ED2618 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Open Classroom
Reading Guide Week 6: Godly Play
Hyde, B. (2011). Motessori and Jerome Berryman: work, play, religious education and
the art of using the Christian language system, British Journal of Religious Education,
33(3), 341-35
Describe Berryman’s approach to religious education.
- Founded on his belief that children need to learn and master the art of using the
Christian language system in order to play at the edges of their knowing and being as
to creatively discern meaning and purpose in life
- Emphasis on a carefully prepared environment (sensory materials) representing the
story of Christ through story, liturgical action best enable the children to learn to use
this art form
- More hands on rather than written
- Berryman’s emphasis on the centrality of play and the creative process in his approach
to religious education
Discuss the philosophy of work and play.
- Child prefers work to play
- Work = any activity which involves the child’s whole personality and has its
unconscious aim the construction of personality
- Work for a child = internal aim, a child works in order to grow that is to create the
adult that she or he is become
- Play only satisfies only one part of one’s nature whereas work goes far deeper to
satisfy the whole of the ones being
- Child work = both rhythm and repetition
- Emphasise play in his approach to RE that he is at pains to draw attention and ca
Berryman argues that religion is a domain of creativity. What does this
mean?
- The creative process as consisting of five steps or phases
- It consists of 3 components
o The domain - (such as mathematics, or indeed, religion)
o A field - ( consisting of people who act as the gatekeepers to the
domain such as teachers, critics, clerics, all of whom act so as to
decide whether a new idea should be included in the domain)
o The individual person - (who uses symbols of a given domain to
develop and shape a new idea
Berryman draws on the work of Loder (1981) describing the creative
process as consisting of five steps or phases. They are as follows, give an
example in each:
Disruption of circle of meaning:
- Death of a loved one
Developing a new frame of meaning
- How person copes with death
Insight
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Document Summary
Motessori and jerome berryman: work, play, religious education and the art of using the christian language system, british journal of religious education, Founded on his belief that children need to learn and master the art of using the. Christian language system in order to play at the edges of their knowing and being as to creatively discern meaning and purpose in life to religious education. Emphasis on a carefully prepared environment (sensory materials) representing the story of christ through story, liturgical action best enable the children to learn to use this art form. Berryman"s emphasis on the centrality of play and the creative process in his approach. Work = any activity which involves the child"s whole personality and has its. Play only satisfies only one part of one"s nature whereas work goes far deeper to. Work for a child = internal aim, a child works in order to grow that is to create the unconscious aim the construction of personality.
