tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711026527156968312024-03-05T15:43:05.935-08:00TDRE Boss BlogTalkingDonkeyRE aka Andy Lewis blogs about being a teacher...Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.comBlogger238125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-75072986914483577172020-06-09T14:56:00.001-07:002020-06-09T14:56:46.250-07:00Sorting the Buses: A Victory for St Bonaventure’s Community Organising Team<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KjlqjGy48BUB0nqsWUOy4APx4ZOS3Vrk0j4Wp9VipqcYUdX1jXDUVrp4Y64GrE56sStH7eD3k6NXw0OxPgN4PfLEAGlks_aITMTuF_AybkNhs-CmOBOTMi9zZhqbQAkwG03V6h9lkssi/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="121" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KjlqjGy48BUB0nqsWUOy4APx4ZOS3Vrk0j4Wp9VipqcYUdX1jXDUVrp4Y64GrE56sStH7eD3k6NXw0OxPgN4PfLEAGlks_aITMTuF_AybkNhs-CmOBOTMi9zZhqbQAkwG03V6h9lkssi/s320/telco-citizens.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>First published in April 2020 on </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://ironruleblog.com/2020/04/15/sorting-the-buses-a-victory-for-st-bonaventures-community-organising-team/" target="_blank">The Iron Rule: A blog about power, organising, institutions, faith and social justice</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI9lFMrISKvMf_9lOg0EeVHsz-SKKusji0qavgDMy6QVzfbJRHonAfN_xcPz4Wv3SdUx2sM8fDPn2wBpgeB3sIi7TM9uGhcuMn9mDOK0ACXneDvjHDkUZXgRKkO5DeyEXsMayWOnW-wBj/" style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI9lFMrISKvMf_9lOg0EeVHsz-SKKusji0qavgDMy6QVzfbJRHonAfN_xcPz4Wv3SdUx2sM8fDPn2wBpgeB3sIi7TM9uGhcuMn9mDOK0ACXneDvjHDkUZXgRKkO5DeyEXsMayWOnW-wBj/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: x-small;">The Students on their trip to the TFL Main Control Centre</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><font size="4">Sorting the Buses: A Victory for St Bonaventure’s Community Organising Team</font></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><font size="4"><br /></font></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">For around 6 years, St Bonaventure’s school, a Catholic School in Forest Gate East London had tried to engage our local bus companies to sort out an issue with one of our local bus routes. The buses sometimes departed early (meaning students missed the bus), or late, or just didn’t turn up. Only one bus would stop and so it became very overcrowded at times.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">The route is a school service that picks up students from our school, and our sister girls’ school, St Angela’s. However the published departure time for the bus that started nearest us was 3.30pm – just 5 minutes after the end of school. The other two buses that started at St Angela’s were already packed when they departed and didn’t stop as they went past. Tomas, one of our students on the organising team, used to have to run outside straight after school and he still often missed the bus along with many others.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">After an extensive listening campaign with our newly formed Year 8 organising team in autumn 2018, it was clear that many students felt anxious about their journeys home due to a variety of reasons, grooming, fear of assault as in winter it gets very dark and more.The 678 bus came up a number of times as an issue. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">The 13 year old students then planned their meeting and invited in the Engagement Manager from Stagecoach London and a TFL Partnership Advisor. However when they arrived they were quite shocked that Tomas, a Year 8 student was chairing and leading the meeting, he welcomed them, explained who he was and offered them a seat. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">They listened to the problems and promised to come to the bus stop to see what happens in action. They quickly agreed there was a problem and would find a solution. They proposed alterations to the timetable so that drivers would not leave as quickly, and address the departures from St Angela’s so that students who missed the first bus would be picked up. The bus leaves just 5 mins later so Tomas doesn’t have to run for it anymore.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">The students also got a clear understanding of how TFL works – the very high cost of adding a new bus, why timetable changes need to take time, and how the services are run and monitored. TFL invited them to visit the main control centre in Southwark which was an incredible experience for the students. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">Since this initial meeting, there have been far few problems with this bus route. Students are happier and more confident knowing they will get home safely.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">We have also developed our relationship with TFL and are now involved with their STARS ambassador scheme. After years of the school trying to fix the issue, by getting students involved, they were able to articulate their issue with real authenticity, demand a quick and suitable fix, and continue to monitor and feedback on the changes.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">They have developed a skill set and expertise way beyond their years. They have learnt how to run meetings with professional adults, making requests, and following up on these. They have been organised, strategic and uncompromising (but reasonable) in their asks! Telling their own story and articulating why this is important to them has enabled them to build meaningful relationships and bring about change.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><font size="2">This is a fantastic example of why community organising is an important part of our school life and why we work with Citizens UK. The win here is small but, negotiating positive change is a life skill, one that may well be transferable when young people are faced with housing, employment or any other issue students face in later life. They are change makers, determined to improve their lives and that of their communities.</font></div></div>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09753293295736690812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-38329993323686057232020-05-24T14:37:00.003-07:002020-05-25T06:01:16.196-07:00100 Ideas: RE<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAEBYrA3jS2IcF-NJZHRMhlvpdTk10Q0qo2BPBtuj0IVhve9B1xC1XXt7m3i75FnrljH3EKI8ovSy_Lou9QdxKEIc-ZxOhilV4JuSeDcIMOQqO-1YwUllRAAtGhvcKxlEwq5qEGy1eLUm/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAEBYrA3jS2IcF-NJZHRMhlvpdTk10Q0qo2BPBtuj0IVhve9B1xC1XXt7m3i75FnrljH3EKI8ovSy_Lou9QdxKEIc-ZxOhilV4JuSeDcIMOQqO-1YwUllRAAtGhvcKxlEwq5qEGy1eLUm/s320/9781472972422.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1472972422/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=anlere-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1472972422&linkId=2b203fb8af987a8f4464554911ec4343" target="_blank">Buy Now (Amazon)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/100-ideas-for-secondary-teachers-outstanding-re-lessons-9781472972422/" target="_blank">Buy Now (Bloomsbury)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Back in March 2019, I met with Chloe from Bloomsbury to start work on a plan for this book... just over a year later the book has been published (May 2020) and I have been overwhelmed with the response. Thank you to every single person who has purchased a copy - I hope you enjoy it, and find it useful.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had worked out a clear idea in my own head about what I did, and did not want to do with this book. I wanted it be filled with the things that would genuinely improve classroom practice in RE. I wanted to avoid fads, gimmicks, things that generated the wrong kind of "engagement". I wanted to look at the best ways to teach certain things. I also wanted to share some of the things that I have found really effective in my 15 years in the RE classroom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, I was also aware that the way I teach RE will not work for everyone. I reflected carefully upon the fact that most of my lessons would fit the <a href="https://teacherhead.com/2018/10/19/rosenshine-re-ordered-a-poster-by-olicav/" target="_blank">Tom Sherrington / Barak Rosenshine model</a> of review and recap, questioning and modelling, followed by practice. However I am also certain that all of these things can be done in different ways. Just because we do something, doesn't mean we do it well, or in the most effective way - and I've always included myself in that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As such, I reached out to the RE community and listened carefully to what people thought should be in the book, what should be avoided, and what would give the book a universal appeal. Therefore I do hope this book genuinely has something for everyone, both those new to teaching RE - and those who have been doing it for a while. It was brilliant to see the first Amazon review that said, <i>"[it] reminded of some past gems that I have not done for a while and [I was] inspired by some new ideas to use.".</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few weeks before actual publication date, I tried to generate a bit of discussion about the best bits of RE with a couple of competitions - both on Twitter and Save RE (Facebook group). As with a competition I had co-run previously for copies of my GCSE quiz book (<a href="https://twitter.com/missdcox/status/1254822777212854273?s=20" target="_blank"><here></a>), I didn't really want to a "Likes & RTs" kind of thing, so I asked a simple question - about teacher's favourite things to teach in RE and I loved reading all the responses - check them out <a href="https://twitter.com/AndyLewis_RE/status/1256267506815287296?s=20" target="_blank"><here></a>. RE is a great subject - we get to teach some amazing things to young people in our classrooms:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5aJNYeVgo3A00TmrBuBiTEgWf3HiJB6fg4fb5u0QQFRvi-E789HhlZGxHvkOdI2DBXNEW7Z8CxmNVrZP96MyqAQi0Gbdi-IBiFSTUpCk1hYfBKG-NQ3yuE1X6aUn0dGeoWUPMt8BvNXn/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5aJNYeVgo3A00TmrBuBiTEgWf3HiJB6fg4fb5u0QQFRvi-E789HhlZGxHvkOdI2DBXNEW7Z8CxmNVrZP96MyqAQi0Gbdi-IBiFSTUpCk1hYfBKG-NQ3yuE1X6aUn0dGeoWUPMt8BvNXn/s320/Screenshot+2020-05-23+at+22.14.16.png" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On a personal level, I am genuinely humbled to have been asked to write this book. The RE community is genuinely like a family - there are frequent squabbles, a few vested interests, some little cliques, but equally a lot of people who care deeply and genuinely want to make RE better. When Mary Myatt described the book as a <i>"gift to the RE community"</i>, I was quite overwhelmed. It was exactly what I set out to do - to give something back - and for that to be recognised made the many (many) hours writing worthwhile. It was great to hear Tom Bennett liked it and felt it <a href="https://twitter.com/tombennett71/status/1262843438028001284?s=20" target="_blank">deserved a big audience</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The week of the book's release, I decided to do a short "virtual book launch". If you want to me talk about the book for 30 minutes, you can do so here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fatcre.ew%2Fvideos%2F1164012587270714%2F&show_text=0&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Finally, one of the most amazing things was the number of people who took a picture of the book and tagged me on Twitter... </i></b>I've saved them all! For me, it was reassurance that this book was getting out into the world, particularly during this strange time of lock-down. Thank you to every single one of you who bought this book, and keep the photos coming!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiSr5wWA2_QImbTjcWCPmupnER2xOBU_X5xCNPXtYIjbWUiDk5SJlWXrFTwdT69YbYge6HYuwCxAwVVS1Y2Jc6LWhpY7NEiUJS0L6sbxNwZcsnXHRMN2eylGLdDBfpN6Ibj1XtgLjzSki/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiSr5wWA2_QImbTjcWCPmupnER2xOBU_X5xCNPXtYIjbWUiDk5SJlWXrFTwdT69YbYge6HYuwCxAwVVS1Y2Jc6LWhpY7NEiUJS0L6sbxNwZcsnXHRMN2eylGLdDBfpN6Ibj1XtgLjzSki/s320/0ECBAA82-B193-4FB6-BCE3-6B1CD868FC05.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dt1h-BO2cg_ztxoeXnoEP74WXlYguXsPzo76micisgOjsAY7ra3FpR5noLA5Eusw81TmNuca07AvRpczs6P8hnpUtdNCofile0JtpFVyNvyp5kb_t8Wx_k6slf8OMe09-Miy3f83MYjZ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dt1h-BO2cg_ztxoeXnoEP74WXlYguXsPzo76micisgOjsAY7ra3FpR5noLA5Eusw81TmNuca07AvRpczs6P8hnpUtdNCofile0JtpFVyNvyp5kb_t8Wx_k6slf8OMe09-Miy3f83MYjZ/s320/F0A59F60-E8B6-4768-97E6-9A1B8F027DC3.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKr8OQZ38Vpp89Iqjjb16_NHFFqU4LzGCpf3Ab7L1e_pTkYIwL1Udh7b9LACHFNcY3ySF5aYbLgMND1Lxg3zBWhs6VDwYtko4S5DkhGFgxmtxJpgzAy5HNq3LNksEUKq9vANA9F0Xs7Dm/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKr8OQZ38Vpp89Iqjjb16_NHFFqU4LzGCpf3Ab7L1e_pTkYIwL1Udh7b9LACHFNcY3ySF5aYbLgMND1Lxg3zBWhs6VDwYtko4S5DkhGFgxmtxJpgzAy5HNq3LNksEUKq9vANA9F0Xs7Dm/s320/1B526A9F-5EF1-4EE0-8055-3426E85C7BD3.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH1pV9JoxrvNOY5nvrZuLdrv02Bv3p3Xt3B_nP_TnGk0n8LXJzaQOt5wVPaAOpvwetpK-Aar8yFJs_HG3f0TuroNihCvuzYhNMSyumyIent1_nDqZCTHBaEhYLOREY-hPSmuFE4g2FBVy/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFH1pV9JoxrvNOY5nvrZuLdrv02Bv3p3Xt3B_nP_TnGk0n8LXJzaQOt5wVPaAOpvwetpK-Aar8yFJs_HG3f0TuroNihCvuzYhNMSyumyIent1_nDqZCTHBaEhYLOREY-hPSmuFE4g2FBVy/s320/2052B1DC-126E-420C-AB48-238F257BF50E.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy20EJUKbMchA7hyphenhyphenvoZh50CLZnnHVpXtfUmUh4nqDtQc0R8evormWQILo7cWz87l2ig07rJ-NSlHFu3GLBOksFXtX2oM70BTpG_0Wo3zHX100jIDBlTu-4wUWw3U4MIEcJ70kuOB_aSwQW/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy20EJUKbMchA7hyphenhyphenvoZh50CLZnnHVpXtfUmUh4nqDtQc0R8evormWQILo7cWz87l2ig07rJ-NSlHFu3GLBOksFXtX2oM70BTpG_0Wo3zHX100jIDBlTu-4wUWw3U4MIEcJ70kuOB_aSwQW/s320/2E8E96E2-FD47-44BC-802A-F50FBE1E389E.JPG" /></a></div></div></div>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-37283957175877848532019-05-22T23:51:00.000-07:002019-05-23T00:12:32.661-07:00Edexcel GCSE Spec A - Catholic Christianity (Summer 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYcIAhsMRgnTyjIX78wmGeBfSwGUeDrXTfdRzhYx6ftsNz48mTkOq3LpkgYxp6-2I0cKt8mQSpgwD4dN4N6SWRfHOfb7HRuhpvV1OvuE-DJKeE16NVt5-FI97FuassqTkDpZHopLvw8k/s1600/800px-Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYcIAhsMRgnTyjIX78wmGeBfSwGUeDrXTfdRzhYx6ftsNz48mTkOq3LpkgYxp6-2I0cKt8mQSpgwD4dN4N6SWRfHOfb7HRuhpvV1OvuE-DJKeE16NVt5-FI97FuassqTkDpZHopLvw8k/s320/800px-Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;">Paper 1A caused upset and concern to many RE teachers. They felt that the questions were unfair. As someone who has lived and breathed the spec for the last 3 years, I felt it was important to go through it very carefully to see if there were any issues. I found two things that I wasn't quite sure about, and so contacted the board, who provided a response. I think it is very useful for teachers of this paper, and indeed perhaps all Edexcel RS papers, to read. </b></div>
<br />
<b>An error?</b><br />
<br />
<i>"Explain two ways the design of the Catholic <b>C</b>hurch reflects belief."</i><br />
<br />
There is a significant difference between the Catholic Church and a Catholic church. The specification says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
4.1 - The common and divergent forms of <b>architecture, design and decoration of Catholic churches [small 'c']</b>: how they reflect belief, are used in, and contribute to, worship, including reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1179–1181.</blockquote>
This question, especially for more able students could be confusing as they could be trying to consider the 'design' of institution of the Catholic Church (arguably something that has evolved rather than been designed).<br />
<br />
The exam board response is this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We take great care to ensure that our examination papers are error free and accessible to a wide range of learners across the ability range. I can confirm that your concerns have been reviewed and discussed by our senior examining committee who have provided feedback and reassurance. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In regard to the concern escalated about Q4(c), the question reads "Explain two ways the design of the Catholic Church reflects belief.". </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The senior examining committee responsible for producing the 1RA0 1A question paper have confirmed that ‘Church’ in this question can be referred to in either way you have described. The mark scheme rewards responses approached explaining the ‘design’ of the building and will also reward student responses approached answering ‘design' of the institution of the Catholic Church.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To provide further reassurance as part of our internal processes and procedures, mark schemes are scrutinised against actual student responses and updated prior to marking to ensure that the full range of actual acceptable student responses have been covered. The mark scheme for this paper will be published online on results day 22nd August 2019.</i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
I am pleased that both responses will be accepted, and the process that goes on as part of the marking, but this is clearly a mistake in my mind. I am unaware or anywhere on the exam specification where it could possible ask about the design of the institution of the Church. The closest would be perhaps the magisterium spec point, but the question does not fit - and as I previously mentioned, has the Church been 'designed'?<br />
<br />
<b>A clarification?</b><br />
<br />
3 of the 4 Part D questions have just two bullet points - 'refer to Catholic teachings' and 'reach a justified conclusion'. This is what was expected, and due to them being AO2 question a necessity to look at divergent approaches is implied - and has been taught to students. If a third bullet point was included, it would be expected to be to look at different <b>Christian</b> points of view.<br />
<br />
Question 2d (<i>"Local churches should be responsible for evangelism."</i>) contained an additional bullet point: 'refer to different <b>Catholic</b> points of view'. This was a surprise, given the above assumptions about divergence, and previous papers.<br />
<br />
Does this suggest something fundamentally different about this question? Is it suggesting there is an 'official' divergence in teachings of the Church? (Something that has been problematic since the start of spec writing! <i>Is there real divergence within the Catholic Church?</i>)<br />
<br />
I asked for clarity about why some questions included this bullet point, and others do not, when obviously it is implied that ALL questions need different Catholic points of view?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>With regards to your concerns relating to Q02d, “Evaluate” type questions, please note that these questions will always include at least two bullet point instructions to aid responses. Depending on the question asked, bullet points are changed accordingly and the mark scheme will only allow credit for responses which are in line with specification content. The specification contains topic areas where there are points that are “divergent” views specifically mentioned for some topic areas. Questions asked on these topic areas where there are “divergent” views include an additional bullet point providing students with support to help them structure their response so that they can access the full range of marks available. The specification indicates, “divergent ways in which this is put into practice by the Church and individual Catholics, locally, national, and globally” (2.8). As such the divergence is whether it’s done on a local or global scale; Church or individual. The bullet point reminds students to ensure that their response includes this specific information. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Please note that the additional sample assessment material published online along with the 1RA0 1A paper set in 2018 list three bullet points similar to this series paper.</i></blockquote>
However on inspection of the SAMs, 1d, 3d and 4d - they do all indeed contain 3 bullet points. The fundamental difference being, they are all:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>refer to Catholic teachings</li>
<li>refer to different <b>Christian</b> point<b>s</b> of view</li>
<li>reach a justified conclusion.</li>
</ul>
<br />
This is the same as the specimen papers, and last years papers. Paper 1A has had 3 bullet points before, but NEVER a second bullet point saying "refer to different <b>Catholic</b> points of view", always just Christian. This is the first time it has appeared, and it remains confusing in my mind as to why it was included on this question, but never before.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusions</b><br />
<br />
Students will be fine. As we know, the brightest and most hardworking students will get the grades they deserve.<br />
<br />
We know that the new GCSEs are tough, especially for our less able, or EAL. However, overall, I do think the new exams are better. Examination is always going to be difficult, and we feel a huge emotional attachment to the performance of our students. No one ever really LOVES the questions that come up! There will always be more tricky ones, and these are necessary to sort out the 9s. Yet last year the pass mark for a 1 was suitable so that the majority of hardworking students could achieve a GCSE - for some a 1 is a real achievement.<br />
<br />
It is interesting that the Part As, which some spoke of being "qualifying" questions, are clearly not. In some cases the Part B and C questions were more straightforward. I don't have an issue with this as such, as long as my least able students to manage to get the grade they deserve. Interesting when working on my books, it was Part A questions that I found hardest to write - the others were far more simple.<br />
<br />
Another issues that has come up in post-exam teacher discussions, is the extent to which teachers, and indeed students, followed the specification. Any textbook is one approach, not the only approach! The wording of many questions matched the spec very closely. It is for this reason, we included the wording of the spec in our <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/gcse-textbook" target="_blank">student book</a>. Read every word of it! Get your students to as well...<br />
