Global terms: Subject Knowledge

A decade on: What has changed in teaching about humanism?

Luke Donnellan | 30 June, 2026

I can remember my first Strictly RE conference in 2016. We had a stall and a banner, but the Understanding Humanism website hadn’t even launched. Teachers approached to ask ‘Who are you?’ and ‘What is humanism?’ Not everyone. Some teachers were familiar, but general subject knowledge wasn’t strong and many teachers lacked the confidence to teach about non-religious worldviews.

Understanding humanism recently celebrated its 10th birthday and a decade on things feel very different. At Strictly we’re now much more likely to hear ‘We use your resources in our school,’ and ‘Our students love learning about humanism.’

There has been a real sea change in inclusion of non-religious worldviews. NATRE’s survey in 2024 revealed 71% of primary schools were teaching about non-religious worldviews such as humanism, up from 36% in 2016. Secondary schools have moved slower, perhaps as GCSE remains focused on teaching about two religions. However there has still been growth and NATRE’s 2023 survey said ‘Non-religious worldviews, usually Humanism is now taught as commonly and, in some cases, more commonly than some of the religious worldviews at key stage 3.’

Since we launched, the resources on the Understanding Humanism website have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times; we’ve trained over 3000 teachers, supporting them with their subject knowledge and providing practical ideas for the classroom; and our school speakers have spoken to half a million young people, answering their many insightful questions. (Our speakers say that, however hard they prepare, young people will always surprise them!) We now speak to ten times more young people every year than we did when we started.

We’ve launched over 500 resources for primary and secondary schools, from Early Years to sixth form, including popular animations (such as One life, live it well, with Alice Roberts, and our recent short film What is secularism?), resources to support students taking their religious studies GCSE, our Humanist Heritage website, and our online courses, taken by over 20,000 people. Humanists now sit on 160 of the 170 SACRES across England and Wales, and humanism is referenced on nearly every locally agreed syllabus.

One significant shift in the quality of teaching about the non-religious has been an increased focus on what they do believe in, rather than what they don’t. No longer can an investigation into some of the flaws in the ontological argument for the existence of a god constitute enough to say one has covered non-religious worldviews. Good classroom practice focuses on the ways humanists describe their humanism, the values and goals they hold, the way they live their lives (it’s about much more than atheism). We’ve provided quotes, case studies, and interviews to help illustrate the humanist approach to life.

We’ve also sought to support teaching and learning through models that connect humanist beliefs and values: for example, through the humanist understanding of human nature, our capacities, and our potential. More about this model and our accompanying animation can be found here. I’d love to hear more about what is happening in classrooms. What is working for you? What challenges do you face? Get in touch and let me know.

Much of the positive change has happened not because of changes from the top but because of the good work of teachers on the ground, recognising the need for teaching about religion and worldview that reflects the young people in their classrooms and the world they live in.

There is still, however, a long way to go. Many young people still don’t encounter humanism at school or have the opportunity to hear about non-religious perspectives on life’s big questions. Sometimes teachers still don’t feel confident they have the subject knowledge. There is still a lot of confusion about what is and isn’t a non-religious worldview.

My hope is that we’ll soon see religion and worldviews on the National Curriculum and a subject that will explicitly include the requirement for all young people to learn about humanism – a subject fit for purpose in 21st century Britain. Whatever happens, Understanding Humanism will be here to help teachers with their needs.

About

Luke Donnellan is the Director of Understanding Humanism at Humanists UK where he manages Humanists UK’s school speakers programme, teacher CPD, and the production of educational resources. He is the co-author of Understanding Humanism (Routledge, 2023) and a former primary school teacher.

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Beyond Stereotypes: Teaching Sikhi Through Powerful Women’s Stories

jenny-kaur | 08 March, 2026

“That’s not my Sikh faith” Amy Ark [Sikh panellist] said during the recent National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) Strictly RE conference. Amy was discussing her own experience at school, where Sikhi was only covered for one week and in this short time she found the curriculum had resonated little with her lived experience; Amy is not alone, there are many Sikhs who also feel the same. I find the common phrase “She’s not Sikh her hair is cut” circling in many discussions in groups in 11-14 RE.

I’m sure I am not alone. I’m sure we have all found ourselves in the lesson where we combat generalisation and stereotypes in the classroom. I have found it best to provide examples of modern and historical Sikhs who have a story to disrupt the ‘typical Sikh look’ for students. What does it mean to look or act like a Sikh currently?

