In January 2013, Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Centre became an authorised provider of Special Religious Education classes (SRE) in NSW primary Schools.
We have developed an extensive curriculum which covers a number of fundamental Buddhist topics/subjects. See below.
If you would like more information re: SRE classes or you would like to request a Buddhist SRE teacher/class at your child’s School, please contact the Centre.
Positive feedback from parents
“Each week my boys come home with little messages of yet another brilliant teaching. (I love to stick them on our fridge as reminders!) The gifts that you are giving my boys by teaching them the power of positivity (and how to use it) is an invaluable skill that they will carry with them through life. I am a huge advocate for positivity & power of the mind, and have always tried to teach my boys this, however it is sometimes difficult for me to teach this in a format that a young child will understand. This is why those leaflets my boys bring home make me so happy because I can see you are doing this perfectly! Words cannot express how grateful I am for what you are teaching these kids. They will probably never realise the impact you have had on shaping their lives.” ~ Leah, mother of two boys attending an SRE class run by the centre at a local school.
Process of authorisation
NSW Department of Education requirements
Each teacher will be inducted in accordance with the following NSW Department of Education requirements.
Authorisation to teach special religious education
The authorisation of personnel to teach special religious education is the sole responsibility of each individual approved provider.
An approved provider is not to authorise any person as a special religious education teacher who has not signed a prohibited employment declaration or who has a criminal conviction for one or more of the following:
• a crime against a minor
• violence
• sexual assault
• the provision of prohibited drugs.
-Any minister, priest, rabbi, mufti, other like religious leader or spiritual official of a religion, paid employee or volunteer providing special religious education must obtain a NSW Working with Children Check: http://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/working-with-children/working-with-children-check Volunteers providing special religious education in NSW public schools under the age of 18 must complete a declaration that they are not a person prohibited from undertaking child-related employment. Every approved religious provider must provide annually to the Department, a written assurance that they have procedures in place to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act
Child Protection and Behaviour Management
Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Centre has in place a process of:
Regular ongoing training which includes child protection, classroom management strategies and implementation of the curriculum (implementation of the curriculum needs to be added to your current initial and ongoing training).
-Review of SRE teaching which could include teacher self-reflection, student feedback, classroom observation, supervisor feedback, mentor support and adherence to the authorised curriculum.
-Reporting the results of the review process which will be a part of the annual assurance process and include a description of efforts to address identified issues such as further training and mentor support.
-Approval of any materials and internet resources that are identified for use by SRE teachers.
This information can be found by clicking on the following links.
https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/child-protection/child-protection-training#Mandatory0
http://www.pbl.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/classroom-management-professional-learning
-Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Centre provides a letter to the school which clearly identifies the approved provider and includes the name of authorised teacher(s), date of birth and contact details. The letter is updated annually before the start of term 1 or as required.
Documents
Complaints Policies and Procedures – Complaint Flowchart (PDF)
SRE curriculum
- The delivery of our curriculum is taught with sensitivity and in an age appropriate manner
- Our teachers are trained in the use of classroom technology such as interactive whiteboards and digital projectors.
- Regular ongoing training which includes classroom management strategies and implementation of the curriculum occurs.
- Review of SRE teaching which including teacher self-reflection, student feedback, classroom observation, supervisor feedback, mentor support and adherence to the authorised curriculum occurs.
- We reporting the results of the review process which is part of our annual assurance process and includes a description of efforts to address identified issues such as further training and mentor support.
- We approve all materials and internet resources that are identified for use by SRE teachers
Losang Dragpa Kadampa Buddhist Centre Special Religious Education (SRE) class curriculum.
Basic structure of each class:
Each class is designed to be self contained and is given in the context of a course ie Inner peace.
Each 30min class will consist of…
1) A brief guided breathing meditation, approximately 2mins.
2) A sung prayer to Buddha Shakyamuni (the liberating prayer) approximately 4mins
3) A brief recap/discussion re: the previous weeks class, feedback from students is encouraged, approximately 5mins.
4) A short teaching on the current weeks topic, approximately 10mins.
5) A brief meditation on the topic 3mins.