<br />
There has been much talk of swapping exam boards. I have spoken to around 20 teachers in the last week or so - and there has been suggestions of movement in all directions - from and <b><i>TO </i></b>Edexcel. I think my best advice would be to wait until you get your results - the exact wording of the exam questions is quickly forgotten if you get the grade that you deserve or need to! It is also worth considering the financial cost (replacement textbooks) and teacher time (re-planning, re-learning exam style) -<i> is it worth it?</i><br />
<br />
Finally, I am going to use this as a plug... our new workbooks are ready! Book 1 is already available, and Book 2 will arrive in September. I believe these could be real game changers, and despite being openly biased, I think for Catholic students, the Edexcel option could be the best due to the resources OUP have commissioned - especially for those students that find the GCSE tough. Check out this review of Book 1:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.teachwire.net/products/oxford-university-press-catholic-christianity-foundation-workbook-for-gcse-re" target="_blank">Teach Secondary</a></div>
<br />
If you like what you read, order via your OUP rep (best for bulk) or see info here on my site:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/gcse-workbooks" target="_blank">Work Books</a></div>
<br />
I hope this has been helpful, informative and reassuring.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper.png" target="_blank">Wikimedia</a></span>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09753293295736690812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-40957101934311481152019-03-02T14:56:00.001-08:002019-03-04T02:37:01.460-08:00CoRE Report: The Recommendations (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvEzdmBkMpP8FTtM-7Iku_zWJjT2RAdlQXjfrgMG16zxNnBHU0QBK7LiE5adCoXrOclB514Mo2RlGtTduDlV7KbtwBcHPQwwAFWZMr4n7PC-0GQ6m4juZqSvXJbQDRUmVvmrGbZ__5RZu/s1600/core-275px.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvEzdmBkMpP8FTtM-7Iku_zWJjT2RAdlQXjfrgMG16zxNnBHU0QBK7LiE5adCoXrOclB514Mo2RlGtTduDlV7KbtwBcHPQwwAFWZMr4n7PC-0GQ6m4juZqSvXJbQDRUmVvmrGbZ__5RZu/s1600/core-275px.png" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>Following on my overview blog, </b><a href="https://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2019/03/core-report-where-next.html" style="font-weight: bold;">here</a><b>, this is focused on the 11 recommendations with my thoughts on each. It's vital that you read at least the executive summary, found </b><a href="https://www.commissiononre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Final-Report-Exec-Summary-of-the-Commission-on-RE.pdf" style="font-weight: bold;">here</a><b>.</b><br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Recommendation 1:</b> Has this ‘name change’ caused unnecessary and distracting debate? It almost seems to be a feature of any report into RE - put a name change at number 1 of the recommendations to grab the newspaper headlines! Some feel that this change opens the door for a purely sociological teaching of ‘religion’ (yet the NE states a variety of approaches), others are wary of a secular humanist agenda (while the NE could potentially be covered with very little NRWV), while some question a seeming parity of religious and non-religious views in curriculum content. There are always the "somes", it is impossible to say if any of these concerns are valid before we actually see any curriculum models. Maybe it is important to show the law on NRWV is being covered? Or has it simply been a device that has opened up much needed discussion on the curriculum content? What hasn’t been helpful for teachers is the many headlines suggesting atheism, agnosticism and secularism will be taught for the first time in schools. It does nothing for the public perception of the subject <chrome_find class="find_in_page findysel">who</chrome_find> often think it is still RI anyway!</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 2:</b> This will be problematic for some schools with a religious character. If this is the battle that some want to insist on, it will delay helping those schools <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> need urgent RE help the most. It is likely that many curricula would be compliant, but to force it upon Catholic schools would be unwise. If they freely chose to use, that is a totally different matter. As I stated in Part 1 (<a href="https://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2019/03/core-report-where-next.html" target="_blank">here</a>), it is not the practicalities of this, it is the principle and precedent. </li>
<li><b>Recommendation 3: </b>A complex one... the tensions between ensuring something is good and robust (needing ‘gatekeepers’?) and allowing the very best of practice and existing excellent RE to form part of this. “<chrome_find class="find_in_page">Whose</chrome_find> knowledge?” is always contested - does this do enough to ensure we get it right? The key question is always going to be - <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> are the 9? How many will be teachers</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 4:</b> I do find it hard to justify hard work being replicated unnecessarily around the country. London particularly exacerbates the problem. How different is good RE in Norwich compared to Liverpool or to Brighton? How different is good RE in Newham compared to Hackney or Tower Hamlets?</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 5: </b>Worth including - I’d like to hope that would not be an issue. I also hope the next exam reform is a good way off!</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 6: </b>More training, bursaries and funding is always welcome. It is great to see the current support for this already including SKE funding from DfE. Subject knowledge can be real issue in RE with willing and keen non specialists teaching - and we know it is so important for effective teaching.</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 7:</b> Again, more money is good... however it does return to the question as to <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> the national body are, and what are their interests. I am reminded of CPD providers being involved in government funded organisations <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> would be accrediting CPD... (see <a href="https://teachingbattleground.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/the-chartered-college-of-not-actually-teaching/" target="_blank">here</a>)</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 8: </b>This does recognise the good will, time and dedication of those working locally for RE. I do feel now may be the time to review their roles. Some RE teachers do not have access to local faith representatives - let’s train them up and get them working with schools, teachers and students!</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 9: </b>Section 48 again is problematic - for example an inspector of a Catholic school, judging RE provision, perhaps should not be judging the RE in accordance with the governments criteria? There is a quite a shift in purpose in this scenario - some could claim it is small, technical, trivial almost and 'no big deal' - but inspectors employed by the Bishop, are then judging based on state criteria rather than just the Bishops criteria. The relationship between faith school providers, particularly the CoE and RC and the state has been long and worked well. It is important to consider the implications of pushing for this change, especially knowing it would be strongly resisted (and be potentially damaging to the <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find>le process). However a greater focus from Ofsted to ensure good RE would be helpful. There is no point Nick Gibb making comments about its compulsory nature in the Houses of Parliament without that being monitored through inspection.</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 10:</b> RE can be counted in the Progress 8 despite not being an EBacc subject (I think for 97% of our students it was in the third bucket), and as much as I want the profile of RE raised, obviously consideration needs to be given to the impact of change. Imagine if schools <b>had</b> to legally study RE, which meant some students didn’t do History or Geography - would that be an acceptable compromise? Many schools did use the Short Course to facilitate their legal duty for RE, and now can’t (a bigger issue than EBacc?). Potentially less students are now doing RE - but those <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> are, are doing better RE? Do we build our subjects reputation on being a desirable option rather than compulsory? As always, there are strong arguments for both.</li>
<li><b>Recommendation 11:</b> The right of withdrawal is something that needs review, and clarification. It is important to respect parental rights, and "the state knows best" remains a dangerous rhetoric. Yet it seems sensible to work towards an RE is sufficiently academic to eradicate the need for withdrawal - a subject where students do not want to be withdrawn, and nor do their parents want to ask for withdrawal! I think it is likely to stay - to avoid complex legal cases - but the ideal is surely less withdrawal in the short to mid term future. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<div>
<b>Overall: </b>For me, this is definitely the best of the reports that have been published on RE, as you would expect. I think the primary aim must be ensure at least adequate - if not good - RE, according to the current law, in all schools. I would like to see an <i>'Entitlement Lite' -</i> a 3 to 5 short bullet point summary of the most important aims that could easily be placed in front of headteachers where needed. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I do fear that if members of the RE community decide they are going to focus on ensuring schools that currently control their own RE curriculum and are inspected via Section 48 are legally bound by this entitlement, it will be problematic and distracting to the primary aim. As I've stated before, the best case scenario is that the religious groups that run schools freely agree to conform and ensure their curricula are compliant, as many will be, rather than have it forced upon them. To do this could drive further divide in the RE community rather than unite it as this report has the potential to do. The period of further reflection indicate by Damian Hinds is my preference, as we begin to understand what this will look like in reality. As always, I am a champion for RE in all schools, but I cannot <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find>leheartedly endorse all the the Commission proposes, because I do not believe that the state should be in control of the RE in Catholic schools. We have given much to the education system of this country, and worked well with the government of the UK for long enough to retain this right. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A huge thanks must go to the Commissioners for their hard work on this report. </div>
</div>
<style id="__gCrWeb.findInPageStyle" type="text/css">.find_in_page{background-color:#ffff00 !important;padding:0px;margin:0px;overflow:visible !important;}.findysel{background-color:#ff9632 !important;padding:0px;margin:0px;overflow:visible !important;}</style>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-33863296003290843662019-03-02T14:40:00.001-08:002019-03-04T02:38:51.126-08:00CoRE Report: Where Next? (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvEzdmBkMpP8FTtM-7Iku_zWJjT2RAdlQXjfrgMG16zxNnBHU0QBK7LiE5adCoXrOclB514Mo2RlGtTduDlV7KbtwBcHPQwwAFWZMr4n7PC-0GQ6m4juZqSvXJbQDRUmVvmrGbZ__5RZu/s1600/core-275px.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvEzdmBkMpP8FTtM-7Iku_zWJjT2RAdlQXjfrgMG16zxNnBHU0QBK7LiE5adCoXrOclB514Mo2RlGtTduDlV7KbtwBcHPQwwAFWZMr4n7PC-0GQ6m4juZqSvXJbQDRUmVvmrGbZ__5RZu/s1600/core-275px.png" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>RE Online has been posting many blogs by various RE experts about the Commission on RE report which are worth a read (see <a href="http://www.reonline.org.uk/supporting/re-matters/" target="_blank">here</a>). They currently cover mainly recommendations 1 to 3, but perhaps may continue to cover all in time. Here are some of my own thoughts formulated over the last few months... </b></div>
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Damian Hinds' response to the Commission on RE (<a href="https://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/news/government-response-to-the-commission-on-re/" target="_blank">here</a>) was that now is <b>not </b>the time for curriculum change, as he actively tries to reduce teacher workload. A noble aim, and one RE teachers still struggling with new GCSEs and A Levels presumably appreciate in many ways.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yet this is clearly and quite starkly contrasted by the regular stories of RE dropping off the curriculum unchallenged in many schools - for those <chrome_find class="find_in_page findysel">who</chrome_find> care deeply about RE, even one child being deprived of the subject is unacceptable. There is a clear moral imperative to do something, as many including Mark Chater have stated, we cannot stand by and just do nothing. The report explains a number of reasons why this is urgent.</div>
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Some have been quite critical of people like myself commenting on the CoRE report, saying that as someone <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> works in the Catholic sector, these wider challenges are not something you have to contend with (<i>"With your big budgets and protected curriculum time...</i>"). Yet I think they perhaps do not realise the commitment that people like myself are willing to dedicate to wider RE issues. As someone <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> has supported a number of non-Catholic schools and worked with organisations such as Teach First, Westminster Briefings and indeed Culham St Gabriel's, this seems quickly forgotten - I even organised the two London RE Hub conferences! I share in the wider desire for better RE, whether students are in a Catholic school or not. </div>
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Many of the Catholic responses so far, official or not, have focused on the concern of Bishops authority over the RE curriculum. It is worth considering why this is so important - and what it means. I reshare the Catholic Church's position, as outlined in a chapter I wrote for the new book, <i>"We Need to Talk About RE"</i> (see <a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2017/10/new-book-we-need-to-talk-about-re.html" target="_blank"><here></a>). This was written before the National Entitlement was published, but the last line is a pertinent one:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>If CoRE were to recommend a common baseline entitlement for all schools, including schools with a religious character, then it is very likely that the RE curricula of Catholic schools would already be in compliance with it. But since one of the conditions of the partnership between Church and state is the right of the bishops to set the curriculum in Catholic schools, then any statutory imposition of just such a common baseline is potentially highly problematic. Of course, given what has already be said, this will only be a problem in principle, not in practice. Nonetheless the principle is a fundamental one and a non-negotiable one for the Catholic Church in England. It is hoped that a way forward can be found that ensures outstanding Religious Education for all without backing the Bishops into a corner where they have no other option but to oppose something that, in every detail but one, they would otherwise welcome and support. </i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Why are the Bishops willing to stand their ground on this?</b></i> It is important to consider what makes a school Catholic. This my own view - there are 3 key things, but they are not equal: Catholic leaders, distinct RE and Catholic students - these then lead to the ethos and community. Admissions policies have been actively challenged for many years, and now potentially RE is now being focused on. One suggestion is that Catholic schools simply have "RE" and then additional "Catholic RE" - yet RE is the enterprise of the whole Catholic school and not just a timetabled lesson; quite simply it is impossible to separate the two. It is also worth remembering the history of the Catholic Church and the state in this country, plus the contribution of the Church to education in this country - do we retain anything distinct if we can no longer ensure these 3 things? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To force schools of religious character to conform to the NE would create unnecessary difficulty - it is clear that they would look to this curriculum and use it - but we have to ask whether our primary aim is a correctional one or is it the urgent need to raise standards where they are needed the most? I'd like to hope the latter (despite some wanting to do battle with the CES and Board of Deputies!).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
----------------</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>So what next? </b>For me, as I have suggested previously (<a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2017/11/core-intermin-report-2-building.html" target="_blank">here</a>), <b><i>the time is now</i></b> - we need to start looking at the next step. The Commission proposed a 3 year timetable, but it may be more like 5. Yet with the resources and finances available, we should be able to utilise the expertise in the world of RE to create a truly exceptional RE curriculum - with enough flexibility to work in different contexts and to aim for some consensus. I was doing some work at the DfE recently, and when discussing this, some said, <i>"Surely there is enough of a consensus to establish what a KS3 student needs to know about Islam? Is it as controversial as you seem to make it?"</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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However, it is worth noting the caution of such a project. Why were the 2013 frameworks not a success? Have the general aims and purposes of RE found some common ground and consensus in the National Entitlement, but would the curriculum content debate result in irreconcilable difference of opinion? Will the ideas of a 'knowledge-rich' curriculum be reviewed in the future as the fad of 2018/9? What would a curriculum look like, and to what extent would it be resourced - to the level of schemes of work, PowerPoints and textbooks?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>"With teachers at peak workload, SACREs losing touch with their local area, widespread fragmentation caused by new school types and the sharp decline in local RE advisers able to pull various strings together, this does seem like a timely innovation. All over the country advisers, SACREs and Trusts are reinventing the wheel; a colossal expenditure of energy that could surely be put to a better, or more streamlined, use." <a href="http://www.reonline.org.uk/news/one-outcome-one-aim-some-responses-to-commission-recommendation-3-kate-christopher/" target="_blank">Kate Christopher</a></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In her blog, Kate goes on to give two examples - the RE Today model syllabuses and Understanding Christianity. These do give excellent, coherent curriculum that is well thought out by experts - but at a cost. For me the real hope of the National Entitlement is to quite literally 'Save RE' in the places where it most needs saving; we need some kind of safety net when schools are claiming their 'skills day' is their RE. The proposed statement of entitlement while noble and very useful on a theoretical and perhaps legalistic level, is not going to land on the desk of a headteacher <chrome_find class="find_in_page">who</chrome_find> doesn't value you RE and grab the attention of him or her.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I do add a caveat that expertise should be financially rewarded - and as a textbook writer people often feel the need to point out that I am "profiteering" from schools (check out the life of a textbook writer <a href="https://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-life-of-textbook-writer.html" target="_blank">here</a>). If people are putting in their time and effort, especially as full time teachers, they should receive remuneration. The culture of free things can hinder the very best ideas coming to fruition. Let's hope the DfE or one of the charitable foundations in the RE world can help.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's hopeful that if pitched correctly, the DfE will be open to this type of proposal after their approval of a Music model curriculum (<a href="https://www.tes.com/news/dfe-publish-new-model-music-curriculum" target="_blank">here</a>), which is still to be finalised, but presumably under development as a workload reducing time-saver for schools and music teachers.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It would be prudent to look at what is different about this, in contrast to the Commission report. Music is certainly a contested subject with the various different organisations involved trying to pitch their particular area: composing, performance, music tech etc. Although obviously it is arguably not as political! To me, the difference is that for Music there is not an entitlement statement, but a ready to go curriculum that schools can utilise where they are struggling for resources and expertise. Obviously, as an RE community we would not have a successful proposed curriculum without the excellent research conducted by the Commissioners in trying to find some acceptable middle ground and consensus.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There is a part of me that likes the idea of the Annex that was produced for GCSE (see <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/403357/GCSE_RS_final_120215.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>). It gave an overview of what needed to be covered in exam specs. Yet I do not like the way that everything is framed around Christianity, and as a result is artificial in some structures for other religions. Would it be useful to have such a document for KS1-3?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A further interesting development on this idea of curriculum is the Ofsted focus groups (<a href="https://educationinspection.blog.gov.uk/2019/02/26/ofsteds-subject-curriculum-groups/" target="_blank">here</a>) which have not gone via subject organisations. They have invited largely full time teachers very much living out curriculum and curriculum change, many of which have demonstrated their expertise via blogs, Twitter and speaking at conferences. I feel there is some real value in this. It is not the Govian <i>"we have had enough of experts"</i>, but actually those in the classroom do have a real expertise, just maybe a different one to those working as consultants, advisers, commercial enterprises and at universities. Everyone has something to offer. </div>