In Professor Jasjit Singh’s excellent ‘Teaching Sikhi in RE: Engaging communities with Teaching Religion’ research we learned it was clear there is insufficient community and ‘Lived Experience’ integration. There is an explicit finding of weak engagement with Sikh communities in curriculum development and delivery. This perpetuates a textbook-only approach, ignoring the richness of contemporary British Sikhi. I had also read this from Dr Phra Nicholas Thanissaros “Teaching Buddhism in Britain’s schools: redefining the insider role” here we learn the “dissonance apparent between home and school presentation of Buddhism is compared to similar findings for the Hindu and Sikh communities in Britain.” One of his suggestions to bridge this gap is to enrich the conversation between “insider” (the community’s living faith) and “outsider” (the teacher’s academic presentation) perspectives. In a further report from Insight UK it is posited that the lack of accurate, quality representation is linked to an “inferiority complex” amongst South Asian children, failing the duty of RE to support identity development.

As a result of my own experience and these reports I have chosen to explore modern and historical examples of Sikhs, allowing students to see the modern ways women are shaping their fields from psychology to art. These women are all united with a shared conviction – not in a general archaic sense of Sikh identity. I would have enjoyed hearing of these voices whilst at school and teaching at a single sex girl’s school I have found providing the students with female voices resonates with them [and me]. I have also underneath each biography suggested how they can be used in different contexts from creative tasks or discussions on equality in practice with many connections to GCSE units’ such as relationships for roles of men and women and intergenerational living. I have listed them below and given a little detail about them but they are available in more detail with biographies and teaching suggestions on the RE:Online website as PDF’s to use in the classroom.

I hope you find them useful and interesting as I did!

  1. Dr Manpreet Dhuffar Pottiwal : Sikh Psychologist

Dr Manpreet Dhuffar Pottiwal is a Sikh psychologist and activist whose work focuses on intergenerational trauma within South Asian communities. Through her TEDx talk, she uses the metaphor of family trees to show how inherited burdens and strengths shape identity, encouraging healing through understanding roots, culture, and community.

  1. Mai Bhago: Female Sikh warrior

Mai Bhago was a fearless Sikh warrior who challenged forty men for abandoning their faith and led them back into battle against a vastly larger Mughal army. Though badly injured, she survived and later became Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s bodyguard, standing as a powerful example of equality and courage in Sikh history.

  1. Amrita Sher Gill: Hungarian Sikh Artist

Amrita Sher-Gil was a Hungarian Sikh artist whose paintings explored the emotional lives of women constrained by tradition. By blending Indian and European styles, she gave voice to women’s quiet struggles, resilience, and unspoken strength, especially in works like Three Girls.

  1. Neelam Kaur Gill: British Sikh model

Neelam Gill is a British Sikh model who turned experiences of bullying and racism into a mission for representation in fashion. As a trailblazer for major global brands, she speaks openly about discrimination and uses her visibility to challenge stereotypes of modern Sikh identity. 

  1. The Singh Twins: British Sikh miniature artists

Amrit Singh and Rabindra Kaur Singh, the Singh Twins, are British Sikh artists who have revived Indian miniature painting to explore modern social, political, and religious themes. Their highly detailed, vibrant work challenges Eurocentric ideas of fine art while proudly expressing Sikh history and worldview

  1. Mata Khivi: The only woman mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib

Mata Khivi is the only woman named in the Guru Granth Sahib and is honoured for her compassion, equality, and service. She played a central role in establishing the langar system, ensuring food and care for all, and remains a lasting symbol of Sikh values in action

  1. Sophie DuLeep Singh: Suffragette

Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, daughter of the last Sikh Maharaja, was a key figure in the British suffragette movement. She used her royal status to fight for women’s rights, support Indian independence, and amplify South Asian voices in Britain.

About

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Saint Carlo Acutis: A Modern Story of Faith in the Digital Age

andy-lewis | 03 March, 2026

When students ask whether faith has anything to say to modern life, the Catholic saints can sometimes feel like the wrong place to start. Too often, they appear distant – they are shaped by another century, another culture, another set of assumptions.

Carlo Acutis changes that conversation.

A teenager who loved coding, gaming, and football, Saint Carlo shows what Catholic belief can look like when it is lived seriously in the contemporary world – not as nostalgia, but as conviction.

Carlo was born in London in 1991 to Italian parents before his family returned to Milan. His upbringing was not conventionally “religious” in the way we might expect of a future saint. His parents were not regular Mass-goers, and there was no intense devotional culture at home. Yet from an early age, Carlo displayed a quiet attentiveness to faith. He asked questions, noticed details, and chose practices that slowly, but deliberately, shaped his life.

