Welcome to The Cloisters, the blog of the St Andrew’s Foundation, the home of Catholic Teacher Education in Scotland.
The aim of The Cloisters is to stimulate reflection, discussion and scholarship in the field of Catholic Education and Catholic Religious Education both in Scotland and further afield.
Much as the monastic cloisters once did, this blog hopes to provide a space of meeting, encounter, and dialogue. It seeks to provide a forum for staff, students, and alumni, as well as teachers, parents and clergy to articulate a vision of Catholic Education, and to circulate fresh ideas, good practice and areas for growth.
We warmly invite and encourage contributions as well as comment and discussion. Please be respectful and constructive in your comments. Comments that are offensive or inappropriate will be deleted by the moderators.
Latest from the Blog
Pedagogies of the Pandemic Blog 1: “Light Shines in the Darkness”
Teaching online last term was something that I was absolutely dreading, a feeling that I know many of my colleagues shared. A common concern was the sense of personal connection, the building of a community within the classroom, that allows for the venture of dialogue, conversation, and learning. When it comes to Catholic education, which … Read more Pedagogies of the Pandemic Blog 1: “Light Shines in the Darkness”
Closure of Churches: Safety or Scandal?
Roisín Coll, Fr Stephen Reilly and Anna Blackman The announcement on Sunday that we were to enter another severe lockdown left many of us scrambling to get organised for what lies ahead in these next four weeks. Indeed, closure of schools means that teachers and parents alike are having to prepare for another period of … Read more Closure of Churches: Safety or Scandal?
Missing the Music
Dr Maureen A Farrell (Senior Lecturer, Programme Leader MEd Children’s Literature and Literacies, UoG) Descriptions of Christmas 2020 usually seem to include words like unusual, challenging or unprecedented. One I would add is absence. The absence of contact, the absence of touch, the absence of gathering – social and religious. And for me one of … Read more Missing the Music
