The Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces the fall 2002 ISOS(Internet School of Orthodox Studies) schedule of Religious Education Classes for adults, families and parish educators over the Internet. The theme of the ISOS Fall Semester is: Enhancing Professional Practice: The Qualities And Skills of the Effective Religious Educator. The series of 60-minute educational classes are intended to provide parish religious educators the opportunity to examine the skills and qualities of effective pedagogical practice. The classes are based on The CANA Curriculum Design Model that is the basis for the current work of the Archdiocesan Teenage Curriculum Project.
The 10 classes, offered free of charge, are scheduled to take place on Tuesday evenings from October 8th to December 9th, 2002, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm EST) on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and will be taught by the Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos, Director of the Department of Religious Education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and adjunct assistant professor of Religious Education for Holy Cross School of Theology.
Apart from those who can physically attend, the classes can also be heard and viewed by anyone with a computer and Internet access. The classes are being made available by the Archdiocese Department of Internet Ministries and will be broadcast in real-time through the Archdiocese web server. This year’s presentations will be provided in Streaming Video so that Web participants will be able to see the actual class presentations as they are being delivered.
The ISOS web site address is: http://www.isos.goarch.org. The presentations will also be archived to permit individuals to listen to the classes when their schedule permits. A schedule and class syllabus is posted on the ISOS Internet web site.
Based on the needs assessment data collected from the Religious Education Climate Survey (RECS) that canvassed churches throughout the Archdiocese in March 2000, Father Marangos designed a curriculum paradigm that he refers to as The CANA Curriculum Design Model.
The CANA Curriculum Design Model refers to a pedagogical process of religious education that is based on the account of Jesus’ first miracle (John 2). The CANA (Catechetical, Affective, and Noetic Assets) Curriculum Design Model includes six interrelated components:
(a) Catechist, (b) Client (Child/Adult), (c) Content, (d) Context, (e) Community and (f) Corroboration. Related to the six stone water pots of Cana, the six C’s of The CANA Curriculum Design Model provide interrelated catechetical, affective, and noetic resources for the teaching/learning process. While it is not necessary to utilize them in a linear fashion, the components function best when employed in a cohesive way. Each of the six components includes resources and instructional assets that correspond to its respective focus.
Certificates of educational recognition will be provided to students who participate in the classes and teachers who are engaged in the Teacher Certification Program of the Department of Religious Education.
The first class will convene on Tuesday, October 8th at 7:30 pm at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in the Booras Lecture Room located on the lower level of the Archbishop Iakovos Library. Participants attending the class are asked to please bring a notebook and their Bibles.
For further information, please contact the Department of Religious Education at (617) 850-1218