After receiving his First Holy Communion at the age of seven, Carlo chose to attend Mass daily. He developed a deep love for the rosary, reading Scripture, and acts of charity – particularly towards the poor, migrants, and those sleeping rough around Milan. These were not dramatic gestures, but steady habits. His faith was rooted in Catholic tradition, disciplined rather than showy, ordinary rather than performative.

A child of his generation

At the same time, Carlo was unmistakably a child of his generation. He loved football, video games, and technology. Like many young people of the 1990s and early 2000s, he taught himself coding, web design, and programming, becoming skilled enough to help others build websites. This is what makes him a genuinely millennial saint. Carlo did not reject modern life in order to be holy; he inhabited it fully and learned how to live faithfully within it.

At the centre of everything was Carlo’s devotion to the Eucharist. He famously described it as his “motorway to heaven” – a phrase that is often quoted because it is both ordinary and profound. For Carlo, the Eucharist was not background scenery to his faith, but the place where Christ was encountered most fully. This conviction shaped how he used his time, his talents, and his energy.

Cataloguing miracles on the web

His best-known project was a digital exhibition cataloguing Eucharistic miracles from around the world. As a teenager, Carlo researched historical accounts, visited sites, gathered sources, and presented them online with clarity and care. His aim was not to sensationalise, but to show that belief in the Real Presence was not an abstract claim – it was something the Church had taken seriously, consistently, and globally.

One example Carlo researched was the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano. In the eighth century, a priest struggling with doubt is said to have witnessed the consecrated host and wine transform into flesh and blood during Mass. In the 1970s, independent scientific analysis identified the flesh as human heart tissue and the blood as real human blood, preserved without additives. Carlo did not use such accounts to “prove” belief to sceptics, but to point back to what Catholics already claim happens every single time Mass is celebrated.

A life cut short

Carlo’s life was tragically short. In 2006, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukaemia and died within days, aged just fifteen. Even during his illness, accounts describe a calm acceptance and a concern for others rather than himself. He was beatified in 2020 and is often described as a “patron saint of the internet” – a label students immediately connect to. He was formally declared a saint on 7 September 2025.

As one young Catholic from London in Rome reflected, “The fact that you can think of a Saint doing the same things as you – wearing jeans, playing video games – it feels so much closer than other saints have in the past.”

For RE teachers, Saint Carlo’s biography does important work. He helps bridge the gap students often feel between holiness and normality, faith and technology, tradition and modern life. He offers a contemporary reference point for Catholic belief without diluting its depth or demands.

Saint Carlo Acutis offers something rare: a life close enough to feel recognisable, yet deep enough to stretch our understanding. His story does not demand instant or forced belief in the Eucharist – but it does invite serious attention to what Catholics claim is at the heart of their faith.

His website remains online here: https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/liste/list.html

About

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Creating the RE Podcast

Louisa Jane Smith | 07 March, 2023

For a number of years I have desired to do something creative. After 21 years in the classroom I have resisted the path towards school leadership but I wanted something more. Then Covid came and for the first time in a long time I had space and time. I had no broadcasting experience, no equipment, no technical skills and avoided all social media, but decided to start a podcast. After some research I wrote a business plan, sketched out the early episodes and created a website. A friend let me use a recording cupboard under his stairs and I embarked on an incredibly steep learning curve. I cringed at my own voice initially but I have long passed that reaction. Having boycotted social media due to its negative impact on my mental health, I now needed to re-engage to promote the podcast. I was right to do so. Twitter’s community of educators and specialists in their field has inspired and supported me. Through social media I have found Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, Ex-Jihadists, gay vicars and ex-convicts for the podcast. I released my first episode in October 2020 and ten people listened. Now I have nearly 45,000 listeners around the world. In February 2023 I published my 100th episode. I was asked once during an inset day to tell the person next to me one thing I was proud of. I honestly couldn’t think of a single thing. Now I would have no hesitation in naming The RE Podcast. It has connected me to so many wonderful people and it is such a privilege to use my skills, knowledge and experience to enthuse and support others in teaching the subject I love.
This a free resource, which is one way I can serve the Religion and Worldviews community. I consciously avoid taking a contrary or antagonistic approach to interviewees if our outlooks differ. I try to model how we can listen, be open, connect and communicate. What I create is accessible for teenagers and non-specialists, as well as experienced specialist teachers. Each episode suggests something that I can use in my teaching. But it is the guests that have had the most impact on me. Talking to the Rev. Steve Chalke was one of my personal highlights. I was brought up in the Church of England at the same time as Steve was a Youth Minister. His enthusiasm inspired me as a young Christian; he was a childhood hero. When he came on to the podcast the first time, his passion had not wavered but it was his compassion that spoke to me. He reads the bible from a position of love rather than tradition, open mindedness rather than dogma. Life is full of people who say ‘follow your dreams’ or ‘face your fears’. I am not going to say that. But in your private moments, consider whether there is anything you would really like to do. One day an opportunity will present itself, and when it does, you’ll recognise and grasp it! What I am doing isn’t actually outside my comfort zone, it was just the right thing at the right time. I have had to learn new skills, listen to my own voice, research and work hard, but these are things I can do. When my eldest son was 11 he asked, ‘Mum, what is your hope for the podcast?’ A great question! When I reflect on how far I have come, I feel like I am doing what I was meant to do. I have built my own studio and do all my own editing and promoting. I cannot wait to record new material, will happily spend a weekend editing and am always excited to release each episode. More than this, I feel connected to Religion and Worldviews teachers all over the world. I would love to devote my whole time to the podcast and create accompanying resources for teaching. How wonderful to have an RE teacher creating media that could be used in classrooms. Watch this space!

