In this session, we focused on the possible disadvantages we, as teachers may be faced with when assessing children’s work in RE.

In my opinion, I feel that RE is particularly difficult to assess, as I do not feel there is enough guidance or support in how to assess and what to assess against. Because RE is not a subject included in the National Curriculum, its importance can easily go unjustified and this may be a reason why teachers may struggle to assess whether their children are making progress in the subject. Reflecting and reviewing back on my 1B placement, I looked at a range of work produced by the children based on any topics in RE. From this, I could see the potential RE has to enable children to be spiritually reflective and creative, produce which is so personal and unique to them. I feel this should therefore be celebrated. One way I feel this issue with assessing could be resolved is for teachers to meet and compare and discuss the work produced by children. This allows teachers to discuss and consider what is expected of these children, and set personal targets as to how improve children’s understanding through their teaching strategies.

On the other hand, assessing children’s work does not always mean marking, there are many other ways we can assess children throughout our teaching of RE:

• Speaking and listening
• Discussion
• Questions and answers
• Drawings
• Group work
• Story telling
• Role play
• Hot seating

These ways of assessing are definitely some interesting and exciting ways to gain an insight into children’s understanding of religion!

Later in the session, we looked at how teachers can assess which level descriptor is best fit to the pupil and their work. We learnt how this information should be gathered over a period of time in order to gain rich, reliable information.

We also looked at different pieces of children’s work and had a go at levelling some of our own. By looking at the written description and levels given on some examples, we could see the justification as to why that particular child’s work had been given that level.

This session has definitely developed my confidence in assessing children’s work in RE, and, although still a daunting aspect, I definitely want to develop my experience in teaching and assessing RE on my 2A placement.

A ladder of key skills for assessing RE: from APP Assessment Guidelines in RE

During this session we explored the ways visits and visitors can be used to support children’s learning.

Here are just some of the reasons we should encourage educational trips for children as well as educational visitors:

• They build positive attitudes
• They are interesting and active
• Develop children’s subject knowledge through listening to an expertise in a particular faith
• Promotes collaborative working in the community
• They build on preparatory work

However, there are also some potential limitations to having visits and visitors, these include:

• No control over the speech of pupils when listening to visitors
• A visitor may preach a religion to children, rather than teaching it.
• The educational visit, led perhaps by an organisation, may not facilitate the learning of the children as expected.

It is our job as teachers to overcome these barriers so that children have the best opportunities to extend their learning in RE.

http://www.reonline.org.uk/specials/places-of-worship/home_1.htm

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090608182316/standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/religion/rel2d/

The two websites above provide teachers with advice and support on what to consider when planning an educational visit in RE, thinking about resources, activities, questions and students’ final piece of work. These are brilliant tools for teachers to look at in order to combat the potential anxieties and barriers which teachers may face when planning an educational visit or visitor.

After a lot of discussion, reflection and through browsing the supportive websites provided above, it is clear to see the importance of the teacher’s guidance and preparation around these visits and visitors. Here are some key aspects I feel teachers need to consider in order for a visit to be successful:

Children must also be prepared:
Children must also be prepared for visitors. Teachers must help children prepare questions prior to the visit, so that children can move forward in their learning and address any misconceptions or misunderstandings which they may have. 

Meet the visitor/visit the venue:
It is so important for teachers to arrange to meet a visitor prior to the visit.  With this, teachers will be able to discuss what the aims of the visit are and decide on whether this is suitable for the children and the topic they are covering.
It is equally important for teachers, where possible, to visit a venue before taking the children on a visit. The teacher needs to know that the venue is suitable for the children’s learning. If a visit is not possible for teachers due to time/travel, virtual tours provided on websites are a really useful way to gain an insight into the venue.

Risk Assessments:
A risk assessment must be carried about before any educational visit can take place. It is extremely important that teachers remain professional and consider the risk to children’s safety at all times. With this, children can engage with the learning opportunities provided in a safe and comfortable environment.

Click here to see a fantastic article I came across on-line which supports the need for educational visits and visitors in school. I found this website particularly effective in providing teachers with criteria for what makes an effective learning environment for children. It also alliterates the need for reflective discussion after the visit in order to consolidate learning for children.

During this session, we discussed the role of ICT within RE and how these subjects can be incorporated in order to achieve the many benefits it holds. Take a look below at some of the key aspects we discussed during the session:

• It has the potential to cater for the different learning styles and needs in the classroom
• Enables learners to collaborate with peers and partner schools
• Allows teachers to assess and record pupil progress electronically
• Enhances communication between teachers and parents through email and a learning platform
• For teachers to access and share information in order to develop personal knowledge of RE

We were then given iPad’s to explore various different websites which  provide beneficial resources for teachers to use in their teaching of RE.

Click here to look at an excellent website which we discovered through browsing the internet. It provides us with colourful pictures which enable us to see different places of worship. I feel it is an excellent, diverse tool to use in the classroom as it covers Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism and gives us an insight into each religion and the way that this religion practices its worship. While this website alone is not particularly engaging for children, this would be an effective tool to use alongside a visit as it confirms knowledge for children with its factual information provided.

After researching further, I came across some very useful websites, see below!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1jJLdy/www.rejesus.co.uk/expressions/faces_jesus/index.html

This website is particularly useful when exploring children’s artwork in relation to different religions. The colourful art work provided allows children to engage with Art alongside RE, studying drawing patterns, materials and the use of colour in order to portray a particular religious message- a creative way to get children to be reflective! This is able to, again, suit the needs and abilities of all children and provides children with a variety of opportunities to capture their thoughts and ideas, whether it be through discussing and studying the art work provided or through creating their own art piece!

