#SRocks18 - Knowing Stuff [Presentation]

All about: Southern Rocks 2018

My session preview is [here], and these are my Slides:

Download

Listen to mp3 of the session

Read a write up of the session

I'll try and add some further notes for context in the near future.

Huge thanks for Kris and David for the invite. See you at #SRocks19...

#SRocks18 - Knowing Stuff [Preview]

On Saturday 3rd February, I will be leading a session at the first ever Southern Rocks. I attended Norther Rocks a few years ago and enjoyed my day. Lots of teacher presenting to other teachers. It was therefore a privilege to be asked to lead something this time around.

I described my session as:

How can you change things to ensure that your student's learning is relevant and engaging, yet underpinned by a knowledge-rich curriculum?
A look at tips and tools to do things a little differently, reducing workload and getting the best out of ALL your students.

However as I have been planning, re-planning, working and reworking, I thought I would share some of the things I will discuss and explain my thinking on:

• Change? What/when/how/why?
• What is the relationship of engagement, relevance and knowing stuff in the classroom?
• The importance of knowing - what do we mean by knowing?
• Implications, tips and advice (rooted in research) for:
• Planning
• Starters
• Activities
• Note Taking
• Thinking Deeply
• Assessment
• Approaches to Exams
• Homework
• Lesson Resources

I am trying to focus on things that individual teachers can do, but departments or even whole schools may want to adopt.

Hopefully a few people will turn up. If not, I'll be playing Ben Folds Five:

CoRE: Evidence Presentation

On Thursday 23rd February 2017, I was able to speak at an evidence gathering session for the Commission on Religious Education (see <here>). This is not the view of the Commission; it is my own personal view. Here is a copy of my script:

2017 sees an unprecedented moment of change for secondary RE teachers: 

• New GCSE
• New A-Level
• Life After Levels
• Potential revamp of KS3

It is also worth asking the question - What will this mean for Primary RE?

I believe a fundamental problem in RE is the fact our aims and purpose are not clear.

Some see RE as a 'special' part of the curriculum, others a ‘safe space’, or a place where there is time for lots of personal opinion, somewhere there is no right or wrong answers . 

However - we are not the only subject that looks at 'big questions' and it should not be the only place for SMSC, Community Cohesion, PHSE, Citizenship and British Values - this colonisation has been allowed and even encouraged in the search for legitimacy, higher profile and curriculum time.

The decision to not include RS in the Ebacc has been damaging - but when teachers were able to deliver the previous GCSE in half the time of other GCSEs, is it any wonder? However, there have then been many complaints that new specs are too academic - and contain too much religion! Perhaps our subject has seen one of the biggest shifts in the new reforms? This undoubtedly requires support for RE teachers.

For me, the subject may well provide the 'other' development (personal, spiritual, moral, ethical, philosophical etc), yet at its core, needs to be an academic, rigorous, critical subject that teaches about religion and NRWVs. It should be more knowledge focused, enabling students to develop skills that will be useful for a lifetime. The ‘other’ development is important, and something I believe all teachers in all subjects have a part to play in ensuring students receive.

If there is to be legal change, it first and foremost needs to be the right to remove. The current situation indicates that what we are delivering is still RI, not RS. This may necessarily lead to a further change in the law regarding the compulsion to study it. This law has served RE well, but for the long term future of the subject, do we want to survive by being forced upon students? Can we survive by own merits?

I honestly believe RE is one of the subjects that has changed the most since the parents of our students were at school. Many schools have thriving RE departments with large numbers, even where it is an option. They lead on T&L and are well supported by SLT. I believe this is something for all to strive towards. 

Too much time is wasted on the ‘name of RE’ debate, again another search for legitimacy. My favourite is still Culture, Religion and Philosophy - it was only when the head of CRaP had his name badge printed that he realised an error had been made! We can call the subject what we like, but actually it is defined by what happens on a daily basis in the classroom. 

The great diversity of RE syllabuses is still celebrated by some, I’ve always found it impossible to find out exact numbers, but potentially anything up to 150 LASs. It’s hard to continue to argue the case for local determination - surely if something is good enough for students in one area, it is good enough for the next area, which in London might be another school just 100m down the road. Some argue there is a financial interest in keeping LASs - people are employed to do the writing every 5 years. It is worth noting some have had new LASs this year on top of new GCSE and A-Level - avoidable? At the heart of this, could this time, money and effort be better spent supporting RE teachers in the classroom towards a more universal RE curriculum?

