Encourages students to think outside the box.
Katie Montgomery is the Catechetical Studies Coordinator in the Humanities division within the College of Education at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She holds the direct dial number +64 3 471 6493 and can be contacted via email for professional correspondence. In her capacity at the university, Montgomery serves as the tutor for BIBS 215, a campus course titled 'The Bible in Religious Education,' offered through the Theology Programme during Semester 1. This course is designed to familiarize students with the Old and New Testaments, including the Hebrew Scriptures and the life and teachings of Jesus along with the early Christian Church. Key objectives include developing an understanding of major themes, people, events, dates, places, and types of biblical literature, enabling students to apply this knowledge to the National Religious Education Programme in Catholic schools. Lectures, delivered by Dr. Gillian Townsley on Mondays from 3:00 to 4:50 pm and recorded on Blackboard, cover topics such as the nature of the Bible, Abraham's call, Moses, creation stories, the Gospels, the apostle Paul, prophecy, and poetry and wisdom literature. Montgomery conducts tutorials on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 12:50 pm to reinforce the lecture material and assist students in applying concepts to classroom environments.
Students in BIBS 215 engage with required readings from the textbook 'The Bible: An Introduction' by Jerry L. Sumney (2nd edition, 2014) and use the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Assessments include critical reflections (25% of grade, selecting the top 5 out of 9), an Old Testament Creative Assignment (15%, PowerPoint on Abraham or Moses), a New Testament Creative Assignment (20%, IT-based representation of a miracle or parable from Matthew or Luke Gospels accompanied by an oral presentation), and a 2-hour final exam (40%). Assignments are submitted to Montgomery via flash drive, working URL link, or email attachment. The Theology Programme provides additional resources such as the Study and Style Guide based on the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, accessible via the programme's student resources page. Montgomery's tutorials emphasize practical integration of biblical content into religious education teaching practices.
