Teachers from Jesuit schools in Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Timor-Leste and Cambodia, including four Jesuit priests and one scholastic, recently gathered in Sydney, Australia, for an Advanced Ignatian Teaching Programme. The five-day workshop, which began on November 11, was conducted by teachers and staff of St Ignatius College, Riverview.
The first morning was spent reviewing recent experience of applying Ignatian pedagogy in the participants’ various contexts. The 28 participants began working in small international reflection groups immediately and the emphasis was on practical applications rather than theoretical understandings. The students and teachers of Riverview allowed the participants to observe classes on many different subjects, stimulating further reflection within the small groups.
Visits were arranged to St Aloysius College and Loyola Senior High, which demonstrated marked differences in the application of Ignatian pedagogical practices. The emphasis of St Aloysius was on academic excellence while the students of Loyola Senior High seemed to have a clear sense of identity and purpose despite coming from extraordinarily diverse cultural backgrounds. The integration of apprenticeship training for trades with an academic programme stimulated much reflection among the participants.
Some young and innovative Riverview teachers presented aspects of their reflective teaching practice and the workshop participants could see how fruitful Ignatian pedagogy is when the individual teacher applies it creatively.
“It became clear that while Jesuits can provide leadership in the areas of Jesuit spirituality and formation, it will be the lay teachers who provide leadership in the application of Ignatian pedagogy to individual lessons within particular cultures,” said Fr Ashley Evans SJ, a member of the Education Mission Leadership Team in Cambodia where the Jesuits are planning a new school. “Collaboration as equal partners is essential for Jesuit or Ignatian schools to produce the fruits desired i.e. young people for others.”
The small groups deepened their reflections on context, experience, reflection, action and evaluation. It was agreed that the more advanced groups i.e. Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia will help the less advanced groups in Hong Kong, Macau, Timor-Leste and Cambodia. However the local groups will have much work to do in adapting the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm to the local culture and religious situation of the youth in their schools. Teamwork among teachers will be essential.
Fr Ross Jones SJ, Rector of St Ignatius College, Riverview, gave an inspiring talk on Discernment of Spirits and Fr Chris Gleeson SJ, JCAP Secretary for Education, provided an overview of the mission and planning of the Society of Jesus in the Conference of Asia Pacific. Sue Martin demonstrated the environmental activities of Riverview.
At the end of the workshop, each country group developed an action plan to be implemented immediately on return. Fr Evans said that the Cambodian team planned to run a workshop in Ignatian pedagogy in Khmer for aspiring teachers among the students of the Catholic Church Student Centre in Phnom Penh, which include many students from the area where the new Jesuit school is planned. The first session took place on November 25, with more than 40 young potential teachers.