2. Discuss specific lines of the song and what they indicate about Australian culture.
3. Identify and describe any issues or challenges that are depicted in the song.
4. How was Australia’s collective identity captured in the song?
5. Describe how any religious tradition, religious denomination or spiritualty is represented in this song.

Conclude this activity by displaying the lyrics and listening to Archie Roach’s song ‘Took the Children Away’.

Students discuss the role of religion in this chapter of Australian history and teacher emphasises that religions can often influence society in a negative way.

Detailed example

Research moral choices and ethical decision-making in films

1. Choose a film where the characters of the film are faced with a significant ethical issue that forces them into making a moral decision about what is right and what is wrong.
2. Watch the film up to the point where the main ethical issue is outlined and the moral decisions being faced by at least half of the main characters have been clearly articulated.
3. Explore the various options available for each of these main characters.
4. Decide on the ethical models that can be used by each character to inform their decision-making.
5. Research this issue in a wider context and evaluate the various viewpoints of influential individuals, groups, organisations and institutions that have authority in dealing with the moral questions being raised.
6. Discuss which principles, values, priorities, beliefs and ethical authority were being used to support the various viewpoints.
7. List each of the methods for ethical decision-making that were being used by those expressing these viewpoints and separate these into ‘ought’ ethics, virtue ethics, character ethics or outcome ethics.
8. Brainstorm and construct a diagram, such as a mind map or other graphic organiser, to illustrate the strengths and weakness of each of the ethical models being used. Through debate and discussion, try to reach a consensus on what the class thinks is the best decision to make when faced with this type of ethical dilemma.
9. Continue watching the film to the end and then complete the following tasks:
• Identify the main ethical questions raised in the film.
• Analyse the perspectives and values exhibited by the main characters and provide examples in the film that reflect the values of the main characters.
• Investigate and explain the role of various influences involved in the process of forming practical moral judgments, including ethical methods of decision-making and other factors.
10. Summarise by reflecting on the role of religious beliefs in influencing the final decisions made by individuals when faced with so many competing and conflicting agendas.
    

Detailed example

Forming ethical decisions

Students carry out the following activities.

Research the ethical teachings from two religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties on an ethical principle such as ‘the sanctity of human life’, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’, the ‘Golden Rule’, respect for the environment, the role of family in raising children, greed and selfishness.

• What moral values do they promote?
• What ethical authorities do they use to support their viewpoint?
• What part of their texts, sacred stories, rituals, or other aspect are drawn on to form, communicate or support their ethical perspective?
• Which ethical perspectives from other religious traditions, philosophers or other thinkers could be drawn on to support the ethical perspective of the religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties you have researched?
• What does this research reveal about the method of ethical decision-making used by these two religious traditions, religious denominations or spiritualties?
• Compare and contrast the different ethical teachings of these two religious traditions, religious denominations and spiritualties.

As part of this research, include a person from each religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality whose life has significantly displayed the moral teachings on this issue. Examples for sanctity of human life would be Mother Teresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jnr. Examples for creation and the environment could be Vincent Lingiari for First Nations spirituality, Guru Nanak for Sikhs, or Saint Francis of Assisi for Christians.

Create a short multimedia presentation on the life and impact of the people you choose, using software such as PowerPoint, Google Slides or Canva. Include the headings ‘Who, How, Why, What, When’ and make it relevant to the ethical issue being studied.

Detailed example

Evaluate ethical decision-making

Teacher arranges students into groups of 4–5 and allocates them all the same ethical issue to investigate.

(It is preferable to choose ethical issues that are enduring (for example, the death penalty, abortion rights, wars and conflicts, global food distribution) or to use a contemporary issue that engages students in a current debate.

Each group works independently and is given enough time to research the issue and develop definitive statements that address the following:

• Justify why the issue being investigated is regarded as an ethical issue.
• Understand and articulate the moral dilemma that the issue creates.
• Outline the ethical perspectives and moral judgments presented in the arguments by those participating in the debate.
• Evaluate the influence of various participants’ contributions to the debates.

When the above has been completed, each group is given a religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality, and conducts further research to find out how the ethical perspective of that a religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality would guide adherents when faced with this moral decision.

