Differentiated Learning Revisited

Sir Ken Robinson has made his life's work a focus on creativity in education. I'm watching a video clip of Sir Ken speaking about creativity. He emphasised the unpredictability of the future for which we educate students.

We should treat creativity with the same importance we give to literacy.

Creativity is about taking chances, about being prepared to be wrong. By the time we reach adulthood, we have lost the desire to take chances. Picasso once said that all people are born artists. The problem is retaining the artistic ability. Sir Ken said we educate our students out of being creative.

What is the purpose of education? Do we intend the honouring of academic ability? Public education has been designed by universities in their image and likeness. We down play the value of creativity and the desire to be creative because they are not pragmatic. They do not led to jobs. However, the tide is turning.

The imagination has a major role to play in education. How we perceive reality determines our attitude towards education and the process of schooling.

Developing a retreat model for Kolbe

The retreats conducted in the name of Kolbe Catholic College are an integral part of the faith formation of its students. The retreats promote the systematic, intentional catechesis of the students that is part of the evangelisation plan drawn up by the College. At each year level, the retreat provides the opportunity for bringing the power of the Gospel in an engaging way into the lives of students so that they are empowered to seek a deeper relationship with Christ.

Pope John Paul II referred to catechesis as an "organic" way of initiating students "into the fullness of Christian life" (Catechesi tradendae, 18), therefore, what is taught about Christian faith must flow from a consideration of the reality of students' lives and must lead to opportunities to relate with Christ with an ever deeper appreciation for the gift of his presence in their lives.

The retreats complement the catechesis offered by the school through its use of the Chapel, through its daily prayer and through the liturgical celebrations, which involve the whole school, to name just a few aspects of the catechesis that happens in the life of the school. The life and work of St Maximilian Kolbe, as well as the example of the House Patrons, provide a rich source for contemplating the power of Christ present in the lives of his followers.

The following outline of retreats offered at each year level serves as a guide in the development of programmes, which meet the needs of students in each year level. 

Year 7
Introductory 3 day residential retreat, which focuses on the theme of belonging
The retreat takes place in the first month of the academic year. The students learn a little about St Maximilian Kolbe and the Patron saints of our six Houses. What they learn should help them understand why prayer plays an important part in the life of the College.

Year 8
A 2 day non-residential retreat, which happens over a weekend, and which focuses on being a part of God's creation. The retreat is facilitated by the senior members of the Student Ministry Team who prepare for the retreat through making their own retreat. The Year 8 retreat takes place in the second half of the first term. Its focus is on being a "knowledge sponge" soaking up knowledge of God's creation.

Year 9
A 2 day non-residential retreat, which happens early in Term 2. The retreat will focus on emotional development. The context will be the peer group. The retreat programme will present students with the image of Jesus as the model of emotional maturity and provide them with prayer and meditation experiences related to the task of recognising, accepting and directing appropriately the emotions that people experience in every part of their lives.

Year 10
A 2 day non-residential retreat, which happens in the last week of Term 2 to coincide with the Year 12 retreat. The focus is "being an independent learner in God's kingdom". The context will be their growing awareness that people make moral decisions daily and that they need to form their consciences in order to make wise choices. Through the use of simulation, discussion, private reflection and meditation, the students will identify for themselves the principles on which they base their personal choices and be challenged by the principles that Jesus lived and taught.

Year 11
A 3-day residential retreat, which happens in Week 7 of Term 3. The focus is on building relationships through taking the risk to trust others. The retreat experience includes a structured reflection on the application of the College motto to their lives.

Year 12
A 3-day residential retreat, which happens in the last week of Term 2. The students engage in a series of reflections based on the Beatitudes. The retreat is designed to help them to choose principles for living open to the Spirit of God. Choosing to be open to goodness, honesty, generosity and compassion will be themes explored during the retreat.

Other retreats include:

• Student leaders' retreat
• Peer support leaders' retreat
• Student ministry team retreat 
• Student liturgical ministry retreat 
• YCS retreat 
• Young Vinnies retreat

Each of these retreats addresses the areas of responsibility undertaken by students in the roles associated with each area. This is done in the context of the Gospel. Each retreat provides opportunities for encounters with Christ in ways that are creative and prayerful.

Kolbe's Dream?

Caroline published a document titled "Education Plan Alone", a most confusing title. I'm not sure what the word "alone" is meant to do. It seems redundant. It could be an indication of a state of feeling.

Here's a "wordle" view of Caroline's statement:

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/856598/Kolbe%27s_Dream%3F

I put her statement into Wordle to highlight the key ideas in it. Notice that the Gospel does not receive the emphasis it is meant to have. So I will play with her statement to see what happens in Wordle. Stay tuned.

Well, here's my adaptation of the "Education Plan Alone". I added some statements to draw out the Christian dimension of the goal statement: "Setting high expectations within a nurturing environment challenged by gospel teachings".

