Teaching Religious Education

Mark PlaterBA, PGCE, Flexi & GTP Primary

2010

Before we start…

• complete the first box only on your sheets:

• “How I feel about teaching RE”

• (2-3 mins)

By the end of this session, I hope that you will:

• Have a better understanding of the aims and purposes of RE

• Feel more confident about ways to teach it

• Have some practical teaching ideas to take away with you

Legal requirements

• All pupils (unless exempted)• Locally Agreed Syllabus (unless

Voluntary Aided)• Reflect Christianity and other

major UK faiths• Plan, differentiate, assess and

report on progress- like any other subject

Mezuzah(Jewish)

Small case fixed toright door post.

Touched & kissedon entry.

Mezuzah

Contains Shema

from Torah (“Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is One..” Deut.6:4-9)

Reminds of God’s presence & laws.

Shiva NatarajaLord of the Dance

• Creator, maintainer & destroyer

• 4-armed, dancing on ignorance (the dwarf, Apasmara) in a circle of flames

Message 1

Try to include an element of mystery

Message 2

Make sure your RE relates to the children’s experience

AT1: Learning about religionsAT2: Learning from religions

Once upon a time…

There were three knights:

• Sir Mon• Sir Cumference• Sir Percy Vere

(with acknowledgements to Mark Chater)

Sir Mon

• Is a keen Christian teacher whose RE lessons are just like Sunday School

• S/he takes the confessional approach to RE

How to spot Sir Mon…

• Typically Sir Mon• Talks at the pupils• S/he refers to we & us• Can only think of

religion as her brand

of religion• Downplays, ignores or

misrepresents other religions

Sir Cumference

• Is not religious, and feels awkward about teaching RE

• So…avoids RE, but doesn’t mind social & moral issues

• S/he takes the avoidance approach to RE

How to spot Sir Cumference…• Says things like, “How

can I teach RE? - I’m not religious…”

• Feels ill-equipped, insecure, and reluctant

• Fails to see the potential for RE in other classwork

• Falls back on worksheets when OFSTED calls…

Sir Percy Vere

• A solid and conscientious teacher, who does what is expected..

• Covers the RE content, but without much imagination

• S/he takes the boring RE approach

How to spot Sir Percy Vere…

• Has no sense of enthusiasm for RE, but ploughs on regardless

• Presents lots of facts, but without making these relevant to life

• Makes no attempt to create links with the pupils’ experience or with other classwork

How would you describe your approach to teaching RE?

To give children a

knowledge of Bible stories and their meaning

(Bible knowledge)

To help children to be able

to make moral choices

(Moral education)

To make children familiar with the Christian heritage

of their country

(Christian heritage)

To help children to know about & understand the

world’s religions

(World religions)

To enable children to

understand what it means to hold a religious perspective on life

(Religious perspectives)

To foster a reflective approach to life and

experience

(Reflective approach)

To help children explore aspects of life which raise questions about meaning

& purpose

(Exploring ultimate questions)

To help children to see the

part that religion has played in the history of

mankind

(Religion in history)

To promote tolerance &

sensitivity towards people of other religions &

cultures

(Religious tolerance)

To help children

understand more about their own religious faith

and that of others

(Religious understanding)

To develop children’s

ability to make decisions for themselves about

religious issues

(Decision making)

To develop children’s ability to think about

questions of Belief & Value

(Thinking skills)

To offer children values by

which they can live & prosper in society

(Values education)

To foster spiritual

awareness in children

(Spiritual education)

To help children to question their own religious ideas and

practices (Religious questioning)

Resources:

• RE online:• http://www.reonline.org.uk/• RE-XS• http://re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/

Also... RE Today magazine

A child who is religiously literate will:• Know about religious (and other)

beliefs & practices• Understand the significance of

religion/s for individuals & in society

• Be able to make informed & reasoned judgements about religious issues (cont.)

A child who is religiously literate will:

• Have positive attitudes towards people who are different

• Be aware of their own spiritual, moral & religious development

(adapted from SCAA model syllabuses, 1994)

Some key things to remember:

1. Make sure your RE contains some religious content! (AT1)

2. Make sure it relates to the children’s experience! (AT2)

3. Try to include an element of fun and mystery.

Thank you…

Now could you please fill in sections 2 & 3 on your Feedback Sheet

Happy RE teaching!