Each group should have a different a religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality to investigate, and their research must include a detailed analysis on the authorities, principles, values, norms and ideas informing the ethical perspectives of their chosen religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality.

Each group then chooses a formal ethical statement provided by the tradition that can be used to defend (to the whole class) the ethical perspective of their religious tradition, religious denomination or spirituality.

Finish the investigation with a class debate where each group presents their statement and ethical perspective on the issue.

Detailed example

Iconography and art

Using an online image search tool such as Google Arts & Culture or The Metropolitan Museum of Art, students search for museums and art galleries that contain important collections of religious works.

[Prior to students completing the task, the teacher could search through a similar tool to find some appropriate examples of exhibits or artworks that students could use. The teacher could complete the task for themselves before the class begins, in order to have a model of what the final work could look like.]

The learning activity proceeds as follows:

1. Teacher groups students into pairs or threes and sets them the task of finding three different examples of religious artwork from the religious tradition or religious denomination they are studying.
2. Students should locate three examples and save copies of the artwork into a document or print them out.
3. Students then use their knowledge of the beliefs they have been studying in the religious tradition or religious denomination to make annotations on the artworks to show how each piece of art is related to the beliefs of the religious tradition or religious denomination.
4. Each group then decides among themselves which piece of art they researched was the best representation of the belief(s) in the religious tradition or religious denomination.
5. Students prepare a final copy of the annotated artwork with a summary of the belief that it expresses for display in the classroom.
6. Each group presents their selected artwork to the class as a report on what they found and how the artwork helps adherents of that religious denomination or religious tradition to understand their beliefs in a new way.

At the end of the activity the teacher could select some or all of the artworks that effectively communicate the beliefs of the religious tradition or religious denomination. These could form part of a permanent display in the classroom.

Detailed example

Places of worship: aspects in action

Prior to the class activity the teacher should select a suitable place of worship and make contact with the appropriate authority, such as the minister or administrator. Ensure that the students have permission to visit the building and (importantly) that they have permission to take photos both inside and outside of the building. If possible, arrange for the religious leader, administrator or facility manager to be present for a tour of the facility.

Prior to the visit: students create a checklist of the aspects of religion that they intend to find and where they think they are most likely to find these aspects of religion.

While at the place of worship: students document the features of the building that are examples of the aspects of religion. They can carry out this documentation using a mobile device to take pictures or videos of the place of worship.

Examples might include:

• bookshelf containing sacred scriptures or musical scores
• symbols and iconography adorning the walls
• locations in the building where specific rituals take place
• examples of ethics or codes of behaviour required while present, such as the requirement to wear certain clothes or remove shoes
• the religious leader, minister or administrator themselves as an example of a social structure.

After the visit: students complete a report on which aspects were readily found at the place of worship and which were difficult to locate, if at all. They use this as an opportunity to discuss the different roles of the aspects of religion in expressing the beliefs of the religious tradition or religious denomination.

Detailed example

Modern significant life experiences

Students explore significant life experiences of everyday people. Importantly, this is not the significant life experience of an individual chosen for detailed study, but an exploration of significant life experiences in general.

Before beginning the activity, the teacher should research four or five segments from audio podcasts, such as ‘Changing Tracks’ on the ABC Melbourne Drive program (host Raf Epstein) or ‘Life Changing’ on BBC Radio 4 (available on Spotify). Searching the ABC website for ‘Changing Tracks’ will return results of dozens of small segments of the radio show. Similarly, searching for ‘Life Changing BBC’ on Spotify will be helpful. It is important for the teacher to listen to them before the class does to ensure they are appropriate for the context.

Students form small groups to listen to one or more of the segments and collaborate on what they heard. Students should listen to the segment and record answers to the following questions:

1. What event in the story would be considered the significant life experience?
2. What sorts of emotions did the person in the story experience?
3. How did the experience change the person? What were they like before? What were they like after?
4. Did the experience change their view on life, its importance, and how they are meant to live their own life?
5. Did the person refer to any religious beliefs, or other beliefs about the way the world is and the way that it should be?
6. What kinds of support structures (including other people) assisted them in dealing with their experience?
7. What religious beliefs from the religious tradition or religious denomination students are investigating would be relevant or useful to this person in understanding their experiences?

