Formation of Teachers for Catholic Schools : Challenges and Opportunities in a New Era

This book explores in a theoretical and practical sense the challenges and opportunities arising in the initial and ongoing formation processes for teachers in Catholic schools. It showcases a range of international perspectives on how prospective teachers for Catholic schools are prepared both academically and pastorally for their professional role. Divided into two parts, Part 1 of the book focuses on certain countries in the Anglosphere; each country with a dedicated chapter in which the academic and pastoral approaches to teacher formation are examined in the context of its particular cultural, political and religious landscape. Part 2 of the book examines specific areas of interest with particular reference to what it means for the Catholic Church’s mission to offer suitable formation to its corps of teachers. Building on the editors' previous work, this book offers a fresh perspective on this subject by bringing together observations from selected local contexts on what Catholic teacher formation looks like as a set of organised processed and structures. It also shows how the study of educational themes offers challenges to current practices, but also opportunities for fruitful engagement with other educational perspectives. Acknowledgements The New Era: Why It Matters for Catholic Teacher Formation Contents About the Editors Part I Essays Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities Facing Catholic Teacher Formation in Particular National Contexts 1 Catholic Teacher Formation in the Land Down Under 1.1 Historical Background 1.2 Formation for Mission Today: Challenges and Responses 1.3 Concluding Remarks References 2 Catholic Teacher Formation in Northern Ireland 2.1 Context 2.2 The Educational Landscape 2.3 Criticism of Catholic Education 2.4 Teacher Formation in Northern Ireland 2.5 Looking to the Future of Catholic Teacher Formation in Northern Ireland 2.6 Conclusion References 3 Catholic Teacher Formation in Scotland 3.1 Introduction 3.2 History 3.3 From College to University Provision 3.3.1 Fulfilling the Mandate 3.3.2 Masters-Level ITE Provision 3.4 Challenges and Opportunities 3.4.1 In but not of the Secular University 3.4.2 Catholic Educational Philosophy 3.4.3 Tools for Dialogue Amongst Students 3.4.4 Maintaining Critical Mass 3.4.5 Building Capacity 3.5 Conclusion References 4 Catholic Teacher Formation in America 4.1 Introduction 4.2 History of Catholic Identity and Formation in the United States 4.3 Catholic School Teacher Preparation, Induction, and Ongoing Formation in the United States 4.4 Historical and Current Tensions for Catholicism in the United States 4.5 Responding to the Challenge 4.6 Conclusion References 5 Catholic Teacher Formation in the Republic of Ireland 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Insights from the History of Catholic Education in Ireland 5.3 Catholic Education in the Republic of Ireland Today 5.4 Catholic Teacher Formation Pathways 5.5 Challenges for Catholic Teacher Formation 5.5.1 Challenge I. Changing Society and Cultural Landscape 5.5.2 Challenge II. The Changing Landscape of the Catholic School 5.5.3 Challenge III. Religious Identity 5.6 Conclusion References 6 Catholic Teacher Formation in England and Wales 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Historical and Contemporary Reality in England and Wales 6.3 Teacher Training or Teacher Formation? 6.4 Challenges in England and Wales 6.5 Addressing the Challenges 6.6 Concluding Reflections on the Need for Formation References Part II Catholic Teacher Formation: Engaging with Current Topics 7 Formation for Leadership in Catholic Schools 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Changing Australian Context 7.3 Toowoomba Catholic Education 7.4 Initial Steps 7.5 Leadership Formation 7.6 Overall Outcomes References 8 Reflections on the Vocation of the Teacher: Formation, Agency and Meditation 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Professionalism as a Vocation 8.3 A Responsibility to Grow and Develop 8.4 Collaborative School Culture 8.5 Agency 8.6 Pilgrimage 8.7 Reflection and Interiority 8.8 Meditation 8.9 Christian Meditation in Schools 8.10 Conclusion References 9 Teacher Formation: An Augustinian Study in Learning Truth and Beauty 9.1 The Elements of Teacher Formation 9.2 Teacher Formation is Human Formation in Truth and Beauty 9.2.1 Formation in “On the Teacher” 9.2.2 Formation in “Teaching Christianity” 9.2.3 Exemplars of Good and Bad Formation in “Confessions” 9.3 Findings for the Contemporary Christian Teacher 9.3.1 A Perpetual Student of Scripture 9.3.2 Making a Path for Divine Illumination 9.4 Fostering Reflective Practice References 10 Teacher Formation in a Digital Age 10.1 Digital Contexts and Pandemic Challenges: Practice Matters 10.2 An Analogy: Practices with Food and Practices with Digital Media Have Much in Common 10.3 Engaging Media Together 10.4 Context Collapse 10.5 Authority, Authenticity, and Agency 10.6 Trauma-Informed Learning and the Practices of Creation in Digital Media 10.7 Learning to Create 10.8 Concluding Thoughts References 11 Bridges into Mystical Wisdom: Using Carmelite Spirituality in Teacher Formation References 12 Valuing and Cultivating Dialogue Amongst Learner–Educators: Ongoing Challenges for Post-Primary Religious Education Teachers in Catholic Schools 12.1 The Importance of Dialogue 12.2 From Dialogue to Dialogical Mindset 12.3 The Religious Educator as Learner-Educator with a Dialogical Mindset 12.4 Lifelong Learning for All in the Catholic School Community 12.5 Valuing and Cultivating a Dialogical Mindset in Post-Primary Religious Educators in Catholic Schools: An Example from the Irish Context 12.6 Recommendations 12.7 Conclusion References Epilogue: Teacher Training and Policies in the Global South: Approaches and Tools from the World Bank Introduction SABER 1.0: Assessing Teacher Policies SABER 2.0 and the Future of Learning Conclusion End Matter: Catholic Teacher Formation: Why It Matters Catholic Teacher Formation: A Tentative Roadmap