If RE teachers were working towards something more centralised it would be far easier to share resources; an opportunity that the internet has offered in an incredible way. It would also allow RE teachers to move from one school to another and not have to learn and resource a whole new KS3 syllabus! Primary specialists could continue to be specialists, even in a different local authority. Currently RE teachers can get away with teaching what they want, how they want and then assessing how they want. Is there any real comparability before GCSE?

Save RE is a Facebook group that sums up what I frequently refer to as 'the Good, the Bad and the Ugly' of RE and it may be worth the Commission spending time looking at some of the threads on there. Some frequent issues that come up:

• Lack of parental support - including parents wanting to withdraw, refusal to go on schools trips to Mosques etc
• Lack of curriculum time - especially for the demands of the new GCSEs, some trying to deliver in an hour a week still
• Lack of specialists - sometimes including the head of RE, linked to lack of subject specific provision of CPD, INSET etc (especially in school hours)
• Lack of clear department teams - sometimes there is a head of RE with 8 or 9 non-specialist teachers doing 1 or 2 lessons each (and the workload this creates)
• Lack of resources - especially for certain GCSE and A-Levels options, timescales imposed by DfE made resource publication for the start of courses impossible
• Lack of guidance and advice - especially in 1 person departments
• School refusal to follow statutory guidance - also confusion about law given academies, free schools etc
• Burden of Citizenship, PHSE, British Values etc

However this group also highlights the huge inconsistency of what goes on in classrooms. Again there is some great stuff - and I would direct you to the blog of Dawn Cox (https://missdcoxblog.wordpress.com/) for some of the best thinking on curriculum design and assessment in RE, often shared on Save RE - but there are ideas that have divided the 5000+ members: studying the Illuminati, holocaust cake baking, churches made of biscuits and “the crucifixion jelly hand” being some of the most controversial examples in my own personal memory. 

Some RE teachers spent June last year covering the murder of Jo Cox and the shooting at the Orlando nightclub. Both interesting topics, but when you only have an hour a week, is the 'teach what you like’ culture not damaging to the subject? Would these not be better covered in form time? Our search for relevance and engagement can be deeply damaging - and confusing - for students

(The above was shared with Commissioners as what I consider a good example of engagement and relevance)

The online community of RE teachers shows exactly what a “broad church” we are. There is great value in this, but also notes of concern. I strongly urge the Commission to get into as many schools as possible - and not just those who are vocal on social media and in existing RE circles. Perhaps find schools that wouldn’t normally extend an invite because they are under pressure and struggling? Find out why.

The GCSE Annex has provided a clear benchmark for RE. All specs needed to ensure this content was covered. As this has been put together by faith communities and curriculum experts, does it not make sense to transpose this document down to KS3 and primary? Even for faith schools with their own RE curriculum, this could provide a useful bench-marking tool.

RE has the potential to be a key and important part of every school’s curriculum. RE teachers are often up against it for a variety of reasons. How can we all work together to best use our time, money, effort, energy and resources to ensure every child in this country receives the best possible education in RE?

Read more about the session <here>

Does religion have a place in the modern curriculum?

This was my unsuccessful application for TEDxNorwichEd 2017. Obviously if it ever got anywhere close to being an actual TEDx talk, it would be a lot more refined and polished. Just thought it was still an "idea worth sharing", even in it's current application form state:

The Quick Pitch (50 words):

Many claim we live in a largely secular society, many claim their students are no longer religious - and as a result - some suggest surely it is time to remove religion from schools? 

However, I'd argue exactly  the opposite.

More than ever, current and future generations need to know more about religion rather than less. They need to be inspired to discover more about the driving force which has influenced, and continues to influence, billions worldwide. Neglecting this would be catastrophic.

A Brief Outline (400 words):

What other subject comes under as much scrutiny as RE? Why did the GCSE content 'annex' have to be approved by the Prime Minister himself? How does it sit as such a peculiarity: a legal compulsion, but locally determined? Part of the 1988 Education Act, but not part of the National Curriculum?

It is often a subject that polarises students, parents and teachers... love it or hate it?

I'd argue that the fact that we may be an increasingly secular society is irrelevant. I'd argue that the fact that less students in our classes are clearly defined as religious is irrelevant. 

The study of religion needs to be reclaimed from PHSE, Citizenship, British Values, the Community Cohesion agenda etc and return to a subject that can inspire future generations by helping them better understand the past, present and most likely (and perhaps most crucially), the future.

