Mirando al pasado y caminando hacia el futuro: un currículo religioso de la escuela secundaria católica para el siglo XXI

Abstract

This paper examines the secondary school religious education curriculum in the province of Ontario, Canada. Two questions are addressed: Why are Catholic schools failing to graduate well-informed, active Catholics and what changes are needed in the high school curriculum in order to reverse this trend? These questions are approached from an historical perspective. It is argued here that a new high school religious education curriculum is needed in order to counter the prevailing influence of secularism. It is contended that students are graduating without the knowledge and skills necessary to understand their own faith and to explain it in a logical, convincing manner. It is further argued that this new curriculum must be as academically rigorous as other courses offered in Ontario high schools. William Pinar’s theory on subjectivity and development of self provides the theoretical framework for this paper.