Group Members

GROUP MEMBERS

MOTSHWANE G.E 25343742

MOPHUTING W.M 25344196

MALOKA K.Q 25174487

LESEKELE N.G 24353558

DITlHARENG B.a 24792314

MODULE CODE : RSTO 421

DUE DATE : 20.10.2017

ASSIGNMENT 1 FOUNdATION PHASE

Second opportunity assignment

1. What is religion education in school?

a. According to Davies, G. (2004), religious education in school seeks to enable pupils to develop a knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs and practices.

b. With religion education, learrs will be able to learn about things that happen in their lives, and when they are unsure about something they will be able to find the answers and make sense of that. This education enables the learners to know if indeed there is life after death, why are they on earth and why do innocent people suffer?.

c. Learner’s beliefs will be developed and they will learn to appreciate other people’s beliefs.

d. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a school or college. The term is often known as religious studies.

e. It is a form of education that teaches about many different religions in a caring way.

f. When learning about religion, you have the opportunity to learn about the cultural customs and habits, as well as the behavioral patterns which are necessary for functioning in the community. It is a family task to guide children so that he or she can be fully matured when it comes to religious and to teach them about the skills that will enable them to survive in the community, in which the family finds itself.

1.1. The importance of religious education

Religious education helps the students in forming values and beliefs that are reflected in behaviors and communication. When students are experiencing an ethical or moral dilemma, they can reflect on the teachings of the church to make a decision that is in line with their values and beliefs to help them find the solution. With the information learned in religious education, students can use it to challenge ideas and questions about their purpose in life, their beliefs about God and what it means to co-exist with other people in a peaceful environment. The knowledge gained offers them guidance on how to behave in line with religious traditions and worldviews of the church, will make them consider other people’s needs and make them give back to the community through financial, social and also physical support.

Religious education teaches students about the history of the world through the eyes of Christianity, and it encourages them to acknowledge, understand various values, traditions and religious beliefs that exist within different cultures. It also prompts people to evaluate issues of faith, truth, and ethics within their personal lives.

1.2. By which government policies religion education is directed?

• National Education Policy Act 27 Of 1996 (Government Gazette No. 25459-Vol. 59 – 12 September 2003)

• Reflecting on ethical issues in religion, politics, human rights and the environment.

• Knowing about the principles and practices of the main religions of South Africa, the customs, values and beliefs of the main cultures of South Africa, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

• Knowing about ethical debates in religion, politics, economics, human rights and the environment.

1.3. What is it that religious education should do when teaching learners about Hinduism?

• It must make sure that students grasp the idea of one God Brahman held by many Hindus.

• It must use the spelling Rama or one of the avatars of the god Vishnu.

• It must help build a school community of respect and understanding.

• It must help the student understand how her/his belief differs from those of other learners.

• It must strengthen the idea of unity in diversity.

1.4. What is it that religious education should not do when teaching leaners about Hinduism?

• It shouldn’t suggest that all Hindu people are polytheists (those who believe in many gods)

• It shouldn’t use the term ‘idol’ for the images of the gods and goddesses because by so doing, it suggests that Hindu people worship them rather than what they represent.

• It shouldn’t refer to the three gods: Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, as a Trinity.

• It shouldn’t oversimplify and trivialize the idea of reincarnation by suggesting that a person may become a fly in their next life.

• It shouldn’t say that all religions are the same.

• It shouldn’t try to say that one religion is better than another.

• It shouldn’t try to make a new religion.

• It shouldn’t try to make everyone have the same religious beliefs.

2. LESSON PLAN

Date: 09/10/2017 Subject: Life skills Topic: Religious Education: Hinduism Grade: 3 Duration: 30 min

Lesson Objective(s):1. Able to know what Hinduism is.

2. Able to know the beliefs of Hinduism.

Prior knowledge: They are aware that there are different religions, therefore the teacher will them question about the religion of Hinduism.

Assessment strategies to be used: Asking questions using Hinduism pictures.

INTRODUCTION: The teacher will first ask what Hinduism is and hear different responds, she will then explain what Hinduism is.

DEVELOPMENT: The ability to differentiate between the types of Hindu beliefs and the discussion about them and this topic.

• One impersonal Ultimate Reality – Brahman

Manifest as many personal deities

• True essence of life – Atman, the soul, is Brahman trapped in matter (“That art thou”)

• Reincarnation – atman is continually born into this world lifetime after lifetime (Samsara)

• Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us bound to this world (good and bad)

• Ultimate goal of life – to release Atman and reunite with the divine, becoming as one with Brahman (Moksha)

Who do Hindus worship? – The major gods of the Hindu Pantheon

Brahma, the creator god

Vishnu, the preserver god

3. Medias to be used for this lesson:

Media 1

We are going to present the lesson using Micro Soft PowerPoint Slide Shows.

Reason for choosing this media

• By using Microsoft PowerPoint Slide Shows we will be able to use pictures, graphs videos.

• We will be able to intergrade sound.

• Slides can be displayed via projectors and be printed out as a takeaway for audience

Media 2

Films/ videos

How are we going to use this media?

We will also make short videos of Hinduism, pause the video where there is a need for elaboration for them to understand.

Reason for choosing this media

It gives a clear picture and foundation phase learners understand better through visual things rather than reading.

Media 3

Web-Video social media

How are we going to use this media?

We will surf the internet for the pictures of Hinduism’s gods, to show parents and learners who are attending my lesson. The teacher will again search for their video clips on how they sing, bow and worship their Gods.

Reason for choosing this media

We chose this media so that learners can be able to familiarise themselves with the Hinduism gods pictures. Videotape recorders can be to enhance teaching in both large groups and small groups. DVDs make video images easier to use in the classroom since individual clips can be immediately accessed without searching through a length of the tape. Video images can also be made available via a website for learners to view in their private study time.

4. What is Hinduism?

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with about 800 million adherents, is predominant in India with 82% of the population being Hindu. It originally was a polytheistic and ritualistic religion with various rituals performed by the head of particular families or tribes (Turner, R.)

According to Copper (2013:3), Hinduism is by far the most complex religion in the world, shading under its enormous parasol an incredibly diverse array of contrasting beliefs, practices, and denominations.

REFERENCE LIST

Cooper, D. 2013. Christianity and world religions. An Introduction to the World’s Major Faiths. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Publications. (Chapter 6:133 – )

Davies, G. 2004. Religious Education. University of Wales Bangor.

Dean C. Halverson, "Hinduism" in the Compact Guide to World Religions (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1996), 89.

http://carm.org/what-is-Hinduism

http://www.religiousfacts.com/Hinduism

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religious education

http://www.dhet.gov.za. National Policies on Religious and Education.

South African/Government Gazette No. 25459- Vol. 59 – 12 September 2003

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/wfchannel/index.php?wfc_cid=19

Prof. Stoker, H.2016. Life skills: Religious studies. Potchefstroom: NWU, Potchefstroom campus. (Study guide RSTO 421)

Winfried Corduan, Neighbouring Faiths (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1998), 189.