Looking beyond the self - learning from the Liturgy

It is not often we consider links between authentic Catholic liturgical practice and education but here goes…

At a ‘Year of Faith’ conference in the City Chambers of Glasgow on December 1 2012, Cardinal George Pell called for significant reforms in contemporary liturgical practice. His support for the practice of Mass celebrated ‘ad orientem’ (facing East towards the risen Lord) was the most poignant moment for me. His words merit repetition:

Christ should always be at the centre of the Mass, rather than the priest. As a consequence, I strongly support placing a crucifix between the people and the officiating priest and would support a return to the practice of the celebrant facing east, with his back to the people. This would make it abundantly clear that whoever is at the centre of the celebration, it is not the priest.

This makes utmost sense in liturgical terms. It is rooted in the history of the Church as seen in its artistic patrimony. Even today, it is the standard practice at the side altar used for daily morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. (See also this example of the Pope saying Mass ‘ad orientem’ in the Sistine Chapel.)

Putting liturgy to the side, what does the symbolism of ‘ad orientem’ mean in educational terms? I suggest that it is a sign of the importance of the ‘other’ in place of the idolization of self, of the community to which we belong. The educational journey at its best is a process leading us out of our own limited vision and allowing the core of our being to be refreshed by the encounter with the ‘other’ - the great minds of the past and present. This allows us to ‘rise’ from our limitations and seek wisdom in those ancient streams of knowledge which are so often unjustly blocked in the field of contemporary education. The well-trodden pathways of beauty, truth and goodness are the antidotes to educational programmes which promise excellence yet offer nothing more than a rusty chain of paltry, platitudinal and performative ‘aims, outcomes and success criteria’.

There is a better way. It lies hidden beneath the crust of so-called progressive education and its horizontal anthropology. It is called the Catholic Intellectual Tradition’. Taste it and see!

Review of 'Creating Catholics - Catechism and Primary Education in Early Modern France'

Karen Carter’s interesting study (2011, University of Notre Dame Press) explores ‘religious education’ in pre-Revolutionary France. This original study allows contemporary educators to immerse themselves in a world which is quite different to 21st century educational systems. What unites these epochs is the enormous influence of religious bodies in the provision of schooling. To be sure, the education provided in the period covered by this book is limited in scope when set alongside the wider curriculum of today’s schools: we would certainly wish to go beyond learning to read simply in order to read the Scriptures and portions of a catechism. However, this is where we glimpse the roots of local provision of education; thanks to some fascinating insights from extant primary sources, the reader becomes immersed in the complex interaction between clergy and lay people as they strove to build an effective schooling system.

What can we learn from a volume such as this? Given the title, this book will be of direct interest to historians of France, historians of education and contemporary students of religious education. More broadly, we come to understand how parents and communities would go to amazing lengths to provide an ‘education’ – albeit a simple instruction in basic skills - to their children. Alongside the impressive range of historical detail, the book reminds us that the aspirations of parents remain constant: to offer educational opportunities to their children which they might not have enjoyed. Is this much different today?

Education remains the bedrock of a good society. In a publicly-funded system, it is easy to forget the hardship and sacrifices suffered in the past by people of modest means who were prepared to dig into meagre resources to fund schools and teachers.

I end with a question: what kind of education system will we bequeath to our children?

Enchantment, Education and the Trivium

Stratford Caldecott’s latest book Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education (2012, Angelico Press) offers a well-constructed rationale for a return to an authentic understanding of liberal education for the modern age. In brief, Caldecott’s argument is as follows: the return of the classical trivium of grammar, rhetoric and dialectic is an essential condition for education to re-root itself in the search for wisdom. For Caldecott, there is an urgent need to see education as a process of enchantment with beauty:

‘Too often we have not been educating our humanity. We have been educating ourselves for doing rather than being. We live in an excessive activist civilization, in which contemplation and interiority are often despised and suppressed in favor (sic) of mere action and reaction’ (p.11).

Why is this such an important argument? Is this not simply a sepia-tinted vision with little grounding in the reality of schooling today? These are important questions and below is the brief sketch of an answer.

The neglect of the foundational principles set out by Caldecott has allowed education, especially at tertiary level, to become detached from its true home in philosophy and theology and become a branch of the social sciences. Here the focus is slanted heavily towards measurable ‘outcomes’: for many, a ‘good education’ is one which leads to a good job  - understood as one with a high salary and concomitant social status. The notion of learning as a journey to goodness seems to have been left to one side, possibly because there is no shared agreement on what it is to be good and on how goodness can be expressed in public and private life. In other words, a moral relativism has taken a firm, and increasingly intolerant, grip on education.