About

Louisa Jane Smith RE teacher for 21 years, podcaster, radio presenter, mother of two boys 10&12, vegan

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What is Millenarian Thinking and Why is it Important for RE Teachers?

Dr Alastair Lockhart | 07 February, 2023

CenSAMM stands for the “Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements”. It works to promote research into apocalyptic and millenarian movements, and to support public understanding of this area of life and thought.

One of our major projects is CDAMM, the “Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements”, which is an encyclopaedia with entries written by leading academics and aimed at a wide readership – including teachers. The term ‘millenarian’ derives from the Latin for “thousand” (think, ‘millennium’) and historically links to the idea of a thousand-year reign of Christ at the end of history. An article explaining ‘millenarianism’ is one of the resources given below.

The term millennialism is often used to refer to the idea of a long period of idyllic civilization or a “Golden Age” when all injustice will be put right. It is connected to the idea of ‘Apocalypse’ – which is probably a more familiar term to many – which comes from the Greek word for “revelation” (hence, the final book of the New Testament is known as the book of Revelation). Nowadays, thinking around apocalypse is often associated with ideas about global cataclysm or the collapse of a civilization. An article about apocalypse is given as a resource below.

The most prominent form of Christian millenarianism is those who believe Jesus will return and instigate a thousand years of divine rule, followed by the judgement of sinners and restoration of earthly perfection. A group who accept this belief are the Plymouth Brethren Church. Another Christian millenarian view is the expectation of a thousand years of peace, arising from the efforts of living Christians, after which Jesus will return and judgement will occur; an example of this is Christian Reconstructionism – a movement within conservative evangelicalism in the USA. A third form of Christian millenarianism is more figurative and symbolic: that there will not necessarily be a literal period of divine earthly rule.

Millenarianism is not limited to Christian or religious movements. A third resource given below is about the expectation that technology will bring in an era of perfection and elevation of human civilization.

There is no clear explanation for why millenarian thinking occurs; it can be understood as an expression of the basic human need to strive for and imagine a better world. We encounter that in all areas of human thinking, religious and non-religious. As an approach, it can lead to creative political and social thinking about the kind of society we should work for, it can inspire people to think about what things are of real fundamental importance, and it can help to articulate challenges to injustice. However, of course, not everyone agrees about what the real problems or the right solutions are, and some millenarian movements are highly politicised, and their views can be regarded as controversial.

Maybe, one of the really valuable things about the study of millenarianism is the way it helps us understand that ideas are ambiguous and overlap with other beliefs. Millennial thinking challenges our established categories. In addition to the importance of millenarianism in many influential worldviews, such as religious movements, millennial thinking is present in political and popular culture. This suggests that this area of study should have more attention. However, we are beginning to see increasing interest in trying to understand these ideas in a more critical and analytic way – across mainstream culture and in education and academia.

Have a look at the Dictionary and main website here:

CenSAMM:
CDAMM
Go to Resource of the Month to access articles about apocalyptic and millenarian thinking.

About

Alastair is Director of Studies for Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge, and an Academic Director at the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements in Bedford.

