RE: a key contributor but not the only vehicle for SMSC

 

Spiritual development describes the ideal spirit of the school. RE can support this by promoting:

• Self-awareness: offering opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own views and how they have been formed, as well as the views of others

• Curiosity: encouraging pupils’ capacity for critical questioning, such as by keeping big questions in a ‘question box’ or as part of a wall display, and allowing time and space where these questions can be addressed to show that they are important

• Collaboration: utilising lesson techniques which engender group collaboration and communication such as Community of Enquiry/ P4C, circle time, debates, Socratic Circles or group investigations

• Reflection: providing a space to reflect on pupils’ own values and views, as well as those of others, and to consider the impact of these values

• Resilience: promoting a spirit of open enquiry into emotive or complicated questions, in order to learn how to cope with difficult ideas when they arise in the future

• Response: exploring ways in which pupils can express their responses to demanding or controversial issues • Values: promoting an ethos of fairness and mutual respect in the classroom and compassion and generosity in pupils through exploring inspiring examples of these qualities in others

• Appreciation: encouraging pupils’ ability to respond with wonder and excitement by exploring some of the marvels and mysteries of the natural world, of human ingenuity, and examples of the capacity of humans to love, create, organise and overcome adversity.

 

Activities for moral development in RE Moral development is about exploring and developing pupils’ own moral outlook and understanding of right and wrong. It is also about learning to navigate the fact of moral diversity in the world. RE is extremely well-suited to exploring social and personal morality in significant ways:

1) Valuing others: in exploring the views of others, young people are well-prepared in RE to appreciate the uniqueness of all humans and their moral value, and to act in the world and towards others accordingly. In the classroom: offer activities which enable teamwork and trust and require empathy. Welcome speakers or visit places of worship to learn from people of different backgrounds; explore case studies centring on forgiveness, generosity and other beneficial social moral values; use puppets, toys or persona dolls with younger children to develop their sense of moral connection with others.

2) Moral character development: RE offers a safe space where pupils can learn from their mistakes, appreciate ideas of right and wrong, continue to strive after setbacks, take the initiative, act responsibly and demonstrate resilience. RE should present pupils with the challenge of responding in real and concrete ways to some of moral questions they face. In the classroom: encourage your pupils to take part in whole-school endeavours to enlarge their characters. Involve them in establishing appropriate moral codes for classroom, school and the wider community. Suggest participation on the school council or the school play, in sport, music and debates, to contribute to charity events or take part in mentoring or ‘buddy’ schemes.

3) Moral diversity: activities in RE lessons should help pupils feel confident when taking part in debates about moral issues. Debates and discussions should prepare pupils for the fact that there will always be disagreement on matters of morality and their right of expression is balanced by a responsibility to listen to the views of others. In the classroom: choose age-appropriate topics which allow exploration of different moral outlooks such as religious texts about right and wrong, codes for living, treatment of animals and the environment, gender roles in religion, religious views of homosexuality, and so on.

 

 Developing children and young people socially means giving them the opportunities to explore and understand social situations and contexts they may encounter in school or outside. In the RE classroom, such social situations may include exploring:

• Shared values: opportunities to consider values which are or should be part of society, such as those associated with right and wrong, treatment of others or diversity

• Idealised concepts: topics which require reflection on the abstract concepts our society is built on, such as justice, fairness, honesty and truth, and specific examples of how they affect our common life, such as in relation to how people treat each other in the classroom and school, issues of poverty and wealth, crime and punishment • Moral sources: a chance to reflect on where ideas about how we should behave come from, whether religious or non-religious texts, teachings or traditions, in order to more fully understand social and behavioural norms • Influences: opportunities to explore and reflect on the great influence on individuals of family, friends, the media and wider society, in order to understand how our behaviour is affected for good or ill

• Social insight: a chance to acquire insight into significant social and political issues which affect individuals, groups and the nation, such as how churches and gurdwaras may contribute practically to needs in their local communities, or how some religious and non-religious charities fight to change government policies where they are unjust

• Role models: teachers should model the sort of behaviour we expect of our children and young people, and RE should explore role models, from the famous like Desmond Tutu, to the many local examples in the school and its community

• Experiential learning: pupils should have opportunities to embody for themselves expected behavioural and social norms, whether through class discussions, group work and ongoing behaviour expectations, or through special events such as school visits or drama workshops.

 

Activities for cultural development in RE There are two meanings associated with ‘cultural’ development, and RE embodies both of them. Firstly the term refers to the pupils’ own home culture and background, whether religious or not, and secondly the term describes our national culture. Schooling should prepare all young people to participate in Britain’s wider cultural life, whatever their own background. Cultural development could be evident in RE in two major ways:

1) Own culture: RE is the perfect subject in which to explore Britain’s rich diversity of religious, ethnic and geographical cultures. Although all children share Britain’s common life, cultural diversity is part of that life and no child should feel their cultural background is a barrier to participation. Some common RE activities which promote children’s understanding of communities and cultural groups, including their own, could include: In the classroom: explore food, festivals, music, art, architecture and other forms of religious and cultural expression. Where possible, visit areas with a strong cultural flavour to observe shops, cafes, people and houses. Some parents may be willing to come and talk about their home culture, or send personal artefacts to school with their children such as books, photos or clothes. Students who belong to a particular cultural group should be encouraged to share their experiences in class discussion, give a talk or even an assembly.

2) Wider culture: schooling is a preparation for adult life in terms of behaviour and expectations as well as in achieving qualifications. This wider cultural education prepares children for adulthood. In the classroom: cultural education is found whenever children make sense of the world around them and explore why we act the way we do. Provide opportunities for participation in classroom and whole-school events, including art, music, drama, sport, activism and serving others; explore what it is like to encounter difficulties in learning and relationships, and be open about the sorts of behaviours that are expected.