During more than thirty years in Catholic education, Rina Madden has taught across all levels of schooling from primary students through to adults and has held leadership positions in religious education and curriculum development at both school and system levels. Rina played a key role in the renewal and development of the Religious Education curriculum at Catholic Education Melbourne (Pedagogy of Encounter) and contributed to strategic policy documentation (Horizons of Hope).
Rina has continued to study throughout her long career as a teacher, equally applying herself to progressing in the fields of education and theology. Her interest in theology became more compelling and she recently completed her PhD through the University of Divinity. Her thesis combines both her areas of expertise and presents a comprehensive and relatable theological framework of spirituality for teachers and students in Catholic schools.
Her research interests include Dialogical Approaches to Teacher Professional Identity Formation in Catholic Schools, System Learning around Recontextualising Pedagogy, and Spirituality for Teachers and Students. She continues to work with teachers and leaders at both school and system level to inform ongoing learning in these areas.
She is currently Project Officer for the Victorian Diocesan Project Recontextualising Pedagogies sponsored by CTC which explores the impact of system approaches to changing teacher practice in Religious Education. She lectures in Religious Education and in Enhancing Catholic Institutional Identity.
Her work has appeared in Pacifica and she has contributed chapters to the edited works: Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools: Exploring the Landscape, Quality Learning: Teachers Changing Their Practice, and Moving From Theory to Practice.