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Faith in the Town – History and RE Resources for Primary Teachers

Dr Kate Christopher, Dr Kate Gibson | 01 November, 2022

Dr Kate Gibson, Social historian of the eighteenth century

I am social historian of eighteenth century Britain and I was part of a team of researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Nottingham from 2018 to 2021. We spent three years going through dozens of archives and local record offices looking for diaries, letters and objects like pottery or needlework samplers which people would have displayed in their houses. We ended with over 200 case studies of families or individuals.

We aimed to uncover the experiences of a large range of people. We have items written or made by people of all ages, including young children, business owners who made fortunes in the cotton industry, grocers and shopkeepers, as well as people living in quite severe poverty. For example we found the diary of a man called John Burnthwaite from Cumbria. In the early 1830s he walked around the country selling religious pamphlets, partly because he had no settled home and very little money. For him, his religion was a source of comfort, so when he experienced bad weather or his boots fell apart he prayed to God for guidance, and then gave thanks to providence if he was able to sell enough pamphlets in a particular day. It is through examples such as John Burnthwaite that we can see both the changing economic and physical landscape, as well as deep roots of peoples’ Christian faith.

As part of this research project we have worked with Kate Christopher and graphic designer David Caunce to produce a range of free resources for schools. The lessons are based on the archive documents including maps, needlework samplers, letters and diaries.

Our aim has been to encourage pupils to ask what was it like to grow up, live and work in a growing industrial town. How did the upheavals affect daily life, how did it change how people thought about their place in the world, and did it change their Christian faith? These questions tie in with broader themes such as the economic and social impact of industrialisation, as well as the growing diversity of Christian belief in the eighteenth century.

The resources are designed for KS2 and 3 pupils and arranged around 7 lessons. Each lesson contains background notes and ideas for teaching. Resource packs are given with each lesson so they are ready to be taught. The themes in the lessons are flexible so Primary teachers could apply them across History, Geography and English as well as RE.

Dr Kate Christopher, Teacher and adviser

As a teacher this has been a wonderful opportunity to create resources based on new historical research. This allows teachers to experiment with looking through a historical lens and how it feels in the classroom. I have presented this project to several groups of Primary teachers who have all responded positively to the idea that children can think as historians in RE. They can look at the sources and make sense of them in their own way.

Through these resources pupils will engage with rich, sometimes complex ideas and sources. They gain a glimpse into a past age that illuminates the present. They hear different voices and listen to peoples’ hopes and fears and their daily lives. It is a fascinating glimpse into an era experiencing rapid technological, social and physical change.

These resources support a multidisciplinary approach to Religion and Worldviews in that they provide an excellent example of historical thinking.

Please access the resources through this link: https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/research/projects/current/faith-in-the-town/

We would be very grateful for any feedback.

Check out the main website here, including blogs about the artefacts and sources for your wider interest: https://faithinthetown.wordpress.com/

 

Dr Kate Gibson is a researcher at the University of Manchester, specialising in the social history of eighteenth-century Britain.

Dr Kate Christopher teaches part-time in a secondary school in inner London, is an RE Advisor and is Culham St Gabriel’s Lead Consultant for Professional Development. Email: kate@cstg.org.uk

About

Kate teaches part-time in a secondary school in inner London, is an RE Advisor and is Culham St Gabriel's Lead Consultant for Professional Development. Email: kate@cstg.org.uk

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Beyond the ‘Proof Text’: Analysing Islamic Texts at GCSE

Karen Steele | 02 November, 2021

It took just moments to decide the focus of my project for the Edge Hill RE Subject Knowledge Summer School. I’ve always loved teaching Islam and enjoyed the challenge of developing my subject knowledge for the 2016 specification. The support of people like Zameer Hussain with Shi’a Islam has been greatly appreciated. However, at times my lessons felt a bit plodding and superficial. I recognised immediately the Ofsted Research Review[i] reference to the use of ‘proof texts’ in GCSE. I’ve been guilty of that. Although I had included some textual analysis and scholarship into my lessons, I still felt I could do better. I knew straight away, therefore, I wanted to develop my confidence with Islamic texts and consider how to deliver the content in a more memorable, engaging and meaningful way. After attending the Summer School, I developed a student anthology with carefully selected and sequenced readings, clearly linked to the specification content.

Day 1 of the Summer School included an inspiring session on text and story by Mary Myatt. She reminded us of something we all know, but too often forget when preparing students to sit exams: humans love stories and stories matter. Daniel Willingham claims ‘our brains privilege story’[ii]. RE has an abundance! Text and story are a wonderful way into learning about the Islamic traditions and can be used to enhance our GCSE. That’s what I set out to do.