6) Questions
The general structure will be the same for each class, however depending on the age of the children the presentation of the topic may vary ie practical activity vs a more formal teaching.
The final week of each course will be a general recap of that particular course.
Reference books for courses
- What is Meditation? children’s book (WIM)
- The Story of Angulimala, children’s book (TSOA)
- The Story of Buddha, children’s book (TSOB)
- What is Buddhism? children’s book (WIB)
- Transform Your Life (TYL)
- Introduction to Buddhism (ITB)
- Joyful Path of Good Fortune (JPOGF)
- How to Solve our Human Problems (HTSOHP)
- Eight Steps to Happiness (ESTH)
All reference books are written by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche and are all derived from the New Kadampa Mahayana Buddhist Tradition.
Inner peace (based on ‘inner peace’ in ‘Transform your life’)
The purpose of this course is to help the children understand the importance of developing a happy/peaceful mind and how to accomplish this by developing positive thoughts such as love and abandoning negative thoughts such as anger.
- Week 1 – The causes of happiness; where does happiness come from?
- Week 2 – What obstructs happiness; delusions
- Week 3 – What thoughts make our mind peaceful eg love
- Week 4 – What thoughts make our mind unhappy eg anger
- Week 5 – General recap of entire course leading to generating a strong wish to always keep a peaceful mind.
The story of Buddha (based on ‘The Story of Buddha’ children’s book)
The purpose of this course is to inspire the children to wish to develop their good heart and wish to become a more helpful person just like Buddha.
- Week 1 – Learning how to be more compassionate (pg 1 – 10) starting from ‘Buddha was born….’
- Week 2 – Wishing to become more helpful (pg 11 – 16)
- Week 3 – How to become more helpful (pg 17 – 22) starting from ‘Siddhartha then went….’
- Week 4 – Generating faith in Buddha (pg 23 – 27)
- Week 5 – General recap of entire course leading to generating a strong wish to become a better person just like Buddha
Self esteem (based on ‘8 steps to be happiness’ and ‘The story of Angulimala’ children’s book)
The purpose of this course is to help the children identify with their own and others potential for good qualities. In this way help them to feel better about themself and respect others.
- Week 1 – What is self esteem?
- Week 2 – What we base our self esteem on and the effect of that.
- Week 3 – Our Buddha nature, basing our self esteem on it and the effect of that.
- Week 4 – Recognizing the Buddha nature in others; the way to feel good about others
- Week 5 – General recap of entire course encouraging the children to always relate to their potential for good qualities and base their self esteem on that.
The 6 perfections (based on ‘Joyful Path of Good Fortune’ and ‘Introduction to Buddhism’)
The purpose of this course is to give the children a basic framework for a happy, positive and meaningful life.
- Giving – wk 1
- Giving – wk 2
- Moral discipline – wk 1
- Moral discipline – wk 2
- Patience – wk 1
- Patience – wk 2
- Effort – wk 1
- Effort – wk 2
- Concentration – wk 1
- Concentration – wk 2
- Wisdom – wk 1
- Wisdom – wk 2
- The final week, a very practical recap on the 6 perfections encouraging the children to live by the 6 perfection to the best of their ability.
What is Buddhism (based on ‘What is Buddhism’ children’s book and ‘Introduction to Buddhism’)
The purpose of this course is to give the children a good allround understanding of the basic teachings/principles of Buddhism. This basic foundation enables all the other teachings they recieve to have a deeper impact in their lives.
- Week 1 – Introduction, what is Buddhism? WIB
- Week 2 – The meaning of life TYL
- Week 3 – Precious human life/Impermanence ITB
- Week 4 – Refuge, ITB
- Week 5 – Karma, ITB
- Week 6 – Outer/inner problems wk 1 (pg 7 – 15) WIB
- Week 7 – Outer/inner problems wk 2 (pg 7 – 15) WIB
- Week 8 – Understanding the mind (pg 15 – 19) WIB
- Week 9 – Rebirth (pg 19 – 20) WIB
- Week 10 – General recap of entire course encouraging the children to solve their inner problems through Buddha’s teachings for example solve anger problem with the Dharma of patience.