Students make a final summative report to the class of the most common features of significant life experiences across all four or five segments.

Detailed example

Effective and ineffective responses

Teacher creates a set of six different challenges that could face a religion, either using a known religious tradition / denomination or religions in general. Examples might include: the rise of a heretic, new scientific developments such as evolution, corruption in the leadership, new secular laws that contradict the religious tradition’s or religious denomination’s ethics, violent or political persecution of the religion, loss of young members from the religion due to secularism. Use these six challenges as a basis for workshopping by students working in groups. They collaborate to form different responses that could be used by the known religious tradition / denomination or religions in general.

Methodology:

The class is broken into small groups of three to four students per group. On written sheets of paper or using a digital collaboration space such as Padlet students rotate through all six different challenges that religious traditions or religious denominations can face. For each challenge, students work together to come up with ideas on how religions can act to address these challenges. They write down their examples on the sheet of paper or on the collaborative document. Students rotate through each of the six challenges, adding their ideas to those of the previous groups or noting the best examples for that particular challenge.

At the end of the rotation through all six challenges, collect all of the potential responses into one large list of actions. Each group then ranks all of the responses from most effective to least effective. At the end of this, each group presents their three most effective and three least effective responses, citing reasons for their choices.

Finally, students answer a set of questions on responses and their effectiveness.

1. What were the common features of the most effective responses?
2. What were the common features of the least effective responses?
3. Describe what could change in a challenge that would make an appropriate or effective response become an inappropriate or ineffective response.
4. Other than attempting to resolve challenges, what might religious traditions or religious denominations be aiming to achieve when responding to challenges?
5. How could a religious tradition or religious denomination know before acting whether their action is going to be effective or ineffective?
   

Detailed example

Fishbone diagram of the causes of a challenge

Teacher prepares a fishbone diagram template such as the one shown below, which has four to six different factors leading to the development of the challenge.

Image description:

This diagram is a basic fishbone diagram template of the causes of a challenge.

The 'spine' of the fishbone diagram is an arrow that runs from the left of the diagram to the right, with the arrowhead pointing to the word 'Challenge' on the right.

There are six 'ribs' on the fishbone diagram, each of which is represented by an arrow extending from the left either above and below the spine and pointing towards the spine. The six ribs are labelled:

• Leadership
• Government
• Other religions
• Technology
• Environment
• Adherents.

These ribs represent the different kinds of pressures that could lead to the development of a significant challenge – that is, the causes of the challenge.

Along each rib, or cause, are the labels 'Idea #1', 'Idea #2' and 'Idea #3'. These labels indicate the places where a student would add ideas or evidence.

The six headings in the above image are an indication of the different kinds of pressures that could lead to the development of a significant challenge. These six different headings could be changed to suit the particular challenge that the class is studying, or could be taken from the study design, which includes ideas such as: economic and environmental conditions, political, social or technological developments, power and authority structures in society, the religious tradition’s or religious denomination’s own members.

Students use primary and secondary source materials that outline the context and development of the challenge and identify for themselves the key sources or conditions from which the challenged formed. They could be given a set of guided questions to assist them in determining whether this contributed to the causing of the challenge. For example:

• Describe how this event or circumstance directly led to the formation of the challenge.
• Would the challenge have still formed even if this event did not happen?
• Did this event or circumstance lead to another event occurring in a chain reaction that led to the challenge? If so, in what way(s)?
• Was this event or circumstance one that could have been avoided if it was handled differently?
• Outline anything else that happened prior to this event or circumstance that contributed to it developing.
• What, if anything, could have been done differently by the religious tradition or religious denomination at this time, which may have led to them avoiding the major challenge?

When students have identified the main circumstances or events that led to the development of the major challenge, invite them to add ideas or evidence to each of these events, which would be useful in demonstrating the context and causes of the challenge.

Finally, students create a chain of events that demonstrate the critical path to this challenge developing, using a timeline and dates to show how the challenge developed in a historical context.