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/857566/Alternative_Kolbe_Dream

Differentiated Learning in my classes at Kolbe

Jeff Allen, who is our Deputy in charge of curriculum development in the College - and a myriad of other areas as well - is leading the charge on differentiated learning. It is our desire as a college of teachers to improve our pedagogy. I will add material from a document he has prepared for us and reflect on it in the light of my experiences in the classroom and my desire to improve my teaching.



Classroom structures at any level of schooling are rarely homogeneous and therefore a teacher directed program set to only one style of learning or one pace of learning will generally fail to meet the needs of the majority of the students in the class.

This was only too obvious today in my Year 12 RE class. When I suggested that we use blogs to reflect on what relationships, commitment and marriage meant to us, I discovered that only one student had ever tried blogging. I was surprised. So I suggested that they experiment with blogging for a few weeks as we worked our way into the topic of relationships and marriage. After the time of experimentation, we would decide whether or not to make use of blogging as a reflective tool. I explained to them that it was my hope that they would choose to run a blog and that I would be able to use their reflections in my assessment of their work. The question had to come. As it so often is with this wonderful group, Madilyn asked, "What if some of us don't want to blog?"

In a differentiated learning context, there has to be room for multiple assessment strategies. I am not a fan of normative assessment frameworks. I believe that learning can be measured along a continuum that is individualised, that is, we arrive at an understanding of how much the student has learned and then make a balanced judgment of its worth in terms of the scale that is used for that subject. In the context of Beliefs and Values, we determine whether or not the student demonstrates competency with a particular set of outcomes, and if so, then has she demonstrated it satisfactorily, highly satisfactorily or very highly satisfactorily.

Madilyn and others liked what I was saying. She responded in terms of the topic we had been studying: freedom and justice. They believed that the view I was expressing would give power back to the student and increase the likelihood that the subject would become more relevant to them.

And the conclusion? Well, I believe that differentiated learning exists when students are able to choose different ways of learning and the teacher then uses different ways of assessing the learning in keeping with the ways students choose to learn.

The Aim of Differentiating Learning

“Essentially, the aim of differentiating instruction is to maximize each student’s growth by meeting each student where he or she is and helping the student to progress. In practice, it involves offering several different learning experiences in response to students’ varied needs.
Learning activities and materials may be varied by difficulty to challenge students at different readiness levels, by topic in response to students’ interests, and by students’ preferred ways of learning or expressing themselves. This is not the individual education program (IEP) approach where there are different experiences for all 20-30 students in the class. Typically two to four different learning experience are offered by the teacher, or students are given opportunities to make their own choices.”

Kiernan, L. (1996). Differentiating Instruction. (Lesson One. pgs 3 – 4). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Also found at: http://www.ascd.org

Who Is Curriculum Differentiation For? Why Use It?

Meeting the needs of all students in the variety of educational settings teachers may find themselves in, such as mixed ability and self-contained gifted classrooms, poses some interesting challenges for educators.

The often resorted to ‘teach to the middle’ approach may in many cases result in frustration for both students and teachers. Some students, often the gifted, experience the frustration of a curriculum that is lacking in challenge and moves too slowly, whilst other students, usually those with special learning needs, experience the frustration of a curriculum that moves too quickly and which lacks the scaffolding and structure on which they need to frame their learning.

Such frustration sometimes leads to behaviours which are undesirable and non-productive. These behaviours are not always outwardly visible and disruptive. For some students their frustration is more evident in the level to which they become passive and withdrawn from the learning process.

Curriculum differentiation provides a framework that is better able to address the needs of all learners in the classroom and thus reduce some of the frustrations being experienced by both teacher and students.

All students need to regularly experience that moment in their learning where they achieve a ‘personal best - a PB’. In the sporting arena, the achievement of a ‘PB’ is greeted with applause and accolade, and so should it be in the academic arena as well.

Gifted and Talented Education: Professional Development Package for Teachers

Differentiation at the Classroom Level

Differentiation is evident at the classroom level when appropriate challenges are available for all students. Curriculum can be adapted in content, process and product to provide developmentally appropriate opportunities. The evaluation of curriculum materials for suitability is a complex task. It requires an understanding of the relationships between curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Differentiation ranges from slight to major modifications of the curriculum through adjustments to content, processes and skills. It provides a planned, documented and challenging curriculum.

Differentiation should include enrichment and extension activities. Enrichment refers to the broadening of the curriculum to develop knowledge, application, thinking skills and attitudes, to a degree of complexity appropriate to the students’ developmental level (Braggett, 1997).

Enrichment activities are often found only in extra-curricular provisions and need to be written into programs to ensure all students have access. Extension activities involve the deepening of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills.

A differentiated curriculum is a program of activities that offers a variety of entry points for students who differ in abilities, knowledge and skills. In a differentiated curriculum, teachers offer different approaches to what students learn (content), how students learn (process) and how students demonstrate what they have learned (product). Differentiated instruction is a mix of whole-class, group and individualized activities.

