From The Age, August 9, 2010 MANY teachers lack a basic understanding of Islam and are left feeling uncomfortable and in urgent need of guidance on issues that involve Muslim students, according to a visiting British scholar. Peter Vardy, a specialist in religion and values education, says non-Muslim teachers are keen to be better informed to deal with a range […]
The Difference God Makes….
Daniel Stollenwerk reviews Cardinal George, OMI, The Difference God Makes: A Catholic Vision of Faith, Communion, and Culture (New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 2009) It all goes back to Thomas’s Ipsum esse subsistens. Dons Scotus and William of Oakham steered us away from a medieval communion of nature, society and politics. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke eventually offered us the pursuit […]
Teaching Stillness & Silence Seminars 2010
19-26 MARCH 2010 Teaching Stillness & Silence Brochure and Booking Form Perth (19/3), Brisbane (22/3), Sydney (23/3), Adelaide (24/3), Melbourne (25/3), Hobart (26/3) We progress by stopping – Meister Eckhart Almost everything that students experience today inhibits their journey inward towards stillness and silence. The world suggests the solution to this restlessness lies outside of oneself in the pursuit of […]
Reflecting on Teaching Values
The secret to life is not to have everything you want, but to want everything you have. This was a quote presented to us at the Dialogue Australasia Seminar in Brisbane March 2009 on Teaching Values across the Curriculum. We had to say if we substantially agreed or disagreed with that comment. We had a moment to reflect, and then […]
e-Newsletters
Members of DAN receive periodic e-newsletters and ad hoc emails with details of events and issues of particular interest and relevance. Join our mailing list. November 2014 e-Newsletter August 2014 e-Newsletter March 2014 e-Newsletter December 2013 e-Newsletter September 2013 e-Newsletter May 2013 e-Newsletter February 2013 e-Newsletter October 2012 e-Newsletter July 2012 e-Newsletter March 2012 e-Newsletter Professional Development 2012 November […]
Darwin 200
You won’t have to look far in 2009 before you bump into the world-wide celebrations of Charles Darwin’s legacy which extends beyond the natural and social sciences to all corners of our lives. The Bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and 150th anniversary of his seminal work, On The Origin of Species provides rich opportunities for questioning the views presented within evolutionary […]
Mosaic – Favourite Prayers and Reflections from Inspiring Australians
‘If you were asked to share with others an inspirational prayer or poem or quotation which is a source of strength for you in your life, what would you choose?” This is the question Rosalind Bradley posed to 450 people of different faiths and backgrounds, who have made a significant contribution to contemporary Australian life through their extraordinary capabilities, or […]
Facing Death
Why do we run from things that are inevitable? Why is dying a taboo subject that makes us feel afraid? Facing Death – a new work by Mary Walker Productions that will premiere at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe Festival, explores death and dying using Elizabeth Kubler Ross’ 5 Stages of Grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance) as a framework. […]
The War for Children’s Minds (and a bit about teaching Humanism in Victorian schools)
I’m a fan of Stephen Law, because his insistence that religious education should encourage independent critical thought resonates with DAN’s raison d’etre. As such, Law’s book, The War for Children’s Minds which elaborates on this idea, should be prescribed reading for all RAVE teachers (make that every teacher, Head, parent, church leader….come to think of it, anyone responsible for the […]
The Philosophy Files 2 – Sample Chapter
Stephen Law, author of the best selling Philosophy Files (and amongst other titles, the must read War for Children’s Minds), has posted an entire sample chapter on his Blog.