Office for Education and Schools Diocese of Leeds

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Office for Education and SchoolsDiocese of Leeds

• Religious Education
• Equipping Children for Life

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WHAT IS RE ABOUT?

• IMAGINE
• Word of Jesus that begins the Parable of The
  Sower
• Why does he use the word IMAGINE?
• Is it to pretend?
• Is it to make people happy?
• Is it to help them think and understand?

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IMAGINE

• Jesus is critical of the Pharisees
• Speaks in Parables so that they wont perceive or
  understand
• Why cant they understand?
• Has it got something to do with their in-ability
  to imagine?
• Are they closed off (Pharisee separated
  ones), not open to change?

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IMAGINE IS REAL

• We have grown up with Imagine meaning make
  believe.
• PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP (Lk. 54)
• Imagination is about a depth of understanding
• It is about perceiving beyond the surface and
  seeing something much deeper
• Great saints had the ability to imagine.

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IMAGINE IS THE WAY

• Saint Therese St. Francis
• Saw beauty and magnificence of God in a little
  flower/ brother sun and sister moon
• Therese recognised she was called to be something
  like the flower to do her part in the service
  of God
• Francis saw the imprint of God within creation
  seeing God in all things
• Use of imagination Perceive the height
• and depth

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RE and IMAGINATION

• Religious Education is about developing
  Imagination
• In school it is about children and young people
  contemplating the depths of the mystery of God in
  the reality of their lives
• Scripture, Tradition and Interpreted Experience
  will be the foundation of this task

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THE TEACHER

• The task of the teacher is to tap into the
  Religious Imagination of our children who are
  by nature receptive and open to the
  transcendent
• To enable them to discover the heights and depths
  of the Mystery of God
• Teachers have the task of facilitating this
  discovery through their ministry to the children

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To Teach is To IMAGINE

• What does the teacher need to do?
• Need to be somebody who can answer that command
  of Jesus IMAGINE
• To see beyond the surface to begin to perceive
  - like in the Parable of the Sower - the hidden
  meaning.
• To be engaged themselves with RE
• To continue to develop their religious imagination

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How Do We Accompany the Children?

• This is truly an adventure into learning
• Need to have a good idea of styles of learning
  appropriate for RE and for the children we work
  with
• Everybody has a learning style and we must
  identify this

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What does a Visual Learner Look Like in RE?

• that looks right needs to see it (sees text
  in recall)
• Sit near teacher to avoid visual distractions
• Likes writing and drawing remember that way
• Neat handwriting and good spelling
• Likes to read
• Doodles
• Struggles with the spoken word
• Quiet and neat
• Attention to detail
• Awful at jokes!

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VISUAL IN RE

• Enjoy Demonstration
• Watch DVD and Presentation
• Read Religious Text HIGHLIGHTER
• Enjoys Visual Media Art and Symbols
• Draws Religious Pictures
• Imagine what Things Look Like thinks in pics
• Imagine Narrative, Use Pictures to Explain,
  Discuss, Analyse Narrative

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What does an Auditory Learner Look Like In RE?

• That rings a bell needs to hear it!
• Talks to Self Aloud
• Enjoys Talking
• Easily Distracted
• Likes to be Read to - written info little
  meaning until it is heard!
• Enjoys Music
• Likes Listening Activities/Hearing Explanations

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AUDITORY AND RE

• Likes to Sing Words
• Mnemonics
• Retell and Explain Narrative
• Share Evaluations and Point of View
• Work Well in Groups and in Partner Talk Sessions
  / interviewing
• Listening to Demonstration / guest speakers
• Engage in Discussion Lessons

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What about our friend Mr Kinasthetic?

• I dont follow you needs to touch, move, do
  it!
• Taps Pencil or Foot
• Enjoys Doing
• Not a Great Reader
• Outgoing by Nature
• Hands While Talking
• Walks Around and Daydreams!

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KINASTHETIC AND RE

• Working with artefacts, symbols
• Role Play Envoys act out rituals / stories
• Liturgical dance
• Works standing up
• Sign language
• Listen to music while working
• Freeze Frame meaning of things, Stations of
  the Cross, reactions to events
• Timelines
• Write things down / scribing
• Highlighting text
• Modelling behaviour / instructing others
• Making models etc
• Story sacks

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Implications. Visual

• Colourful Resources
• Use of Religious Text
• Links with Literacy and Guided Reading
• Use of Symbolism
• Importance of Artefacts

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Implications Auditory

• Good Use of Reading Aloud
• Discussion Groups
• Trios and Envoys
• Hot Seating
• Role Play
• Contributing to Discussion and Debate
• Being Attentive to Speaking and Listening Skills

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Implications Kinasthetic

• Lessons with Pace and Clear Expectations
• Activities that Involve Different Skills
• Inviting children to Move Around Envoys
• Discussion Groups
• Working with IWB
• Artefacts
• Drama Work and using Lots of Different Media.

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DEVELOPING RELIGIOUS IMAGINATION

• Three Storey House
• To Gather- various sources of information using
  skills and media
• To Explore - Interpret- engaging in the media
  gathered asking questions using skills to work
  with the sources giving reasons, show
  understanding, explanation
• To Apply- make links to my life engage and
  respond

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Gathering Information

• Who is the Greatest Resource?

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What Do You Do With Your Information?

• IMPORTANCE OF questions
• What Type of Questions Do You Ask Children In RE?
• Explore the Range
• What Opportunities do we Give Children to Raise
  Questions?
• To Model Good Questioning?

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KEY SKILLS TO SUPPORT EXPLORATION AND
INTERPRETATION

• Importance of the Use of Skills
• Skills Associated With All Learning Styles

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Engage using Art Questioning

• Choose suitable image National Gallery/Google
• Use art to develop EXPRESSION / EMPATHY
• Challenge spiritual imagination
• Match scripture with art
• Design CD cover with scripture / hymn words
• Anything puzzling, interesting, surprising?
• Whats missing? What would you add?
• Prediction what happened next or before?

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Skills in RE Using Art

• INVESTIGATION
• find out about / from
• sort
• sequence
• INTERPRETATION
• draw meaning from
• understand meaning of symbol
• EMPATHY
• recognise motivation, emotions
• understand peoples circumstances
  and reasoning
• (bubble map, target map, bridge map, continuum
  line)