Policy and Implementation of Strategies for the Education of Talented and Gifted Students

Using blessings at Kolbe

I visited this great website when I wanted to find out about the Jewish concept of blessing.

http://penei.org/concepts-blessing.shtml

On being a missionary at Kolbe

We are going to have a workshop on applying the themes of the writings of St Paul to the mission of Kolbe Catholic College. Sr Shelley Barlow will lead us through the workshop process. Here is one of the readings she gave us to reflect on before the workshop.

“Paul, Model of Missionary Discipleship For All Time”
Fr. Eddie Rogan, County Mayo, Ireland

For the last four years I have been part of the Mission from my home diocese in the west of Ireland to the Amazon region of Brazil. When I was leaving Ireland in 1996 I little dreamt that twelve years later I would be a missionary in South America’s Amazon region, sitting and writing in the late evening the present magazine article about Saint Paul.

There is undoubtedly a strong missionary consciousness among many people. This is wonderful because the missionary dimension must characterize all our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

A great inspiration for all of us as missionaries, whether abroad or at home is the apostle, Paul. The word apostle means “messenger” or “one who is sent”. In a sense we are all apostles because we are all sent as messengers of the Gospel to the world we live in, which, although it may not know it, is thirsting for God. We are all called by Jesus to be his missionary disciples.

The following article is a summary of a study of Saint Paul that I recently did here in my parish in Brazil with the parish youth groups.

Paul was a missionary disciple of great significance. Pope Benedict XVI sought to highlight Paul’s significance, as a model of missionary discipleship, when he announced the Pauline Holy Year, which extends from the 28th of June 2008 to the 29th of June 2009. Apart from Jesus, the bi-millennium of whose birth was celebrated in the jubilee year 2000, and his mother, Mary, the bi-millennium of whose birth was celebrated in the Marian Year (1987-1988), Saint Paul is the only other person to have the bi-millennium of his birth celebrated by the Church.

This Pauline Holy Year offers us a challenge to follow Paul, first of all, in conversion to Christ, and consequently in placing Jesus at the center of our lives. Like the apostle Paul, we too have a mission to build communities that draw life from the Word of God and the Sacraments, that practice sincere love of God and neighbour, that care for the poor, the elderly, the sick and the marginalized, that feel impelled to live and share the Gospel as missionary disciples of Jesus. Following Paul, we need to live a Christianity that is more knowledgeable of the Scriptures, more prayerful and more missionary.

Paul was an important Jewish Christian in the first century. In paintings he is often represented with a book and a sword in his hands. The book symbolizes the Word of God, which he announced with energy and enthusiasm. The sword symbolizes his martyrdom by decapitation in Rome about 67 A.D.

Paul was born in the city of Tarsus (in what is now Turkey). He was born between 1-10 A.D. In his day Tarsus was a large bustling city of the Roman Empire with a population of about 300,000. It was the administrative capital of that region, and had a university equal to that of Athens. In 51 B.C. the city had Cicero (106-43B.C.), the Roman orator, statesman, writer and philosopher, was its proconsul. In 41B.C., Tarsus was the place where the celebrated couple, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, first met.

Paul belonged to Jews of the Diaspora (Greek: “to spread out”). They lived in a land and culture that was not theirs, a long way from Jerusalem and the temple. They had to cope with a whole range of different experiences and challenges not encountered at home in Israel. Diaspora Jews tended to be more open to and tolerant of the differences the encountered in people of other races.

Paul, had Roman citizenship, was a highly orthodox Jew, and Greek speaking. It was common at the time for Jews of the Diaspora to have two names, one Hebrew (Saul) and the other foreign (Paul). Paul was born on the frontier of a number of different cultures (particularly Greek, Roman and Hebrew cultures). This accounts for his later amazing predisposition and ability to be Christ’s apostle to the pagans, mediating the Christian message to other cultures. More than anyone else, because of his background and formation Paul was able to take Jesus accessible to other peoples and cultures.

Paul studied in Jerusalem, under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel Paul. There he acquired a great enthusiasm for the mosaic law ( Galatians 1, 14; Philippians 3, 5-6; Acts 22, 3; 23, 6; 26,5). There is no text that suggests Paul met or knew of Jesus at the time. He certainly had no inkling of the future repercussions of the crucifixion of this itinerant preacher named Jesus. After Christ’s death and resurrection, Christianity began to spread. Being a profoundly orthodox Jew, Paul saw in the new movement inspired by Jesus a serious risk and threat to Jewish identity. His stance, therefore, towards Christianity was one of unflinching intolerance. For this reason he became a “persecutor of the Church of God”, as he admits in three of his letters (see 1 Corinthians 15, 9; Galatians 1, 13; Philippians 3, 6).

