Real world research for real world classrooms
RExChange 2022 took place on 7th-8th October 2022. A conference for all those engaged in the teaching of religion and worldviews in schools, colleges and universities. It provided a hospitable forum for teachers and researchers to interact and engage with one another; promoting the interdisciplinary nature of RE, including workshops, presentations/ and/or contributions which focus on ways of knowing, and how the subject is studied.
Many of the sessions were recorded and are freely available below.
Pathways through the recordings
With 36 session recordings it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve plotted some possible routes for you, tailored to different interests or roles. Of course, you’re free to find your own way through, based on sessions that just sound interesting or that you missed on the day; but we hope these ideas might help you to make the most of a rich set of resources. All routes open in a new window in Vimeo.
Primary
If you’re a primary practitioner or mainly interested in primary practice, this could be a useful route to take. Take the primary route
Secondary
If secondary RE / R&W is your main area, you could try this path. Take the secondary route
Policy
Are you interested in issues of subject policy, including the profile of RE / R&W, how the subject is organised or its place within education? This sequence may work. Take the policy route
Curriculum
Some sessions on curriculum development in RE / R&W follow next. These sessions approach the issue from a variety of starting points. Take the curriculum route
Positionality, Criticality and Disciplinarity
How do our own backgrounds and positions influence our views of RE / R&W, and our pedagogical, curricular or policy preferences? What roles should critical awareness and academic disciplines play? One pathway through relevant RExChange2022 sessions is as follows. Take the positionality, criticality and disciplinarity route
Future of RE / R&W
The future of the subject is something we should all be concerned with, and in a sense all the RExChange2022 sessions relate to it. However, here is a path through several particularly pertinent sessions, including a practical guide to adding your own thoughts via publication. Take the future of RE / R&W route
Find all the recordings below:
Keynote Panel Discussion: Developing religion, belief and worldview literacy- research perspectives
Gillian Georgiou, RE Adviser, Diocese of Lincoln Adam Dinham, Professor of Faith and Public Policy, Goldsmith, University of London Tamanda Walker, Independent Researcher and Qualitative Research Fellow, BlackThrive Global
After Dinner Keynote: Tom Fletcher CMG
Tom is the Principal of Hertford College, Oxford University. Tom served as the foreign policy advisor to Prime Ministers Blair, Brown and Cameron, before becoming British Ambassador to Lebanon (2011-15) and a Visiting Professor at NYU (2015-20).
Four years on from the CORE report
Chair: Dr Kevin O’Grady Panel: Dr Pat Hannam, Christopher May, Dr Martha Shaw and Professor Denise Cush
Panel discussion: Policy and research
Chair: Paul Smalley Panel: Sarah Harvey, Rachael Jackson Royal, Shammi Rahman, Deborah Weston, explore questions around the importance of research to bring about policy change, and the impact of research on policy decision making, including the impact on classrooms.
Panel discussion: Future of research
Chair: Kevin O’Grady Panel: Thomas Breakwell, Paul Hopkins, Lynn Revell, Saima Saleh, Sean Whittle, explore questions around what research is needed within the religion and worldviews community at this time, the nature of research, and include perspectives from initial teacher education.
Panel discussion: Positionality and research
Chair: Justine Ball Panel: Bob Bowie, Fay Lowe, Krystian McInnis, Jasjit Singh, Ruth Flanagan explore the notion of self-awareness, personal worldviews and reflectivity. Includes discussion relating to both the teacher/researcher as well as pupils in the classroom.
To watch the other sessions click on the links below:
Friday 7th October Session 1
Christian worldviews and advocacy in the classroom – Jennifer Jenkins, Celine Benoit
Using Dead Sea Scrolls research in the teaching about Jesus – Justine Ball
Using stories to develop interreligious encounters in primary schools – Anne Moseley, Nadiya Takolia and Karen Longden
Applications of Queer Theology in the secondary classroom – Sian Brockway and Emma Summers
The place of specialist knowledge in the Religious Studies classroom – Eleanor Magill and Ruby Forrester
RE:Connect – an experimental RE/RW and environment teacher fellowship programme – Dr Ian Jones, Dr Jeremy Kidwell, Amy Houghton Barnes and Rebecca Wright
From scholarship to school: Reflecting on Buddhist studies in schools – Romana Meereis
Friday 7th October Session 2
RE and Assessment: Masters level research and implications for classroom practice – Alexander Barrett and Thomas Breakwell
How does a cross-curricular SOW reflect the new Wales Curriculum? – Jasmine Jacques-Butterworth
Worldviews in RE- From Idea to Curriculum – Professor Trevor Cooling and Stephen Pett
Reframing the content and subject matter of RE – Dr David Lewin, Dr Kate Christopher, Dr Rachael Jackson-Royal and Dr Martha Shaw
Knowing better: navigating knowledges in the RE classroom – Jo Fraser-Pearce and Alexis Stones
Truth, truthfulness and Religion and Worldviews – Dr Christina Easton, Angela Goodman, Professor Andy Wright and Angela Wright
Hermeneutics for the RE Classroom – Jennifer Jenkins, Shannon Clemo and Debbie Yeomans
NATRE curriculum symposium – Fiona Moss, Ben Wood, Aleicia Mehta, Matt Pincher and Kate Bruning
Friday 7th October Session 3
The withdrawal clause in RE: Masters level research – Justine Ball and Katie Wilkins
Real world Doctoral researchers in real life classrooms – Amy Houghton-Barnes, Fran Bailey and Sahra Ucar
So, you want to write for RE Today/Professional Reflection? – Dr Linda Whitworth and Dr Janet Orchard
Science and Religion: reframing the conversation – Nick Spencer and Emily Downe
Cumbria RE and Worldviews student census – Jane Yates and Jim Connolly
Developing spiritual wellbeing using song in primary RE – Elaine Arundell and Sukaina Manji
Ijtihad: The Key That Unlocks Islamic Thought – Zameer Hussain
Saturday 8th October Session 4
Using British Religions in Numbers data in the RE classroom – Debbie Yeomans, Nadia Nadeem and Claire Ramalli
Special Educational Needs and RE in Primary Schools – Chris Allen
Virtual and immersive reality and religious education – Paul Hopkins
What is the fuss about personal worldviews? – Ruth Flanagan
The Dialog Model and GSCE Islam – Dawn Cox and Karen Steele
How can we help students argue effectively in GCSE RS essays? – Tim Hunting and Julia Wingfield
Multidisciplinary approaches in RE: preliminary research findings and practical implications – Stephen Pett
Text and story in RE – Natalie Ford, Jennie Towler and Jennifer Moore
In Conversation…
Inspired by RExChange this series of free virtual seminars brings researchers and teachers together through conversation. In each session the researcher will give a very brief summary of a key piece of research and invite participants to ask questions, provide feedback and comment. The themes connect to sessions led by each researcher at the RExChange conference.
Recordings of recent seminars can be found here