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
RE in Catholic high schools: Challenge and Hope
Contemporary academic writing on RE in Catholic secondary schools no longer conceptualises it as the serene passing on of Catholic faith to practicing Catholics (catechesis). The Catholic RE classroom will contain a wide spectrum of practising and non-practising Catholics, pupils of other denominations and religions, and many seekers, doubters and agnostics. So the key is … Read more RE in Catholic high schools: Challenge and Hope
GEN Z RELIGION: THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH
Blog by Chiara Dell’Orfanello For a year now, the lives of each of us have been devastated by the pandemic, and who could have thought that one of its consequences would have been an unprecedented increase in young believers. Recent studies by the University of Columbia indicate a divide between generations: on the one hand … Read more GEN Z RELIGION: THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH
The relevance of Philosophy in our Catholic schools
Luca La Monica, teacher of Religious Education, Trinity High, Renfrew The teaching of Philosophy as a discipline has a millenary tradition which goes back to Ancient Greece (with regards to the Western world), where it assumed a key role as the highest form of human reasoning. Philosophy has historically maintained an important role up until … Read more The relevance of Philosophy in our Catholic schools
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