On his way to persecute the Christians in Damascus, Paul had a profound encounter with Christ. The idea that Paul “fell from his horse” during this experience with Jesus comes from later paintings of the event. In the Acts of the Apostles there are three accounts of the conversion of Saint Paul (Acts 9 and 26). In this encounter, Jesus reveals himself personally to Paul and gives him his mission to announce the Gospel (see Acts 9, 1-22). We do not know exactly what interior, spiritual experience Paul had when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. However, it certainly was a kind of rebirth or baptism in the Spirit that shaped his future. Paul’s future life, teaching and mission would be inexplicable without this first meeting with Jesus.

Before becoming a Christian Paul confesses he was a staunch Pharisee (Philippians 3, 5). In his time the Pharisees were a relatively small group, numbering less than 10,000. “Pharisee” meant “separated” (“distanced”). The Pharisees kept their distance from the sinners, the poor the illiterate and the sick. They believed the Messiah would come when all were irreprehensible as they themselves were. They believed that the Messiah would be a reward that God would give to the Jews for the rigorous practice of the law.

After Paul converted to Christ he came to leave his Pharisaic mindset behind. He did not wish the Gospel to be the announcement of laws but rather the announcement of freedom with responsibility. As a Christian Paul came to realize that Jesus loved humanity and gave himself for it without any merit on humanity’s part. This transformed outlook of Paul came to be a very important component of his teaching. It led to many difficulties during his missionary life.
After his conversion, during the period up to about the year 37, Paul went for a time to Arabia, then to Damascus and then briefly to Jerusalem (see Galatians 1, 17-18). After that Paul spent the years up to about the year 44 or 45 in his home place, Tarsus (see Acts 9, 30). They were hidden years but undoubtedly one that included much study, reflection and maturation in which Paul deepened his understanding of the significance of Jesus Christ and of his own missionary vocation. In approximately the year 45 another follower of Christ named Barnabas providentially came looking for Paul in Tarsus and brought him to the city of Antioch of Syria. Paul stayed there for a period. A year later his missionary journeys began.

Paul tells us that he made many missionary journeys (2 Corinthians 11, 26). In the Acts of the Apostles Luke organizes them into four. In each journey Luke relates a preaching given by Paul, a miracle realized by him, a confrontation between the Gospel and superstition or magic and a trial suffered by Paul.

Paul’s missionary journeys could be very dangerous. In 2 Corinthians 11, 22-29 tells us of a whole series of dangers (whipping, stoning, shipwreck, thieves, etc) that he had to confront. They were often marked by conflict. That Paul encountered hostility on the part of Jews who did not convert was not surprising. The Acts of the Apostles show the emergence of such hostility in every city Paul appeared in.

However, worse conflicts arose between Paul and those whom Paul called “false brothers”. These were Jews who converted to Christianity but still wanted to maintain for all Christians, whether of pagan or Jewish origin, the rigors of the Jewish law involving circumcision, diet, etc. These opponents or “false brothers” of Paul were especially the Judaising Christian missionaries, whom Paul also called “super apostles”. They opposed Paul systematically as he went from city to city. Luke, writing his Acts of the Apostles twenty years after Paul’s death, does not speak about this conflict between Paul and Judaising Christians. He seems in fact to hide it. This is because one of Luke’s aims was to make Paul acceptable to those Jewish Christians who had been his opponents, or had been guided by his opponents. Paul’s letters, however, reveal the bitter conflicts clearly (see 2 Corinthians 11, 5; 12, 11; Galatians 1, 9; Philippians 3, 2).

For Paul, the letters he wrote were a useful way of making contact with and providing opinion-forming leadership for his mission Churches. Paul wrote letters to the mission communities, some of which have been lost (see 1 Corinthians 5, 9; 16, 1). There is discussion as to whether all the letters that bear his name were actually written by him. Those letters, which no one doubts had Paul for their author, are sometimes called the “Pauline Letters” while those, which many scholars consider to have been written by disciples or companions of Paul, are called “Deutero-Pauline Letters”. The “Pauline Letters” are Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. The “Deutero-Pauline Letters” are Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. In general the “Deutero-Pauline Letters” seem a bit less radical in tone, offering a toned down version of Paul’s views.

Paul was undoubtedly the most important missionary disciple to the pagan nations. He, one might say, shook the world. He was so important that some claim it was he and not Christ that founded Christianity. It was Paul more than anybody else who brought the Gospel beyond Palestine, making it universal. He facilitated the pagans in enculturating Christianity in their own cultures. This cannot have been easy for Paul. After all he was a Jew by nature and nurture. These new Christians were so different! They failed to see things that were completely clear to a Jew! Yet Paul did not panic. He did not refuse to look at a problem nor seek to suppress it. He knew that excessive authoritarianism might kill a church but never resurrect one. At times he just did not understand these new Christians. He advised them and sometimes fought with them and reprimanded them. However, he did not lose faith in them or quench the Spirit among them.

