1. Inspiring RE, teaching tolerance and respect
This copyright presentation belongs to Lat Blaylock, RE Today, and is available to those who attended the Nottinghamshire SACRE conference, April 2008, for use in their own schools. Any other use is by written permission only. Please respect the gift.

2. Can RE teach tolerance?
Yes – indirectly, through a quality learning experience in AT 1 and AT 2
Authentic religious learning linked to attitudinal exploration linked to opportunities for moral development
The NATRE database of pupils’ writing provides numerous examples to search and use in the classroom at

4. Pupils’ work to show the way
The next five slides show what pupils can do when asked to design a range of goods and create some prayers or meditations for the Week of Prayer for Peace between Religions
Set your pupils this task too.

5. This is by a year 2 pupil, a vision of her own spirit
This is by a year 2 pupil, a vision of her own spirit. She said: ‘I like to be dreamy. I am all different colours in my heart. I chose purple because it’s my favorite colour. I am a calm person.’ Can she respond sensitively to questions of identity? Definitely.

6. This class peace collage is evidence of achievement in a general sense for the group. Did this piece of work enable pupils to identify a key concept in different religion, a shared human value? I think so.

7. Nathan is a 6 year old boy. Asked to design good to promote the interfaith week of prayer for world peace, he came up with this mug. He chose the ‘peace’ symbols of globe, flower and human (in 2 colours) himself. Can Nathan respond sensitively to questions about values and living together? You bet.

10. Creative and Exciting RE for 5-11s
Conceptual challenge
Active learning
Varied learning styles
Authentically religious
Imaginative skills in action
Creative potential

14. God in my heart
By Josh Brown, 7

15. “We have not answered the question ‘where is God
“We have not answered the question ‘where is God?’ But we have suggested how to go about answering the question. Seek and you will find. But watch out. If God was at the touch of a button, would you dare click it?”

17. An observation / reflection strategy
This is good – you will only know how good by trying it out.
It steps and scaffolds a process
Use it on the whiteboard, or with some differentiated images, or in any of 20 ways
As an assessment, it can provide good evidence of AT2.
You can vary the prompts in lots of ways too.

18. The Commitment Game
RE needs more interesting and interactive approaches – here’s one to try out.

19. Skilful RE for 7-11s
RE is sometimes narrowed down to facts and information
Pupils need interesting learning experiences as many are in ‘foreign territory’ with religion
Good activities for RE 7-11 always take the thoughts and spirituality of the child into account
This seminar offers a half a dozen very flexible examples

20. The aims of the game include;
Enabling 9-12s to discuss commitment in a structured and profound way
creating a conceptual framework for the understanding of religious commitment
providing for excellence and enjoyment in speaking and listening through RE.

21. The Commitment Game
On the board, a green square stands for things you are committed to, a red one for the things you are not committed to, and an orange space is for things you’re not so sure about.
Pupils must put the cards in a pile, face downwards, and play in turns, around the group.
When it’s your turn, you must do three things:
1. Read out the top card;
2. Ask the other players where they would put it and why;
3. Ignore them, and put it where you think it goes for you.
When it’s your turn, if you want to, you can also move another person’s card to a space that you choose: ‘Move one, place one’ is the rule.
All cards must be in one space only – no overlapping is allowed.
When the cards are all out, play three more rounds, in which you just swap two cards over. Say why.

22. Commitment What does it mean?
“Commitments are things that you care about very much, that make a difference to your life”
“A commitment is something you take on, and then stick to”
What is a soldier committed to?
What is a police officer committed to?
What is Steven Gerrard committed to?
What is Angelina Jolie committed to?
How does it show?

23. I live in Leicester, which is a city of four religions
I live in Leicester, which is a city of four religions. In my religion, we worship different gods and goddesses. At home we have a shrine to the god Shiva. There’s a murti (you would call it a statue) and we pray together there, all the family, in the morning. It helps us to be calm and to think clearly. I am learning to play rugby at school at the moment. Leicester has one of the best rugby clubs in Europe. One of my commitments is to be vegetarian. We never eat meat, because animals have lives just like us, so it’s better not to kill them. When I grow up, I’d like to run my own business, and make enough money to travel to visit my Indian relatives whenever I want to.

24. When you have played the game…
Think about the character you have been given – what would his / her top commitments be?
Then think about the children on the sheets – what are their commitments?
Then think about yourself. What are your commitments?

25. In practice, pupils take about 35 minutes in a group of four to play – this is purposeful talk, and listening. Encourage all to respond to each prompt in conversation.

27. Level 4: Pupils can apply ideas from religions to their own and others lives, thoughtfully

30. Why does this work?
Purposeful speaking and listening (RE needs more of this)
Real spiritual engagement via questions
Challenging low standards, to make RE interesting
Structured responses in writing build upon the experience – gives evidence of achievement
Outcomes add AT1 – learn about religion – to an AT2 starting point

31. RE Today Assessment Examples 2008
RE to inspire your pupils task setting that leads excellence in achievement
Lat Blaylock Not to be copied

32. Presentations from the day – download them from the RE Resources site from next week (in the subscribers area):

33. Religion: present but hardly visible
How can RE connect to pupils’ own experience? (AT2 matters most at present)
How can RE be real, reflecting the diversity, complexity, simplicity and good learning?
How can RE be child-friendly, helping them to make sense of the world? Even change the world a bit?

