The Doughnut and the Hole: Spiritual Development in Primary schools

Liz Mills

Research Title

Research Summary

‘The Doughnut and the Hole’ (1997), aimed to try to find through talking with teachers, advisers, children, researchers and reading widely, some simple, appropriate ways to encourage Spiritual Development in Primary Schools. The resulting images from this research have been useful in further work by myself and others. Seeing ourselves as spiritual in the sense of being Holy Doughnuts: Holy Wholes with Holy Holes, and the need to allow time for openings: as Windows, of wondering about the Wows and Ows of life; as Mirrors (of reflecting on this;) and Doors (of opportunity to express and act on what is being learnt from this). This piece of research can be found via the link below and supports other work in which I am now involved.

Researchers

Liz Mills

Research Institution

Farmington Institute

What is this about?

‘The Doughnut and the Hole’ (1997), aimed to try to find some simple, appropriate ways to encourage Spiritual Development in Primary Schools.

What was done?

This was a piece of Action Research in schools involving interviewing and working with teachers, children, parents and governors as well as background networking with advisers and researchers around the country, together with wide reading.

Main findings and outputs

What is spiritual development? Here a simple definition image was offered: a Holy Doughnut. An image which might help us see ourselves as ‘spiritual’ in the sense of being like doughnuts with holes: Holy Wholes with Holy Holes. Secondly, how might spirituality be developed? Here an alternative understanding of the word ‘development’ was offered: development as a process of realisation, like developing a photo, rather than a continuous push for ‘progressive’ development.

Three images resulted from this research, to help schools to plan practically. Windows (of wondering about the Wows and Ows of life), Mirrors (of reflecting on this) and Doors, (of opportunity to express and act on what is being learnt from this).

Relevance to RE

Teachers might use the research to help develop appropriate, inclusive ways to understand the term spiritual development in primary schools; and to do practical, creative work with this in RE, SMSCD or throughout the curriculum.

Generalisability and potential limitations

Other teachers might like to make use of and build on the ideas contained in the research.

Find out more

http://www.farmington.ac.uk/index.php/ps12-the-doughnut-and-the-hole/