Islamic texts are daunting: the many collections of Hadith, the varied commentaries and interpretations. Even as an RE specialist, I worried about my ability to get it right. This is why Edge Hill’s offer is so important. Surrounded by specialists including RE teachers and academics, I could ask questions, share ideas and consider feedback. The very patient Dr Harith Ramil supported me with my project, answering my endless questions, offering suggestions and critiquing my work. If only every RE teacher had opportunities like this.

The ‘final product’ is by no means final. Like the tradition of textual interpretation in Islam, it will continue to evolve. Not everyone will agree with my selections and the interpretations I have offered. However, I’m now able to justify my choices and engage my students in a deeper dialogue about the ways texts and story are used in the tradition. The anthology includes 7 texts from the Qur’an and Hadith, chronologically covering key events in the early development of Islam.

Back in the classroom I have proudly issued Year 10 with their anthologies. Together we have analysed and annotated Al-Fatihah (Surah 1:1-7) and an Al-Bukhari Hadith narrating the Night of Power. I can see Year 10 already have a strong foundation for investigating the Islamic understanding of God and the importance of the Qur’an. They are instinctively referring to the texts they have studied to support their claims rather that ‘sticking in a quote’. Will this have the desired impact? Time will tell, but the early signs are good; students are showing a richer and more contextual knowledge.

Edge Hill will put my resources on their website soon. I have included a list of the many resources I discovered and notes for each text designed to help busy teachers.

I feel privileged and grateful to have had this opportunity. If you get the chance to apply to the Summer School, I recommend you go for it.

[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education/research-review-series-religious-education

[ii] Https://www.marymyatt.com/blog/using-stories-in-the-curriculum

About

Karen Steele has taught RE in secondary schools for over 20 years. She is a senior lecturer at the University of Worcester, where she leads the secondary RE PGCE. You can link to her other blogs which are full of recommendations to improve subject knowledge. https://missevareteacher.wordpress.com/blog/

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How I… promote religious literacy about the Jewish worldview tradition through my curriculum

Ria Searle | 05 January, 2021

Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to build my department from essentially scratch, shaping our Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum in line with my vision for RE. After exhausting the Locally Agreed Syllabus, I went about ascertaining ‘priority’ topics for our pupils. Prior to the re-sequencing a student could complete secondary education spending only one one hour studying Judaism. Exploring Judaism was then my priority. However, I was stuck as to how to do justice to this extremely rich and diverse religion and tradition. Luckily, a PGCE peer came to my aid and allowed me to borrow her Scheme of Work (SOW), from which I drew much inspiration, adapting it to suit our school and pupils.

To promote religious literacy, we begin examining the notion of identity, particularly diverse identities within the Jewish tradition. The ‘Do Now’ starter task invites pupils to note what makes them, them; exploring their own identities. It is really important to start the SOW exploring the multiplicity of identities within the Jewish tradition, because if pupils’ have any knowledge of Judaism prior to the unit, it is overwhelmingly based on overgeneralized, single-lensed stereotypes, often images of Haredi Jews. Many are simply unaware that there are varied identities within Judaism and believe they do not know anyone who is Jewish, which isn’t true; they just didn’t know any Haredi Jews as they believe all Jewish people to be like.

We look at Orthodox, Liberal, and Secular identities and expression in daily and yearly life. I try to stress that Liberal and Orthodox Jews are no less ‘devoted’ or believe any less, but simply express faith differently. This provides a sustained reference point throughout the SOW. While exploring Kosher, Shabbat and Passover we refer back these and how expressions are varied in divergent Jewish tradition communities. For example, with observance of Shabbat, we suggest Orthodox Communities may avoid all work: light switches, cars, and mobile phones. Whereas some Liberal or Reform Jews may observe in adapted, often more modern ways, such as using cars to drive to Synagogue, allowing some electrical appliances (ovens, kettles) or, as one student offered from her own life observing when with Grandparents and using her phone (Instagram!) throughout.