34. Looking for religion around us
[Refer to the image in ‘Exploring a Theme: Religion around us, RE Today, £7.90)
From the picture, list 10 items you think are connected with religion. Compare your list with a partner and tick any you have both chosen. Talk about the others you have included and explain why you picked them.
Underline:
- in red any that are buildings where religious groups meet;
in blue any that are to do with people helping others;
in black any that are to do with worship or special events in people’s lives.
Use your ideas to complete a paragraph starting with: ‘I think religion is...’
Take a tour
Imagine you work for the Tourist Board. A group of Japanese visitors want to know more about religion in Britain today. You are asked to plan a walking route around the town to show the tourists as many different aspects of religion as you can.
Look carefully at the picture. Think about:
• Where would you take them and why?
• Whom might they like to meet?
• What might they ask you?
Plan your route. Add any notes to your plan to help you answer any questions

35. Be a reporter
Imagine you work at the local
newspaper. Your editor wants a special feature about religion in your local community. He has asked you to write it!
Look carefully at the picture. Make some note about:
• Whom you would interview and why.
• What questions you would ask.
• What photographs you would include.
Tip: religion is about
what people believe,
how and whom they worship,
how they live their everyday lives.
Have you covered all these?
A community like mine?
Not all towns and villages are like the one shown in the drawing. What does your town or community have that:
• is similar to this one?
• is different from this one?
If you belong to a community with people of different religions, beliefs and customs – what are the best things about it?
If your community is very different to that in the picture, what do you think you would like best and least about living in the town in the picture? Make a list.

36. Look carefully at all the people in the picture - count them, guess their ages, suggest names for them.
• In a group of five, choose five people in the picture who you think would have something interesting to say about what they believe and how they live.
• If you could ask them to write about themselves for the town magazine, what do you think they would say? (You might need to find out more about some of them – how can you do this?)
• In your group, each member takes one character from the picture and writes ‘their’ paragraph. Put the paragraphs together into an article. Make into a booklet and design an appropriate front cover.
Where can we find ‘religion’?
To understand what religion is and why it is significant we need to look at:
1 A religion’s teaching
2 The ways religion helps people live their lives
3 The stories of a religion
4. The times when followers come together for worship
5. What a religion teaches about how its followers ought to behave
6. The ceremonies, rituals and celebrations of a religion.
In a group, look at the picture – can you find any evidence for each of the above?
Make a poster to show your findings. Each member illustrates one or two of the above. It could show the six aspects linked together. Add your own thoughts in speech bubbles. Decide on an appropriate title.

37. Briony (4) has done something many adults have not, or even cannot – she has looked careful at things Islamic.

38. OFSTED long report on RE, 2007
“Pupils are required to support their views by referring to the teachings and sacred texts of Christianity and/or one or two other principal religions. These requirements appear intellectually demanding. However, assessment tends to encourage standard, mechanistic responses rather than thoughtful engagement with the issues.”

39. Analyse / contextualise Account for… Coherently Understand…
Learn about religion
Learn from religion 8
Analyse / contextualise
Justify views 7
Account for… Coherently Understand…
Evaluate 6
Interpret
Express insight 5
Explain
Express views 4
Show understanding
Apply ideas 3
Describe
Make links 2
Retell
Respond sensitively 1
Name
Talk about

40. Level 3: Describe… Make links
Begin to identify the impact… Recognise similarities / differences…
Use a developing religious vocabulary…
Describe three things Christians believe in, and say what difference the beliefs make at Christmas.
Describe the importance of two main Muslim beliefs, and say how they are shown in pilgrimage to Makkah.
Describe three ways Hindus celebrate or worship at home or in the Mandir.
Suggest what difference worship makes to life (for Hindus, Muslims or Christians).
Describe some symbols of belonging that Hindus, Muslims or Christians use when they worship.
Make a link between two Muslim artefacts (e.g. Qur’an stand and Prayer mat) and the fast during Ramadan.
Make a link between how a Bible story is used in Church, and how it may have an impact on a Christian child.
Make a link between a piece of Christian music and a Bible text that inspired it.
Recognise and describe three similarities between Divali and Easter.

41. This activity links to the healthy schools work, but focuses on values (AT 2 strand three). By structuring the response in the loaf of self and world, teaching enables a varied response.
Jalpa shows here she is able to respond sensitively to questions of values for herself [L2]. If you think she is here describing her values and making links between beliefs and lifestyle (I think she does) then there is evidence of an emerging level 3

43. From today…
What have you thought about that you would like to use in the next few weeks?
How will you share what you’ve thought about today with your team?
What long term issues in your schools RE have emerged?
Copyright, Lat Blaylock RE Today