Kenny, Grace (2022) A Holistic Classroom: Integrating Religious Education and Social, Personal and Health Education for the Holistic Development of the child. Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

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Abstract

The purpose of this action research project was to explore how I can change and develop my practice to create a holistic learning environment in my classroom for the well-being of the child. The research was conducted in a co-educational urban school in Dublin with Catholic patronage. The majority of the children in my class come from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. This self-study research project was designed by integrating the curricular areas of Religious Education (R.E.), through the Grow in Love programme, and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE). The stark contrast in time allocation between these two subjects was one of the factors which prompted this study. An integrated approach to planning and teaching aimed to address this issue of time allocation. The intervention took place during R.E. and SPHE lessons. The qualitative data was collected through observation, a reflective journal, and questionnaires. The data was stored in a password protected file or a secure folder to ensure confidentiality. The data collected was coded and analysed to uncover any emerging themes and findings. The emerging themes were reflection, relationships, and external factors. The three findings that emerged were: integrating SPHE and R.E. can lead to a more inclusive classroom environment; integration can cause an increase in workload for the practitioner; and starting with the child facilitates the creation of a holistic learning environment. Considering my future practice, this research caused a change in my teaching and planning. I began this project with the aim of enabling all children in my class to feel more nurtured in a caring and inclusive environment. With the increasingly diverse nature of the classroom, it is crucial to ensure all children feel included. Although it can create an increase in workload, the implementation of integration in planning was worthwhile for the creation of a holistic learning environment. The positives of planning meaningful integration between R.E. and SPHE, out way the negatives.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Additional Information:	M.Ed. Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education
Keywords:	Holistic Classroom; Integrating Religious Education; Social; Personal and Health Education; Holistic Development; children;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education
Item ID:	17304
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	09 Jun 2023 11:17
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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