2. âą Share with a partnerâŠ..
âą Who was your most creative teacher?
What do you remember most about him
or her?
âą Describe one lesson or subject that
excites you to teach.
âą What are the struggles with making
lesson plans?
3. âą From the Greek katehein âto echoâ âteach by
the word of mouthâ.
âą Catechesis âincludes especially the teaching of
Christian doctrine imparted, generally
speaking, in an organic and systemic way, with
a view to initiating the hearers into the
fullness of Christian lifeâ .
(Catechism of the Catholic Church,5)
5. Catechists and catechetical instructors are largely
responsible for preparing people to receive the
sacraments of initiation. The whole essence of catechesis
is the transmission of the faith. Hence catechesis requires
a lot of sustained teaching and instruction in the Christian
faith. Oftentimes, the concern of catechesis is not only on
the âwhatâ or content of catechesis but on the method of
catechesis. This raises the question of âhowâ or method
to transmit the faith fruitfully and effectively.
What method or methods should be used in the
transmission of the faith to children, adolescence, adults,
and different groups in the Church? What methods have
you used so far in catechetical instruction?
6. Journal: Which do I do well as a
catechist? Which do I need to work at
more?
7. â human experience (my
story)
â message (the faith story)
â reflection, discovery,
integration
â action, change,
conversion
8. âą Centering Activity or ritual prayer
âą Imparting information of Christian Witness
âą Scripture in some form
âą Processing (Silent reflection, group sharing)
âą Relation to sacramental life of the Church
âą Application to daily life choices of the student
âą Concluding activity or ritual prayer
âą Extension of the lesson into community life
9.
10. The General Directory for Catechesis calls for a faith
that âinvolves a change of life, a âmetanoia,â that is a
profound transformation of mind and heartâŠBy
meeting Jesus Christ and by adhering to him the
human being sees all of his deepest aspirations
completely fulfilled. He finds what he had always
been seeking and he finds it superabundantlyâ (GDC
55). Catechetical methodology must be
Christocentric, creative and constantly evaluated
by how effectively it invites the learner to lifelong
conversion.
11. Rather than personal experience as our starting
point, we begin with a temporary âcalculated
disengagementâ that helps the learner transition
from the busyness of the day to a place of
openness, docility to the Holy Spirit and receptivity
to the truth of Godâs Word. âThe catechist must help
create the conditions for the possibility of a
deepening of Godâs Word in the hearts of those
being servedâ (TMWP, p. 138)
12. â Ensuring the space is arranged in a way that provokes curiosity and desire
for God. How can we make the room âfeelâ like a place where God may be
encountered?
â In verbal and nonverbal ways,
do participants feel welcomed by the catechist? What can be done in the
first five minutes to cultivate a strong rapport with participants? As am
ambassador of Christ, do participants meet Christ in the catechist?
â without this, it will be very difficult
for learners to be open to God. With it, the capacity for genuine community
is present, and they will be more likely to be attentive to the catechist.
13. Prayer â the âhigh pointâ of the preparation step: Catechesis
beginning âin the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy SpiritâŠâ
ï± The catechistâs welcome and interaction with participants
as well as any opening activities and discussion purposes to
gain participantsâ attention and prepare them for an
encounter with God through catechesis.
ï± Gradually, incrementally, the catechist guides each learner
to be comfortable with the immense diversity of the life of
Catholic prayer.
The primary objective of the first step:
14. This is the joyful, convicted announcement of the Good
News.
A good proclamation is:
ï±God-focused â comes from/leads to God in Christ
ï±Interesting - Age- and group-appropriate
ï±Short, concise, easy to remember â it will be the one thing
âringing in their earsâ as they leave the catechetical
setting.
ï±Therefore, it must be verbally and visually reinforced.
ï±Internalized and understood so well by the catechist, that
it is not read but proclaimed from the heart with
confidence and joy.
15. Some examples of proclamations include:
ï± âFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have
eternal lifeâ (John 3:16)
ï± Behold, behold, the wood of the cross, on which is hung our
salvation. O come, let us adore!
ï± The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life â it is
through the Eucharist that we are all united in Christ.
ï± Lent is a springtime for our souls if we surrender to Christ the
Gardener
ï± Godâs greatest attribute is His mercy!
ï± Christ came to pay a debt He didnât owe because we owed a debt
we couldnât pay!
ï± Sunday is the day the Lord has made; we must be glad and rejoice!
(based on Ps118:24)
ï± God is real and He has left traces of Himself all over creation so that
we can come to know and love Him!
ï± Christ became poor so that you may become rich!