The Eight Auspicious Symbols (based on illustrations in ‘What is Buddhism’ children’s book)
The purpose of this course is to explain the meaning of the Eight Auspicious symbols. From this the children can use these symbols or similar objects in daily life ie an umbrella to remind them of the special meaning of the symbols. By applying these understandings in the daily life they will naturally be inspired to develop good qualities such as compassion, wisdom and effort.
- Week 1 – The precious umbrella (refuge)
- Week 2 – The precious fish (maintaining harmonious relationships)
- Week 3 – The precious vase (wisdom and compassion)
- Week 4 – The precious lotus (temporary happiness vs real happiness)
- Week 5 – The precious conch (the 3 wisdoms)
- Week 6 – The precious indestructible knot (effort)
- Week 7 – The precious victory banner (mindfulness, alertness, conscientiousness)
- Week 8 – The precious wheel of Dharma (benefitting others with Dharma)
The four noble truths/overcoming anger (based on ‘How to solve our human problems’)
The purpose of this course is for the children to learn about what suffering/unhappiness is, where it comes from (within the mind), and how to reduce and finally cease suffering. For example how to end the suffering of anger through the practice of patience etc.
- Week 1 – true sufferings
- Week 2 – true origins
- Week 3 – true cessations
- Week 4 – true paths
- Week 5 – A general recap of the entire course encouraging the children to solve their daily problems in conjunction with the four noble truths.
What is meditation? (based on ‘What is Meditation?’ and ‘The life of Buddha’ children’s books)
The purpose of this course is to introduce the children to the three main Buddhist meditations; renunciation (no-attachment), Bodhichitta (universal compassion) and wisdom understanding the way things exist (emptiness). These three meditations oppose attachment, hatred and ignorance which are the causes of all mental suffering such as stress, anxiety and depression.
- Week 1 – What is meditation? WIM
- Week 2 – Renunciation/what is samsara? wk 1, WIM
- Week 3 – Renunciation/what is samsara? wk2, WIM
- Week 4 – Compassion, TLOB
- Week 5 – The supreme good heart (Bodhichitta)
- Week 6 – The true nature of reality (emptiness)
- Week 7 – A general recap of the course encouraging the children to find deep happiness through daily meditation.
The Buddhist way of loving kindness (based on the book ‘Eight Steps to Happiness’)
The purpose of this course is to encourage and teach the children how to develop and enhance their love, compassion and wisdom. This will help them develop inner strength, confidence, improve their relationships and enable them to accomplish the real meaning of human life.
- Week 1 – Introduction
- Week 2 – The story of Geshe Langri Tangpa.
- Week 3 – Preliminary practices ie setting up a shrine
- Week 4 – Learning to cherish others; the kindness of others
- Week 5 – Learning to cherish others; the benefits of cherishing others
- Week 6 – Enhancing cherishing love wk 1
- Week 7 – Enhancing cherishing love wk 2
- Week 8 – Exchanging self with others
- Week 9 – Great compassion
- Week 10 – Wishing love
- Week 11 – Accepting defeat and offering the victory
- Week 12 – Taking and giving wk 1
- Week 13 – Taking and giving wk 2
- Week 14 – The precious mind of Bodhichitta
- Week 15 – Ultimate Bodhichitta
- Week 16 – Conclusion: How to integrate the practice of these instruction
Understanding our mind (based on ‘How to Understand the Mind’)
The purpose of this course is to give the children a basic understanding of the mind. It’s only through understanding and controlling one’s own mind that we find real happiness and freedom.
- Week 1 – What is the mind?
- Week 2 – What does the mind do? How does it work?
- Week 3 – Where did my mind come from?
- Week 4 – Where will it go to?
Please note: the above curriculum is subject to ongoing review and adjustment based on the needs and capacity of the children attending the classes.
As the above curriculum contains more than one years content, the individual courses will be taught at a time most suitable to the group. For example the introductory ‘Inner peace’ course might be taught at the beginning of a year if there are a number of new students.
For further information regarding content of lessons please contact our centre on ph: 0240230215 or e: info@meditateinnewcastle.org