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The recommendation (3b) suggests a "maximum of nine professionals, including serving teachers" to devise the curriculum. However, as previously discussed, ED Hirsch has used 150-200 people to some of his events, representing all stakeholders (see <a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2017/11/core-intermin-report-2-building.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Would it help reach consensus using new and different voices in the RE world?</div>
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I am excited about what this is going to look like. It's got huge potential.</div>
<br />
Read my overview of the 11 Recommendations <a href="https://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2019/03/core-report-recommendations.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><i>The final report is available to download here: <a href="https://www.commissiononre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Final-Report-of-the-Commission-on-RE.pdf">Final Report of the Commission on RE</a></i> </li>
<li><i>An executive summary is available here: <a href="https://www.commissiononre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Final-Report-Exec-Summary-of-the-Commission-on-RE.pdf">Final Report (Exec Summary) of the Commission on RE</a></i></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<style id="__gCrWeb.findInPageStyle" type="text/css">.find_in_page{background-color:#ffff00 !important;padding:0px;margin:0px;overflow:visible !important;}.findysel{background-color:#ff9632 !important;padding:0px;margin:0px;overflow:visible !important;}</style>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-78524097392210842582019-02-14T15:03:00.000-08:002019-02-15T01:38:13.759-08:00Top 5 Tips for Exam Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZmyVfehZsYFtMIz3KCmM9aC04L9zM76Lgkz5xWiTMylMRfVejEkdRd6GW9B5i4nEMRvAjwtW99eyYJQnI8R2USwwYx54d2j8MZD4RI23gKJw-WVIKS306gTCPtEJgHEjxFH31gPR5KZ7/s1600/p02t09hz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZmyVfehZsYFtMIz3KCmM9aC04L9zM76Lgkz5xWiTMylMRfVejEkdRd6GW9B5i4nEMRvAjwtW99eyYJQnI8R2USwwYx54d2j8MZD4RI23gKJw-WVIKS306gTCPtEJgHEjxFH31gPR5KZ7/s320/p02t09hz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Ever since reading High Fidelity, I've found Top 5s to be a useful way of navigating life. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I recently held some tutorials with some groups of 6th form students and thought I would share my Top 5 tips for A Level success. I constructed it around a Top 5 Problems and then a Top 5 Solutions:<br />
<br />
<b>Top 5 Problems:</b><br />
1) Procrastination & Distraction<br />
2) Forgetting Stuff<br />
3) Time Management<br />
4) Insufficient Notes & Resources<br />
5) Cognitive Overload<br />
<br />
<i>Rob, Dick and Barry would definitely argue over this list - is it a true list of 5?</i><br />
<br />
<b>Top 5 Solutions</b><br />
1) Pomodoro Technique<br />
2) Cornell Note Taking<br />
3) Keep a Record<br />
4) Knowledge Organisers<br />
5) Practice in Part<br />
<br />
------------------------<br />
So, let's go through the tutorial and explain my rationale. I'm not going to link to everything but I will try give a summary of what I shared with the Year 13 students:<br />
<br />
<b>1) Pomodoro Technique</b><br />
Inspired by hearing Barb Oakley recently, I started the session with my real life tomato timer on the desk. I set it 25 minutes and said that was all we had. I then spoke about how this was devised in the world of work when days run from 9am to 5pm with little structure unlike the school day. I pointed out their weekends, evenings and holidays could be like this. I shared this <a href="https://www.disability.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/Pomodoro%20Technique.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>. After 25 minutes work, you have a 5 minute break. After a few sessions, have a 10 minute break. Obviously phones go in the other room. Always. <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-your-smartphone-could-be-ruining-your-career-2017-03-31" target="_blank">20 mins to get back to full focus after a distraction?!</a><br />
<br />
<b>2) Cornell Note Taking</b><br />
I explained about Ebbinghaus's Forgetting Curve (see <a href="https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/groups/Writing%20Program/forgetting_curve.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>). I said that forgetting stuff is good - because we then remember it quicker when we review... but we need to be systematic and regular in that process. They know my advocacy of the CNT method, and how I urge student do have a weekly summary session, and a separate weekly cue column session (and then putting paper over their main notes and testing from summaries and cues). I gave them a reasonably detailed <a href="https://shp.utmb.edu/asa/forms/cornell%20note%20taking%20system.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a> on CNT. I then explained my greatest revision tool... a blank sheet of paper! I asked what they would do when they had written down everything they knew for a particular topic - and every time the answer was look it up! We talked about struggling and practising retrieval. Eventually they would need to add to it (when our 25 minutes was up?) - in a different colour - and then repeat the same task the following week.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Keep a Record</b><br />
I gave them a revision timetable (<a href="http://www.imberhorne.co.uk/sites/default/files/Revision%20timetable%20blank.pdf" target="_blank">PDF</a>) but then asked why it has never worked for them. Universally it was because it had gone adrift and then they gave up quickly. I emphasised the need to put to fun stuff on first - Saturday evening Nandos - but also that every day is a new day and if it doesn't work on Tuesday, don't wait until Monday to restart. Yet I offered an alternative - a "work diary" when they needed to record every thing they actually did in a day - like a food diary - and how eye opening it would be. One student came back to me later in the week and said it had been a revelation and upped her productivity overnight. This is also useful so revision can be systematic and all topics covered.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Knowledge Organisers</b><br />
Some teachers make them, and provide them at the start of a unit. At A Level, I use as summaries and students produce themselves. It is always a useful took to work out what is missing - <i>"Why do I have no scholars to put in this box?" "What are the weaknesses of this theory?"</i>. I then explained the idea of "Unknown Unknowns":<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
I encouraged them to get a copy of the exam spec and then highlight only when they had actually found notes in their exercise book on the topic - and do it word by word, not by big statement / topic. I also suggested dating it every time they revised a topic.<br />
<br />
<b>5) Cognitive Overload</b><br />
Are you trying to practice retrieval or are you trying to write a great essay? For students that are struggling, doing both can be tough. Obviously they need to do this in the exam, but we used a 'big game' analogy and discussed <a href="http://www.sportbible.com/football/take-a-bow-footage-of-david-beckham-practicing-free-kicks-the-day-before-greece-20171018" target="_blank">David Beckham practising his free kicks for hours the day before the Greece game</a>. Practice the skills separately and build up to the final 'big game' exam.<br />
<br />
I added two further documents to their pack:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIjNOSWlvYYUPkO3S1V-WfUGoFfngM8x9BYDdzTk4Wo/" target="_blank">Top 10 Tips from Barb Oakley</a> (She did a DOUBLE 5!)</li>
<li><a href="https://chronotopeblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/wellington-college-study-guide1.pdf" target="_blank">5 Habits of a Effective Learner from Wellington College </a>(Another Top 5!)</li>
</ul>
The last thing I did was urge them to change the narrative. I'm as guilty as most in saying, <i>"It's only 4 months until the exams!"</i>. However, the other way is <b><i>"We have 4 months, that's lots of time to do lots of learning!" </i></b>- Get that Pomodoro timer set back ready for another 25...<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074cps" target="_blank">BBC</a></span>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-80690739481413153402019-01-16T14:03:00.001-08:002019-02-14T14:14:53.424-08:00Books Not Blogs [Edexcel RS Update]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQHsa7eVivChdEW_bNs7wjMSMUx8OQVyXdQ4ucU34BSnnGyvHY1P1c9qMmV6ykh0ttvbr6YFpk2EocRMgRjL4BCuOvOJlFoFVqKJS5XS-9POejpqSMDz2Hce8wu5jefINpsAUw5VtSxih/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="657" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQHsa7eVivChdEW_bNs7wjMSMUx8OQVyXdQ4ucU34BSnnGyvHY1P1c9qMmV6ykh0ttvbr6YFpk2EocRMgRjL4BCuOvOJlFoFVqKJS5XS-9POejpqSMDz2Hce8wu5jefINpsAUw5VtSxih/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>There has been very few blogs from me this academic year. I have been busy at work covering a second role within our Teaching School Alliance, our family grew to four last April, we've had building work going on, plus I have been busy writing books. 2019 is looking like an exciting year... please find a brief update to the OUP Edexcel GCSE series for Catholic Christianity papers on Spec A.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: #444444;">UPDATE: <a href="http://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/secondary/re/Edexcel%20A%20Revision%20Guide%20d%20question.pdf?region=uk" target="_blank">Download OUP's Updated Revision Guide pages here</a> - focused on Part D/12 marker questions - we are now confident they are all Level 4 responses in accordance with last summers marking.</span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>UPDATE 2: <a href="https://en.calameo.com/read/000777721b1b37e12a840?authid=PYLPaYHB7DAt" target="_blank">Download a DRAFT / INSPECTION copy of Workbook 1 (Catholic Christianity)</a></b> - Get your orders in now for delivery very soon!</blockquote>
</div>
<b>Work Books</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
One of the main concerns that many teachers have had about the new GCSEs is that they are not accessible for all students. Alongside the revision guide, which many teachers and students have found helpful, we wanted to work on something more.<br />
<br />
As such, I have been working with the brilliant Ann Clucas (author of <span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;">How To Teach Everybody: Strategies for Effective Differentiation</span>) to find ways to break down and build up the content so that all students will be able to access and succeed with the new GCSE. We are hoping to publish ASAP, with Book 1 hopefully coming in March / April - just before the 2019 exams!<br />
<br />
To reserve a copy, email your local OUP education consultant. Find yours<a href="https://global.oup.com/education/consultant?region=uk" target="_blank"> <here> </a><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the January 2019 OUP update flyer</i></span></div>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Revision Guide</b><br />
<br />
When students required just 67% to get a Grade 9 on last summers paper, it was clear teachers hadn't been fully prepared for how the exam board were going to mark the RS exam. Many of the (d) evaluation questions got 25-40% nationally. Teachers were advised by the exam board that strengths/weaknesses/conclusion approach <i>"should be sufficient." </i>- yet this was sufficient for just L2 and 6/12 marks.<br />
<br />
The OUP team looked carefully at our books, and while confident that our guidance was helpful to students, we felt a few tweaks would be beneficial to help further emphasise the need for careful analysis and evaluation and reflect the latest exam board guidance.<br />
<br />
The updated pages of sample responses for the (d) question will also be available for free on the OUP website from 6th February - so if you have already purchased this book, or purchase before February you can still access the most up-to-date advice.<br />
<br />
This new updated book will be available from 6th February 2019 and can be ordered here: <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/UtJ2H0sGPxsVwrL12">https://goo.gl/forms/UtJ2H0sGPxsVwrL12</a><br />
<br />
Huge thanks to all that helped with this, including various examiners from the 2018 summer series.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/secondary/re/Edexcel%20A%20Revision%20Guide%20d%20question.pdf?region=uk" target="_blank"><Download updated pages here></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPC2pf_hjpLpE_mLkbWMPCL-VTERMX1j5JTMnuEQlatu9kn12MIy2pBjol7F-AR6jN7_0SKrxJCR1vN3gG6jFDcF42ibgDGWeGq_8sWQMl1YtqaflOjoPhp09Yp2mu8K_OFrPyFhUANRB/s1600/revision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPC2pf_hjpLpE_mLkbWMPCL-VTERMX1j5JTMnuEQlatu9kn12MIy2pBjol7F-AR6jN7_0SKrxJCR1vN3gG6jFDcF42ibgDGWeGq_8sWQMl1YtqaflOjoPhp09Yp2mu8K_OFrPyFhUANRB/s320/revision.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<b>More Books</b></div>
<br />
There are few more exciting projects in the pipeline which may mean the blog remains quiet... watch this space!Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-77748978655648907082018-09-13T06:26:00.000-07:002018-09-13T08:17:52.415-07:00WWJD - Rewards & Sanctions (inc. Exclusion)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>7 years ago, I submitted my MA dissertation. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I completed a Masters in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary's early in my career, in part due to my school offering to pay in full. However, despite being relatively inexperienced, and before I had even secured a middle management leadership position, I learnt a lot, and I still refer to my findings years later. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After tweeting a 'memory' of handing it in, I had a number of requests to read it. Somewhat hesitantly, I also went back to reread my conclusions to see how they had held up - I don't like reading my early blogs for a couple of years back, let alone seven! It also seemed topical, with exclusions one of the 'hot debates' with education at the moment. </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The challenge for Catholic school leaders in developing and implementing a system of </i><i>rewards and sanctions is that of promoting Gospel-driven and Christ-led values. Thus, </i><i>there is a need to balance the need for reconciliation alongside the need for </i><i>sanctioning students while, at the same time, finding enough time and space to fully </i><i>reward those students making a wide range of achievements.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Cole’s suggestion of creating an environment based on reward and praise was echoed </i><i>by the responses of all students (Section 2.3; Daniels et al; 1998; 83 in Cole; 2005: 162). </i><i>The creation of such an environment is a challenge to school leaders particularly in a </i><i>school which has traditionally had a large number of rules and a far greater number of </i><i>sanctions than it has rewards.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Catholic distinctiveness needs to pervade all areas of school community life from the </i><i>School Discipline and Pupil Behaviour policy down to the individual interactions which </i><i>take place in every classroom, corridor and playground. It needs to be led from the top, </i><i>and be explicit in words, actions and spirit. Ensuring that this takes place creates varying </i><i>difficulties, but if it is missing, the school can lose its distinguishing features as a </i><i>Catholic community. There is a shared ownership and commitment to the common </i><i>beliefs and goals of a community, and these should be made clear in policy and lived </i></span><i style="color: #444444;">out by the stakeholders as they will hopefully reap the benefits. The students are the </i><i style="color: #444444;">most important stakeholders in such policy decision making as they are the ones that </i><i style="color: #444444;">need to feel comfortable and safe every day in school. As a Catholic community, this g</i><i style="color: #444444;">ains even greater importance over and above our legal obligations as set out in </i><i style="color: #444444;">documents such as Every Child Matters (2003) and its successor Help Children Achieve </i><i style="color: #444444;">More (2011).</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Disengaged students must be a priority, as the outcasts were for Jesus. Those who are </i><i>already disillusioned with the system currently in place whereby they feel they miss out </i><i>on all rewards and receive disproportionate sanctions, or feel they work hard with little </i><i>recognition. Additionally due to the way in which they often receive both the rewards </i><i>and sanctions, they feel detached from their actual work and behaviour. A student may </i><i>be pleased with a certificate received at the end of term, but maybe unaware exactly </i><i>what they are being rewarded for. In a similar fashion, to receive a detention a week </i></span><i style="color: #444444;">after an event has taken place, or due to a number of smaller indiscretions that build </i><i style="color: #444444;">up, unbeknownst over the week.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>Teachers need to be empowered as leaders, recognising their individual responsibility </i><i>within the classroom. If this is not taking place, senior leaders need to offer support, </i><i>but also challenge so that this does take place. If rewards are happening regularly in </i><i>written, visual and aural forms, an environment of praise can be created engaging </i><i>students and enabling them to work to their best of their ability and fulfilling their </i><i>potential as individuals and images of God. Likewise if lower-level sanctioning takes </i></span><i style="color: #444444;">place in this often intimate and more immediate environment, students can be offered </i><i style="color: #444444;">greater guidance as to how to seek reconciliation and improve their behaviour in </i><i style="color: #444444;">future.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The question of exclusion is a recurring problem for school leaders. Sometimes it can be </i><i>essential for the greater good of the school community. The open and welcoming </i><i>gestures modelled by Jesus need to be evident in the Catholic school. There must be a </i><i>demonstration of forgiveness and reconciliation evident; no student must leave feeling </i><i>excluded as a member of the Kingdom of God. Even if excluded, the student should </i><i>have felt the love of the community and be given opportunities to repent. However, if</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>these are rejected by the student, then the school is given little opportunity, like the </i><i>Rich Young Man who walked away from Jesus and the opportunity offered to him.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><i>The number of rewards and sanctions on offer within a school community are vital, as </i><i>are the numbers of each awarded. Leaders should be suggesting targets to staff if there </i><i>is to be a culture of reward rather than sanction. It can be easier to focus on punishing </i><i>students in order to create academic excellence and high standards of behaviour, yet as </i><i>seen in this study students can end up feeling excluded and disengaged. They want </i><i>rewards, and even those students regularly in detention appreciated and felt guided by </i><i>rewards offered to them for their good behaviour. Additionally recognising that </i><i>students are not ‘all bad’ and that even students who are often poorly behaved do do</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444;">praiseworthy work and actions on occasion.</span></i></div>
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<b>Do I agree with all of this now?</b><br />
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I don't think behaviour targets are a great idea as such. I do think it is important to encourage staff to think carefully about how they can try to send positive emails and make positive calls, as well as the negative ones. However I freely admit, with limited time, this just doesn't often happen.</div>
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At this point, I was a little naive to some of the worst behaviour and disruption which happens in some schools. I was a little too kind in places, and for serious issues exclusion should not even be up for debate. I think Jesus would agree though; punishment (eternal) was a reality for those who wilfully and deliberately turned their back on God.</div>
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Rereading the whole dissertation, I still agree that often detentions can be ineffective. I do also agree the an 'internal exclusion' or isolation can be very effective. Some of the students with poor behaviour needed this deterrent and claimed it was the only thing that stopped them misbehaving at times. However I do now see how problematic it can become with reintegration, and how students end up in cycles due to getting behind in work. This can be overcome with good management. </div>