The rediscovery of the trivium is not to be seen as the ‘painkiller’ which will ease the symptoms of the current ‘educational emergency’. It is part of a long-term approach designed to change the culture of education towards one which values the shared intellectual traditions bequeathed to us and which we should bequeath in turn, suitably enhanced, to those who come after us.

For more on this see (and disseminate) the Beauty in Education blog.

Access Programmes

The recent report on access to Higher Education in the United Kingdom merits careful reading and, more importantly, a considered response. I do not intend to comment on the report as a whole but would like to offer a brief reflection on the principle of university access programmes.

I have had some involvement in access programmes. I am currently my own university’s representative on one modest but successful programme: Access to Primary Education.  What makes it a successful programme is, in my opinion,  the recognition by the pupils on the programme that entry to an ‘ancient’ university is dependent on hard work, dedication and a change in attitudes, principally their own. This programme does not offer a lower tariff for entry but offers extra tuition in English and Maths from post-graduate students. Furthermore, residential weekends designed to raise the aspirations of the participants encourage them to see university as an achievable goal. All of this seems worthwhile to me.

Of course, it is easy to be sceptical and argue that this and similar initiatives favour those who happen to live in the areas covered by the programme. Nonetheless,  I remain convinced that a good access programme can go some way to remedying the less than helpful consequences of so-called progressive education -  but that is another story for another time. Give access programmes your support. 

Silence and Stillness in Education

One of the manifestations of the current ‘educational emergency’ is a lack of opportunities for a genuine appreciation of silence and stillness. This does not refer solely to noise and chatter in the classroom but is something deeper and more urgent. What does this mean and how is it an issue?

The educator should see websites, blogs and social media platforms as rich opportunities to enhance the educational opportunities available. We hold no truck with an unthinking Luddism which holds technological innovation in disdain; neither do we see the new media as revolutionary tools without which we can no longer teach. (A good exercise for student teachers is to plan lessons for a classroom which has no power sockets. They can only use books and some form of board for writing. If you are a teacher educator, try it with your students.)

Social media afford us an opportunity to connect instantly to our ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ across the world. Of course, this can be a wonderful tool to pass on good information about books, websites etc. but has the potential seriously to disturb our ability to concentrate for sustained periods of time. If we study constantly with these media switched on then the temptation to break our patterns of work and study is ever-present.

Without denying the beneficial role that technology can play in education, let us not forget the value of a comfortable chair and the text of a good book or a journal. It does not matter if it is read on an e-reader as long as other functions of the device are turned off. To read deeply in such a setting needs silence and stillness, not just of the body, but of the spirit; from this recreative opportunity the student is free to engage in meaningful dialogue with the text and begin to make sense of it in his or her own mind. This is where learning begins and the students realise that their teachers are not just those who stand before them in class on a daily basis but are, in fact, the great minds of the past upon whose shoulders we all stand. The only way to know what these minds have to say to us today is to spend the necessary time in the sustained, silent reading of the classic texts.

Things Catholic, philosophical and educational

An interesting book crossed my path a few weeks ago: Recovering a Catholic Philosophy of Elementary Education by Professor Curtis Hancock of Rockhurst University, USA. It is published by Newman House Press. (See here and here for online reviews.)

It is striking to see a title which places words like 'Catholic', 'philosophy' and 'education' in one sentence. This is a pleasing reminder that education - and not just Catholic education - is first and foremost a philosophical endeavour. So often contemporary education is understood solely as a preparation for work and/or a training in so-called transferable skills.

What is striking about this short book is its clear critique of what have become the guiding poles of much contemporary educational thought. Hancock maps out the intellectual territory of Catholic education and identifies the implicitly and explicitly hostile ideologies which have encamped on this territory, often by innocent invitation. Hancock is not a contrarian but his book allows the reader to see just where and how certain fashionable viewpoints sit uneasily with the Catholic worldview.

The final chapter of the book is entitled 'Confronting the Idols of the Educational Tribe', a deliciously provocative look at the tension between Catholic ideas and the following themes: 1) values-neutral education; 2) the naturalist worldview; 3) the educational though of Rousseau and Dewey; 4) the question of truth; 5) Kohlberg's 'stages of moral development'; 6) Gardner's 'multiple intelligences' and 7) social construct theory (constructivism). There is much food for thought here for all educators…

The weakness (if we can call it that) of this book, paradoxically, is the title. It would be a great shame if only teachers in Catholic elementary schools were to read this book as its scope reaches far beyond elementary education and, indeed, Catholic education. It is a radical rethinking of the very soul of what has come to be known as 'progressive education'.