16. âIn the third step, in a certain sense, the catechistâs personal
creativity is now more challenged and evoked so that they may
help participants come to a deeper personal understanding and
assimilation of the message of faith. The explanation that will be
made will, of course, be always in the light of the Churchâs
understanding of the Word, but the catechist is challenged to find
appropriate ways to âinculturateâ this message so that it can be
adapted to diverse groups to whom it is addressed.
Time and creativity need to be put into this step so that the
learners truly can understand the meaning of what has been
proclaimed.
Active participation on part of learner is particularly important.
This step requires âthe active engagement of the participants, so
that the relevance of the Word to their life story and to
contemporary issues can be brought to light
17. The challenge facing the catechist in this step revolves around how to best
intellectually engage participants, to facilitate active learning.
Both inductive and deductive learning processes
involved â Apologetics and fruitful use of memorization should be used along
with storytelling, question and answer, dialog between catechist and learners,
roleplaying, art, music, literature, appropriate connections to human
experience.
Learning styles and variety of multiple intelligences of
learners engaged so as to elicit a full response of faith
Frequent reinforcement of the proclamation is important,
demonstrating how a clearer understanding of the content in this step helps the
proclamation to be taken in.
The primary objective: to arrive at a deeper
understanding by way of active learning.
18. What is hoped for is:
ï± life of increasing personal Christian holiness and witness and
ï±life orientation of deeper service to others
âOur mission is to bring the faith to todayâs real world. This means
being sensitive to the modern worldâs concerns and also seeking to
understand critically its thought patterns and language. It must be,
however, our humble conviction that we have the values and truth
that this modern world is actually seekingâ (TMWP, p.63).
The primary objective: to create
opportunities for our learners to choose to
integrate faith and life.
19. âIf the catechetical process begins in prayerful
attentiveness and openness to the Word of God, I
believe that it must also end in prayerful gratitude
and praise to God.
We look at the âwonderful thingsâ God has done in
the Creation and Redemption and arespontaneously
impelled to prayer and praise. This must be a major
part and the climax of a catechetical process and
methodology that is deeply rooted in the Churchâs
own faith and self-understandingâ (TMWP, p. 146-
147).
20. This final step:
ï± Cultivates a spirit of praise and gratitude in the presence of Godâs
Word, the evangelii gaudium.
ï± The aim is for the learner to leave the catechetical setting in place of
peace and joy and preparedness for lifeâs challenges.
ï± To accomplish this, the catechist may choose at times explicitly to
bring learners to a place of thanksgiving (for example, âthe
Eucharist, body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ is such a gift to
us â letâs turn to the Lord in prayer and thank him now for this
immense grace in our livesâŠâ)
ï± Ideas to incorporate into prayer during celebration step:
ï¶ Liturgy of Word, liturgy of hours, a focus on liturgical year
ï¶ Music â listening or singing
ï¶ Prayers of gratitude and praise
ï¶ Reflective use of symbols â cross, candle, image of Blessed Virgin
ï¶ Perhaps moving into the church to pray or inviting learners to come
up individually to receive prayers of group
23. âIntelligence is the capacity to do
something useful in the society in which
we live. Intelligence is the ability to
respond successfully to new situations and
the capacity to learn from oneâs past
experiencesâ
-Dr. Howard Gardner, author Multiple
Intelligences: The Theory in Practice
24. âą Doing â assignments that can be completed
successfully by different learners- class or
home activities
âą Responding â opportunities to share and
reflect that are accessible to different learners
â reflection, prayer, service
âą Learning â retaining what has been taught
and applying it to Christian life â assessments
and continuing conversion
25. ï±People employ several different types of
intelligence rather than one general type
ï±We all âreadâ things other than words
ï±Using natural talents more successfully
ï±To âechoâ faith in catechesis means to
teach from who you are
27. ï¶Readings & Prayers
ï¶Gestures, body positions, singing and chanting
ï¶Visual cues
ï¶Group interaction
ï¶Religious art
ï¶Silent reflection & personal intentions
ï¶Liturgical seasons
ï¶Order of Mass
28. âą Need to hear and be heard
âą Remember what is said to them
âą Enjoy hearing and saying words and reading
stories out loud
It helps to include:
ï¶Oral instruction & discussion
ï¶Reading out loud
ï¶Repeated core vocabulary and wordplay
29. ï¶âCircle timeâ group sharing
ï¶Reading parable of Jesus
ï¶Recorded homilies or podcasts
ï¶Witness talks
ï¶Question and answer sessions
ï¶Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
ï¶Videos that tell stories or instruct
30. âą Read and imagine well
âą Remember what is seen or read
âą Enjoy seeing and writing words
It helps to include:
ï¶Written or pictorial instructions
ï¶Vocabulary word origins or connected words
ï¶God revealed in the WORD
31. ï¶Word search, hidden pictures, crosswords
ï¶Posters, bulletin boards, PowerPoint's, hall
exhibits
ï¶Constructed response worksheets
ï¶Scripture study, breaking open the Word
ï¶Writing prayers and news articles
ï¶Video prayers with text
32. âą Need talking, interacting and
community
âą Recognize faces, have good social
skills
âą Develop and remember ideas from
others
It helps to includeâŠ
ï¶Ice breakers and informal discussion
ï¶Group or partner work
ï¶Dialogues and plays
33. ï¶Group prayer, plays, skits and dialogues
ï¶Rotating classroom jobs
ï¶Video interviews and guest speakers
ï¶Group projects or presentations
34. âą Good sense of self and values
âą Like to think things over first, discuss later
âą Work well independently and may learn best
from trial and error
It helps to includedâŠ.