Today’s world presents challenges similar to those that existed in the time of Paul. We witness today not just a process of dechristianization of society. We see also a repaganization, through the negation of God and worship of the idols which possession, pleasure and power can be. In this context, we can learn from Paul, his missionary method and enthusiasm and above all from his lasting faith, hope and love. For all of these reasons Paul is a perennial model of missionary discipleship.

Christian re-creation, beatitude and freedom

Christian re-creation, beatitude and freedom The search for happiness Every human being wants to be happy. Everyone wants happiness that is lasting; everyone seeks to be truly content with his/her lot in life. This desire for true happiness is the basis for people’s motivations and actions. It is because they want to achieve true happiness that they set their primary life-goals. In society today, there are many different ideas about what brings true happiness. This is why there is such variety in what people consider to be important primary life-goals. Some seek wealth, for example, believing that true happiness can be found in material possessions and money. Others seek social status, believing that they will grow happier as they win greater popularity and respect. Others again are ambitious, believing that happiness will grow with success in their work, their position or use of their power. One problem shared by all with life-goals such as these is that they are measuring happiness by criteria that are outside themselves, and happiness can only come from within them. Such goals fail to appreciate that the human heart is too large to be satisfied with money, status or ambition. As a result, many who are wealthy tend to want greater wealth, the popular want greater popularity and the ambitious set even higher goals. Not everyone, however, sees such goals as valid primary life-goals. Many instead see as their primary life-goals such things as the well-being of their families, service to others and committed marriage relationships. They may seek money and career advancement as only a means to help them achieve these primary life-goals. One basic difference between those in this group and those seeking greater wealth, status and success is that their primary life-goals are person-oriented. To the extent that they succeed in their goals, they will find other people responding to them, returning love and appreciation. Over time, people's experiences have shown that these things are more satisfying to the human heart. However, though bringing truer happiness than wealth, status and ambition, there is a problem with person-oriented life-goals. People die, so there is a limit to how long they can give love and appreciation. Also, people can change, and relationships can die over time. Of the two groups of people, who are most likely to experience the greater freedom in life? It will be argued that those who are person-oriented in their lives are more likely to experience freedom because there is less chance of them being driven by desires that will lead them to deny the freedom of others. The search for happiness can undermine freedom The human desire for happiness motivates people’s behaviour and affects their freedom. It can even undermine freedom. A young person who thinks that happiness will grow with peer acceptance, for example, can find it increasingly difficult not to conform to group expectations. As a result, she or he may find it hard to avoid going along with the crowd. Their freedom to choose is lessened when what the crowd wants to do is not right — for example, take drugs. The desire for wealth has taken away the freedom of many to respect what belongs to others. They have stolen, committed fraud, dishonoured contracts, cheated and embezzled. Similarly, the desire for status has led many to ‘put down’ others, to lie, to compromise moral principles and to break political promises. Ambition, too, can take away people’s freedom. Instead of living ideals related to respect for others, they can manipulate others for personal ends, exploit people and treat anyone who stands in their way ruthlessly. Even the desire for good relationships can undermine human freedom. It can lead people to violate their conscience rather than risk a relationship, and fear saying ‘no’. Perhaps we can think of media examples of ways that people behave that reveal their primary life-goals. This does not mean that a person is fully aware of their life-goal at the time of the behaviour — for example, a thief may not realise that he or she believes happiness will be found in possessions. True happiness requires a lasting primary goal True happiness can never be found in things that pass — nor can it be found in people. Rather, it can be found only in what is permanent and can never be lost. This means that it can be found only in God. God alone does not pass or die. Also, God alone can fill the needs of the human heart. As the great early Christian thinker, St Augustine, expressed it: Our hearts are made for you, O Lord, and cannot rest until they rest in you. Indeed, God created the needs of the human heart so that people would be drawn through these needs into intimate relationships with their Creator. This is particularly true of the human desire for lasting happiness [Catechism 1718]: This desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw men (and women) to the One who alone can fulfil it… The happiness that comes from intimacy with God, being truly satisfying to the human heart and everlasting, is different from any other. As a result, it is described with a different word — beatitude. If heaven is the happiness that comes from eternal union with God, beatitude is to experience a little of heaven on earth [Catechism 1721 and 1722]: Beatitude makes us ‘partakers of the divine nature’ and of eternal life. Such beatitude surpasses (human) understanding and powers. It comes from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace that disposes men (and women) to enter into the divine joy. Because beatitude leads to greater oneness with God, it also leads to greater personal freedom, for it is God’s power that truly frees. As this oneness grows, believers find themselves gradually freed from sin, temptation, guilt, overpowering emotions, attitudes and habits that otherwise will lead them to violate their consciences, their ideals and what they believe to be right. Christians promote beatitude Jesus told his followers to love others. As a result, Christians want all people to experience ‘beatitude’, for to love someone means wanting them to enjoy true happiness. To fulfil the command by Jesus to love, Christians seek to promote awareness of God in their society. They do so especially by their own example of worship. They also do whatever they can to encourage others to learn the Gospel of Jesus — ‘Gospel’ meaning ‘goodness’. Yet they do so, knowing that many today do not believe in God or religion. As a result, they cannot experience ‘beatitude’, for they are not allowing God to give them this gift.