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I still don't know how to do rewards well (without a huge budget!). The reward of the Gospel is in the next life... and I wonder if our students don't truly get the reward of good, disciplined schooling until the leave? </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tiny.cc/catholicma" target="_blank">Download my full MA dissertation </a></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-2728897043727642018-09-09T13:11:00.001-07:002018-09-09T13:11:31.166-07:00Core Knowledge: The Catholic 100<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwy4y3XCUzpl_7nfkLIEG6RIrCO8bQlfWd9B3VS78gGtNvG7ZCV_OHUjiDO7yaFoa_8D_dFCUmgc9PFp7zxufWAUTW8Z-qlUdS1DPYj-PC-2GRd-v4yVZOhVqTJrwOCg66FgTRgFrC0zND/s1600/holyspirit-650x330.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="650" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwy4y3XCUzpl_7nfkLIEG6RIrCO8bQlfWd9B3VS78gGtNvG7ZCV_OHUjiDO7yaFoa_8D_dFCUmgc9PFp7zxufWAUTW8Z-qlUdS1DPYj-PC-2GRd-v4yVZOhVqTJrwOCg66FgTRgFrC0zND/s400/holyspirit-650x330.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Until I sit down with a few of my fellow Catholic educators and write the Canon of Catholic RE (<a href="https://michaelmerrick.me/2018/08/19/a-catholic-curriculum/" target="_blank">or even a whole school curriculum</a>), we are working hard in my school to right wrongs about what our students do and don’t know. </b></div>
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For a year, with a lot of debate and discussion, I have worked on a list of 100 words that I wanted all of Year 7 to know. There are 75 essentials, and 25 advanced words. </div>
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<a href="http://tiny.cc/thecatholic100" target="_blank">100 Key Words for RE</a></div>
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With a little hesitation about how people would perceive the task (“How does <i>this</i> get them excited about RE in secondary school?”), I included my task in the transition booklet alongside English, Maths and Science. Actually most people seemed to think it was a great idea!</div>
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For each word, students had to self evaluate:</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>I recognise this word</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>I understand this word</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>I can accurately use this word in a sentence</i></li>
</ul>
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They then had to write, '<i>My own definition</i>'. This was just one sentence, of original material, that needed to fit in a concise box. </div>
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The expectation was that each student would have at least 75 definitions at the start of Year 7 that they could refer to, learn and be tested on. They would feel more confident about RE, and we'd be able to move faster in lessons.</div>
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However, the main aim was to close the gap that exists in Year 7 in a Catholic school. We have some devout families who would be fluent in this vocabulary (and therefore knowledge), while others will join from non-Catholic schools, and be from non-Catholic, perhaps non-Christian families. It is important to recognise the bewilderment a young Hindu, Muslim or Skih has when the teacher starts talking about the Creed, praying the Rosary, attending Mass and celebrating the Sacraments.</div>
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Additionally, the religious vocabulary (religious literacy some would suggest) does not link to other data. Scaled scores and SATS results mean little; a student in our higher sets could be struggling in RE, while one in a set with less able students may excel in RE. It’s why our department data sometimes looks odd. </div>
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We then decided that actually, we have put a lot of work into this, and we do need to ensure all students in Key Stage 3 have this vocabulary. As such, <b>all</b> students in Key Stage 3 now have their booklet and Year 8 and 9 will be completing over the next few weeks.</div>
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The students seem to really like it. We’ve had a lot of positive comments, and they really see the value of it. Many are excited about it - especially about mastering the advanced words! </div>
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We will be testing these words at least weekly. 5 a week... and I’ve agreed 4/5 as the pass mark for Year 9. This can't just be a task, it has to end up as a long term learning exercise. </div>
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Students really do enjoy knowing things and learning things, and improving their vocabulary, regardless of their own faith position or background, is vital. It may be we look at having different lists / booklets for them to work on in different year groups. GCSE already have their own... </div>
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The list is always up for review, even after a year of reviewing, so keep suggestions for improvements and modifications coming in... </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://spokanefavs.com/immaculate-heart-to-host-discussion-on-the-holy-spirit/" target="_blank">Spokane Favs</a></span></div>
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Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-74407604870570403572018-09-08T12:50:00.000-07:002018-09-09T12:52:34.494-07:00My First Lesson for Y9+ - Teaching Note Taking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16AXQm2qwdc-cogGycvOyGasDo8RMa1xzxMyjSd3-KBXL0r-eACgeZHMh8MMHj_HgqhTEv1zmjb9df-whi3NwIL64zvoBoZt-7kCOl9ALB3nVB1g-ge7u0pxxxK6TW52lZ-6HW2tGx4PA/s1600/cornellnotes.png"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16AXQm2qwdc-cogGycvOyGasDo8RMa1xzxMyjSd3-KBXL0r-eACgeZHMh8MMHj_HgqhTEv1zmjb9df-whi3NwIL64zvoBoZt-7kCOl9ALB3nVB1g-ge7u0pxxxK6TW52lZ-6HW2tGx4PA/s320/cornellnotes.png" /></a></div>
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<b>An outline of my first lesson:</b><br />
<ol>
<li>A brief welcome and hello. </li>
<li>Seating plan, alphabetically by first name to start with so I get to know names ASAP. Books given out, 10 short rules copied down on the back page. </li>
<li>Students to use a ruler and create a box at the bottom of each page in their exercise books, 4 lines in size. They do this for 25 pages. </li>
<li>On the first five pages, they write CUE COLUMN at the top of the margin, and SUMMARY in the bottom box. </li>
<li>I briefly explain Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. I then tell them we will be using the Cornell Note Taking system and detail why I think it is the best way to organise their exercise books. </li>
<li>They are then told the CUE COLUMN is for any key words, names, dates, places - or questions that come to mind. This is be completed at least 24 hours after the lesson - except questions, they can be written in the lesson. </li>
<li>Next, I inform them that weekly, they will complete the summary boxes and that each page will be summarised with 2 or 3 bullet points. </li>
<li>We then look at the testing effect - and how that will help them actually securely learn the information. </li>
<li>I then show them how to use their new note setup to do that - covering main notes, just leaving cues etc. We practice using cues to write short questions. </li>
<li>I ensure they know to date and title each piece of work. Date so they add further dates for cue, summary, test and review. Title so information is easy to find. </li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpzy0kkn8iXYO9tNMZZyXpJZbLPVkoSJlKJYyYDyTFcqjOJVtwN74m_T6iwnSn1waHOEMrJTg3Ya5cfXP9vp4mzrUsjMw_hLw3zU2_J3U_gLD5-k_0PehPqCuipX6U5zgE4QtaBIZfVH3/s1600/1200px-ForgettingCurve.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1200" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpzy0kkn8iXYO9tNMZZyXpJZbLPVkoSJlKJYyYDyTFcqjOJVtwN74m_T6iwnSn1waHOEMrJTg3Ya5cfXP9vp4mzrUsjMw_hLw3zU2_J3U_gLD5-k_0PehPqCuipX6U5zgE4QtaBIZfVH3/s200/1200px-ForgettingCurve.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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We then get started learning things...<br />
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And the next lesson we begin with a brief test.<br />
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(I used to only do this with 6th form, and blogged about that<a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.com/2017/10/6th-form-study-skills-learning-note.html" target="_blank"> <here></a> - includes Cornell Slides)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of <a href="https://www.umfk.edu/learning-center/studying-tips/notes/">UMFK</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></span><br />
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Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-36409387672936875822018-09-03T15:32:00.000-07:002018-09-13T08:18:21.567-07:00Life With A Toddler: Elaborative Interrogation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVXeETmE7yT-nzXQ16stdwgK-WkYaLUl8FaVTWmAKdB_5iWMC0ItQap1Qur-58I5HO2zQ9zPYZzzWJ51ePC0rLWElJVG05SxiE3u-qIi7XbZIZsSSlhd69GaIevVNjF6xHExhRaDSQqMc/s1600/38911363_10102907497284300_2042286928119726080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVXeETmE7yT-nzXQ16stdwgK-WkYaLUl8FaVTWmAKdB_5iWMC0ItQap1Qur-58I5HO2zQ9zPYZzzWJ51ePC0rLWElJVG05SxiE3u-qIi7XbZIZsSSlhd69GaIevVNjF6xHExhRaDSQqMc/s320/38911363_10102907497284300_2042286928119726080_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>My son is 2 and a half. He asks a LOT of questions. Most of them begin "How..." or "Why..."</b></div>
<br />
I have frequently mentioned him to my students. He would be an excellent asset to anyone attempting revision. He always wants to know why. These are answers he will no longer accept:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>"It just is."</i></li>
<li><i>"Why not?"</i></li>
<li><i>"Just because."</i></li>
<li><i>"I don't know."</i></li>
<li><i>"Does it really matter?"</i></li>
</ul>
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These are greeted with, <i>"Daddy - don't say that, answer my question please."</i><br />
<br />
Going to Mass is always a great source of questioning. Probably as there is lots of strange things going on, plus the irresistible temptation of me telling him, "<i>You need to be really quiet for this bit. Actually, be silent." </i><br />
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A few from the last few months include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>"Why is Jesus in the round things?"</i></li>
<li><i>"What actually is the round thing?"</i></li>
<li><i>"How does the priest say Mass?"</i></li>
<li><i>"Why is the little circle Jesus?"</i></li>
<li><i>"Why is Fr Joseph in St Joseph's? And isn't that Joseph?" [Points to statue of St Joseph]</i></li>
<li><i>"Why do people need the circles to be taken to them when they are sick?"</i></li>
<li><i>"How does the priest get the circles?"</i></li>
</ul>
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Even as an RE teacher in a Catholic school, and cradle Catholic, I sometimes struggle. You must also understand that any answer I provide, is then responded to with a further "Why?". Here is one example, to the best of my memory...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>T: "Why can't I have a round thing?"</li>
<li>Me: "You need to be a little older."</li>
<li>T: "Why?"</li>
<li>Me: "You need to understand what it really is."</li>
<li>T: "Why?"</li>
<li>Me: "Because it is Jesus, and that's quite complicated."</li>
<li>T: "Why is it Jesus?"</li>
<li>Me: "Remember the story the priest always tells us, about Jesus and the meal he had with his friends?"</li>
<li>T: "Yes... How does the priest make it Jesus?"</li>
<li>Me: "That's quite complicated too."</li>
<li>T: "Why?"</li>
<li>Me: "I'll explain later."</li>
<li>T: "No daddy now."</li>
<li>Me: "He says a special prayer."</li>
<li>T: "Why?"</li>
<li>Me: "Because God needs to hear the special prayer."</li>
<li>T: "Why does he?"</li>
<li>Me: "That's what the Mass is, that's why we come to church."</li>
<ul>
<li>[A few mins quiet]</li>
</ul>
<li>T: "Why do we come to Church?"</li>
<li>Me: "To meet Jesus, and meet our friends."</li>
<li>T: "Then why can't I have a round thing?"</li>
</ul>
<br />
The good news is, he does remember lots of the information from week to week (spaced <i>and </i>retrieval practice). He does get things confused from time to time - <i>"Look daddy - it's the sick people!"</i> was said far too loudly when the Eucharistic ministers went to collect the Eucharist to take the congregation who were unable to attend Mass.<br />
<br />
It's good to ask questions, and I am pleased to have a toddler who wants to know as much as he can. I am also pleased when I see students at lunchtime revising who tell me they are going "Toddler Mode" and irritating each other with "Why?" questions. As I have found out, answering and explaining such questions can be a challenge - even for someone who things they know their stuff!!<br />
<br />
Read more on elaboration from the brilliant Learning Scientists here:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.learningscientists.org/learning-scientists-podcast/2017/11/1/episode-6-elaborative-interrogation%C2%A0" target="_blank">http://www.learningscientists.org/learning-scientists-podcast/2017/11/1/episode-6-elaborative-interrogation </a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/7/7-1" target="_blank">http://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/7/7-1 </a></i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>-------</i><br />
<i>Anyway, Mass is sometimes a bit chaotic for me these days. However I took some comfort in this recent article, which I felt compelled to share: <a href="https://aleteia.org/2018/07/21/a-letter-to-the-parents-who-keep-bringing-their-disruptive-kids-to-mass-week-after-week/" target="_blank">A letter to the parents who keep bringing their disruptive kids to Mass, week after week</a> (T is nowhere near this bad, but has been known to repeat the Gospel after the priest if he pauses, and laugh - or shout out "ding ding" after the bell is rung - or go for a wonder...)</i>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-53079807689472911732018-08-19T14:33:00.001-07:002018-08-19T14:39:57.221-07:00Being Catholic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Back in July, I had two articles published:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://schoolsweek.co.uk/lets-not-turn-re-into-a-weapon-in-the-war-against-catholic-schools/" target="_blank"><b>Schools Week: Let’s not turn RE into a weapon in the war against Catholic schools</b></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2018/07/27/will-catholic-religious-education-survive/" target="_blank"><b>The Catholic Herald: Will Catholic Religious Education survive?</b></a></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These were in part, a response to the Clarke/Woodhead pamphlet entitled <a href="http://faithdebates.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Clarke-Woodhead-A-New-Settlement-Revised.pdf" target="_blank">A New Settlement Revised</a>, but also in preparation for the final report of the <a href="http://www.commissiononre.org.uk/" target="_blank">Comission on RE</a> report due later in the year. They also reflected thinking about the direction of some voices in RE, and organisations involved in the campaign for change in RE.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is always hard to share ideas within a short word limit, and I was grateful last year to get the chance to write more extensively on this topic in a collection of essays, entitled <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1785922696/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1785922696&linkCode=as2&tag=anlere-21&linkId=9df50aca26f272c2864342fd73d9be44" target="_blank">We Need To Talk About RE</a> where I discussed the future of Catholic RE. At this stage, I think it is useful to copy an extract, from the middle of the chapter:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>If the Commission </i>[- or anyone!]<i> were to recommend a common baseline entitlement for all schools, including schools with a religious character, then i<b>t is very likely that the RE curricula of Catholic schools would already be in compliance with it</b>. But since one of the conditions of the partnership between Church and state is the right of the Bishops to set the curriculum in Catholic schools, then any statutory imposition of just such a common baseline is potentially highly problematic. Of course, given what has already be said, <b>this will only be a problem in principle, not in practice. Nonetheless the principle is a fundamental and non-negotiable one for the Catholic Church in England. </b>It is hoped that a way forward can be found that ensures outstanding Religious Education for all without backing the Bishops into a corner where they have no other option but to oppose something that, in every detail but one, they would otherwise welcome and support.</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I wrote the two articles, I knew that I would receive criticism - and personal attack. I did have some hesitation as some of my good friends within the wider RE world, who I have tremendous respect for, have been involved in the Clarke/Woodhead project, and the Comission on RE. However, I felt an important comment needed to be made about keeping Catholic RE, and Catholic schools distinct. <i>Despite some of the comments I received, it is not because I want Bishop Alan of Brentwood to dictate every detail that I teach! </i></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I did find it frustrating when people were tweeting about my articles, accusing me of all kinds of things (creating "fake news" was my favourite) and knowingly not including my Twitter handle, so I couldn't respond. Also the use of subtweeting, so discussions could not be followed, stopped some of the genuine debate about this. It was also odd how some people said I was speaking on behalf of the Bishops of England and Wales - I am just an RE teacher, but committed Catholic, speaking on these matters. <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/component/k2/item/1003655-catholic-church-condemns-clarke-and-woodhead-report-on-religious-education" target="_blank">The CES had already made their statement via Bishop Stock</a>. However, perhaps the thing that made me most upset was how some claimed that the Catholic Church was trying to derail the whole process of RE reform for all. I admit my articles were made quickly after the publication of the Clarke/Woodhead pamphlet was published, but that is how the press and news works. Personal blogs, can obviously benefit from longer periods of reflection. However, the only thing I'd perhaps change is headlines, which I didn't write... (despite them being quoted back at me!)</div>
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I <b>do</b> think that RE needs reform. I have passionately argued this for many years. As much as I work in a Catholic school, I have worked in many non-Catholic schools helping to improve RE. I have also written not only <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/gcse-catholic-christianity-edexcel-2016" target="_blank">textbooks for Catholic schools</a>, but also as part of the <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/knowing-religion-judaism-2017" target="_blank">Knowing Religion team</a>. As someone who engages in social media, I am also fully aware of the issues in RE. I also think it needs a collective strength, but with solutions that work for all. </div>
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We currently have a dual system of schools in the country, whereby schools can have a religious character. As long as this remains, there needs to be a solution to RE that is not a "one size fits all". As I mentioned in my Herald article, I have seen the proposals put forward by the CES to the Comission on RE that suggests what I personally feel to be a workable and sensible solution to this 'problem'. I do believe that if we (society) want to abolish the right of the Bishops to determine RE in Catholic schools, one of the few legal things that makes the schools distinctive, then we need to end faith schools. This is exactly what some people want, and being clear in this argument would be more helpful, rather than dress it up as an RE debate. </div>
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I'd suggest you read my chapter in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1785922696/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1785922696&linkCode=as2&tag=anlere-21&linkId=9df50aca26f272c2864342fd73d9be44" target="_blank">We Need To Talk About RE</a> to get a full understanding of the current and future position of Catholic RE. Let's make it clear, the Catholic community have widely engaged over the last few years, providing solutions and suggestions of ways to make legal reform work. They are absolutely not trying to stop the process. They are just trying to keep Catholic schools distinct, reflecting their long protected legal position, history and contribution to education in this country. Conflict within the RE world, which is small, is not helpful. Let's focus on the common ground, accept what is workable, and what is not, and work together for better RE for all - one of the few aims (I think) we can all agree on.<br />
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I look forward to further discussion of these articles, with friends, colleagues and Twitter critics over the next few months. We may have to agree to disagree, mind!<br />
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<i>If you want to find out more about me as a passionate supporter of Catholic education, you can listen to an interview that I did with the brilliant Jonathan Doyle below: </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTqJFI3KwG1WoId6mxHa5DKS2W9rr5EFqTS5hRqNUms8ZKjX_8G9nt0ennVli-LhYTh1mJKDspvUlBBJgnlsv1DIPKuUBbTtpjxvkNC-xmbVfdEBebHFfPksQrC55JKJfvBhweZskrqI/s1600/andy_social.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTqJFI3KwG1WoId6mxHa5DKS2W9rr5EFqTS5hRqNUms8ZKjX_8G9nt0ennVli-LhYTh1mJKDspvUlBBJgnlsv1DIPKuUBbTtpjxvkNC-xmbVfdEBebHFfPksQrC55JKJfvBhweZskrqI/s320/andy_social.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2IfA911" target="_blank"><Listen here></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">0:00 Intro</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">6:32 Why did you study theology at University?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">10:27 How were you drawn towards Catholic Ministry?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">17:08 What makes a good Catholic Teacher?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">25:41 Why catechesis and curriculum matter</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">30:57 How should Catholic Teachers deal with difficult questions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">33:14 Why do you care so much about what you do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">36:46 What works for young people in moving from academics to the experiential</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">41:46 How do you sustain what you do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">45:17 What is Andy’s Vocation?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">48:12 What is the essence of Catholic Education?</span></div>