ï¶Guided meditations
ï¶Journaling or note-taking
ï¶Short silences
ï¶Independent work time
35. ï¶Inspirational quotes and prayer cards
ï¶The Rosary, Stations of the Cross, or guided
meditations
ï¶Mental prayer, journaling, brainstorming
ï¶Random acts of kindness
ï¶3-Minute Retreat
ï¶Ignatian Examen
36. âą Learn through body motion
âą Good at sports, dance and motor skills
âą Like to move, walk, run, wiggle
âą Take items apart and put them back together
It helps to includeâŠ
ï¶Dynamic postures and movements
ï¶Ritual actions and processions
ï¶Materials to handle and arrange
ï¶Stretch breaks or errands/tasks
37. ï¶Gestures, postures, precessions, dance
ï¶Tours, pilgrimages, scavenger hunts
ï¶Skits and demonstrations, going to the board
ï¶Sacramentals, manipulatives (Advent calendar,
pocket cross)
ï¶Embodied prayer or personal expression
Dominican blessing
Extended Our Father
ï¶Short videos with lots of actions
38. ï¶Signs and symbols from nature
Stars, rocks, leaves, flowers, shamrock
Wind, fruits, scents of the Holy Spirit
Seeds, plants fed by water and sun
Jesse Tree, cross as Tree of Life
ï¶Outdoor prayer or prayer gardens
ï¶Songs/videos with nature
39. âą Sensitive to nature and environment
âą Enjoy being outdoors
âą Remember names and details of plants, rocks,
trees, stars
It helps to includeâŠ.
ï¶More natural class environment
ï¶God revealed in creation
ï¶Symbols and stories of nature
ï¶Liturgical season imagery
40. âą Want to understand how things work
âą Learn by exploring how items are related
âą Good at critical thinking and enjoy math concepts
It helps to includeâŠ.
Making predictions and lists
Establishing or looking for patterns and
relationships
Synthesizing ideas
Critical thinking and reasoning
41. ï¶Picture or event sequencing
ï¶Critical thinking questions
ï¶Numbers, codes and puzzles
ï¶Listing, outlining and summarizing
ï¶Comparing Scripture passages
ï¶Parallel structures (Psalms, Isaiah) or stories
(Gospels)
ï¶Typology or prefiguring (OT Joseph, Jonah â Jesus)
ï¶Videos with list or clear reasoning
42. âą Will hum or sing along with tunes
âą Remember items best when associated with
tones or rhythms
It helps to includeâŠ
ï¶Reading aloud with emotion
ï¶Music, poems and rhymes
ï¶Chanted or sung prayer
ï¶Handouts of lyrics or poetry
43. ï¶Guided meditations with background
music
ï¶Dramatic readings
ï¶Psalms and rhythmic prayer
ï¶Variety of age-appropriate songs
Children bible songs
Cotemporary Christian music
44. âą Like drawing and visual cues
âą Remember and organize times visually (e.g.
hierarchically, by color)
It helps to includeâŠ.
ï¶Art, charts and maps
ï¶Handouts or videos with interesting graphic
design
ï¶Drawing exercises and creative art projects
45. ï¶Graphs or charts with statistics
ï¶Christian art
ï¶Well designed online videos
ï¶Maps or globes
Travels of Abraham, Jesus, Paul
Places where saints live
46. âą Timing & combining activities/ styles
âą Appropriate for the audience
âą Developmental stage
âą Gender difference
âą - Attention span
âą Bridging the language barrier
âą Using technology
47.
48.
49.
50.
51. âCatechists must be attentive to adapt their
method of catechesis to the needs of particular
groups they serve.â
(NDC, 54B-8)
52. ï± Catechesis is not limited to one methodology
(GDC, 148)
ï± Godâs own methodology âengages persons,
communities in light of their circumstances and
their capacity to accept an interpret Revelation.
Godâs self-communication is realized gradually
through his actions and his words. It is mostly
achieved in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.
(NDC, 28)