One last thought: Professor Hancock's book is not an obituary for a failed system; it is a manifesto for the future.

'Teaching the Tradition'

Recent years have seen the publication of a number of interesting volumes on Catholic education. For example, Stratford Caldecott's two books Beauty for Truth's Sake and Beauty in the Word offer some challenging perspectives on the unique Catholic vision of education. Alongside these two short monographs, the recently published Teaching the Tradition: Catholic Themes in Academic Disciplines  (Morey and Piderit, Eds.) is set to become a classic volume on education. I do not say this lightly, so let me explain.

The theme of Catholic education is never far from the surface of contemporary debate on education. It is right that this should be the case as the roots of modern education lie in the monastic schools which were dotted around Europe in medieval times. Catholic educational thought is hence the parent of education today!

Dr. Morey and Fr. Piderit's scholarly volume shows why any Catholic educational institution should do far more than simply add a course in 'Religious Education' or 'Theology' to a standard 'secular' curriculum. Catholic educators will be reminded of (or even introduced to) the distinctive Catholic approach to knowledge. Of course, there is no such thing as 'Catholic Maths' or 'Catholic Modern Languages': this is not a claim of the book. The Catholic educational body, rather, seeks to teach from a perspective which sees all knowledge as part of the revelation of God to humanity. This volume succeeds in setting out in an innovative way just how a Catholic (Higher) Education institution can configure a rigorous 'Catholic syllabus' in the tense, utilitarian and target-driven world of contemporary education.

If you know any teachers in Catholic schools or Higher Education institutions who are searching for good reading material for forthcoming winter staff development sessions, this book is worth a look. Its availability via Oxford Scholarship Online should help it gain a wide readership.

Back to School 2012

Across the world, schools, colleges and universities are returning to their mission of teaching and scholarship. The sense of renewal which affects educators at this time reminds us that good education is itself a process of on-going renewal of the human person in the light of the wisdom and traditions which we have been privileged to receive. As educators, despite the often dazzling mountains of forward-planning documents around us, we do not yet know what this academic year will bring: education, thankfully, is full of surprises. What we can do, however, is to constantly seek excellence in our profession, both in the 'grand' schemes and in the minutiae of daily life. Most of all, let us treasure the opportunity we have been given to help young (and not so young) people in their integral formation. This is how we can  - and should - make a difference.

'Taking Education Seriously' has not published over the summer months. Normal service is now resuming. Many heartfelt thanks to all who consult this blog and send me their comments and thoughts. I wish you all a good 'academic' new year.

Pope Benedict XVI: Education as the Shaping of Hearts

In the seven years of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has offered to all people the fruits of his lifetime’s scholarship in areas such as liturgy and the relationship between faith and reason. He has travelled widely and spoken to diverse audiences about the role of religion and belief in a plural society. For this he has been both applauded and contradicted.

What is less apparent is his growing engagement with educational matters. Indeed, of all recent Popes he is the one who shown the greatest solicitude for the welfare of both schools and institutions of higher learning. (See this blog’s post of January 2, 2012). This should not surprise us as his interest in philosophy leads naturally to an interest in education - itself a branch of philosophy. As has been noted previously, Pope Benedict’s interest is not limited to the affairs and workings of Catholic schools but extends to all modes of education.

His recent address to some American bishops is a case in point. There is much here which, unsurprisingly, refers to expressions of Catholic identity in education. Within these wider thoughts, we catch once again rich and valuable glimpses of his broader educational philosophy emerging from comments which are rooted in the context of the Catholic mission of education:

‘… the essential task of authentic education at every level is not simply that of passing on knowledge, essential as this is, but also of shaping hearts.’


The authentic secular educator recognises the truth of this statement. It is a safeguard against expressions of schooling which have an inordinate focus on preparation for work, exam results, school league tables and the gaining of national and international awards. Pope Benedict reminds us all that education which is not heartfelt is no longer an education but has become a rude and mediocre system of human training for mechanistic ends.

Finally, I read into this extract the following message to Catholic schools: keep on reforming your ways of working, avoid the rush to seek approval from the agencies of the state and, most importantly, see your school as a ‘sign of contradiction’ to educational philosophies and practices which are not aligned to the Catholic worldview.

Do you believe in a tolerant society? I do!

One neuralgic issue for all schools today is how to address the question of  marriage in Religious Education lessons and other school activities. Certainly those in favour of changing the traditional understanding of marriage as between one man and one woman (henceforth ‘marriage’) have largely succeeded in fighting the battle on the territory they have chosen. Supporters of marriage have constantly to respond to accusations that they are promoting attitudes which promote backwardness, bigotry and intolerance. It is clear that the issue of marriage is becoming enmeshed in wider arguments about the role of religious ways of thinking in a secular society.