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Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09753293295736690812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-37670432865097916032018-03-26T13:50:00.002-07:002018-03-26T13:51:36.604-07:00How to be a success at A Level<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMswfc_HB4qIYKAqKTCyjVm1OD6VlRyV_Reml5CO-Yjg0U_pam4SI4VAVETOamcykwxZTQk9kknStQQu8HZl7_vuUMWIxbt2ucVJ5kyPYlJpEaig70oOp9BiTIcNaWc0xagcZfUPb-61kZ/s1600/exams-560115164-615x390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="615" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMswfc_HB4qIYKAqKTCyjVm1OD6VlRyV_Reml5CO-Yjg0U_pam4SI4VAVETOamcykwxZTQk9kknStQQu8HZl7_vuUMWIxbt2ucVJ5kyPYlJpEaig70oOp9BiTIcNaWc0xagcZfUPb-61kZ/s320/exams-560115164-615x390.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://swillaschools.ac.tz/swilla-secondary-school-form-two-results-2017/" target="_blank">Courtesy of Swilla Schools</a></span></div>
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<b>As we embarked on the second cycle of teaching the A Level in Religious Studies, it became apparent that I needed to do more work with my students on the skills that they need to note take, write, learn, review and test. We simply don't do enough of this lower down, and then just expect sixth formers to have some kind of magical transformation over the summer, whereby they somehow can. I feel it has been time well spent, and transferable across other subject areas... </b></div>
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<b>How to note take</b></div>
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I have introduced, and insisted upon, the Cornell Note Taking system:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTWHzZs8W27vc3qbCzTMXQyz-CHwSHbuiD3RJPpp-KVWO9c-jAHAr8TKgWWIGN649rk5jIaDKH20qOv/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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See below for how it is used in the reviewing of work. Download Slides <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zrM1B5GsqQYRm31IVJwRXhR99ZXXoEi9BQVSwi2_oKg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><here></a>. On average it takes 66 days to form a habit... <a href="https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/02/how-long-it-takes-to-form-a-new-habit/" target="_blank"><source></a> - someone asked what the disadvantage is, I can't work out one. </div>
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<b>How to write</b></div>
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The literacy demands of the new A Level (and GCSE) are far tougher than previously. For Edexcel RS, there are now a variety of different questions types rather than just a 'standard essay' form to learn. As such, I spent a lot of time 'magpie-ing' the best of what I could find to produce a literacy booklet. I get students to read the relevant section before writing an essay - it seems to have helped: </div>
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<b><i>Download <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jn-PJC4B5dDAgzRF37hkSPIs-ACK9fL7ScIAPPM9c4w/edit" target="_blank"><here></a></i></b></div>
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Charlotte Vardy has also put together a video for RS essays, which can be watched <a href="https://sites.google.com/stbons.org/religiouseducation/a-level/exam-skills" target="_blank"><here></a>. It is really important to help students know the academic writing forms you want them to produce. Last year I left this too much to chance, or had to try and modify students writing style after they had already formed habits. </div>
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<b>How to learn</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CPxSzxylRCI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CPxSzxylRCI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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We watched this together in class, made notes on each one. We then looked on the Learning Scientists website - <a href="http://www.learningscientists.org/" target="_blank"><here></a>. We've also added various resources to our department website <a href="https://sites.google.com/stbons.org/religiouseducation/revision/effective-learning" target="_blank"><here></a>. We also have shared resources with parents to make it clear what their son / daughter should be doing - I gave each parent a copy of 10 Rules of Good and Bad studying by Barbara Oakley (adapted by <a href="https://twitter.com/tlamjs?lang=en" target="_blank">M Smyth</a>) - see <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIjNOSWlvYYUPkO3S1V-WfUGoFfngM8x9BYDdzTk4Wo/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><here></a>.</div>
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<b>How to review</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIiu4m_afQl_42Lbrej54nGHQstva0PorSnSBPorac7cnHDTf8UwrhXpHW1qR0-Wu6WnhCOjsigBKfgTKiSsAvc4s8VpYSn2mM4TCVNUQpS2woJaYMcuw9XXSP3UePHNuX1blJ6P9l6lQ/s1600/original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="425" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIiu4m_afQl_42Lbrej54nGHQstva0PorSnSBPorac7cnHDTf8UwrhXpHW1qR0-Wu6WnhCOjsigBKfgTKiSsAvc4s8VpYSn2mM4TCVNUQpS2woJaYMcuw9XXSP3UePHNuX1blJ6P9l6lQ/s400/original.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The ideal would be to get students to review at least 24-48 hours after a lesson, within a week and again with a month. These are the ideas that I suggested:<br />
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<li><b>24-48 hours:</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Add summaries and cue column to Cornell formatted notes - this note taking system forces you to review</li>
<li>Re-read lesson Slides on GoogleClasroom and add any further notes, or read from links provided in Slides</li>
<li>Watch a summary video to supplement the lesson [Philosophy and Ethics is particularly lucky in this respect - see <a href="https://sites.google.com/stbons.org/religiouseducation/a-level/videos" target="_blank"><here></a>]</li>
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<li><b>A week:</b></li>
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<li></li>
<li>Allocate a review period on timetable - ie P3 on a Friday is RS review time</li>
<li>Work on a Knowledge Organiser for the topic - use GoogleDocs so it remains a live document that can be added to / ammended</li>
<li>Test by covering up main notes and just use summaries and cue column [Cornell], or parts of the Knowledge Organiser.</li>
<li>Attempt exam question</li>
<li>Use videos or podcasts on website - see see <a href="https://sites.google.com/stbons.org/religiouseducation/a-level/videos" target="_blank"><here></a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/stbons.org/religiouseducation/a-level/podcasts" target="_blank"><here></a> including a 'method' - not just watching or listening</li>
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<li><b>A month</b></li>
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<li></li>
<li>Same things as within a week</li>
<li>Timetable - calendar it on your phone! </li>
<li>Retrieval practice - start with a blank sheet...</li>
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<b>How to test</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkkcFMd_HfYxCzGzgb5P0o5NWH9EaaczfYJsx6dVYZyAIaAV8YExzPchX-AFfFyk76cg-nBiU0e07C0xFG8IL62A42WL4DbLd4WLTKrRJl6_9-DRfXK4x6W-wCS1jXkZ_MY7vsvmPuqYO/s1600/Screenshot+2018-03-26+at+21.29.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="739" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkkcFMd_HfYxCzGzgb5P0o5NWH9EaaczfYJsx6dVYZyAIaAV8YExzPchX-AFfFyk76cg-nBiU0e07C0xFG8IL62A42WL4DbLd4WLTKrRJl6_9-DRfXK4x6W-wCS1jXkZ_MY7vsvmPuqYO/s640/Screenshot+2018-03-26+at+21.29.56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I frequently talk about their 'unknown unknowns' - what is it they don't know, and how do they know?<br />
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We have planned our "Revision Power Hours" - see <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W5TJUehL1t-a8snPqM2SdqHBbtQm1QDrPwvb4UB-SOc/edit#slide=id.g2956209525_0_0" target="_blank"><here></a> - as well "The Pomodoro Technique" (25 mins focused, distraction free study, followed by 5 minute break), and the Leitner method for using flashcards.<br />
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<b><i>Hopefully this will help our A Level students, it may also help yours... everyone wants that 'leap in the air' A Level photo in the local press - it could be you!</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Thanks to all those who have helped along the way with changing my thinking on this. </i></b></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-67044102306729896602018-03-19T04:07:00.000-07:002018-03-19T05:57:24.339-07:00TES Article: Long read: The battle for the soul of RE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>“Is it a mythical story?” says Andy Lewis, director of RE at St Bonaventure’s Catholic School, in East London. “A literal story? A symbolic story? If students understand the concept of the story, they can get into that debate.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>“You’re asking questions about the nature of God. Year 7s really enjoy discussions about: who is God? They get to grapple with some quite difficult questions there.”</b></i></div>
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Read the full article<a href="https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/long-read-battle-soul-re" target="_blank"> <here></a><br />
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<b>A few thoughts from me on the article:</b><br />
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a) I do think the theological concepts are vital in RE. This is definitely our preferred approach within Catholic education, however we are not alone in this. Jonathan Porter at Michaela School has blogged about the important of scripture in RE (<a href="https://tolearnistofollow.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/were-squeamish-about-scripture/" target="_blank"><here></a> and <a href="https://tolearnistofollow.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/why-would-you-teach-about-the-bible/" target="_blank"><here></a>), Robert Orme ensured that the Bible was covered in the new Collins Knowing Religion series with a 'double length book' on Biblical Literacy (<a href="https://collins.co.uk/collections/ks3-knowing-religion/products/9780008227678" target="_blank"><here></a>) and Michael Merrick (another Catholic teacher) recently wrote about religious literacy needing scripture and a focus on the spiritual (<a href="https://michaelmerrick.me/2018/03/18/cultural-literacy-and-scripture/" target="_blank"><here></a>).<br />
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b) I do think a really clear curriculum is needed, and should be followed. If the system is broken, we need to look at ways to fix it - something the <a href="http://www.commissiononre.org.uk/" target="_blank">Comission on RE</a> are actively doing. What worries me is the 'teach what you like (or think appropriate)' remains a feature in RE. Things become sensationalised, and we simply debate unsubstantiated opinions. This also links to the colonisation of RE, and the resulting impact, squeezing all the other parts of the curriculum (Citizenship, RE, FBV etc) into an hour a week.<br />
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c) Topics such as abortion and euthanasia are not on all the new GCSE curricula, as they are not in the Annex document, however they still feature in my lessons for Edexcel. This is because we focus on key theological concepts such as <i>imago Dei</i> and how this leads to Catholic beliefs and teachings on start and end of life issues. You can meaningfully look at the application of the concept, once you know the concept. Too often I have been told Catholics are against these things because they "simply don't move with the times", rather than have a clear and coherent theological issue with them.<br />
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d) I enjoy the sociology of religion, it was a highlight from my A Level study when I took A Level Sociology. This complemented my A Level in Religious Studies. I remember sharing this revision PPT (<a href="https://www.slideshare.net/emmaashman/unit-3-sociology-beliefs-in-society" target="_blank"><here></a>) and some RE teachers getting very excited saying this is exactly what should be taught in RE, forgetting that it was already on the Sociology curriculum.<br />
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e) I will be writing more soon about what I feel are some of the recent confusions surround theology in RE. For a start, it seems to now be defined by some as "faith seeking understanding" (St Anselm) and synonymous with a confessional approach, something I do not agree with.<br />
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<b>And a clarification from Dr Anthony Towey:</b><br />
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a) I think that anyone can do Theology - Pope Francis, Richard Dawkins etc - insofar as they engage thoughtfully with the "God question/ hypothesis". In the RE classroom therefore, far from being an exercise in indoctrination, theology can and should be an adventure of the mind which critically considers the proposals of religious belief.<br />
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b) I myself use "the sociological method" at times in an RE context, my main contention, however, is that any claim that it be regarded as uniquely "objective, critical and pluralistic" is hopelessly flawed and philosophically untenable.<br />
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c) Re Jeremy Kyle - I regard lively but respectful debate as an essential ingredient of good RE. However, the Government's "knowledge agenda" has been a game changer for many subjects, particularly at GCSE. Rigour has improved with the need to reference sources rather than just take the temperature of opinions as often happens on daytime TV. One of the less positive consequences is that as teachers grapple with the new curricula, there is a feeling that there is so much to cover, there is almost no time for classroom discussion at all.<br />
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d) The RE Commission has a wide ranging brief that extends far beyond preferred methodologies which can, in any case, be regarded as complementary. Happily this is a view which the article demonstrates is not unique to me - I am confident that the eventual report of the Commission will reflect the vitality, variety, colour and cohesion of RE as a core component of our common educational endeavour.<br />
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e) As for my views on Genesis 1-3 - check out the video on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqnApeIj-dk" target="_blank">London RE Hub website</a> - it presents "the drama of the gifted individual being challenged to choose the good" - and everyone of us is caught up in that - it's called life!<br />
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Anthony Towey<br />
St Mary's UniversityAndy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-46775588971094817542018-03-15T13:14:00.000-07:002018-03-19T02:52:23.192-07:00A to Z of RE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>A brief introduction to the world of RE.</b><br />
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<b>A is for Associations and Professional Bodies</b><br />
There are <b><i>quite</i></b> a lot... here are some: <a href="http://www.natre.org.uk/" target="_blank">NATRE</a> (National Association of Teachers of RE), <a href="http://trs.ac.uk/" target="_blank">TRS-UK</a> (Theology and RS UK, formerly “The Association of University Departments of Theology and Religious Studies” or AUDTR), <a href="http://www.areiac.org.uk/" target="_blank">AREIAC</a> (Association of RE Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants), <a href="http://www.nasacre.org.uk/" target="_blank">NASACRE</a> (National Association of Standing Advisory Councils of Religious Education), <a href="http://aulre.org/" target="_blank">AUL:RE</a> (The Association of University Lecturers in Religion and Education), <a href="http://www.shapworkingparty.org.uk/" target="_blank">Shap Working Party</a> [Amazingly, not an acronym!] - there are LOTS of members of the <a href="http://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/" target="_blank">REC</a> (Religious Education Council), find there <a href="https://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/about/our-members/" target="_blank"><here></a>. <i>Which ones to join?</i><br />
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<b>B is for British Values</b><br />
These are things the government believe we should be teaching. Many RE teachers felt they wanted to be the ones taking the lead; RE Today even published a book about <a href="http://www.retoday.org.uk/news/religious-education-and-british-values" target="_blank">RE and BV</a>. Some RE teachers feel it should be a whole school priority and not left to RE.<br />
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<b>C is for Collective Worship</b><br />
The RE department might get asked to take charge of this… but it is a whole school responsibility. Collective Worship and RE often get muddled together. Many schools disregard the law on Collective Worship, they just have assemblies that cover PHSE, Citizenship, the news, or they just give notices. Many people feel Collective Worship has no place in schools.<br />
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<b>D is for department</b><br />
For some, you could be a department of one. This is great as you are your own boss, but you are likely to have a number of non-specialists who teach RE. Some will be great, others less so… the internet is a great way to form a virtual department - ask for advice and share resources, plus argue.<br />
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<b>E is for EBacc</b><br />
RE is not part of this. It probably never will be. The official reason is that RE is still compulsory anyway. Unofficial reasons may or may not include faith schools entering their whole cohort, the DfE wanting students to do History or Geography as a priority over RE, or the old GCSE being far easier than any other GCSE course.<br />
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<b>F is for faith school</b><br />
Or schools with a religious character. Most are Catholic or Church of England, there are also other Christian schools, Islamic, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh schools. They can determine their own RE curriculum. Some feel this divide makes RE irreconcilable, others feel lots can be learnt from one another.<br />
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<b>G is for guided hours</b><br />
For GCSE this is 120 hours. Make sure your school know this if they are trying to get you to teach the new GCSE in an hour a week. This is NOT the old GCSE.<br />
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<b>H is for Humanism</b><br />
This is just one type of non religious worldview (NRWV), but Humanists UK manage to dominate much discussion in this area. They do provide resources and speakers to schools, which can be helpful.<br />
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<b>I is for the Internet</b><br />
This is where you can join Facebook groups such as Save RE and take part in #REChatUK on Twitter. Some of it is brilliant. But there are arguments, and rows. Social media doesn't always have tone, or a sense of humour.<br />
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<b>J is for Jehovah Witnesses</b><br />
Like Mormons and other minority groups that may or may not be considered Christian. Navigating away from mainstream religion is exciting and but sometimes problematic.<br />
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<b>K is for kirpan</b><br />
And other religious artefacts. These are great in the classroom and cheap from eBay, or free from local places of worship. Bargain hunt.<br />
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<b>L is for Locally Agreed Syllabus</b><br />
RE subject content is determined locally. This means in London, each borough teaches something different. Be careful when you cross that border from Suffolk into Norfolk, RE isn't the same. Some people feel it is hard to justify 140+ LASs being rewritten every 5 years. Other people think it's important that RE reflects the local area, even though students may move away for university or employment.<br />
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<b>M is for moral</b><br />
Part of SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development). Another thing RE naturally does well, but may be lumbered upon the Head of RE - it's a <i>whole school responsibility. </i><br />
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<b>N is for Networking</b><br />
This is great for RE teachers. <a href="http://www.cstg.org.uk/how-we-help/networking-re/" target="_blank">Culham St Gabriel'</a>s help RE out in lots of ways, one such is providing grants to arrange networking hubs. There are also <a href="http://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/local-groups/" target="_blank">NATRE Local Groups</a>, and some SACRE's run network meetings.<br />
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<b>O is for Ofsted</b><br />
