Sarah Blair’s excellent presentation on “Increasing Engagement in the BGE,” outlined strategies she uses at Lasswade High School to make RMPS engaging for pupils. Her core aim is to foster keen learners and increase potential uptake in the senior phase by addressing questions about the subject’s relevancy. This is achieved Read more
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!
As Announced at the Festival of Learning our Teach Meet Programme currently has 40 members signed up across the country. Introduced in 2024 to respond to member requests for more frequent high-quality CLPL around the teaching of RME/RERC/RMPS. Current Regional Teach Meets include: Teach Meets are centred on member requests Read more
This session aims to give share some experiences about how to successfully introduce SQA certificate Philosophy classes secondary schools. This will include suggestions on how to give pupils the best chance of attaining and addressing some worries that schools (or teachers) might have, such as whether philosophy will cannibalise RMPS and whether there’s a pathway from Higher Philosophy to Advanced Higher RMPS.
Two years before the release of ‘Adolescence’, and around the time we started hearing about someone called Andrew Tait, our department planned a series of BGE lessons with the aim of helping our pupils to become better thinkers. We wanted our pupils to see that, in an increasingly polarised world, settling for easy answers is often a mistake. Two years later, this unit is receiving top feedback from S4 pupils and even increasing our SQA course uptake. This session will look at the process of planning the unit, its content, and will share details of how to access the lessons and documentary clips used.
Our existing S1 course focused on “feeding facts” and testing memory, so I designed two new units: a first which broke critical thinking down into 5 BGE-friendly basic questions (with tie-ins to the signposting language of senior-phase analysis) and a second which applied and assessed these skills with respect to 7 world faiths. An innovative method for classifying religions was developed.
My session will focus on the premise that teaching philosophy would enhance Religious Education (RERC). Critical discussion of various philosophers’ ideas and the understanding of the philosophical method of thinking contribute to an enriched understanding of religious beliefs. My presentation will address the following points: – Why is Philosophy indispensable Read more
The session focuses on enhancing positive classroom participation in RMPS, particularly through innovative teaching methods for Buddhism. It will include sharing resources and task ideas, such as an interactive “Puja and Buddhist Worship Workshop.” Participants will exchange effective practices, lesson strategies, and approaches that foster engagement.
The STARME Festival of Learning featured Gillian Dunsmuir’s keynote address on maximizing attainment in Senior Phase RMPS. Gillian, a teacher at Stewarton Academy, shared practical tips for success with senior phase RMPS classes. She has a strong passion for sharing good practice and holds Professional Recognition from the GTCS in Assessment and Practitioner Enquiry.