There is history, politics, philosophy, geography, poetry, music, literature and much more involved, but the study of religion and beliefs remains fundamental in understanding all of the above, and more. Omission from the Ebacc has done damage to the study of religion, but how else can students comprehend the complex world that surrounds them. People still live and die for their faith.

• How can they understand why some Muslim women wear the burqa (and why this is can be a problem)?
• How can they understand why Jews don't eat pork?
• How can they understand that a knowledge of the bible is fundamental to understanding the English language and culture? [And why Richard Dawkins agrees on this in the God Delusion]
• How can they understand why Sikhs are allowed to carry a sword?
• How can they understand why Hindus believe in reincarnation (and what this means for the way they live their life)?

Oddly those who argue for the removal of religion from the classroom, are often experts in the field. We cannot allow future generations to be deprived of this privilege. To be a truly great future generation, we need to enable students to understand more, rather than less - and I firmly

believe the study of religion plays a really important role in this wider education. We need to inspire the future generation to be more peaceful, respectful, understanding and tolerant - yet challenging when necessary... we  should not respect or tolerate all beliefs. This will not coming by removing religion from the curriculum.

Is study of religion really as dangerous and indoctrinating as some claim, or is it simply a vital tool to help inspire a generation to better understand the world going on around them?

Maybe I'll try for TEDxNorwichEd 2019 with something a little less controversial...  "You should never speak about religion or politics."

Image courtesy: https://popefrancisnyc.org/fun-facts 

A Textbook FAQ: Catholic Christianity for Edexcel [OUP]

I had a book launch at Westminster Cathedral Hall on Wednesday 16th November 2016. Here was my short talk about the book:

I’d like to do a little FAQ before I head into my thank yous..

How did you end up writing a textbook?

I organised something called The London RE Hub in 2015 and lead a session on the Catholic Eucharist with a Norbertine called Brother Pius. Ant Towey then pops up… “I’ve got a PhD in this and…”. During the day he then must have been chatting to our main sponsor, Oxford University Press as a few weeks later we all had dinner and agreed to write a textbook.

Did you write it all yourself?

No - thankfully not! We had a wonderful author team, some of whom are here tonight. Paul Rowan, Cathy Hobday and Cavan Wood. I did write just over half of it though!

How did you find the time as a full-time teacher?

I don’t know. Essentially writing it as my first child was born and all that went with it was tough at times. Thankfully I was not alone as Ant became a dad to Bethany in the July, Tommy came long in the October. Our conversations were about both babies and textbooks. 

Did you already know all this stuff?

No - and thank you to Philip Robinson for making corrections and not pointing out my heresys too often. If you want your subject knowledge and ability to share that subject knowledge in an accessible and student friendly way pushed to the limits, write a text book. I have learnt so much over the last 18 months.

What was it like?

Incredibly tough. For those who didn’t know, Edexcel was not accredited until the middle of June. Somehow, in no small thanks to Julia Naughton, and the team at OUP, the book went to the printers at the start of August. This meant I had been writing a textbook for an unaccredited spec for nearly a year. I’d like to thank Ant, Philip and Peter Ward for their words of counsel during this period. I also totally underestimated the technical side of writing a GCSE textbook with focus on exam criteria.

The wider RE community who have been under incredible stress and pressure with the exam reforms came to me for help and advice. There was a great expectation that as a textbook writer you had all the inside info from the exam boards - I wish! It has been great working with so many RE teachers and I hope the spirit of collaboration will continue going forward.

Would I write another?

I have actually completed a Judaism Key Stage 3 textbook which was a real joy as I had complete freedom on the content - available May 2017 for those interested!

There was a great sense of accomplishment when I held the textbook in my hands for the first time, and it has been a real privilege delivering inset and helping other teachers prepare for teaching the GCSE. At a time when lots of teachers are writing books about pedagogy, planning, leadership and so on, I can’t imagine better professional affirmation than taking out a set of textbooks with your class thinking, “I wrote that” - on top of the fact, thousands of other students are also using it on daily basis.

Do schools even use textbooks anymore?

Michael Gove, for all his failures, has ensured far greater academic rigour into the new GCSEs. This, I believe, is a positive challenge for teachers. A PowerPoint with a few pictures and bullet points is no longer enough, students need to be reading. Our OUP book also has an online version which our students love. There is a great need for high quality textbooks - and am I proud to have been able to be part of the team who have delivered one such book.