The role of the Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry)

It is the role of the Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) to nurture the spiritual life of the members of the College. Spirituality is understood to be “our way of being in the world before God” (Harris, p.103). At Kolbe we have a particular form of Christian spirituality that is both Catholic and Kolbe.

Dimensions of the Role

Maria Harris identifies the five curriculum areas in the life of the Church:

• Koinonia – the curriculum of community
• Leiturgia – the curriculum of prayer
• Didache – the curriculum of teaching
• Kerygma – the curriculum of proclamation
• Diakonia – the curriculum of service

These aspects of the life of the Church are dimensions of its mission to evangelise. Their purpose is the fashioning of the People of God. Campus Ministry is about the same; it is a reflection of God’s creative educational intent as we learn about it in the world around us and in his Word. Each dimension describes an aspect of the life of the College and carries with it a set of tasks that constitute the work of the Deputy Principal (Campus Ministry).

Koinonia – the curriculum of community

The word koinonia means “partnership” and it refers to the spiritual fellowship of the community of faith. It is the first form of religious life that the College receives from the Church. Theologically, the people who comprise the College have been created in the image of God who is proclaimed to be a trinity of divine persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) will:

• nurture faith in Christ as the head and heart of the College community; to encourage members of the community to live in accordance with the goodness in people, the virtues befitting discipleship.
• ensure that the Catholic faith tradition to which the College belongs is made present and celebrated through its signs and symbols.
• organise opportunities for structured reflection on the college mission statement as the formal expression of the common desire for community.
• assist the House Coordinators in developing students’ understanding of and appreciation for the charisms of their House patrons.
• promote experiential learning opportunities that contribute to the formation of the conscience of the College community.
• foster awareness of the eschatological dimension of College as a Christian community, particularly through the celebration of the liturgy.
• through the use of various forms of media to support the development of publications that promote the College as a faith community.
• develop ways of drawing the College community into the parish communities, eg,, Altitude, World Youth Day.
• undertake whatever tasks the Principal determines that relate to the College as a faith community.

Leiturgia – the curriculum of prayer

The second form of religious life that the College receives from the Church is its vocation to worship and to pray. The word “liturgy” which means “the work of the people” comes from the Greek word leiturgia meaning “public service”. The English word is used to refer to the Church worshipping as a body. Along with this cultic aspect, it also incorporates the forms of personal prayer of the members of the College.

The Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) will:

• encourage staff, students and their families to engage in personal and communal prayer in their daily lives.
• develop and maintain a Pastoral Care Prayer File to be used by the Pastoral Care groups.
• ensure that there is a roster for weekly briefing prayers.
• maintain the development of the communal Friday morning prayer based on the forthcoming Sunday Gospel reading.
• ensure that all students and staff are familiar with and can use various forms of personal and public or communal prayer.
• facilitate in the College community a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the place of the liturgical seasons in the life of every Christian.
• encourage members of the College community to use the Chapel and the Japanese Garden for personal and communal prayer.
• initiate and maintain a schedule of weekly Masses that will be celebrated in the Chapel and prepared by Pastoral Care groups.
• oversee the development of a liturgical music ministry that incorporates the concept of ensembles drawn from the Houses.
• assist the Religious Education Coordinator in the training of senior students as special ministers of the Eucharist.
• facilitate the incorporation of music, drama and movement in the major liturgical celebrations held at the College.
• develop and maintain a programme of visits by ensembles to local parishes to participate in parish Masses.
• oversee the development of the role of Liturgy Captain and the formation of a Chapel Committee.
• undertake whatever tasks the Principal determines that relate to liturgical celebration.

Didache – the curriculum of teaching

The word didache relates to teaching. It is used in the Gospels to describe the work of Jesus and his role and status as a teacher. Teaching has been part of the work of the Church from its birth at Pentecost. In the present, as in the past, the word refers to the body of knowledge that is communicated through the curriculum of the College and also to the processes that are used.
In keeping with its mandate, the College seeks the integration of culture and faith as well as the integration of faith and life. By doing so, the didache embraces all aspects of teaching and learning. Through instruction in its various forms and through study, the didache incorporates all that is related to evangelisation.

The Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) will:

• encourage and support the structured reflection on the Catholic nature of the curriculum.
• facilitate analysis of the curriculum in the light of the Gospels.
• foster the inculturation of the Gospel message.
• look after Accreditation and make sure that records are maintained.
• coordinate the involvement of the College in the pre-service teaching programmes conducted by the universities.
• organise Staff Retreats.
• assist the Religious Education Coordinator with the development of the Religious Education programme.
• develop an approach to retreats for students that is consistent with the principles of catechesis outlined in the General Directory for Catechesis.
• undertake whatever tasks the Principal determines that relate to didache.

Kerygma – the curriculum of proclamation

Kerygma is a hallowed part of the Christian tradition. Based on the Greek notion of the act of proclamation, entrusted to a herald, kerygma has always been taken to be what is proclaimed and the act of proclaiming. Each day, the College proclaims that God became human in Jesus and that God also is enfleshed in the words proclaimed about this amazing presence in the world. God’s word becomes incarnated in those who have faith in God. Those who form the College community have the opportunity to be the subjects who speak the word, the mediators who reveal God’s presence and the listeners who hear God’s word.

The Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) will

• ensure that opportunities are provided for members of the College community to understand and appreciate that God speaks through them.
• provide opportunities designed to help staff and students appreciate the importance of silence in the work of remembering, hallowing and blessing.
• encourage and assist staff and students to plan and initiate social justice initiatives as part of the life of the College.
• undertake whatever tasks the Principal determines that relate to the proclamation of the coming of God’s rule.

Diakonia – the curriculum of service

The first Christians used the Greek word diakonia to refer to the many ways they ministered to others, particularly to the poor and the sick. They even used the word to describe the actions of Jesus as he ministered to those in need. Harris (p. 104) identifies the curriculum task associated with diakonia as “remembering and re-integrating compassionate service” as a core activity of the Christian community. At the heart of service is the appreciation for the grace and gift of each life.

The Assistant Deputy Principal (Ministry) will:

• coordinate the implementation, development and maintenance of KolbeCare, the College service learning programme that will operate at each year level.
• assist the Religious Education Coordinator in the development of components of the Religious Education programme that support KolbeCare.
• maintain contact with service organisations and groups in the wider community and facilitate the entry of students into the work of such organisations and groups.
• actively support staff and students who seek to involve themselves and others in opportunities to serve the needy in the wider community, eg, the involvement of the College with the Winter Appeal and Christmas Appeal run by the St Vincent de Paul Society, with the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal, with donating blood, and with the groups supported by the Houses.
• undertake whatever tasks the Principal determines that relate to the service of others in the College community and the wider community.

The Life of St Maximilian Kolbe

In the mid-eighties of last century, a group of concerned Catholics in the Rockingham area formed a committee for the purpose of lobbying the Catholic Education Commission to establish a Catholic secondary school in their area. Fr Finbar Walsh, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Rockingham, recommended that the proposed school be named after the newly canonised saint Maximilian Kolbe. He was inspired by the man’s faith and his devotion to Mary; it was his hope that those who attended the school would also be inspired by his example to embrace their faith with greater fervour. So, who is St Maximilian Kolbe?

The following outline of the life of St Maximilian Kolbe has been compiled from:
Ricciardi, Antonio (1982). St Maximilian Kolbe: apostle of our difficult age. Boston: Pauline Books & Media.

1894
Raymond Kolbe was born on January 8th in Zdunska-Wola, Poland. His parents were Jules and Marie Kolbe. They lived in rented accommodation and operated a weaving business. Raymond had an older brother named Francis. His younger brother was Joseph. Valentine died as an infant and the youngest, Anthony, died at the age of four.

His parents moved the family to Pabience, a nearby village where the rented a small house and continued their weaving business. They also opened a small shop and rented three vegetable gardens.

1904
Raymond had a vision of Mary who presented him with two crowns, one red and the other white. She asked him which one he wanted. He chose both crowns.

1907
Francis and Raymond entered the Franciscan Order and attended the minor seminary in Lwow. Joseph followed a few years later.

1910
On September 4th, Raymond received the religious habit of a Franciscan Friar and chose Maximilian as his religious name.

1911
On September 5th, he made his simple profession, vowing himself to the practice of the virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience, according to the rule of St Francis and the Constitutions of the Friars Minor Conventual, a branch of the Franciscan Order.

1912
Friar Maximilian was sent to Rome to study theology ad philosophy.

1914
On All Saints Day, Friar Maximilian made his solemn profession and added the name of Mary to his religious name: Friar Maximilian Mary Kolbe.

1917
On January 20th, the 75th anniversary of the apparition of Mary to Alphonse Ratisbonne in the Church of S. Andrea della Fratte in Rome, Friar Maximilian was inspired to found the Militia Immaculatae, or Knights of the Immaculata movement, and to choose the Miraculous Medal as the shield and insignia of the Knights.

1918
On April 28th, the feast of St Paul of the Cross, Friar Maximilian Kolbe was ordained a priest. He was one of a hundred men ordained in Rome on that day.

