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For the staffroom
This article is for paying subscribers Inside a faith
Eleven worldview questions: a way of opening up the concept of worldviews for your pupils
Articles by Kate Christopher
This article is for paying subscribers
Theory and practice
This article is for paying subscribers RE and community cohesion: what are we looking at?
As we all know, one of the aims and purposes of RE, certainly since Tony Blair’s Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke took an interest in the subject, has been to contribute towards community cohesion....
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers Writing on both sides of the coin: the value of opinions and ideas
Whether you are working with bright 12-year-olds who like learning to argue, or exam entrants of 16 who still need to grasp that RE is never just about their own opinions, this simple classroom strategy can deliver big...
For the staffroom
This article is for paying subscribers Intention in the primary curriculum: a case study of the Stockton- on-Tees Agreed Syllabus
How can the local RE syllabus develop without causing undue disruption for busy teachers? Kirsten Webber, adviser to Stockton SACRE, developed the local RE syllabus to show a clear intention, using the idea of...
For the classroom 7-14
This article is for paying subscribers The Respectometer: what is the most respectful thing of all?
This classroom learning approach, devised by Julia Diamond-Conway and Kate Christopher, puts into practice one of the key intentions of RE – to enable pupils to consider attitudes of tolerance and respect in...
For the classroom 5-11
This article is for paying subscribers Implementation: Islam primary case study
This case study for teaching Islam is an example of planning to meet an overall aim, reflecting on the new inspection requirements for England.
For the classroom 14-16
This article is for paying subscribers Ten ways to handle technical vocab at GCSE
Grew A treeAccording to a Chinese proverb, the best time to grow a tree is 20 years ago, but the next best time is right now. Grow this tree as soon as you can. Start building key concepts and technical words into your...
Editorial
This article is for paying subscribers Words and beyond
In this edition we go ‘beyond words’ in practical and philosophical terms. In the last edition we introduced Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan through her poetry. In this edition we explore more of her work, which addresses...
For the classroom 7-11
This article is for paying subscribers Kisa and the mustard seeds
Kisagotami (called Kisa, for simplicity, in this article) was the daughter of the poorest family in the village. Eventually her kind ways charmed a young man, and they married. Once she was married, her husband’s...
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers A history of the big idea of atheism
More of the world is religious than atheist, yet in the West atheism is normalised and on the increase. Just as many religions have an identifiable point of origin, so too does atheism as it has developed in the West....
For the classroom 5-11
This article is for paying subscribers Little people, big question : ten techniques to get your primary pupils thinking harder
Who says small children can’t access big thoughts, ask big questions and understand big ideas? Below we present ten techniques to show your pupils that their big questions matter.
The big picture
This article is for paying subscribers THE BIG PICTURE: The realm of the hungry ghosts
Hell on earth: the realm of the hungry ghosts What is evil? Where is evil? The traditional view of a devil who tempts us and, if we really don’t shape up, a hell where we will suffer eternal punishment are familiar...
For the staffroom
This article is for paying subscribers A Muslim response to the evil of IS
Kate Christopher explores issues every teacher of RE has to think about. As a teacher, how do you manage questions about Islamic State (IS) when teaching Islam? Indeed, how do you manage questions about IS at all? You...
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers Evil for real The Charlie Hebdo murders
One year ago, our media was dominated by news on attacks on cartoonists and magazine publishers in Paris. As the anniversary of this event is noted, teachers of RE will be asked questions, again, about Islam and terror....
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers Fighting evil in practice
In this prototype lesson we will find out about the incredibly practical work carried out by a number of religious charities around the world to alleviate suffering. These include Christian Aid, Muslim Hands and...
For the classroom 7-14
This article is for paying subscribers Animal, vegetable, mineral … and AI?
Kate Christopher offers some RE lessons from the generation who will have to work out what artificial intelligence does to change our lives and views.
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers Making worldviews visible: female bishops, the Five Ks and the hijab as examples
What is a worldview, how does it differ from or connect to
a religious belief, and how can we make this visible in RE?
For the classroom 7-14
This article is for paying subscribers Teaching jihad for 7–14s
Kate Christopher suggests practical approaches to teaching a sticky topic.
Opinion
This article is for paying subscribers Stormzy: grime and grace
South London grime artist Stormzy has a debut album called Gang Signs & Prayer. It was the first grime album in history to reach number 1. This is an edited version of Miranda Sawyer’s Guardian article about her...
Theory and practice
This article is for paying subscribers Promoting good community relations: what can RE learn from social psychology?
It is frequently claimed that RE has a vital role in establishing social cohesion. But does it? How do/can we know? Here Kate Christopher, Janet Orchard and Amanda Williams describe their Shared Space project, informed...
For the classroom 11-14
This article is for paying subscribers The stories we tell ourselves:
three examples to address preconceptions and assumptions With increasing Islamophobia in the British and worldwide press, teachers might be inclined to readjust the balance and tell the story of ‘good Muslims’ or...
For the classroom 7-11
This article is for paying subscribers Creation stories of the world:
We teach many creation stories, especially to younger children in the primary phase. However, older children can benefit from returning to well-loved creation stories and taking a sociological or psychological view,...
Editorial
This article is for paying subscribers Telling stories
In this edition we are thinking about ‘stories’: the stories we tell children, the stories we tell ourselves and the stories that challenge and inspire us.
Events and resources 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers God and the Big Bang secondary pupil day:
Discoveries and developments in science are often cited as the reason for decline in religious belief. The picture of the Universe presented by modern science leaves very little room for religious truths, or so the...
For the classroom 11-16
This article is for paying subscribers What is Religion?
Do you ever get the sense that your students come to school to watch you work? Jane Halsall at Southend High School for Boys wants to shift the responsibility of critical thinking from her to her students’...
For the classroom 11-19
This article is for paying subscribers Is community cohesion good or RE?
A decade ago the RE department in my diverse inner London school won a grant from the Religious Education Council (REC) to highlight RE’s contribution to community cohesion. We decided to commission a film. We asked...