1. The Melbourne Scale
& Post Critical Belief
Understanding the context for our R.E
learning and teaching.
Adapted by Emma Rutherford
from material produced by Prof. Dr. Didier Pollefeyt (Jan Boewens) and
Learning, Leading and Teaching in the mission of Catholic Schools
School Leaders Forum, Fr. Kevin Lenehan

2. Activity
Please read through the list of statements you have been given:
• Mark four statements that you particularly agree with or that
resonate with you.
• Mark four statements that you disagree with.

3. What implications does ‘Secularisation’ have for our
teaching and learning?

4. Melbourne Scale:
Schools generally respond to the changing context by becoming:
• Confessional Schools
• Christian Values Schools
• Institutional Reconfessionalisation Schools
• Institutional Secularisation Schools
• Recontextualisation Schools

5. Match the statements to the
description:

6. Match the statements to the
description:

7. Match the statements to the
description:

8. Match the statements to the
description:

9. Match the statements to the
description:

10. The Melbourne Scale
(diagram)

11. Reflection:
What statements did you agree with in the initial activity?
What statements did you disagree with?
What do your responses tell you about your personal context?
What implications might this have for our school’s aim to be a
Recontextualising School?
Take ten minutes to reflect on these questions, and jot some of
your thinking into your online journal.

12. Post-Critical Belief Scale

14. Hermeneutic Belief
• hermeneutics [ˌ hɜˌm ɪˌnjuˌtɪks]
• n (functioning as singular)
• 1. (Christian Religious Writings / Bible) the science of
interpretation, esp of Scripture
• 2. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) the branch of
theology that deals with the principles and methodology of
exegesis
• 3. (Philosophy) Philosophy
• a. the study and interpretation of human behaviour and social
institutions
• b. (in existentialist thought) discussion of the purpose of life
• [from Greek hermēneutikos expert in interpretation, from
hermēneuein to interpret, from hermēneus interpreter, of
uncertain origin]

16. What’s the teaching point?

17. What’s the teaching point?

18. What’s the teaching point?

20. Reflection:
1. Please consider the Hermeneutic Belief Style model.
Write in your online journal a sentence or two about your
understanding of this model and how it relates to the Post
Critical Belief Scale or the Melbourne Scale.
2. Please complete the RE Pedagogy Teacher Tool. (Emma will
collect these at the end of the meeting).
From the basis of the learning in today’s meeting and your self-
assessment, please set three specific goals for your R.E teaching
and learning in 2013. Write these goals in your online journal.
3. Please read and respond to someone else’s journal entry.

21. Where to next?
Emma will propose a trial P-6 Learning Sequence for R.E in 2013.
This Learning Sequence will incorporate:
• To Know Worship and Love program.
• A Hermeneutic Belief approach.
• Collaborative Online Learning.
• Outcomes from the CEOM ‘Tracking Tool’.
• An Inquiry model.
This P-6 unit will be carefully delivered in Term One and
evaluated in time to plan for Term Two.
Watch this space!