The last major report into the subject was written by Alan Brine in 2013 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/religious-education-realising-the-potential" target="_blank">“Realising the Potential”</a>. More recently some school reports have flagged up where the law is not being followed - <a href="http://www.natre.org.uk/news/latest-news/ofsted-are-continuing-to-highlight-re-in-reports/" target="_blank">see here</a>.<br />
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<b>P is for Prevent</b><br />
This is recent extension of safeguarding. However some initially believed the RE department would need to become ‘terrorist spotters’ in a RE-themed CTU in the new season of 24.<br />
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<b>Q is for Quran</b><br />
Or Qur’an or Koran. Some words in RE are spelt in different ways. Check out key words in the fantastic app, <a href="https://re-definitions.org.uk/" target="_blank">RE Definitions</a>.<br />
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<b>R is for Religion</b><br />
Some people think we need less of this in RE, which seems odd.<br />
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<b>S is for SACRE</b><br />
This stands for the Standing Advisory Council for RE. These exist in each Local Area Authority (LEA) and form a committee to write the Locally Agreed Syllabus as well as advise and support schools in the area. Some are really good and effective, some others apparently less so.<br />
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<b>T is for Target</b><br />
As in Attainment Target, AT1 (Learning About) and AT2 (Learning From). AT2 has resulted in some interesting RE tasks at times.<br />
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<b>U is for (mis)understanding</b><br />
Parents often don’t have a clue what modern RE is like. If they don’t, it is unlikely the media, politicians, “Dave down the pub”, your hairdresser have a clue either.<br />
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<b>V is for visibility</b><br />
This is the best way to improve subject perception - lead on T&L, run great trips, get students interested with challenging and interesting lessons. Forget making a department name change - teach well and students will do your PR.<br />
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<b>W is for withdrawal</b><br />
Some parents will try to withdraw their son/daughter from all or part of the RE curriculum. Often this will be Islam. This may be a reason we need to change the law on RE.<br />
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<b>X is for a lack of agreement about our name</b><br />
Lots of RE teachers will try to change the name of their subject. The best ones are Citizenship, Religion and Philosophy (or CRaP) or Religion, Values and Ethics (RAVE - "let's have a..."). It's a bit of a red herring debate.<br />
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<b>Y is for the ‘why’?</b><br />
Some people would like to see RE off the school timetables as they see it as irrelevant. Richard Dawkins lists 129 biblical phrases in the God Delusion that form part of wider literacy or culture. Even if people in the UK in 2018 are less likely to subscribe to organised religion, good RE has value. Don't exclude students from appreciating Victorian literature or Renaissance art.<br />
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<b>Z is for zombies</b><br />
Due to the confusion, deliberate or accidental misunderstanding of curriculum content, some RE teachers teach what they personally think is interesting or that students should learn. This may include the Illuminati, Ouija boards or Scientology - or probably zombies. This may mean they miss out on "the best that has been thought and said" about religion and belief. Our time with our students is precious, don't waste it.<br />
<br />Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-23081387215524392772018-02-09T07:24:00.002-08:002018-02-09T07:24:41.941-08:00AudioPi: Catholic Christianity & Judaism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Last summer, I was invited to be part of an exciting new project aimed at helping Catholic schools delivering the new GCSE specifications. I spent a lot of time working with the AudioPi team to identify different ways to deliver material that covers all three boards that offer a Catholic paper: AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas. I then worked with a range of teacher script writers to produce entertaining and informative scripts that would be transformed into professional podcasts. This was a new adventure for me, but a fascinating one. There was a whole team who worked on these to ensure they are the best possible resources for students in Catholic schools. Huge thanks goes to Philip Robinson of the CES who worked tirelessly to get them all 'just right'.</b></div>
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<b><i>So where are they?</i></b> There are currently 20 Catholic Christianity tutorials and 25 Judaism tutorials<br />
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<b>AQA: </b><a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/aqa/catholic-christianity" target="_blank">Catholic Christianity</a> & <a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/aqa/judaism" target="_blank">Judaism</a><br />
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<b>Edexcel: </b><a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/edexcel/catholic-christianity" target="_blank">Catholic Christianity</a> & <a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/edexcel/judaism" target="_blank">Judaism</a><br />
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<b>Eduqas:</b> <a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/eduquas/catholic-christianity" target="_blank">Catholic Christianity</a> & <a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/eduquas/judaism" target="_blank">Judaism</a><br />
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For each set there are samples you can listen to straight away!<br />
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You can then sign up for a free trail <a href="https://www.audiopi.co.uk/schools" target="_blank"><here></a> so you can listen to the rest. This is obligation free and will allow you and your students to try out the tutorials. They can listen via the website or download to listen to on the move via both the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=audiopi.app&hl=en_GB" target="_blank">GooglePlay / Android store</a> or the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audiopi/id1269497894?mt=8" target="_blank">Apple App Store</a>. If you sign up, please mention that you heard of AudioPi via <b>Andy Lewis</b>.<br />
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The AudioPi team offer flexible subscription models, and are not just for RE! Other departments in your school may well be interested to see what tutorials are on offer.<br />
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Personally, I have rarely found GCSE resources that are suitably tailored to the demands of the Catholic papers, and so this resource is very welcomed. Other student podcasts are too general and don't cover the necessary material. I have been excited to share these with our parents and students - and the feedback is already very positive.<br />
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AudioPi are featured on the TeacherToolkit blog <a href="https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2016/10/19/audiopi/" target="_blank"><here></a>:<br />
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<i>Anything that encourages students to access their learning outside of school, gets the thumbs up from me. The podcasts are engaging and relevant for today’s academic curriculum and believe it will be a useful asset for teachers and students.” @TeacherToolkit</i><br />
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<br />Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-61001296714060061262018-02-03T02:25:00.000-08:002018-02-20T07:14:42.395-08:00#SRocks18 - Knowing Stuff [Presentation]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All about: <a href="https://spark.adobe.com/page/yBgjMLghcs0dM/">Southern Rocks 2018</a></div>
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My session preview is <a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/srocks18-knowing-stuff.html">[here]</a>, and these are my Slides:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JNoVSIdAKnREFqh8J63HvyV2Vs-cSXex782YGsRhKRM/edit">Download</a><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1toyanW_AUJ6eeZnBwkC8XPaj_6eQS2JD" target="_blank">Listen to mp3 of the session</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.teachwire.net/news/planning-engaging-activities-is-a-waste-of-time-and-6-more-things-we-learnt-at-southern-rocks-18" target="_blank">Read a write up of the session</a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vScaZRN3z3UO4k_IdWQKGHYgpdS42Pa4qYaF6VF-9wGKA6XWBgkwpkMFml0HvjZa274DvVz6PZr2tb7/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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I'll try and add some further notes for context in the near future.</div>
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Huge thanks for Kris and David for the invite. See you at #SRocks19...</div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-91455862207809421052018-01-29T15:12:00.004-08:002018-02-02T14:45:05.099-08:00#SRocks18 - Knowing Stuff [Preview]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>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.</b><br />
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I described my session as:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>How can you change things to ensure that your student's learning is relevant and engaging, yet underpinned by a knowledge-rich curriculum?<br />A look at tips and tools to do things a little differently, reducing workload and getting the best out of ALL your students.</i></blockquote>
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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:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Change? What/when/how/why?</li>
<li>What is the relationship of engagement, relevance and knowing stuff in the classroom?</li>
<li>The importance of knowing - what do we mean by knowing?</li>
<li>Implications, tips and advice (rooted in research) for:</li>
<ul>
<li>Planning</li>
<li>Starters</li>
<li>Activities</li>
<li>Note Taking</li>
<li>Thinking Deeply</li>
<li>Assessment</li>
<li>Approaches to Exams</li>
<li>Homework</li>
<li>Lesson Resources</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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I am trying to focus on things that individual teachers can do, but departments or even whole schools may want to adopt.<br />
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Hopefully a few people will turn up. If not, I'll be playing Ben Folds Five:<br />
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<br />Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-68750714263665314502018-01-15T14:29:00.002-08:002018-01-16T14:38:19.389-08:00Revision Guide Update: “Good things come to those who wait...” <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0198422792/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0198422792&linkCode=as2&tag=anlere-21&linkId=d9371e270c85944ef712aca1e5105362" target="_blank"><Order Here></a></div>
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<b>I am currently working on the final edits, corrections and amendments to my GCSE revision guide. The whole team are really excited about the book as we feel it will give both teachers and students the best possible preparation for the upcoming GCSE exams.</b></div>
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<b><i>If you haven't got the latest OUP mailing, read it<a href="http://oup.ctml2.com/edu_oxforduniversitypresslz/lz.aspx?p1=vbJtH50MzcoAJgXs3Ejc4QmDob%2B2lt%2FepYV9Msk4k5Q%3D&CC&p=0" target="_blank"> <here></a></i></b></div>
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<i>A few things about the OUP book, that I feel makes it superior to any other books out there:</i></div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The visual approach we take - tables, diagrams, illustrations - which will be appealing to all students. Not just bullet points.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The structure – the Recap-Apply-Review method makes for effective revision - we have 3 key points for each spec point, plus further key information (not just everything abridged) with exam questions for reviewing knowledge and understanding.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The high volume of exam practice questions – 330! Exam boards won’t endorse exam questions or answers, but we have worked as hard as possible with expert advice to ensure we have covered every aspect of the spec (inc B Describe Questions) without going beyond the spec.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The detailed, skills-building techniques that allow students to practice stages of the larger tariff questions.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Answers readily available in the book - many of which are written as model answers, as well as bullet pointed. Students can check themselves easily!</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">All material specially written for this spec, not reused from other books.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sample answers with commentary</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">40% off if you order this term! </li>
</ol>
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The OUP revision guide is 6-8 weeks (approx) later than other books, but this time has been spent doing extra checks for accuracy and matching to the spec and ensuring everything is as useful, informative and useful to teachers and students.</div>
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<b>Remember chapter 1 is already available <a href="http://en.calameo.com/read/00077772131ad239d90c8?authid=FwghNLuomlwR&utm_source=http%3a%2f%2foup.ctml2.com%2fedu_oxforduniversitypresslz%2f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Edexcel+GCSE+RS+Revision+Guide&utm_term=Save+40%25+on+our+Edexcel+GCSE+Religious+Studies+Revision+Guide&utm_content=1&gator_td=3h3kGqbfQdXylnM5u7XCAr7%2bHnaXmoVfcMp0wAdpA4C3FkGu7m96%2fq44Ch7iDUMf7CQpj2zPwzQdzKMhQlJVpZkxk0BLCz0DtJV1nMCmv%2bpe7GNFGRiqmLSqAI5YJAdhO2taMTYdELbp3qBeIECXIy91mw9h6NeTtA1Zi1uMCsS3kMWk%2bYmxiBtyRJD%2fKzQvuy2l9sB%2f%2boAMn5iWAfV8xN94tMIh2hF2P07Zy0u4iHFxTJdkYuSbOZX7jw%2fQwZP9" target="_blank"><here> </a>(which can obviously be shared with anxious students)</b></div>
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Any questions or concerns - or bulk order - feel free to drop Gina an email on: <a href="mailto:Georgina.white@oup.com">Georgina.white@oup.com</a></div>
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I think it’s safe to say we all fully understand teachers concerns and frustrations about not having the book any earlier. However, I am still teaching the spec and revision has been going on since the start of Year 10 (see an overview of revision, written by me and published by OUP <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LLC74TBT7t_I0Q-eM66XqwfVOQeqG9jK/view" target="_blank"><here></a>) so the book will be the final resource they use. Many other RE teachers provide a revision guide as something for students to use independently. I am confident my revision guide will enable them to do just that:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UI4yURx7d1CniK3Hd7tceywjbNp7ctZ7a0IZ-7vVv-K1eXsqkRwpBBLmszoveN8H84_rXFSBqa4KJrx_Yr-n98IBEZcxjboiDeWNR5iww2MmlFPp_gHqeEBRRqxQj6OrCsEdd31U6ZZt/s1600/Screenshot+2018-01-14+at+22.45.27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="457" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UI4yURx7d1CniK3Hd7tceywjbNp7ctZ7a0IZ-7vVv-K1eXsqkRwpBBLmszoveN8H84_rXFSBqa4KJrx_Yr-n98IBEZcxjboiDeWNR5iww2MmlFPp_gHqeEBRRqxQj6OrCsEdd31U6ZZt/s400/Screenshot+2018-01-14+at+22.45.27.png" width="366" /></a></div>
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From Save RE</div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>“Good things come to those who wait...”</i></b></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-26475869249086841782017-12-13T14:18:00.000-08:002017-12-13T14:40:54.185-08:00Christmas Lesson (2017 Edition)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanv4wE3Xvv4FPkmAp0h_vGZCsbTJhxgq2XTzcKvU2jRRZYOkDqHf9q5ubcnyfmXVZva6osbvdV3ECfpocgkEdgAmAd9SfOedySCfIkPU8xCX3XY1hKJ5sPgzi3POog-XEGZQHDvSy1mVg/s1600/70129178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanv4wE3Xvv4FPkmAp0h_vGZCsbTJhxgq2XTzcKvU2jRRZYOkDqHf9q5ubcnyfmXVZva6osbvdV3ECfpocgkEdgAmAd9SfOedySCfIkPU8xCX3XY1hKJ5sPgzi3POog-XEGZQHDvSy1mVg/s400/70129178.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>The end of term always tempts teachers to go for 'fun' or 'easy' lessons. I remember learning the hard way that students cannot cope with such changes to routine. Doing a quiz or watching a film ends up being harder work that normal teaching. </b><br />
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I can see why some simply put on a Nativity DVD (but not that one). Tiredness, assessment marking plus the fact students really do need to know the story! However, I always really enjoy teaching the Nativity and try to ensure I have at least two lessons with Key Stage 3 classes to explore it.</div>
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I have revamped and reviewed my old resource (I really didn't like the tasks I set even just 2 or 3 years ago). This is not a lesson as such, but a collection of information and tasks that can be adapted, reordered, mixed up. </div>
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Here it is:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSnVZGPjkonCJgkV65MeQJY-xnHQOeXemtWnjSdu1xC_U6e8lB9AaXIXEDc-0w2SXBovwVolsqr9e4N/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=5000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gEwtG0sOdCDyWmq_bwW38yMlFeAcUtegMEOFsdoRYbs/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download via GoogleDrive</a></div>
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<i>Someone suggested that I sell this on TES. I'd much rather you made a <a href="https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/donate/" target="_blank">donation to Crisis</a>. At the very least, perhaps play this song on YouTube or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4v0KqMqzW4PPXzck6nqKGy" target="_blank">Spotify</a> - you can also buy for less than a pound via links at the bottom of the page. </i></div>
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q4OV54nb_Kw" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/streets-london-feat-crisis-choir-guest-vocalist-annie/1312948636?app=itunes" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ea2228; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/238323/get_it_on_itunes_badge_us_1114.svg" style="border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto !important; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Streets-London-Crisis-vocalist-Lennox/dp/B077MN3FW6/ref=sr_1_1_twi_mus_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512404431&sr=8-1&keywords=streets+of+london+crisis" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ea2228; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-id="42453" src="https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/238324/amazon-logo_black.png?width=110&height=53" style="border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; height: 53px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out; vertical-align: middle; width: 110px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Ralph_McTell_Streets_of_London_feat_The_Crisis_Cho?id=Bg7nwzwqig75obxgmidxt3b3fxq" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #ea2228; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-id="42582" src="https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/238328/google-play-badge.png" style="border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out; vertical-align: middle; width: 158px;" /></a></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-89603041271946904752017-12-06T23:23:00.000-08:002017-12-05T23:24:15.361-08:00The Feast of St Nicholas <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is there a Santa Claus?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="196" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kf2zMdIDvbbJOTB-tXqSdUgUfHZnMpFfOa3Y3HJQOl7j7qYu7p5CFKff7LREEh67dovCG_JbMJP8n2647dsikUDAaQyv9FXdgmh2pDfFon97gGxFg_DgX-aJb5ZsEIMqjqDLvN4V" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="146" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>This blog first appeared on the BCYS site in December 2016</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For some, the start of Christmas is when they first see the Coca Cola Christmas truck on the television. A real truck now visits towns around the UK over Christmas adorned with a huge image of Father Christmas on the side. It is often claimed that this isn’t anywhere close to the real St Nicholas, but a character largely created by Coca Cola to aid their commercial pursuits over the festive period. What is the truth in the story of a transformation from Turkish Bishop to a gift bearer from the North Pole?</span></div>