The UK press tends to give a reasonable hearing to both sides of the argument. A recent article and associated comments in the Guardian exemplifies the mindset of some of those who wish to redefine marriage. Another article in the Telegraph (written by an atheist) states the case for Catholic schools to teach from a Catholic position and explains why Catholic schools will always support and teach the value of marriage.

What is of concern is how the state will deal with schools which cannot assent to the proposed new definitions of marriage  - assuming it ever becomes law.  I refer here principally but not exclusively to Catholic schools. Although we are often told that we live in a plural society, the Guardian article above is testament to how far we have to go to achieve a genuine pluralism in the UK.

This issue will be in the news for a while and educators are once again in the front line.

Revisiting Jacques Maritain’s 'Education at the Crossroads'

A classic but often neglected work on education is the French philosopher Jacques Maritain’s Education at the Crossroads. This short and readable volume is based on a series of lectures given at Yale University during the Second Word War. Maritain made no attempt to disguise his attachment to Catholic philosophy and proposed a carefully nuanced vision of education based on Catholic anthropology which would be of value to all who have an interest in good education. As such, he is both a Catholic philosopher of education and a philosopher of Catholic education…

The book merits careful reading as a whole but some brief sketching of its lines of argument can be helpful. Maritain joins the philosopher Hannah Arendt and the historian Christopher Dawson in identifying a cultural crisis in education. For Maritain, education is the process which makes the person fully alive. Wisdom is the key to good life and, for Maritain, there is danger in reducing education to the teaching of sets of skills without a clear focus on the moral and human development of the human person. Maritain’s curriculum for a liberal education (Chapter III) is hence a plan for a study of the ‘great achievements of the human mind’: philosophy, theology, classical literature and poetry are all there - although he courts controversy by not including Latin, Greek and Hebrew in his proposals.


In modern times, Pope Benedict XVI has drawn on similar ideas to diagnose an ‘educational emergency’ in the west. For all of these profound thinkers, an education system which is not rooted in the fertile stream of tradition is one which lacks the vital resources needed in order to nourish the young generation. Education which does not look beyond the teaching of skills and aptitudes is no longer education but training.

A final thought: the authentic educator should be an agent of both conservation and change in education; the authentic educator does not simply ‘deliver’ a curriculum designed to meet the perceived needs of an economic system; the authentic educator simply educates.

What can we do to steer our education systems back on to the firm rock of tradition?

Palm Sunday 2012

As the Christian liturgical calendar journeys through the great ceremonies of Holy Week and  Easter, the educator does not and cannot stand by in disinterested observation. There are rich and profound educational lessons here which sit alongside the rich and profound theological mysteries of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The secular world celebrates the 'spring festival' and watches in wonder as nature comes alive and new life bursts into the gardens, fields and valleys of our land. The Christian too rejoices at these signs of  'new life' and uses these propitious moments to proclaim that the human spirit and body can be renewed no matter how tough life can be. This theme of renewal and hope should not, of course, be unique to the Christian. All of us can look beyond the confines of our own memories and experiences and find in education the key which unlocks the potential within us to live an authentically human life.

Good education offers a new life of hope for those who have been beaten down by the scourges of materialism and family breakdown.

Good education opens our mind to the great thinkers of the past and allows us to draw inspiration from their works and words.

Good education allows students and teachers to look to the future with a joyful hope which is not enclosed by the fear of failure and the search for an undefined 'relevance'.

Good education helps to break down the barriers of unjust discrimination, sectarianism and narrow-mindedness. These vices flourish in a sea of ignorance but cannot resist the light of wisdom.

The important role of the educator cannot be overestimated. Let us all truly take education seriously.

To read or not to read...

The Rev. Peter Mullen is one of my favourite commentators on the state of the Christian religion in the UK today. He often roams into other topically 'hot' issues and his latest blogpost on the teaching of reading in England is characteristically - and enjoyably - bombastic. The Rev. Mullen takes aim at a recent report by OFSTED (the Inspectors of Education in England) which seeks to lay much of the blame for the poor literacy standards in English schools at the door of inadequate use of phonics in the teaching of reading. Peter Mullen's argument (in brief) is that OFSTED’s attempt to improve the use of phonics will do little or indeed nothing to remedy this drastic situation.


