Inspired by….Tutoring on the Teach:RE Course

I recently began tutoring on the Teach RE course for Culham St Gabriel’s. I felt honoured to be asked and, finding out about the required time commitment, I felt it was something I could do outside of my usual work commitments without it becoming too onerous. In reality, it means a couple of hours each time a new assignment comes in so you can read it and assess it, plus dedicated time for mentoring meetings and reassuring phone calls.

I always enjoyed having student teachers when I was in the classroom and so I had a sneaking suspicion I would enjoy this role and I was not disappointed. It feels good to have an avenue to channel all your accrued knowledge and experience so that somebody else can benefit, and, as is so often the case, there is that opportunity to learn from someone else, especially somebody looking at the world of RE with fresh eyes. I so often found what my tutee was writing about in her tasks interesting and inspiring.

The other plus point as a tutor is that you get to do the background reading too. Some great articles are made available through the Teach:RE modules and I found myself looking forward to reading these and how they would be put to use by my tutee in her latest assignment. Reading them yourself means you can ask pertinent questions and support your tutee in making links across their different avenues of study.

It was definitely one of the perks to see how the quality of work done by those undertaking the course develops as they move through the programme. But one of the greatest rewards is witnessing the development of confidence and encouraging your tutee to extend their reach of influence through engaging with local and national RE groups, attending SACRE meetings and sharing their own research further afield through various possible publication routes e.g. RE:OLINE blog, RE Today article, etc.

Sometimes the turn-around can be challenging if your own workload is heavy. There is the expectation that you respond to submitted assignments within 2 days. However, this isn’t much of a challenge if you plan in the time you want to spend on tutoring alongside your usual timetable. Using online platforms such as Teams or Zoom has made the ongoing mentoring aspect so much easier than face to face meetings requiring travel.

I feel that I have gained a lot from engaging with current practice and research as a tutor on this programme. Keeping yourself up to date with national developments in RE is certainly an advantage when tutoring, so you can signpost relevant, new things for your tutee. I think you need to be well-organised and passionate about RE, with a desire to help others flourish. You also need to be good at written and verbal communication, as you will be directing adults, making corrections and suggested amendments to assignments where needed and encouraging tutees to meet deadlines and push themselves where necessary. It all takes diplomacy but with a warmth that encourages the tutee to really explore the best they are capable of, and I guarantee you will learn from them along the way. It is a mutually-beneficial way of working with colleagues.

I would like to continue tutoring on the Teach:RE course, and, where possible, share some of the expertise I have developed, such as my work on Theologies of Reading. For now though, I am just grateful to have been given the opportunity to be part of the pilot and to have helped nurture my tutee towards the excellent outcomes she achieved by being part of this great programme.