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</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who was the real St Nicholas?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly there is a lack of much historical evidence. However tradition suggests he was born in Patara, in Asia Minor and his family were wealthy; he was given a good Christian upbringing. His parents died while he was young, so St Nicholas became a priest and decided to use his inheritance for good and the benefit of others. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was later ordained as a bishop with many stories told about his holiness and generosity - both of wealth and spirit. Some suggest he was imprisoned and tortured by Emperor Diocletian, others that he attended the Council of Nicea after being freed. One tale tells of how he intervened to spare three innocent men sentenced to death by a corrupt governor. St Nicholas confronted him and moved the governor to do penance. A popular story in the Middle Ages suggested that St Nicholas entered an inn whose innkeeper had just murdered three boys and pickled their dismembered bodies in barrels in the basement. The bishop not only sensed the crime had taken place, but resurrected the victims as well.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the most famous story is how he helped a widower with three daughters. To save the girls from being sold into prostitution, St Nicholas tossed bags of gold through the window over three consecutive nights. He became the patron saint of both children and gift-giving.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sources suggest he died at some point between 345 and 352 AD on December 6th, and was buried in his cathedral. However during later persecution of Christianity, his body was taken by Italian merchants in 1087 and reburied in a new church in Bari, Italy. His remains were used to reconstruct his face in 2014:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="250" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F1uUHr26kjT1xMxO1fCZ1_xHSE83i5kq_vpXaykJPpZW-ixe5aBv9iC3UEjNEiG_TqaE9kcQsRX6NVOEPm1pOcPLSDY8VRZYhHtcmZef85r_ocoVQdGHe9I_LW2CenosRCCSw-B4" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="175" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What happened between the 4th Century and today?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the Middle Ages, St Nicholas was an incredibly popular Saint and from around 1200 to 1500 he was the undisputed bringer of gifts. Celebrations were centered around his Feast Day, December 6th. He had taken on some aspects of earlier European deities such as Saturn and Odin: white bearded men who had magical powers such as flight. Children were told to be good and say their prayers in order to get presents from St Nicholas.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Protestant Reformation meant St Nicholas became far less popular. Dutch Protestants wanted to remove all Catholic links and renamed him Sint Klaes, which later became Santa Claus. They stripped him of his bishop's regalia and made him look more Nordic with a red suit.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gift giving was moved to Christmas and linked to the infant Jesus instead. However as a baby, he was not able to deliver many presents, nor scare children into behaving. As such, Jesus was often given a scary helper to do this part of the job - it didn’t seem right to have baby Jesus threatening other young children!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These scary Germanic characters were given various names such as Ru-klaus (Rough Nicholas), Aschenklas (Ashy Nicholas), and Pelznickel (Furry Nicholas). The worst was perhaps Krampus: a half-goat, half-demon, horrific beast who literally beat children into being nice and not naughty. Good children got sweets, ‘wicked’ children got dragged off to his lair to be chained and whipped.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="278" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lyvczNEoMEmfIXnvZ1NqPDMTewM8ljXnBW1_oLHGl_VadtGl8nRWyHtMPn5-_upF6OoGZ5KEP1Z5uB2FNScEx5k5lHjsnOCk0A7qGrCqb-Egc2GZBzKv7q8p4IG3yOj1F6CfQaVV" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="175" /></span></div>
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</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dutch brought Sinterklaas with them as they travelled the Atlantic and settled in America. Yet the celebrating of Christmas was largely shunned in New England as it had become an outdoor, alcohol-fuelled, rowdy community blowout with no particular magical gift bringer. Things were much the same back in Europe.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saving St Nicholas</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christmas was to be saved by a series of authors and poets in the early 1800’s. They wanted a return to the family celebration and to revive the legend of the original St Nicholas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Irving's book Knickerbocker's History of New York (1809) first portrayed the pipe-smoking St Nicholas flying over the rooftops in a wagon. He delivered sweets and presents to good children and switches (sticks) to bad ones.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An anonymous illustrated poem called The Children’s Friend (1821) portrayed a much more familiar image of Santa Claus and linked him with Christmas. Notably, there was no return to any religious connections in this portrayal of St Nicholas. It is the first instance of him with a reindeer:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="161" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gCGxWXbKYC7yyKAvkSy-ZYTXIjqRblHd6EBK6lYBNE0ywIzqQKGSZ5G93GQGlXCpKLlroyn-lhmkwnGCHzt48T8-aUGtlOGjn4rdO49peE-Gc5-BCJS2-i8qHULc3rk4X6t8EPI6" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="241" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following year, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clement Clarke Moore wrote A Visit From St. Nicholas, more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas, for his own children. Despite its anonymous publication, the book became hugely popular and further developed the image of Santa Claus. In the book, he was plump, jolly and had eight reindeer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite a variety of different versions of Santa being found during the remainder of the 1800s, by the end of the 19th century, his recognisable image had been fully established. He was an older man, dressed in red and fur, who lived at the North Pole and had a sleigh driven by reindeer. Cartoonist Thomas Nast (1882) is credited with the jolly, chubby, grandfatherly like face:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="247" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/OPeyY5xKvF4DBQtleAb2HXDZevorWgA9vYk0B9nsQgN3MOCc-HDu8QFAxzvXn8Va2H1BHS6xNLS4OzurCJRBOSJ0kNAlyo_ugs1XThcE9sOp37uSuuIEZH0GjejM1dNDyAbcjQ_S" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="198" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">North America’s Santa Claus, then did a reverse migration to replace the scary gift bringers. He adopted local names such as Père Noël (France) or Father Christmas (Great Britain) but the image was largely the same.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, Haddom Sundblom, an advertising artist for Coca-Cola (1931-1965), ensured Santa Claus would always be known as the red-suited, larger-than-life, Coke-drinking jolly character found on the side of the Coca-Cola Christmas truck. It is this image that has grown over the last 150 years and remains popular with both children and adults today. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some countries have resisted this image, and have anti-Santa movements. This is either trying to keep their own traditions alive, or trying to return to a more religious celebration of Christmas. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A young girl called Virginia wrote to the New York Times 1897 to ask, “Is there a Santa Claus?”. The editor replied:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.... Nobody sees Santa Claus but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.... Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever."</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This certainly reads like a testament to the original St Nicholas. He continues to bring joy, generosity, kindness, love and excitement into our Christmas. For that, we should be incredibly grateful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">St Nicholas, pray for us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="389" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lX-OF-XCSSjJ0tg1K6_mRCgWMTofV5CpLGt5P13p15bP-vYrlXdOnad4t6ijw7wZ-ga8tEeQpofkqrQJ3C3vanWEOg9tl4i1ZVXAktQbTGQAR0ES0cRQzwzwpalIwb3_7BNXC4wM" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="294" /></span></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-33198345477249248572017-12-04T14:53:00.000-08:002017-12-04T15:01:59.462-08:00The Great Textbook Battle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYCER6Hb0SaC-DgJIq-h7hPRB_ot7CrI9R70EkvaHjXKEZk7wty3ZS7g8VVrw9xJq_yG7i-ZpkyhhPAtN6G-qQrX9112dWhuIOo2q2ndVWpJ1M0pnR3IOhgseQuQlruOPnb18G7fybfNy/s1600/IMG_0209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYCER6Hb0SaC-DgJIq-h7hPRB_ot7CrI9R70EkvaHjXKEZk7wty3ZS7g8VVrw9xJq_yG7i-ZpkyhhPAtN6G-qQrX9112dWhuIOo2q2ndVWpJ1M0pnR3IOhgseQuQlruOPnb18G7fybfNy/s400/IMG_0209.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Last week I attended I attended the Policy Exchange event hosted by John Blake and featuring Nick Gibb, Emma Lennard, Robert Orme and Robert Peal. The event has been widely reported already (<a href="https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/nick-gibb-teachers-will-lead-move-back-textbooks" target="_blank">TES - Nick Gibb: 'Teachers will lead the move back to textbooks'</a>). I am a textbook writer myself (<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books" target="_blank">GCSE and KS3 RE)</a> and I realise the value of a good textbook, and want all my students to have access to one.</b></div>
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18 arguments for the use of textbooks in schools:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Knowledge has already been fact checked </b>- rather than relying on Wikipedia on a Sunday evening</li>
<li><b>Knowledge is carefully sequenced -</b> enabling students to successfully develop schema</li>
<li><b>Environmental impact is lessened</b> - photocopying is often wasteful in schools, costs can be similar, if not less for textbooks over a number of years</li>
<li><b>Workload </b>- Using a textbook rather than producing a resource from scratch is hugely time saving</li>
<li><b>Literacy </b>- Students should be reading books; reading is good </li>
<li><b>Differentiation </b>- A well planned and constructed textbook can aid with differentiation not hinder it </li>
<li><b>"DBPP" - Death by PowerPoint</b> - Why<i> do </i>teachers spend hours typing up a textbook into a PowerPoint?</li>
<li><b>Tech Issues</b> - Wifi not working, iPads not charged, Student X has downloaded Angry Birds...</li>
<li><b>A launchpad</b> - To further reading, to carefully constructed activities... they do not kill creativity.</li>
<li><b>Social leveller </b>- Geographical areas that struggle to get specialist teachers do not disadvantage students. </li>
<li><b>Non-specialist areas</b> - Even a history specialist may not be a specialist in all areas of History in new National Curriculum, or an RE teacher in all religions. </li>
<li><b>Primary education </b>- Is it possible to be an expert in all areas of curriculum?</li>
<li><b>Standards / Quality </b>- How many lessons does a teacher deliver that are okay, but not brilliant?</li>
<li><b>Student preference </b>- Many students prefer actual books rather eBooks</li>
<li><b>Student learning</b> - Students appear to comprehend more, and remain more focused with actual book rather than digital resources</li>
<li><b>Academic study </b>- A good textbook will cultivate a student and introduce them to more academic and rigorous content - rather than Horrible History approach. </li>
<li><b>Copyright -</b> Has already been sorted rather than resources 'nicked' from all over.</li>
<li><b>Resource sharing</b> - If teachers are using the same textbooks, resources can be shared with ease. Some textbook writers have shared their accompanying lessons resources for free.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Some issues to overcome:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Some current GCSE / A Level books have been rushed due to speed of reforms - corrections can be made, but not helpful for schools who already have class sets.</li>
<li>Some are prohibitively expensive - schools need to carefully work out how to deploy funds, and budget accordingly. </li>
<li>A culture (high stakes / accountability?) where there is a huge demand for board specific / exam focused / 'endorsed' textbooks - which naturally go out of date. </li>
<li>Why...</li>
<ul>
<li>Are teachers who use textbooks considered lazy? ("Just one page ahead")</li>
<li>Are (newer) teachers often actively discouraged from using them by colleagues?</li>
<li>Do many claim they "kill creativity"?</li>
<li>Do some refuse to even consider there could be good textbooks and dismiss them all?</li>
<li>Should we refuse to even look at international systems that successfully deploy textbooks?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
If the problem is quality, let's write them. I have been fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to do just this. If this could reduce workload, and help ease recruitment and retention problems, surely it must be considered? </div>
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Of course, no one knows your class like you do, but for how long can you make everything from scratch? Will the profession consider the evidence presented to us, or will we simply reject the idea because Nick Gibb said it?<br />
<br />
Related blog: <a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/the-life-of-textbook-writer.html" target="_blank">The Life of a Textbook Writer</a></div>
Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-55075342232698424472017-12-01T02:59:00.000-08:002017-12-04T15:01:21.458-08:00The Greatest Story Ever Told?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 30pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Greatest Story Ever Told?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="218" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cVPu6LdsZKnde_pEg9RRA5UKF9ZXGHpRI8br7xE_3Ohgesm6CTpWYcjeYZf4t0vhkicxHMbzt9wMAUSHgg93XDw-p3JG9d2J6ifN3qGdEgUUWwb5r_FZXDqV816iUC1MIjc4txJC" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="299" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>This blog first appeared on the BCYS site</i></b></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quiz:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did Mary travel to Bethlehem?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How long before Jesus’ birth did Mary arrive in Bethlehem?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which animals were present at Jesus’ birth?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many innkeepers did Mary and Joseph speak with?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What kind of building was Jesus born in?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When did the angels appear above the stable?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many wise men visited Jesus?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What did the angels sing?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the Nativity being one of the most frequently told, and certainly acted out, stories in the Bible. It is often inaccurately shared and its richness, depth and complexities overlooked. Few Christians realise that it only features in two of the four Gospels, that the Magi probably visited anything from six months to a year after Jesus was born, and that only Luke refers to the shepherds. Even Pope Benedict XVI felt the need to address commonly held Nativity myths in his book, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus of Nazareth - The Infancy Narratives </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[2012], after which the Daily Mail labelled him a ‘killjoy’ who ‘crushed’ nativity traditions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The word Nativity has it’s roots in the Latin</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nativus </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘arisen by birth’</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and gives us the start point of Christianity; the moment </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“God became flesh through Virgin Birth”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This monumental occasion deserves the undivided attention of all Christians; can we afford to be ill informed about such an event? </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often people's’ understanding of the story can be vague and superficial. Indeed the classic retelling of the story of the Nativity through primary school plays has adapted so that a cast of Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wise men is no longer sufficient. Reportedly in some schools there are now parts for aliens, punk fairies, Elvis Presley, footballers, a lobster and a drunken spaceman. Naturally carols have also been replaced with Christmas-themed pop songs including those by Justin Bieber and Michael Bublé.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an RE teacher, I try to cultivate a love and interest in scripture study with my students. Anyone who says the Bible is boring or dull really hasn’t bothered to invest any time into understanding it’s rich and varied cultural, historical and poetic content. An example of this is its intricacies and complexities in the story of the Nativity.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is easy to look at the two accounts and dismiss their differences as evidence that they are inaccurate. However to look a little closer, with even the most basic background knowledge, it becomes evident that they are far easier to reconcile than on face value. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luke is writing to a Roman official and Matthew is writing to Christians who were formerly Jews. In simple terms, Luke is writing to the oppressor and Matthew is writing to the oppressed. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luke carefully omitted those things that would upset the Roman official, Theophilus, or any other Roman official that Theophilus might show Luke's gospel to. This included the Roman atrocity of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slaughter of the Innocents </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the highlighting of Jesus’ Messiahship, which could be considered a political threat to the Empire. The shepherds were lowly, marginal visitors and so permitted for inclusion.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew has similarly left out those things that would upset Jewish Christians. He only briefly deals with the virginal conception and birth of Jesus and then rushes on to the Magi. This story, with gifts of exotic and expensive gifts would have impressed a Jewish audience. Luke doesn’t include it as the Romans may have suspected that the Christians were making alliances with powerful people beyond the empire. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Such prudence is not sinful as St Paul says, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"...try to fit your answers to the needs of each one."</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Colossians 4:6) and as Jesus instructs, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"... be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves."</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Matthew 10:16). </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The symbolism of the story has been discussed by biblical scholars for generations. It was clear that there is much of Jesus’ nature and purpose being shared right from his birth, thirty years before his mission really began. Not only did he arrive without fanfare and riches, but his concern for the lowly was evident as he dwelt among humanity. The wisemen provided an insight into Jesus’ life to come with their gifts indicating his kingship (gold), priestly mission (frankincense) and significant death (myrrh). </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we look at the non-Biblical additions to Nativity scenes, it is important that we realise that many are there for a reason. The swaddling on Jesus is a symbol of the burial shroud, Mary wears red (lifeblood) and blue (sky and heaven) as the link between God and mankind, the Magi are often portrayed as coming from Europe, Africa and Asia to represent all nations. The ox represents patience, the ass humility, while the lambs are reminders of Jesus’ role as the Lamb of God; a cock is also often present in prediction of Peter’s denial. Sometimes you will also find contemporary figures linking the timeless importance of the Nativity. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Advent, first of all consider carefully the story we are celebrating. Take the time to return and reflect upon the scripture. Read what is there, yet allow time to consider what is unwritten. Also look carefully on any Nativity scene you look at, what is included beyond the scripture? Why? The Nativity story is perhaps the greatest story ever told because over time it has grown into the story not only of Jesus’ birth but also the entire story of Jesus’ life, mission and ministry, as well as the story of our own salvation. The Nativity is unexpected, complex, yet absolutely joyous. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to the quiz...</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Answers:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/bible-misconceptions/are-we-there-yet/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.christiananswers.net/christmas/mythsaboutchristmas.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/9691295/Nativity-donkeys-and-cattle-are-a-myth-says-Pope.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/bible-misconceptions/no-room-at-the-inn/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/jesus-christ-not-born-in-stable-theologian-new-testament" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know, it doesn’t say that they did.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know. Read more </span><a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/bible-misconceptions/how-many-wise-men-visited-jesus/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know, possibly nothing. Read more </span><a href="https://answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/hark-the-herald-angels-said/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><here></span></a></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read more:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://talkingdonkeyre.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unexpected-nativity-brilliant-they-wont.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://talkingdonkeyre.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unexpected-nativity-brilliant-they-wont.html</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://martinrobborobinson.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/jesus-christ-the-nativity-play/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://martinrobborobinson.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/jesus-christ-the-nativity-play/</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/bible-misconceptions/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/bible-misconceptions/</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/nativity-scenes-more-than-meets-the-eye" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/nativity-scenes-more-than-meets-the-eye</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://tdreboss.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/teaching-nativity.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tdreboss.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/teaching-nativity.html</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li>
