The unit of work demonstrates one approach that can be taken with Year 11 students and the Christianity in the World Key Ideas ‘Religious beliefs and ideas shape people’s thinking and actions’ and ‘People express their spirituality in various contexts within and beyond Christianity.’
Students begin the unit by pondering the apparent futility of our daily ‘grind’ – working, eating, sleeping – and consider the prospect of a life without ‘meaning’. They are introduced to Solomon (in Ecclesiastes) who experiences so many worldly pleasures yet still is devoid of meaning (‘it is all useless!’). Students investigate and report on the nature of human beings (positive and negative aspects) and compare this to being made in the ‘image of God’. They reflect on and prioritise sources of meaning in their own lives, and assess other areas of life that may bring meaning (pleasures, money, work, family, friends etc). In every lesson, students walk with Solomon as he experiences every pleasure yet remains unfulfilled, until he fully appreciates the role of God in his life (other Bible passages are also used to support this). To conclude, students respond in writing by summarising the key concepts covered in the course and deciding for themselves the answer to the question…’What is the meaning of life?’
Author: Matt Schirmer
Issue date: 01 May 2010