Further on down the road

In my previous blog I started to explain some of the decisions I was making as a result of the new GCSE Religious Studies courses that are coming our way.  Here I would like to add a little more about how this process is going, and in particular to explain one key decision.

As I mentioned, I have decided to look at the new GCSE as a 5 year plan and have sought ways of dividing up the religious content of the new course so that it can be covered across the whole curriculum, allowing plenty of time for repetition and interleaving.  The more I thought through this and what I wanted students to know at each point, I became more and more conscious of what I needed them to know before I began teaching them the new stuff, for example, if I want students to know about different authorities in Christianity and the varying degrees of influence they have, then I need them to know how this situation arose. A more specific example came from a year 7 lesson I taught recently.  I asked students to consider different views on whether the call to prayer should be allowed to be broadcast across the town, but realised pretty quickly that though they knew a little bit about Islamic prayer, they lacked the depth of knowledge that would have made the task much more meaningful and valuable.  As it was, they did a pretty good job of weighing up the different views, but it could have been so much better.

Planning a whole curriculum in this way not only requires me to be clear about what I want students to know, but also what they need to know before they can understand the things I want to teach them.  (see this from Joe Kirby for more on what is known as ‘the Matthew effect’)

And so, I have decided to begin year 7 with a 10 lesson unit on the history of western religion, to give students the vital background knowledge they need to better understand what is to come.  The outline currently reads:

1. Abraham – father of many, the covenant with God, Isaac and Ishmael and the different idea about which son was offered for sacrifice
2. Moses, the Exodus from Egypt and the 10 Commandments as part of the covenant
3. the rise and fall of Israel – King David, Solomon, the first temple and the conquests by the Assyrians and Babylonians
4. the century either side of the birth of Jesus – the Roman occupation, the birth of Jesus, the destruction of the temple, Roman persecution, the Jewish diaspora
5. the establishment of Christianity – the conversion of Constantine and the Council of Nicea
6. the spread of Islam – Muhammad and the expansion of Islam across the Middle East and southern Europe
7. the Crusades – the importance of Jerusalem
8. diverging religion – the Great Schism, the Reformation, Sunni & Shia, Conservative and Liberal Judaism
9. continue with number 8
10. 20th century – the establishment of the state of Israel, the Iranian Revolution

The idea is that having this background knowledge will provide a context for the studies that are to come.  Knowing about Abraham gives us an understanding of the similar roots of the three western monotheistic religions, while knowing about Isaac and Ishmael starts to introduce how conflict can arise between them.  Knowing about the Exodus provides context for Passover and the Last Supper.  Placing the 10 Commandments within the context of covenant helps pupils to realise the importance of keeping God’s law.  Knowing about the first temple begins to open up the debate around the importance of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount especially.  The conquests refer us back to the covenant and the consequences of breaking the covenant.  Studying Constantine and the Council of Nicea helps explain how Christianity became so powerful and introduces the importance of theology in the establishment of beliefs.  Knowing about the early spread of Islam provides important historical details that will help with understanding the Qur’an, while the Crusades reinforces the work on the importance of Jerusalem and begins to ask questions about how religions coexist.  Two lessons on the major splits found within the western religions not only gives historical context to denominations, but also raises issues about authority in religion.  And finally, building on earlier work, the establishment of the state of Israel and the Iranian Revolution gives important detail on the contemporary debates about religion in our world.

I’d be very interested to hear thoughts on this, both on the idea for the unit and my decisions about what to include.

 

This post is part of #BlogSyncRE. Read other contributions at http://www.BlogSyncRE.org.uk.

 

The picture above is Þingvallavegur (the road to Thingvellir in Iceland, a place of special significance in Iceland as the sight of the Atheling, the first parliament over a thousand years ago.  You can also see the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.  It is a beautiful and magical place.)  It is used with the kind permission of my friend and colleague, Josh Jackson.  Please have a look at his other photos.