Faith and Science Teaching: Enhancement of Reach

The Faith and Science Teaching (FAST) Project (Grant ID# 39689), herein referred to as “Phase 1,” worked to equip high school teachers to engage with big questions around faith and science with both confidence and creativity. All too often, religion and science classrooms limit the interaction of these topics to a debate about conflicting truth claims. During Phase 1, we identified a number of alternative (and much more fruitful) ways of integrating education at the intersection of faith and science. By addressing this arena of potential conflict with pedagogical excellence and faithful inquiry, teachers are freed up to both teach excellent science and promote the formation of virtues without discord or fear. Phase 1 created a web-based curricular resource for teachers of science and religion classes and provided training to aid in its implementation. During the Faith and Science Teaching: Enhancement of Reach project (herein referred to as “Phase 2”), we will work to nearly double the number of activities included on the website, and extend their usability and accessibility by producing two short films that creatively illustrate the FAST approach to teaching. Furthermore, we will partner extensively with a high school to embed the FAST practices in a specific educational setting, creating a model that will inspire other institutions to take up this approach. As we expand the number of FAST activities, and include resources to support educators in their implementation, the teachFASTly.com site will foster imagination for a better way to teach faith and science. It will become a trusted source for high quality, creative, and integrated teaching materials that foster discipleship in the context of scientific inquiry. And it will ultimately change the way that young people engage with questions of faith and science, opening the way for humble inquiry and faithful pursuit of both intellectual and spiritual virtue.