My Thank Yous

Lois and Minh-Ha from OUP have been real pleasure to work with. The whole team from OUP have been amazing and I really think our book looks stunning. Julie Naughton who worked so hard bringing the project together, and all those who helped with the editing, reading, suggestions… including Andy McMilan, and Ant and Philip. You may have worked out, they can’t say no to anyone! 

Thanks to Pauline my inspirational head of department at Sacred Heart of Mary in Upminster and all the team from the school who supported my writing. Thanks to my new team at St Bonaventure’s in Forest Gate who have welcomed “the bloke who wrote the textbook” into the school community.

Thank to my family and friends, many who have come along here tonight to join the celebrations. It my mum who kept me informed of the delays to the book as she kept getting her updates from her Amazon pre-order!

Last, but certainly not least, I have to thank my wife Emily and my son Tommy. There were lots of late nights, and sitting Tommy on the table in his bouncer chair, as I was writing. Hopefully they both think it’s been worth it.

Thanks for coming, thanks for listening.

Listen to all the presentations <here>
Forward to 9min 30secs to hear mine

TMNewham: Lessons from Frank Skinner

I only realised in retrospect that I got my first nugget in meta-cognition from Frank Skinner. A few years ago he spoke about getting old and one of the ways he keeps his brain as active as possible is by imposing a rule of only Googling things he doesn't know, and not what he doesn't remember. This is essentially the practice of memory retrieval, a vital skill for our students. I spoke about this at TM Newham hosted by Jonny Walker at Elmhurst Primary on Thursday 3rd November 2016. 

Here is my presentation:

GCSE Textbook Book Launch

The Aquinas Centre at St Mary's University are hosting an event to launch three new GCSE textbooks for the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications.  This will take place on Wednesday 16th November 2016 at the beautiful Westminster Cathedral Hall (see <here>). 

Philip Robinson (CES), Ant Towey (St Mary's) and Andy Lewis (St Bonaventure's) have worked hard over the last 18 months to ensure that the new Catholic GCSE specifications are authentically and accurately resourced. Each will be presenting a short talk on their work, while officially launching the textbooks:

• AQA: http://www.rpbooks.co.uk/products/1708/the-new-gcse-religious-studies-textbook-aqa
• Edexcel: https://global.oup.com/education/product/9780198370468/ 
• Eduqas: http://rpbooks.co.uk/products/1730/eduqas-route-b-gcse-textbook

There will also be the official launch of ARC (Aquinas Resources and Conferencing): www.aquinas.org.uk

This is a project to create, source and share the best resources available for Catholic RE teachers working in England and Wales.

Read the press release from St Mary's <here>
Book tickets direct <here>

There will be an 'after-party' in The Windsor Castle (see <here>)

<here>

Image courtesy of Westminster Cathedral

#TeachMeetCSS: "Love and do what you will" (5/7/16)

At the second annual TeachMeet held at Compass School Southwalk in Bermondsey, I decided to take up the theme from a recent blog post (see <here>) and speak about using the word 'love' in schools, inspired by St Augustine.

Listen here: http://talkingdonkeyre.madewithopinion.com/love-and-do-what-you-will 

Here are my slides:

Thanks to Vicky Cockram for organising and hosting us again! See you in 2017...

Image courtesy of: https://twitter.com/exafoundation/status/750405585682718721

The Purpose of Catholic RE: #AmIBothered? RE Conference 18/6/16

I spoken on a panel about the purpose of RE at the "Am I Bothered?" RE conference. I shared something on what I believe the purpose of Catholic RE may be - it was deliberately provocative and resulted in various conversations during the day. I broadcast my contribution via Periscope:

Many, both Catholics and non-Catholics, presume that the core purpose of Religious Education in the Catholic school is either to bring unbelievers to the faith or to grow the faith of the baptised. Sometimes it is referred to a form of indoctrination, with the negative connotations that come with that term.

Good RE in the Catholic school can function as both evangelization and catechesis. This will largely depend on the state of those receiving the education, and it is important to note that neither of those aims are properly educational. Nor do we proselytise in RE; we are not trying claim the non-believer.

Whilst the whole school functions as a catechetical community, the purpose of RE within that community is to ensure that every pupil has a good knowledge, understanding and critical engagement with Catholicism, irrespective of their faith.

Many, both within the Church and outside of it, see RE as a form of moral education; an increased study of ethics is rooted in this. However moral formation is part of the whole school and curriculum. Many schools are talking about a need for “character education” and many are attempting to teach RE in a way that it becomes a religious version of good citizenship. But, as Paul Barber of the CES said: what others are calling “character education” is what Catholic schools have always simply called “education”.