Most effective for religious literacy is drawing on those with personal experience. I was fortunate to have Jewish pupils who offered their worldviews and traditions. This enabled students to connect ideas to varied interpretations and individuals they knew, bringing their learning to life and allowing them to interact positively with various worldviews. In addition, we invited in our local Liberal Rabbi to speak to the whole cohort about her faith, worldview and traditions. This was an incredible experience! It shocked the pupils to learn that, as part of her Liberal Jewish identity, she did not ‘keep kosher’ – for she could not then eat and celebrate with non-Jewish neigbours, and that she had had a scientific career in the traditionally male-dominated field of Chemistry prior to becoming a Rabbi, another traditionally male-dominated vocation. They were full of questions about her experience as a female faith leader: the reaction of Orthodox Jews to her position as Rabbi, her favourite parts of Shabbat – community worship, foods, time to pause and reflect on life, the week, and faith – and her experiences of Anti-Semitism. In particular, her family’s connection to the Holocaust and the inspiring journey of her Grandmother across Europe during the War, including liberation at Mauthausen in 1945 and her return to Prague, where she had fled 6 years prior. These personal experiences held the key to unlocking my pupils’ religious literacy about the multiplicity of Jewish traditions and worldviews, how lived faith was so different to the strict, traditional and ‘textbook’ religion many had expected from a Rabbi and leader in their local Jewish community – shamefully, far greater than I could achieve teaching in the classroom.

I understand this is not possible for all schools in all areas, my hometown wouldn’t have such a luxury of a nearby Liberal Rabbi however there are many websites and services online that would willingly engage in a dialogue, whether it be a prerecorded Q&A session, or even a live virtual meet, as we have all become accustomed to since the start of the pandemic! However, with certainty I say it was by far the best way of promoting religious literacy around the multiplicity of lived Judaism and real-life Jewish worldviews. I would advise starting with the basics – bust the myths, dispel stereotypes and open eyes to the diverse identities within the Jewish tradition, this will allow for more effective personal dialogue further into their learning.

About

Ria is Curriculum coordinator of RE and PSHCE in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

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How I… Taught a religion at A Level without a textbook

Ruth Marx | 15 September, 2020

In spring we had the same meeting that many departments had before the A Level reforms came in to play. Which religion were we going to teach? Should we teach Buddhism- being so close to the London Buddhist Centre and with staff expertise in the area? Should we teach Christianity- which was guaranteed to have a textbook? Or should we teach the religion that the majority of our students adhere to- Islam?

We had some year 13 A Level students in a room nearby working late, so we asked them for their opinion. “Oh no, you can’t do Islam at A Level- It’s too challenging to study your own religion… It makes you think way too hard!” As their Year 13 teacher, I took it as a compliment that my teaching had made them think. Their comments tipped the balance for us to go with Islam.

That summer we got hold of as many sources as possible and went back to studying like undergraduates. We knew it would be tough, but we had until the Spring term the following year to prepare. The summer holidays were spent reading, and the autumn term planning lessons and resources.

As a department we were still getting to grips with the GCSE reforms, there were times I wished we had gone with Christianity- so that I could pull a text-book of the shelf, and use my own subject knowledge to teach it. But having taught the Fundamentalism A2 course, which came with very little guidance and no specific resources, I had already been through something similar. It went from being the scariest thing I taught to my favourite lesson each week, as it was something I knew from the original sources and I had created all my teaching resources from scratch.

By the end of the year, Developments in Islamic Thought was my new favourite- and in that first round of exams it was the unit our students achieved most highly in. It transformed how I taught the subject at GCSE, and whilst I was annoyed initially with the timing so close to the GCSE reforms, I have to admit I’m glad they both came in at a similar time. The year was intense, but I loved having debates on Islamic Theology across the office table at lunch with my colleagues and having mind-blown moments myself when I was expecting only the students to.

If your department is facing a similar choice at the moment, and you’re concerned about not having a textbook for your chosen religion here are my tips and reassurances, having been in that same position myself.

Collaborate with your colleagues– although we taught separate parts of the course, planning with my colleagues was an absolute game changer. If you are teaching and planning it alone- reach out on social media, you will find someone else in the same boat as you to bounce ideas off of. I made a Facebook group for Islam at A Level teachers so that I could find other people to share ideas with.

 

Teach each other what you are learning– in our fortnightly key stage 5 meetings we taught each other 15 Minute sessions on what we were planning and teaching- this helped us all to see the bigger picture of the unit, and helped our students with making those synoptic links across the religion topics as well as the Philosophy and Ethics units we taught.

Connect with faith members, ex-faith members, representatives and communities– either in person, or online- see how the theory matches up to the lived experience of what you are teaching. This helped me to bring the wordy sources to life as well as give points for debate and evaluation to my students.

Communicate with your exam board– let them know that you are teaching the religion- it will encourage them to offer more training, more resources and more support for others too. We found our exam board really helpful in answering questions and directing us to more clarification for tricky content matters.

