Creativity through RE

A teacher who does not feel confident and competent is likely to restrict themselves to tried, tested and predictable teaching strategies and is unlikely to venture into the often unknown waters of creativity. But if it is true that religions, in essence, are dynamic, and are about change and creativity, then to teach about them in ways devoid of creativity is to misrepresent the nature of the subject.

Religions are multi-dimensional and use visual imagery, sounds, smells and touch to convey message and meaning, and this should be reflected in the religious education classroom.

Phenix (1964) considered that education was a process of engendering essential meanings, that one of the threats to meaning-making was the volume of knowledge to be learned. A religious education without meaning-making would result in a programme of sociological fact-gathering. We need, therefore, to undertake a review of the amount of knowledge to be learned and the quality of the learning which is to take place, and to reinstate teachers, pupils and syllabus constructors.

So, creativity through religious education? It is possible, challenging, and necessary.`.(Fisher,R.; Williams, M. 2005,pg.145-150)

The main objectives of the Religious Education in the DfES are explained as:

This area of learning contributes to the curriculum aims for all young people to become:

*successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
*confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
*responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.

Schools should consider how RE contributes to the five outcomes of Every Child Matters:

* offers information and insights on the impact of beliefs, practices and values, and whether they might be healthy or unhealthy;

* allows pupils to explore the valued of safety in relation to attitudes to authority, property, relationships and the impact of ideas, and to develop social skills and empathy for others on considering these issues;

* challenges pupils in ways that stimulate them and given them an ejoyment of learning, a sense of achievement leading to better motivation, and a belief in their capacity to respond well to people and ideas;

* fosters a sense of self-awareness, belonging and identity that manifests itself in positive participation in school and community life; and

* raises issues of immediate and future relevance to pupil`s economic well-being, for example attitudes to wealth and poverty, skills for living and working in a diverse society, the ethics of war, sustaining the planet, and the use of money. (QCDA,2009)

Ideas on Teaching Religious Education Creatively:

Religious Education can create excellent example for cross-curricular subject projects.

Note:The picture is taken from this source.