RE may also be a catalyst for community cohesion; good RE leads to greater understanding of other religions and therefore to greater respect for those of other faiths. It may be an outcome, but it should not be an aim. Being respectful of difference and expressing difference in a way which is sensitive to the rights of others, is not a skill which is exclusive to RE.

The Catholic community are not immune from the debates surrounding breadth versus depth; one religion or many; religious studies from the outside versus religious education from the inside; theology versus sociology.

Is it as simple as RE improving religious literacy? This is the most commonly cited purpose recently, yet the term remains fiercely contested. Are we simply moving the question further down the road. What does it mean to be a religiously literate person? Knowledge, understanding of religious belief and commitment, respect for difference and acknowledgement of the important place religion plays in the lives of individuals and communities, as well as a critical engagement, and a thorough understanding of the religious or non-religious beliefs of the student.

Studying “The Big 6” of RS, in a “non-confessional” way, provides a set of beliefs and practices of others. This may lead to an assumption that all religions are basically the same and that the differences between them are cultural rather than substantive. Some call this an agnostic privilege; the study certainly appears as a form of anthropology, rather than delivering anything theological.

The ‘depth over breadth’ argument is often cited in RE. I recall Claire Fox telling me she thought her Catholic education served her well as at least she knew one religion really well! This is why many Catholic schools are happy to refer to RE as a study of theology. There is much depth to the rich intellectual heritage of the Catholic theological tradition.

For some, RE should be evolving to become a sociology of religion, asking questions about what religion itself is and analyzing the divergence within traditions and the interplay between politics, culture and religion – this is often called a study of the “real religious landscape”. This aims to detach the Church and other religions from the RE taking place, which some may claim is preferable.

Catholics have a distinctive vision of education, but we are not alone in our passion for educating. The wider world of RE in 2016 poses both challenges and opportunities. Catholic RE teachers are engaging now more than ever. We may not agree, but there is common ground. I finish with a quote from a friend and fellow Catholic educator: “We want to make sure that when the meal is served we have our seat at the table, even if we reserve the right to select our meal from the a la carte menu while everyone else has the dish of the day.”

• Many thanks to Philip Robinson for his help and guidance with this. 
• Image courtesy of Jane Chipperton 

#TFREConference 2016: Core Knowledge & RE

A grey and misty Saturday morning saw an early start in London for the second Teach First RE Conference, this one entitled REthinking the Curriculum. I was leading a session on Core Curriculum including the work of ED Hirsch and the possibilities it meant for RE.

I will be writing more extensively about this soon, but in the mean time, feel free to see my presentation:

Big thanks to Frances and Caroline for yet again organising such a great day in a wonderful location:

TM Bexely & Greenwich: 5 in 5 - Being A Great Form Tutor

Sadly I was unable to attend this TeachMeet and support the amazing team behind it - they were so supportive of TM Havering events and I wanted to return the favour. Their theme was "#FiveIn5" which a brilliant way of focussing loads of advice in a small slot (and similar to the Starter for Five blog). Anyway, here is my video presentation of on "Being A Great Form Tutor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3f91vBS7Hk

The Future of RE - #TFREConference

Image courtesy of Buckaroobay

• What are the challenges that will face RE in the next 5 years?
• How can we recruit enough RE teachers?
• Can we ensure quality RE provision with non-specialists?
• Will SACREs remain relevant and useful?
• What changes in the law do we want or need to improve RE?
• What effect will the new GCSEs and A-Levels have on the subject as a whole?

These are some of he questions I attempted to answer in my presentation on 'The Future of RE' at the Teach First Curriculum and Controversy Conference in June 2015.

To download view the presentation with my speaker notes, download <here>

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Resources from Culham St Gabriel's Thinking Days March / April 2015

Day 1 - What should / could a 2020 Ofsted Report on RE look like?
Ofsted A
Ofsted B
Day 2 - How could this be achieved?
Timeline A
Timeline B
Plan A
Plan B

Presentation & Video on Blogging and Tweeting

Image courtesy of Against The Wind

I was very kindly invited by a friend from my Cambridge undergrad days to speak at a conference in Wales for RE teachers from Independent Schools. My remit was simple... blogging and social networking. Luckily this is an area where I can claim some expertise and put together a 25min presentation. 

• Google Presentation Slides
• Video (if embedded version doesn't load)

There wasn't any questions on the day, but feel free to ask any and I will update this post.

Thanks for this opportunity Rhiannon