1919
Fr Maximilian was granted his doctorate in philosophy and his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. On July 23rd, he left for Poland.

He taught theology and philosphy at the Franciscan Seminary in Krakow and established the first Marian "focus groups" there.

1920
On August 11th, he was admitted to a sanatorium in Zakopane where he was treated for tuberculosis.

1922
He returned to Krakow and published the first edition of The Knight of the Immaculata. This became the monthly publication of the Militia Immaculata (MI).

1926
On September 19th, he returned to the sanatorium for convalescence and remained there until April 13th, 1927.

1927
Having purchased a printing press, Fr Maximilian published two monthly magazines: The Knight, which was the official publication of the MI; and The Seraphic Flame, which was the official magazine of the Third Order of St Francis. The Knight had a circulation of 60,000 copies. Fr Maximilian had 17 friars working with him. In Poland, there were 126,000 members in the MI.

In November, Fr Maximilian moved his printing works to Niepokalanow (City of the Immaculata) near the town of Teresin. He had started out in 1922 with one suitcase. When he moved to Niepokalanow, it took 8 railcars to transport the publishing house he had established.

1929
Two houses of formation were established at Niepokalanow, one for Franciscan Brothers and another for those wanting to be ordained to the priesthood in the Franciscan Order. Fr Maximilian was in charge of the formation of those who entered the Order and studied at Niepokalanow.

1930
On February 26th, Fr Maximilian and 4 Brothers set out for Japan to establish another City of the Immaculata. They landed at Nagasaki on April 24th.
Fr Maximilian wrote The Knight in Latin and his students translated it into Japanese. The first edition of The Knight in Japanese was published on May 24th. It was called Seibo No Kishi.



1931
On May 16th, the Japanese City of the Immaculata, known as Mugenzai No Sono, was opened. It was built on the slope of Mount Hikosan, in Hongochi, a suburb of Nagasaki.

1932
Fr Maximilian went to India to investigate the possibility of establishing the MI there. The political situation in Europe prevented its establishment even though he had support from his Order and from the Church in India. In 1981, two friars from Malta set up Nirmalaram ("Garden of the Immaculata") in the town of Chotty in India.

1933
The monthly circulation of Seibo No Kishi reached 50,000 copies.
Fr Maximilian returned to Poland for the General Chapter of the Franciscan Order. He returned to Japan to continue the work of the MI in that country.

1936
On May 28th, Fr Maximilian returned to Poland to participate in the Franciscan Provincial Chapter. He was elected to the position of "Guardian of Niepokalanow" and never returned to Japan. The community grew in size under his leadership. By 1939, there were 762 Franciscans living and working there.

1939
On September 1st, Germany invaded Poland. The German army advanced on Warsaw. Niepokalanow is situated about 40 kms out of Warsaw and it was surrounded by the invading army.

On September 5th, Fr Maximilian sent most of his community away from Niepokalanow and maintained the property with the help of 50 Brothers and 5 priests. They took care of the sick and the many refugees who sought sanctuary within its walls.

On September 12th, the German army occupied Niepokalanow.

On September 19th, all, except for two friars, were deported to the concentration camp at Amtitz in Germany.

On November 9th, they were transferred to Ostrzewrow in Poland.

On December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, they were released and allowed to return to Niepokalanow. Gradually, many of the Brothers returned to the community and its numbers rose to about 300 members.

1940
Niepokalanow became home to 2000 men expelle from Posnania and 1500 Jews who took refuge there.

On November 20th, the German Propaganda Office and the Gestapo gave Fr Maximilian permission to start publishing The Knight again. Only one issue came off the press.

1941
On February 17th, Fr Maximilian was arrested and taken to Pawiak prison in Warsaw.
On May 28th, he was transported to Auschwitz.

In July, he was moved to the hospital in the camp because he had been diagnosed with a lung infection and bronchitis.

At the end of July, he was discharged from the hospital and moved to Block 14.















On August 3rd, a prisoner escaped from Block 14 and the Commandant decided to punish the other prisoners by selecting ten men from the Block to be executed. One of the condemned men was Francis Gajowniczek, a sergeant in the Polish army. He had a wife and young family. Gajowniczek pleaded for his life. Fr Maximilian volunteered to take his place. The ten men, including Fr Maximilian, were stripped of their clothes and placed in a small cell without food or water. They were starved to death.

On August 14th, the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, only 4 men, including Fr Maximilian, remained alive. The director of the hospital at Auschwitz, injected carbolic acid into their veins and they died. Fr Maximilian's body was cremated in one of the ovens that burned day and night in Auschwitz.

1960
The cause for the beatification of Fr Maximilian Kolbe was officially opened in Rome on March 16th.

1971
On October 17th, he was beatified.

1982
On October 10th, Pope John Paul II canonised Fr Maximilian and proclaimed him a saint of the Church. His feast day is celebrated on August 14th.