This is compounded by the demonstrable shortage of teachers with sufficient knowledge of more than one religion to deliver this sort of Religious Literacy, let alone to have the confidence to admit what they don’t know rather than use what they do as a crutch, and the reality that the shortage cannot be plugged by opening the profession to unqualified teachers, those with irrelevant degrees, by providing any number of bursaries, online courses or INSET days. Primary teacher and middle leader in Religion and History, Read the other blogs in the series.
According to the Sutton Trust (What Makes Great Teaching 2014) the single biggest factor that makes a difference to student outcomes is teacher subject-knowledge, so it is little surprise that, according to OfSTED (RE: Realizing the Potential) , RE lessons often fall well short of being inspiring, even effective, particularly lower down the age range where the teaching about a list of religions approach has been more common. RE should teach students to communicate effectively in the language of one tradition that is appropriate to them, their school and the expertise of the available teacher(s), give them as many opportunities to explore aspects of other traditions as resources allow, and never ever fail to recognise that the chance to reflect on why it all matters to them personally, to their society, to the world and the future of humanity is why kids come back through the classroom door. © 2020 Culham St. Gabriel's Trust. Religious literacy strives for better communication between peers in a classroom, and also between teachers. We use cookies to give you a better experience. Speaking to hundreds of teachers, faith-leaders, politicians… and young people themselves, has taught me that people outside the RE bubble conceive of religious literacy quite differently from a number of vocal people within it. Understand religious radicalisation and violence and learn strategies to build resilience in communities and schools.
Further, in 2015 relatively small proportion of people voted for parties that supported anything close to this action (Greens, Lib Dems). This sets up with the skills to fully understand one faith (?
That’s a biggie: navigate slightly away from singing praises of us all being the same with different names.
free, As I see it Religious Literacy involves learning FROM religion as well as ABOUT it but is not limited to either; with limited resources, RE teachers must have a clear conception of what they want to do, tempered by what they are able to do, and must focus their efforts and prioritize in order to be effective.
Religion not only influences personal behaviours and ethics, but it’s also relevant to international conflicts and domestic policy decisions. ), which enables them to go on a study others. I've been researching the fascinating interplay between religion and wider society for over twenty years. Interesting point. So why can’t that be the footing of your RE lessons? I agree that dipping in and out of religions doesn’t really achieve our goal.
Sadly, nationally we are still a long way from making this step, although Andy’s work in creating this forum has the potential to move things fractionally in the right direction. I don’t think we can go back to an RE programme grounded in one religion or belief even if open to others.
I research among Indigenous people and Pagans - with particular interests in rituals, performance and climate disaster.
Just as we teach children literacy – the skills of reading, writing, communication – through the medium of the English Language and English Literature, we should teach Religious Literacy through the medium of a particular Religious Language and Faith Tradition, whether that is Christianity, Islam, Judaism or Hinduism.
However it has just as much variation as any other RE.
Learn new skills with a flexible online course, Earn professional or academic accreditation, Study flexibly online as you build to a degree. The more colleagues we can get involved the better, so get publicizing….
If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below. Further, the brute fact is that these days RE is in effect an optional subject; in a packed high-pressure results-oriented curriculum young people vote with their feet if they have any doubt about the relative rigour, relevance and value-to-them of RE courses and risk ending up with no religious literacy by any definition.
That’s a biggie: navigate slightly away from singing praises of us all being the same with different names.
It can be a daunting space: this symbol is associated with what religion, this mantra belongs to whom and ‘celebrating’ in school without being disingenuous. I think we can assume too much in terms of how many people really do embrace the core beliefs and values of secular humanism; for many people it is the default when they lack religious literacy and feel excluded by all formal religions as a result.
