Senior School - Methods on Scripture Interpretation

Pope Francis:

“I would like so much for all Christians to be able to comprehend ‘the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ’ through the diligent reading of the Word of God, for the sacred text is the nourishment of the soul and the pure and perennial source of the spiritual life of all of us.”

The Sacred Scriptures are fundamental to our Catholic faith and reading God’s word actively brings us toward a greater relationship with God. Presenting this to our students can at times be challenging and it is important that we have a sound understanding of Scripture.  

In this post you will be presented with two methods of Scripture interpretation that you can use with your students as they grow and develop in their understanding of God's Word. 

1. The KITE Method

The first method of interpretation we will explore is the KITE Method developed by Barbara Stead. Stead outlined five principles which are central to helping students develop a strong understanding of Scripture both in a 'knowledge and spiritual' capacity. 

Please watch the following video which summarizes how to apply the KITE Method to Scripture.

There is also a resource you can use here which outlines the steps to take when applying the KITE Method to a piece of Scripture you are exploring with your class.

2. The Composite Method

The Composite Method was developed by Margaret Carswell and is underpinned by four theoretical conceptions. These conceptions are:

1. The Scripture text should be first experienced as story, enabling students to think and imagine what they hear.

2. Students should engage directly with the Scripture text. The teacher's role is therefore to deliberately arrange activities so that the Bible can be brought into direct contact with students. 

3. The Scripture text should be actively taught rather than simply used with children. This involves the teacher engaging in some study of the text prior to teaching so that their teaching is based on a grounded understanding.

4. A thematic approach to scripture teaching is required in which the themes are drawn from the Bible itself. Teachers need to b discerning in their selection of texts to ensure those chosen provide a stepping stone in the development of your students understanding. 

The Composite Method uses a three stage process:

Please watch the following video which summarizes how to apply the Composite Method to Scripture.

There is also a resource you can use here which outlines the steps to take when applying the Composite Method to a piece of Scripture you are exploring with your class. 

Comment in the section below if you have any questions about applying these approaches to your classes. 

References

Stead, B. (1994). A time of jubilee: Using Luke's gospel with children. Thornbury: Desbooks.

Bowie, R. (2016) Doing RE hermeneutically - learning to become interpreters of religion. RE today, 34 (1). Pp. 60- 62.

Carswell, M. (2001) Teaching Scripture: The Gospel of Mark: Sydney: Harper Collins Religious.

Elliot, P.l (Ed). To know, worship and love student text series. Books 1- 2. Melbourne: James Goold House Publications.

Engebretson, K., & Fleming, J. (2002). Thriving as an RE Teacher. Cengage Learning: Sydney.

Paul Ricoeur: Essays on language, action and interpretation, CUP 1981, Searching for Meaning, SPCK, 2008.