Sunday, January 23, 2011

CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a Montessori-inspired form of religious education.  It is very spiritual, and the curriculum is based on Scripture and Liturgy.  I never cease to find it inspiring to watch the children in class.  The religious potential of children is extraordinary, as is their ability to concentrate and focus.  Why do we so often plan activities that presume children must always be moving?

In the CGS classroom (as in a good Montessori school) even children this age can be found to be deeply engaged.  These two had chosen to listen to the Bibl story about the Epiphany.  Although they can't read,they have the opportunity to find the actual passages in the Bible and they recognize the Bible as a Sacred book.  They can also "work" with the figures you see at the lower left....but these are presented as holy objects, to be used with respect, and it is lovely to see the children respond so wholeheartedly to this idea. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks really interesting! Is this material meant to be used in classrooms or is it also available for homeschoolers or other groups p.e. our scouts group?

Annie said...

Well, to have a proper CGS class, you need to have teachers specifically trained for this - Ciska, I hadn't thought of it until now, but you would be perfect for this ministry. See if you can find a CGS class to visit - you will be inspired, I promise. Just looking at these photos again touched my heart. Training here is about ten day-long sessions, but there is homework (preparation of materials) in between the monthly classes.

You'd also like Sofia Cavaletti's book The Religious Potential of the Child. (And you have your adorable little brother to try it out on!)

Anonymous said...

We don't have classes for catechism. We don't even have proper, organised catechism, not for children, not for adults, nothing. There are a lot of isolated events, but nothing organized.
What is a CGS class? I'd love to teach children, it's something that gives me energy and gives me the feeling I actually did something that mattered, but I don't feel like starting everything up on myself.

Anonymous said...

We don't have classes for catechism. We don't even have proper, organised catechism, not for children, not for adults, nothing. There are a lot of isolated events, but nothing organized.
What is a CGS class? I'd love to teach children, it's something that gives me energy and gives me the feeling I actually did something that mattered, but I don't feel like starting everything up on myself.

Anonymous said...

Sorry for double posting above.
And I figured out what CGS class is too. Let's just say it's been a tiring week ...