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Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-86940754872103017892017-11-24T13:56:00.001-08:002017-11-24T13:56:46.835-08:00More Catholic Schools?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QjqNCkhcuWIcrdBaW6SdaE9xs6kuJRadZGPTMbB6qnwNdFhGTIKQrVdTDDgBctrSf6MJLjk-YhEVtuEhWRXQgrCdZEzRAJIaPtZbWPCdINRlL8UPFCv45MJ8eRE897L514BuZG41Bfya/s1600/063010_school_crucifix-e1404286318846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="776" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QjqNCkhcuWIcrdBaW6SdaE9xs6kuJRadZGPTMbB6qnwNdFhGTIKQrVdTDDgBctrSf6MJLjk-YhEVtuEhWRXQgrCdZEzRAJIaPtZbWPCdINRlL8UPFCv45MJ8eRE897L514BuZG41Bfya/s320/063010_school_crucifix-e1404286318846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>This week Humanists UK have revisited a briefing that contains 5 claims. This is, in part, in response to MPs recently asking questions about the Conservative policy from September 2016 to remove the 50% cap on new school admissions. Jacob Rees-Mogg MP cited the Conservative party manifesto pledge while Catherine McKinnell MP suggested it would be a way to improve education in the UK.</b></div>
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Their main claim is one relating to Canon Law. Humanists UK cite the Catholic Education Service (CES), <i>“which claims that the 50% cap on religious selection ‘contravenes canon law’ and that Catholic schools must select 100% of their places on the basis of religion.”</i> (see article in full <a href="https://humanism.org.uk/2017/11/20/mps-misled-on-catholic-school-admissions-claims/" target="_blank"><here></a>)</div>
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Firstly, Canon Law is not a book of law as many would understand it, and crucially it is not the same as UK law. Canon Law is the law of the Church, as interpreted by the magisterium, and is essentially, not a useful tool for critics. This is because, a bishop is the ultimate jurisdictional authority of Canon Law in his diocese. If he rules an action contravenes Canon Law, then quite simply, it does. </div>
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Whilst there is no canon which explicitly states word for word that an admissions cap is illegal, the inevitable consequences of a 50% cap would put the Church at odds with its own law. A Catholic school which turns away Catholic pupils because they are Catholic and where a bishop does not have total control over the school’s governance cannot be recognised as a Catholic school. This principle is the same all over the world.</div>
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Other faith free schools that have opened (Islamic and Hindu, for example), do not have the demand for places that Catholic schools do. This is why the 50% rule has demonstrably not worked in creating diverse schools. It is ironic that the only faith provider the cap has affected is the Catholic Church, and it does so specifically because Catholic schools are popular with families of all faiths and none.</div>
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The bishops simply want any new Catholic schools to be allowed to accommodate all the Catholic pupils who apply. For more than 150 years the Church has been able to do this, but organisations like Humanists UK want to strip parents of this right. </div>
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Returning to their opinions on Canon Law, I give this short rebuttal. </div>
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<b>a) the vast majority of Catholic private schools in England do not select all their places with reference to religio</b>n;</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">This is due to the fact that Catholic private schools are not oversubscribed in the way other Catholic schools are. It is without doubt that if private Catholic schools had sufficient Catholic families willing to pay for education, they would be prioritised, and certainly not turned away.</li>
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<b>b) many Catholic state schools in Scotland do not religiously select their pupils</b></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Again, there has not been the demand. However, due to the the increasing popularity of Catholic schools in Scotland, many are now implementing faith admissions.</li>
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<b>c) a recent OECD survey identified only the UK, Ireland, Israel and Estonia as countries that permit religious discrimination in state school admissions;</b></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Many Catholic schools overseas are missionary and do not operate in the same way as the UK. They often, charitably, provide education to those who would not normally be able to access free education. It is also worth pointing out, the Church saves the British taxpayer tens of millions of pounds each year through the management of land and buildings. The Catholic community also raises a significant amount of money to support its schools, saving central government funds, which seem ever more scarce in education. Therefore it is only fair that Catholic students get priority. </li>
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<b>d) there are already Catholic state schools in England that do not select all their places on religion;</b></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Some areas have an abundance of Catholic schools places and can easily meet the local Catholic need. If a school in this position wanted to allocate places to children of other faiths it is more than entitled to do so. Crucially however, this is the local bishop’s decision to make. An arbitrary, state imposed cap contravenes the bishop's canonical right to have this total autonomy. </li>
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<b>e) the Catholic International Education Office – of which the CES is a member – states that a ‘Catholic school is an inclusive school, founded in intercultural and interreligious dialogue. A non-discriminatory school, open to all… It must constantly promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue’.</b></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">English Catholic schools are inclusive. They are the most ethnically diverse schools in the Country and educate significantly more pupils from the poorest households than the national average. What secularist campaigners often forget (or possibly try to ignore) is that despite their mantra that religion is on the way out, the Catholic Church is the largest religious organisation the world with a presence in every country on earth and a following encompassing a sixth of the planet. Therefore the mission of Catholic schools around the world are going to be completely different. Some are there to educate the world's poorest free of charge others are designed to bring different communities together. Arguing that a Catholic should be allowed to attend a Catholic school does not make English Catholic schools discriminatory. </li>
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I went to a wonderful Catholic School and got a great education. I personally hope the 50% rule is lifted. Would love to see fantastic, rigorous, deep & rich RC education combined with Free School & Academy dynamism. <a href="https://twitter.com/CardinalNichols?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CardinalNichols</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CathEdService?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CathEdService</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JustineGreening?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustineGreening</a> <a href="https://t.co/wfbTrY9Eyw">https://t.co/wfbTrY9Eyw</a></div>
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— Dame Rachel de Souza (@Rachel_deSouza) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_deSouza/status/933798227983372288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">23 November 2017</a></div>
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<b>Catholic schools are popular and in demand by parents. Whether it is ethos, mission, pastoral care, results, or a combination of all these. There is a plan to open 35-40 Catholic free schools in areas of need.</b></div>
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Unless the policy changes, Catholic schools could have to turn away Catholic students. This is not a compromise that the Catholic community wants to make - many of our schools were built by the hands, and out of the pockets of the Catholic community. They have served the UK education system well over the last 150 years. We have a unique history of Christianity and education in the UK and want to continue our positive relationship between Church and state.</div>
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<b>What can you do?</b></div>
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Write to your MP requesting the 50% cap is lifted, as promised in the manifesto - do so via<a href="https://www.theyworkforyou.com/" target="_blank"> <here></a></div>
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Invite you MP into school - see <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/schools/itemlist/category/83-invite-your-mp-to-visit-your-school" target="_blank"><here></a></div>
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Sign this petition - <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/guidance-for-schools/item/1003640-safeguard-the-future-of-catholic-education" target="_blank"><here></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://laicismo.org/date/2017/02/01" target="_blank">Laicismo</a></span>Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171102652715696831.post-20623755414186244712017-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:002017-11-16T13:41:13.614-08:00The Life of a Textbook Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaS8SeZglrOOjLd8zALKP6UHWhsdyVxxzdhyphenhyphenxyAjoQU-gjvFgCp7uBhPptfTMI_wNtv8wjxOIcZcjTVWeoT3ER805jQdz1yWk443OdLYkyVkNlZGhjwXEjzZZE-4uL932_rce-nAlXwPG/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="572" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaS8SeZglrOOjLd8zALKP6UHWhsdyVxxzdhyphenhyphenxyAjoQU-gjvFgCp7uBhPptfTMI_wNtv8wjxOIcZcjTVWeoT3ER805jQdz1yWk443OdLYkyVkNlZGhjwXEjzZZE-4uL932_rce-nAlXwPG/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I've now written two textbooks, <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/gcse-catholic-christianity-edexcel-2016" target="_blank">one for GCSE</a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/knowing-religion-judaism-2017" target="_blank">one for Key Stage 3</a>. I've also just completed <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/andylewisre/books/gcse-catholic-christianity-edexcel-revision-guide-2018" target="_blank">a revision guide</a> to accompany the GCSE textbook. I honestly don't think there are many things for a classroom teacher that provide better professional affirmation, you quite literally have <i>"written the textbook on it"</i>. I am incredibly humbled and grateful to my two fantastic publishers, Oxford University Press and Harper Collins. </b></div>
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The latest exam reforms have been somewhat different to those in the past. For a start, gone are the hard copies of the of specification - in come the ever changing electronic versions. Secondly, everyone is far more accessible via email and social media: exam boards, Ofsted, publishers... and textbook writers. Thirdly everyone is far FAR more results and exam focused than ever before - stakes are high!</div>
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My journey began at the London RE Hub in April 2015, when OUP where one of our two brave sponsors. The LREH team remain ever grateful for OUP and TrueTube for taking a huge risk and sponsoring our brand new grassroots conference. I got to know some of the team, and then by June, we were sat in a hotel in London planning a textbook for the new Edexcel GCSE in Catholic Christianity. This ended up as an amazing, but tough journey. Writing began in the late July 2015, but final accreditation for Edexcel only actually happened in July 2016... when the book was due for publication in September 2016! Somehow we pulled it off. There were some incredible people behind the scenes; thank you all. I wrote over 50% of this book, and helped oversee all the sections I didn't write myself. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3c6MD8xTMxLS6asVL8hhjW-Qk1-AonZjg0EkEo6PjJFmwEs9vnXrt8G0MdQiJF0UcrnrkQEJogP3Sn-HTDyE77A3Pjhl71Le1o9SGpjbK91EYmVMXoOgJpPAITKPPCkgEztFd5SrmtzX/s1600/11052471_615885748551505_6380406592190689407_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3c6MD8xTMxLS6asVL8hhjW-Qk1-AonZjg0EkEo6PjJFmwEs9vnXrt8G0MdQiJF0UcrnrkQEJogP3Sn-HTDyE77A3Pjhl71Le1o9SGpjbK91EYmVMXoOgJpPAITKPPCkgEztFd5SrmtzX/s320/11052471_615885748551505_6380406592190689407_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My son was born in October 2015. He here is, aged 18 days, with me writing... </i></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Since then, I was invited to be part of the Knowing Religion writing team for Harper Collins, using my improved understanding of Judaism to write a Key Stage 3 "knowledge focused" textbook. This allowed a great freedom not experienced while writing the GCSE textbook. This series provides a new approach to Key Stage 3 RE, which seems to be proving popular.</span></div>
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Finally, I have nearly completed my third book, a revision guide to accompany the GCSE textbook. Even with the difficulties of the original books with Edexcel's late approval, this one has probably proved to be the hardest of the lot. The further reduction of material, as well as focusing on exam questions and support has proved challenging. I think Religious Studies, and particularly the Catholic paper makes this even harder. <i>Is my hugely condensed version of complex Catholic teaching accurate? Could the exam board ask a question on this? How can I ensure students are not being pushed into writing heresy? </i></div>
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It is impossible to not see, or often avoid being tagged into, discussion of GCSE textbooks on social media. It is hard to not get overly defensive when you have been as involved as I have been - and made huge sacrifices to actually get one written. I do get frustrated, and annoyed, at some of the comments made - both the general and specific. I think it's normal, it would be easier to log off Twitter, Save RE on Facebook etc, but I am happy to engage. I want the very best resources for students and colleagues; I also know how frustrating it is when something you want, or feel you need, isn't there.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbg37fRr_jcS3l5dbruvVGOQG1AmCRUzJU5S3-1lbx2xbwtE9Fkamf5_higImK34lyP7MZO49itFev_aLT-5oUOlfWh3520kei4ZmYAtoxPL7cDtFUc5G6Gdwhf4MExQHtDWAfu81yE2j/s1600/12241632_621930537947026_2634000099987924769_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbg37fRr_jcS3l5dbruvVGOQG1AmCRUzJU5S3-1lbx2xbwtE9Fkamf5_higImK34lyP7MZO49itFev_aLT-5oUOlfWh3520kei4ZmYAtoxPL7cDtFUc5G6Gdwhf4MExQHtDWAfu81yE2j/s320/12241632_621930537947026_2634000099987924769_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aged 5 weeks. Mummy was in bed. Daddy needed to write...</i></td></tr>
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Over the last few weeks, many comments have been focused on 3 things:</div>
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Why are there errors in the textbooks?</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Why aren't revision guides ready for Year 11 mocks?</i></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i>Why aren't there more model answers / exam guidance / support in textbooks?</i></li>
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As such, I have tried to put together a <b><i>10 Things About Textbook Writing</i></b> list:</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Writing a textbook on top of full time teaching is incredibly hard.</b> However, I still believe teachers who are encountering students on daily basis, who can trial things, who know what students 'get' and what they don't, are best placed to write textbooks. Thankfully my amazing wife has been incredibly supportive, and my son seems proud as he is always stealing copies of the book from my desk and carrying them around the house. There were days when he was not sleeping and I was trying to survive on two hours sleep a night. In the end, however, it is incredibly rewarding and I am really proud of every book.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Awarding Organisations, ie exam boards, are <u>not</u> the same as publishers. </b>Textbooks are accredited and then endorsed by exam boards. Edexcel, for example, does not publish textbooks. OUP and Hodder do. Naturally there are working relationships between the two, but someone wrote <i>"Andy has unrivalled access to the chief examiner at Edexcel"</i> suggesting my own students are unfairly advantaged - this is simply not true. We do check everything we can, of course, however any teacher can email the exam board in the way I do - Email <a href="mailto:TeachingReligiousStudies@pearson.com" target="_blank"><here></a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The speed of the reforms has been incredible. </b>People wanted textbooks, and revision guides, as soon as the specs were approved. The GCSE textbook took over a year to write - imagine if we had waited until the Edexcel spec was finally approved? (However, this was heartbreaking at times... there was a number of pages written which simply had to be cut as spec changed) We did have a short break, before the planning and writing of revision guide began... ready for publication in the January before the final exams for Year 11. Publishers tried to get things to teachers as quickly as possible, and the result was errors. Thankfully nothing major in ours! </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>AOs / exam boards do not have the capacity to support in the way teachers believe they should. </b>This is, in some way expected, due to the relatively small number of staff needed in-between reforms when question writing and examining are the main focus. Many of their senior examiners are also full time teachers. Like with textbook writers, this seems to make sense. I think biggest problems have been with exam boards who made lots of promises, and then failed to deliver, especially when those promises were made as people were selecting their new specs. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The education world has changed incredibly since the last reforms. </b>Schools are under far more pressure to get results, even in a non-Ebacc subject like Religious Studies stakes are high - for some their risk losing their place on the timetable if results are not good enough. Teachers are far more results driven, and schools more exam focused. With high accountability, comes high levels of stress. For RS, many issues lie with lack of curriculum time, or non-specialists. Textbooks were/are needed, and they weren't there (See point 3).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>No-one know what the full range of student answers will look like yet. </b>This makes writing model answers really hard. Most teachers were good at writing them for the old spec, as they knew approximately, what a top level answer was. Pitching model answers in a textbook, without seeing a full range of answers is really hard. I would imagine that some model answers created at this stage, will be 'beyond' full marks. This can't be helped. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>We don't know exam boundaries; we don't know what a 'Grade 9 answer' will look like.</b> Nor do any of the exam boards. They will know August 2018, when we all will. Textbooks may need to be reviewed after this. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Writing exam questions that are reasonable, answerable, and in keeping with the spec is really, <u>really</u> hard.</b> I have far greater respect for exam writers now; it is much more of a skill than I first realised. Doing these in bulk to try and cover every eventuality has been one of the trickiest parts of the revision guide. Time will only tell if I have succeeded! </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>People always point out things you could have added... </b>without suggesting what you could have dropped, or having any appreciation for the strict word/page limits. Everyone knows a good teacher goes beyond the spec, and beyond the textbook. No one wanted a book full of my anecdotes, funny stories and asides did they? It is incredibly easy to criticise books and resources and say <i>"Well I would have done it like this instead..."</i> - I am always looking for helpful and constructive criticism - yet often it is neither of these things! </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The pressure you feel as a writer is incredible; people will literally hang off your every word. </b>Being on social media is great promotion for the book, but it means you are very accessible and people expect you to have all the answers. It is great to work with other teachers, and this has always felt like a vocation, a call to provide a resource to the Catholic community, but at times incredibly tough. </li>
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Hopefully this provides a bit of an insight into the life of a textbook writer. No doubt there will be a follow up to this when I get a barrage of abuse... </div>
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Andy Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106347340506174045noreply@blogger.com0