A Teacher Review Model

The following model is based on the view that in a Catholic school all teaching is part of the process of evangelisation which is the mission of the Church. Every member of the staff of a Catholic school engages in evangelisation through the roles they play in the school.

Use of root metaphors in theology

The way in which each person works characterises a particular paradigm and its root metaphor. If you want to do some reading in this area, then visit the following e-source: http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/mwt/dictionary/mwt_themes_909_mcfague.htm

In 1988, Sallie McFague’s book Models of God was published. Chapter Two is titled Metaphorical Theology. The link above is to an article about her book and her understanding of the role root metaphors in theology.

Why take this path? Because teaching in a Catholic school is “evangelical,” then at some point in the process of reflection, we must think theologically. If we don’t, then our thoughts will be irrelevant.

Part of the theological reflection involves the use of root metaphors. For some time I have been advocating the use of organic root metaphors as opposed to those that are implied by some of the language that is used, such as “appraisal”, “formative evaluation” and “summative evaluation”.

Use of the Review of Life method

My reflection is based on the Review of Life method which was developed by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn when he was a young priest in Belgium, early in the twentieth century. If you want to read a summary of his method, read the following .pdf file released by the YCS movement (Young Christian Students) in Australia:
http://www.aycs.org.au/files/wwb.pdf

I have included this document because it provides an insight into a way of thinking about Catholic education. The Review of Life with its three steps of SEE-JUDGE-ACT has been enshrined in Catholic Social teaching. To learn more about this, visit the following site. The article that you will read was published in Eureka Street, a magazine published by the Jesuits. The Jesuit influence should be strong in our school (Loyola and Xavier Houses are named after two great Jesuits, St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and his friend, St Francis Xavier).
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=3055

The Examen of Consciousness

The third influence in this proposal is taken from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola. He taught his followers to use the “Examen of Consciousness.”

Here are two sites worth visiting to learn about the examen. The first, from a Catholic high school in the USA, presents a summary of the five steps of the examen:
http://www.stxavier.org/s/106/stxavier.aspx?sid=106&gid=1&pgid=973

This second site is much more detailed. It comes from a popular catechetical e-resource known as Catholic Update:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0303.asp

My first contact with the examen came when I was helping to write the early drafts of the RE Guidelines in the mid-eighties of last century (Wow!). We developed an examination of conscience model based on the examen. It was largely a positive approach to examining one’s conscience. It had two significant characteristics: first, the examination of conscience is a form of prayer, ie, dialogue with God; second, it is a prayer of thanksgiving for the good that we do.

Some suggested review questions

What are you passionate about in your teaching?