Articles by Kate Christopher

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...

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...

This case study for teaching Islam is an example of planning to meet an overall aim, reflecting on the new inspection requirements for England.

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...

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...

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....

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.

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....

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...

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.

What is a worldview, how does it differ from or connect to
a religious belief, and how can we make this visible in RE?

Kate Christopher suggests practical approaches to teaching a sticky topic.

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...

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,...

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’...

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...