Here is another excellent and very useful website which allows us to continue to explore art work in RE:

http://www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts/art11/index.php

http://request.org.uk/ is  a site which is great for providing in depth information on Christianity. The range of photos, videos and discussion boards allows both teachers and children to engage with the subject on a more personal level. For example, the page titled ‘Issues Christians Face’ is an excellent way to involve children in the journey many Christians may follow when the practice that religion. This covers  issues such as marriage and divorce which many children may experience, despite their religion, and would therefore create strong links with PSHE. Although this website is limited to focusing on one religion, it’s coverage across many different aspects of the religion make it a valuable resource!

I also looked into several websites which children could use and visit independently as part of a task. One website I looked at is called WebQuest. This is an effective tool to use in the classroom as it encourages collaborative working by completing group work activities. The format consist of 5 basic elements: an introduction; task; process; evaluation and conclusion. It can provide children with challenging, chronological activities to complete which allow children to apply their understanding of a particular religion; the lives of children in developing countries and the daily lives of people following a particular religion. This lesson format is exciting and appealing to children, however, it is important for teachers to prepare these activities carefully so that children know what their objectives are and remain on task.

Looking into various different websites has certainly strengthened my knowledge and confidence into how you can incorporate ICT with RE. Many teachers may initially feel that this is a difficult thing to do, but through browsing the internet it is clear to see the range of information, videos, pictures, and activities there are available.

During this session, we explored the pedagogical principles through practical activities in the classroom, as well as considering the range of creative and challenging learning strategies which many teachers may feel apprehensive about.

While first reflecting on what Active Learning is in RE at the beginning of the session, I came up with several aspects which I feel makes children ‘active learners’:

• Getting involved and contributing to the task
• Getting up and moving about!
• Becoming motivated and inspired through the tasks set

However, at the end of the session, I realised that these are just a few aspects which contribute towards making children active learners, discovering how we can use various resources and teaching strategies to engage children with their learning of RE.

Here are just a few resources which I feel, in particular, have the potential for children to be inspired and engaged with RE:

Cooking:

Cooking is an excellent, cross-curricular way to excite children in any aspect of RE. Through preparing and serving dishes, and of course, tasting the food which children have prepared, children are able to use their senses to smell, taste and touch food which is eaten and prepared in different religions and cultures. Not only is this exciting for children, but we are providing opportunities for all children, particularly those with EAL and SEN, to engage with the subject and celebrate religion  in the classroom!

Festivals:

Celebrating different religious festivals allows children to gain a deeper insight into various religions and the way different beliefs are celebrated. Using Diwali, ‘ the festival of light’ as an example, children are able to view different artefacts associated with this festival, explore various images of lights, fireworks etc which portray the festival. The children can also listen to music and dress in clothing which reflects the celebration of the festival. All of these things allow children to become involved and understand the religion at a deeper level.

Drama:

Using story-telling, hot seating and various drama performances continue to engage children and help give a clear insight into what life is like for example for someone following a particular religion. For example, children may want to use role play to demonstrate how muslims pray; while hot seating might be used to help us to explore information and the thoughts and feelings of those who practise Christianity.

All of these teaching strategies and activities allow children to engage with their senses in order to create an inclusive learning environment for children, suiting to a mixture of learning styles. By incorporating these activities into the teaching of RE, we are also providing excellent opportunities for children to learn and develop their skills across the curriculum.

When coming away from the session and researching further into RE resources and how they are used in schools, it was interesting to see how diverse they can be and how they can be used in so many different ways to enhance children’s learning and engagement with RE. Have a look at some of the of the articles and websites I looked at below.

Jackson et al. (2010) Materials used to teach about world religions in schools in England Warwick: University of Warwick

This study investigated  what materials are being used in schools to teach children about world religions and how these are being using to enhance learning and promote community cohesion.
When reading through this article, it was clear to see that there are both strengths and weaknesses in the type of resources teachers are used and the way that these are made available to children. It was found that, although there are a wide range of educational books which support the teaching of the six principle religions, a lot of the material used in RE lessons is generate by the teachers themselves which many were not specifically produced for RE purposes. This may hinder the focus for children and RE resources used may not always relate specifically to a particular topic or religion.
The article also states that religious artefacts are used particularly in primary schools as tools for concrete learning and to encourage empathy for the children who follow the religion portrayed by the artefact. This highlights how artefacts give children an insight into a religion and allow children who follow different religions to feel included and valued in the learning of RE.
Through reading this article, it has been interesting to gain an insight into how resources are used in schools and what the potential downfalls of using particular resources may be. This article alliterates the importance of how we need to use subject specific resources and portray them in a way which motivate children and celebrate each religion covered equally.

Primary RE with ICT: A pupil’s entitlement to ICT in primary RE (2009)

This document is excellent in terms of highlighting some of the key benefits of incorporating ICT with RE.  See below some key ideas in which ICT is used to enhance the learning of children in RE:

• It allows pupils to be creative when building investigation skills
• It develops children’s skills of organising, recording and reporting
• It enhances the quality of presentations both for the teacher and for the children
• It allows us to facilitate safe communication with other students and communities

This document also provides us some activity ideas in which we could build on in order to incorporate the subjects- an excellent and helpful document!