I am afraid it is difficult to see how any notion that we can learn much about ‘religious literacy’ on the basis of RC schools practice can be taken very seriously. Even if none of this were true, even if we had a surplus of fantastically trained teachers, enormous budgets, masses of time, well-stocked cupboards and a ringing endorsement from OfSTED, I would argue that even if young people do know a lot about the practice of Buddhism and Bah’ai, can recognize a Kippah, list the Gurus and get an A* (or 9) in a GCSE paper, it doesn’t guarantee that they are religiously literate in the sense that many people would wish them to be. The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning, with a mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas.
Beyond making the difficult decision about which religions to study, in which forms, according to which description and in which aspects – and getting dragged into the debate about Agreed Syllabii, Frameworks, National Curricula and the place of SACREs – the obvious problem with trying to deliver Religious Literacy by this definition in RE Classrooms in general is that however focused the curriculum, however effective the teaching, the sheer volume of knowledge about any single religion is huge and each tiny “fact” is open for debate.
I am just suggesting that maybe the depth permitted give the time, allows a sense of religious literacy that doesn’t always happen when you scratch at the surface of lots of different, sometimes disjointed bits and pieces. Yet no credible literacy teacher would try to teach young people all their basic literacy skills in two, thee or four languages at once, before one has been mastered! Religious literacy helps citizens to develop their sense of identity and belonging in a plural society. By Antonia Blumberg.
You will understand the concepts of religious literacy and religious diversity, both within different societies and religious traditions themselves. Discover why religion is important for understanding and engaging with global challenges. Meet and hear stories from humanists around the world. That excellent work is going on and that some students in some schools are growing in Religious Literacy is a certainty. The day will come when we shall wish we had known them better.
15 Great Principles Shared by All Religions. The problem is that we still haven’t agreed what we think religious literacy is. Religious literacy should aid in the delivery of your lessons, no matter the topic or question at hand.
Challenging unfounded claims others make about a ‘cultural other’ that sound unfair is also a good way to redirect the conversation and help others evaluate their own worldview to prevent the problem from perpetuating. This website uses cookies in order to offer you the most relevant information. Week 4 discusses (with examples) interactions with religious spheres outside your own. We simply have to make tough choices and prioritize what matters, skills in religious literacy and an attitude of respect and curiosity over reams of factual knowledge. It allows the development of a set of principles that can be adopted in order to co-exist in a productive and mutually beneficial manner. Get your questions answered. Explore the meaning of academic freedom and how it relates to core higher education and societal values. I got into huge trouble for pointing out how the aims for RE listed in the Directory could support a much more open, investigative approach last autumn https://candleconferences.com/inconsistent-approach-from-catholic-education-service/ but I still think that this and other Catholic documents could inspire a much more effective form of RE, grounded in one religion but genuinely open to exploring others. Concrete they are not. Copyright © 2018 | Candle Conferences Ltd | All Rights Reserved, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BLOG ON THIS OR ANOTHER RE RELATED QUESTION AND HAVE YOUR THOUGHTS SHARED WITH OTHERS IN THE RE COMMUNITY VIA, https://candleconferences.com/inconsistent-approach-from-catholic-education-service/.
From children to adults, the notion of identity and religion is a fluid concept. For me, increasing religious literacy which is primarily (though not only) a set of skills supporting an attitude of humility, respect and curiosity, should be the primary aim of Religious Education.
Harvard Launches Free Online Class To Promote Religious Literacy. That there is a crisis in Religious Literacy and in RE is undeniable however; we must do what we can to address it and I’m afraid that that starts by calling a spade a spade! On this course, you will gain a broader understanding of why religion matters in society and in different cultures.
This bears no relation to any kind of open investigative RE which is the only basis for religious literacy which is legitimate.
Further your career with an online communication, leadership, or business management course. What it will also bring to the forefront, and it’s peeked its head into many a lesson of mine, are that religions are dynamic and changing. My somewhat provocative suggestion that maybe secular humanism should be our main focus of study if we are going to major on one belief tradition is because it is arguable that secular humanism is the dominant mode of thinking of our society.