The Rev. Mullen uses his blogpost to criticize fiercely the aggressive politically-correct ideology of modern state education.  He describes vividly his memories of education as a boy in post-War England. The model of literacy and schooling which the young Peter Mullen was fortunate to experience has fallen victim to the same ideology which has sought to rid our education system of the riches of the broader cultural inheritance of the west in its Christian-inspired literature, art and music.


OFSTED should be commended for its advocacy of phonics. If only OFSTED and other state agencies were to see that a return to the study of the ‘great books’ of the west would go someway to healing the wounds of modern education.

Lenten Thoughts

The first Sunday of Lent (February 26, 2012) is an opportunity for Christians to prepare for Easter by the traditional means of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This valuable tripartite approach keeps the 'whole person' focussed on the approaching celebration in a spirit of recollection and concern for the good of others. Christian schools will play their part in this mission by making special efforts to engage their pupils in the riches of the liturgical season and assist them to be ever more aware of the demands which Lent places on the Christian. It is right that this should be so. Children are fully part of the life of the Church and benefit from the challenges of a 'big project' like Lent.

While schools which are not rooted in the Christian tradition are less likely to highlight the importance of Lent as a liturgical season outwith any Religious Education lesson, I would suggest that all schools need a reflective space in which to re-evaluate their mission as a community of educators. While the term 'secular Lent' is an oxymoron, there remains a need for some form of retreat from the front line of teaching and the burden imposed by often pointless paperwork. While the Christian teachers return to their Scriptures and the wisdom of Tradition for inspiration, all teachers can return to the history and philosophy of education in order to evaluate contemporary policies and practices in the light of the shared intellectual streams of the past.

A Good Education?

Recent comments by staff at Oxford University on the (perceived) shortcomings of candidates for higher education courses cannot be dismissed as solely the port-sodden ruminations of bewhiskered professors!

The heart of the matter is as follows: schooling in the United Kingdom seems to have become solely a pursuit of 'good' grades intended to provide entrance to a top university and thus lead to a degree and a 'good job'. What is missing here is the crucial element of the fostering of intellectual curiosity leading to further exploration of the cultural heritage of mankind.

We can all provide anecdotal evidence of so-called good schools which provide revision classes outwith hours where teachers are expected to attend and offer tuition with past papers etc. There are also many ‘access initiatives’ which offer similar services to children from other types of schools. All of these schools are playing by the rules of a system which has a narrow focus on results and accountability.

A similar issue arises in the classroom and perhaps it is time to address deeper issues regarding the planning of lessons. For example, are we prepared to question the validity of schemes of work  - both in schools and in HE institutions - which are driven by complex ladders of intended learning outcomes and associated success criteria? Do these criteria serve as signposts to wider learning or do they confine teaching and learning to narrow and measurable objectives?

It might be time to return to the brief essay /exam question - without layers of success criteria - such as:

'Explore the value of education today.'
'Schooling can provide opportunities for education. Discuss.'

The debate continues.

Pope Benedict XVI and Education

First of all, I wish you  a very happy and fruitful 2012.

The first posting of 2012 concerns Pope Benedict XVI's annual message for the World Day of Peace (January 1) which, this year, takes education as its theme.

 Since his election in 2005, Pope Benedict has made a number of references to education in various speeches: his speech to the Diocese of Rome in 2007 is probably the best known of these. The recently published message for 2012 has developed his key thoughts on education and placed them in the public domain as a vital reference point for all involved in education today. (It would be a mistake to see these thoughts on education simply as guidelines for Catholic education. His field of reference is far wider.)



Pope Benedict addresses first the role of educators before dealing in turn with the following topics: educating in truth and freedom; education in justice; educating in peace. He concludes with an appeal to all, and especially to young people, to raise one's eyes to God.

 Running through the text are themes which are common to Benedict's wider writings on faith and culture: the need for integral education and the noxious effects of utilitarianism, rationalism and individualism on economics and culture. For Benedict, the key 'outcome' of education (if I may be permitted to use this difficult and problematic term to refer to the work of a nuanced intellectual) is freedom. The following passage is a neat summary of his broader vision:

It is the task of education to form people in authentic freedom. This is not the absence of constraint or the supremacy of free will, it is not the absolutism of the self. When man believes himself to be absolute, to depend on nothing and no one, to be able to do anything he wants, he ends up contradicting the truth of his own being and  forfeiting his freedom. On the contrary, man is a relational being, who lives in relationship with others and especially with God. Authentic freedom can never be attained independently of God (section 3).




This text asks deep questions about the purpose of education in a world in which innovation tends to be confused with progress and traditional sources of authority are, it seems, no more than reminders of unenlightened times. Pope Benedict has, once again, challenged these new 'orthodoxies'. What will our response be?