Following from her session at the Festival of Learning, Fiona Moss, Culham St Gabriels, will be sharing more about Religion and World View approach to RME. This will be an interesting session to consider and understand expecially in a time of curriculum change.
At a recent Festival of Learning, Ollie Bray, the strategic director at Education Scotland, delivered a keynote address on the Curriculum Review Cycle and its specific implications for Religious and Moral Education (RME). He emphasized that RME’s position as one of the eight distinct curricular areas is secure and it will not be merged into other faculties like social subjects or humanities. Bray highlighted the unique and vital role RME plays in challenging students to think critically, engage with complex debates, and navigate unfamiliar intellectual contexts. The keynote served as a strong reaffirmation of RME’s importance in developing critically aware young people, noting that RME teachers have been actively involved in the curriculum review consultation process since May 2023.
YPI has gained considerable traction since its launch in 2008, approximately 300 schools now participate. We will look at the delivery of YPI in RME considering the aims of YPI, teaching and learning approaches within RME, encouraging active engagement with pupils, supporting the delivery of the “Values in Action” unit and “troubleshooting” concerns around its delivery. This workshop will support teachers who are running YPI, or supporting other departments doing so, whether they are seasoned veterans or newbies, hopefully giving some inspiration to take back to the classroom!
With Scotland becoming an ever increasingly secular society, the place for RMPS in the secondary school curriculum has become increasingly questioned. My research explores the extent of which secondary students believe RMPS contributes to their understanding of contemporary social and ethical issues in a secular society, factors which influence their perception of the subject and if students perceive RMPS as contributing to their personal development and moral reasoning.
Moral education is most effective when based on discussions and debate (Kohlberg and Hersh, 1977) but that can often be a challenge in the primary classroom. Time can be a barrier to exploring moral education topics (Clanachan and Matemba, 2015). But even as little as 10 minutes per day can be beneficial to students’ moral development. In this session, we will explore the use of dilemma discussions where free video resources will be shared that have been developed from my PhD research.
This This session will provide an overview of relevant Jewish topics and traditions, as well as looking at challenges that can come up when teaching about Judaism. We will be exploring some resources from the Jewish Council of Scotland which can be used in a classroom setting, and will have an opportunity to ask questions as well. We will also discuss how to support Jewish students and families in the classroom.
As we undertake educational reform in Scotland, including curriculum improvement, let’s learn from best practice elsewhere. This paper explores the similarities and differences in the delivery of Religious Education (RE) in Catholic schools across Australia and Scotland, focusing on curriculum design and assessment strategies. It examines how RE staff can be supported in differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of students, particularly in terms of religious background, learning styles, and abilities. Through a comparative lens, based on the lived experience of the presenter, the paper offers insights into effective differentiation practices that can inform the development of RE in Scotland’s evolving educational landscape.
A useful session for: providing pupil feedback; supporting the PRD process; and aspiring middle leaders. Benefits include: improving teacher-pupil relationships; encouraging self-reflection and independence; celebrating successes; and reducing workload. This model can be applied not only to the BGE & Senior Phase in RME & RMPS, but in many facets within school and life, such as behaviour management; mental health; and parenting!
Our session will introduce RME educators to the Ethics Cup, a team-based oral presentation competition for high school students in which they investigate contemporary ethical controversies (https://ethicscup.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk). The session will explain the rationale, format, and logistics of the Cup competition, as well as providing practical advice about how to recruit and develop a team.