Religious Education is a subject which often comes with preconceived ideas from those who make an assumption on what the subject is about from its title, rather than thinking about the bigger picture and what opportunities it can provide us R.E. teachers with in the classroom. I am about to start a new role as Head of Religious Education in Methodist College Belfast, just a short walk from my home congregation of University Road. This new role will bring me plenty of personal new challenges in terms of management but also in keeping the subject relevant and engaging for students, in what is becoming an increasingly multicultural and also secular society. In this article I will give you an overview of how what is taught differs from what is learnt in Church and hopefully show how it manages to maintain the interest of students.
Gone are the days of Religious Instruction, as it was once known. No longer is the subject about informing students how to conduct their religious behaviour, as it was in years gone by, but now we are about helping students discover the many different aspects of religion in our society and provide an inclusive environment to learn about those of all faiths and none. As R.E. is a compulsory subject until GCSE in Northern Ireland this gives an excellent opportunity to cover a wide range of issues for students, from Christian Church material to World Religions and various ethical issues.
In the beginnings of Junior School, from age 11-14, pupils study topics that we would be more familiar with from a Church perspective. This includes a history of the Christian Church, looking at the likes of Pentecost and Persecution. Persecution displays plenty of horrified faces from the First Form pupils at the thought of the early Christians being accused of cannibalism and being burnt alive as human torches! They will also learn about the likes of Abraham and Moses, as well as St Patrick. One of the most popular areas of study for this age are early Christian leaders, such as Martin Luther King, Corrie Ten Boom and someone with a connection to Moravians, John Wesley.
As students move up through Junior School, we learn about the Life of Jesus, including Palestine at this time and the calling of the disciples. Students then have the opportunity to discover Judaism, including its foundations and practices. This also covers the Holocaust, an emotive, yet important aspect of the history of the faith for students to understand and consider.
The last year of Junior School is a study of the World Religions of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism and one of the most important things that we study. Teaching in a school in the heart of Belfast, we have pupils from a wide range of backgrounds and religious experiences. This is the opportunity to embrace each and every one of these and help others to become more tolerant and understanding. In the school year just finished, it was an incredible experience to hear from parents and pupils how important they felt it was to learn about these religions and how they better understood exactly why their friends were fasting during the month of Ramadan or why they left to complete their Salah prayers at lunchtime. It is having conversations like these that show the significance of embracing these religions in the classroom, in a safe and inclusive space.
GCSE Level brings with it some of my favourite topics to teach, and we begin to move away slightly from what is studied in church backgrounds. Philosophy of Religion is the first topic my students study at GCSE. Here we get to discuss some very interesting issues, such as the problem of evil and suffering, the existence of God and the afterlife. Not only do students study the Christian and Islamic perceptions on these issues but also look at atheistic and agnostic perspectives, as well as a more in-depth look at the concept of Humanism. These lessons are some of the more challenging to teach as there are many debates and questions arising that it is not always possible to have an answer to, this is where the useful phrase, 'research that for homework', comes into play!
The final year of GCSE is the Christian Ethics module exploring Christian views on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and marriage. As you might tell, from these topics, there is excellent opportunity for debate and discussion and I am able to conduct some of my favourite lessons that give much more voice to students in considering arguments in line with the different issues. With the continuous discussion in Northern Ireland on abortion laws and same sex marriage it shows the students how what they are studying in R.E. does apply to wider aspects of life. Our students, if they choose to, can further their study of ethical issues and Biblical modules at AS and A2 Level.
It is fair to say that no R.E. teacher would disagree with me when I say that it is a subject that presents many challenges, particularly in keeping the engagement on just how relevant it is to them but when this challenge is fully embraced to give students the best experience they can receive of the subject we can create students who are more knowledgeable, understanding and prepared for the different people and situations they will meet when they leave the R.E. classroom.
Sr Tanya Macartney
Teacher, University Road