Religious Literacy: Children’s Museums as Playful Spaces to Engage Young Children and Adults
November 1, 2023 — Children’s museums provide playful spaces within the public sphere for children and adults to engage together through familiar and novel content and platforms. This talk explores processes in developing religious literacy within the informal educational context of Boston Children’s Museum (BCM). To guide critical theory-practice connections, we reflect on how as collaborators in the Religious Literacy Initiative we sought to provide children and the adults who care for them opportunities to: 1) unpack how beliefs and values develop as a facet of identity; 2) increase comfort around differing belief systems and uncover commonalities; and 3) celebrate religious, cultural and familial traditions.
Podcasting as Pedagogy
October 12, 2023 — World Religions high school teacher Greg Soden will offer tips, show examples and rubrics, and discuss the various tools available to educators who want to assess their students via podcasting!
The Search for the “Right” College: An Overview of White Evangelical College Decision-Making with Implications for Practice
September 21, 2023 — Although white evangelicals have long been skeptical about non-sectarian higher education, the current climate in the United States necessitates a fresh look at possible sources of their beliefs. Edwards’s research seeks to understand how evangelical high school students navigate the college enrollment process in the current polarized climate.
Developing Religious Literacy in Iowa Schools
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 — Mike Graziano, University of Northern Iowa
Developing local religious literacy programming can be both challenging and rewarding. In this session, Michael Graziano will provide a brief overview of the “Iowa Religious Literacy Program,” which provides professional development opportunities to Iowa public school teachers through addressing specific local religious literacy concerns.
Comic Books, Women, and the Word of God: Adapting Jewish Texts with Feminist Significance into Graphic Novels
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 — In this session, Talia Hurwich will provide a brief overview of the breadth of comic book and graphic novel adaptations of the Bible and rabbinic writings.
Religious Literacy Education Beyond Secondary Social Studies: Including English Language Arts in Secondary Teacher Professional Development
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 — Gayle Pagnoni, Program Director at the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance at Rice University will discuss the expansion of her professional development program to include English Language Arts.
Religion in State Education Policy
Monday, March 21, 2022 — Bryan Kelley will discuss education policy at the state level in general, introduce some organizations and resources that provide helpful information on state education policy, and provide some examples and trends on legislative actions regarding religion seen in state education policy in recent years.
Teacher Perspectives on Professional Development about Religious Literacy
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 — A panel of educators from Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland) will discuss their experiences of professional development about religious literacy.
Teaching about Religion In Europe & the UK
December 14, 2021 — An international panel of scholars will provide an overview of how several European countries teach about religion
Brie Laskota: Understanding Religious Literacy Content Creators
November 16, 2021 — Brie Laskota will discuss her recent report, Understanding Religious Literacy Content Creators and Providers in Education, Journalism, and New Media: A Report for the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, produced with the Inclusive American Project of the Aspen Institute.