Have confidence in your ability as a learner– as teachers we hope to foster a lifelong love of learning in our students, and this was a great opportunity for me to return to learning. Except this time round I learned in a far more focused and fine-tuned way than I ever managed as an undergraduate.

 

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About

Ruth was an RE teacher in London for 20 years and now works as a consultant and author in Religion and Worldviews and PSHE support. She now lives in South West France and can be contacted via X (formerly twitter) @MzMarxRE

See all posts by Ruth Marx

How I… use knowledge quizzes at A level

Joe Kinnaird | 16 June, 2020

As a department, we have been trialling the use of knowledge quizzes with A level classes. This blog will look to set out why we use them, how they are structured and the benefits we have found in their implementation.

Why we use knowledge quizzes with our A level students?

Upon first glance at an RE A-level specification, the amount of content we need to cover in such little time is daunting. Whilst we spend plenty of time considering how best to explore these ideas with our students, we felt that we had not spent enough time reflecting upon how best to assess the students’ understanding of the material we covered.

In previous years, we would have finished a unit of work by setting an essay question based on the topic. However, we came to recognise that during the marking of essays, we would spend copious amounts of time dealing with knowledge errors within essays. Whilst we would often use low stakes quizzes at the start of a lesson, we wanted to create a form of assessment at the end of the topic which would assess students’ understanding of the core knowledge within the unit before we proceeded to tackle an essay question.

How are they structured?

Here are the sections from a knowledge quiz set on the OCR topic of Ancient philosophical influences. It would be the first knowledge test which Year 12 students would complete. With future quizzes, each section may contain questions based upon a mix of topics. This cumulative element would ensure that students are constantly revisiting prior material.

The quiz would start with asking students to define three key terms from the current topic.

Multiple-choice questions are a really useful tool in identifying any misconceptions students may have. When creating these multiple-choice questions, it is essential that they are rigorous and diagnostic. These multiple-choice questions might be based on key terms, scholars or ideas students have explored in the topic.

These short recall questions allow students to elaborate further on core knowledge within the topic.

A longer explanation question allows students to demonstrate more in-depth understanding of core knowledge.

The final section of the quiz allows students to evaluate key ideas within the topic. These points of evaluation are taken from the discussion points within the OCR A level specification for each topic.

As students to progress throughout the course, these knowledge quizzes could be expanded in various ways to assess core knowledge. These include:

  • Timelines to sort scholars into chronological order
  • An extract from a philosophical or Biblical text which students have to summarise
  • Providing a relevant quote to support a specific idea or scholar.

Here is one example taken from a knowledge quiz on the Developments in Christian Thought topic Death and the Afterlife:

In addition, as students progress throughout the course and we have taught essay writing knowledge quizzes can be used to assess their disciplinary knowledge in ways such as:

  • Students selecting the best opening sentence for a paragraph in response to specific essay question
  • Students selecting the grammatically correct sentence
  • Asking students to highlight any structural errors within a paragraph

How are we using these knowledge quizzes?

We plan to use these knowledge quizzes at the end of each A-level unit prior to students completing an essay on the topic. In addition, we have implemented them as part of our Year 12 mock exam. In the past, the Year 12 Philosophy mock exam would have consisted of a choice of four essay questions with students answering three questions. However, discussions with the rest of my department suggested that our traditional form of assessment for a mock exam may not be best for long term learning or provide us with a full picture of their knowledge of content covered prior to sitting the mock exam.

Firstly, students may have only completed a small amount of essay questions prior to this exam. The task of completing three essay questions within timed conditions is something which they would not be suitably prepared for. Prior to them sitting the exam, we can already anticipate that some students may not complete all three questions within time allowed. Secondly, this traditional form of assessment does not allow us to check the students’ understanding of the full breadth of A-level specification which they have covered prior to this exam. Therefore, we included several knowledge quizzes within their mock exam as well as asking students to answer one essay question.

What are the benefits of using knowledge quizzes with A-level students?

From implementing knowledge quizzes within A-level teaching, we have seen various benefits for students and teachers:

  • Quick to mark – usually 10/15 minutes per quiz
  • Allows for assessment of more aspects of a specification than an essay question
  • Allows students to check their understanding of a topic before preparing for an essay question
  • Cumulative element allows students to constantly revisit prior material.

About

Joe is Head of KS3 RE at the Coopers' Company and Coborn School

See all posts by Joe Kinnaird