Does RE still matter?

Abstract

The role which subject Religious Education (RE) plays in promoting religious literacy matters in my view, acknowledging that I am biased in my judgement, as my professional raison d’etre, thus livelihood, rests on it continuing. However, others similarly are biased, whether from a specific moral and religious or ideological perspective or their academic positioning. Given whether subject RE exists in schools, or not, is a normative affair. I re-visit an established philosophical discussion of possible justifiable aims for compulsory RE in schools considering these reasons in turn, with particular reference to the RE curriculum in England and South Africa. Resisting the urge to identify one over-riding aim for RE, for reasons I explain, I suggest all three of these potentially justifiable reasons can be seen to inter-relate and reflect on whether they might be re-considered more broadly and used to strengthen more recent theoretical work concerned with studying religion in inter-disciplinary ways which promote religious and related ‘literacies’? On the understanding of RE I seek to develop, the implications for teacher education and continuing professional development would be significant but worthwhile, I conclude, if RE is to be promoted as an entitlement which is taught well and adequately resourced to contribute to the flourishing of many children and young people.

Character Education in the Pandemic Era: A Religious Ethical Learning Model through Islamic Education

“…This model is a recommendation as well as an evaluation to measure the extent of teacher involvement in using learning strategies that reflect religious values as learning principles (Whittle & McKinney, 2020). It is necessary for teachers to improve their professional and pedagogic competencies continually (Orchard, 2020). Teacher competence improvement is required so that teachers can carry out their duties competently and achieve success in teaching.…”

Religion: Interrelationships and Opinions in Children and Adolescents. Interaction between Age and Beliefs

“…In this regard, the importance of a multicultural society characterized by interculturalism and the harmonious development of a coexistence in which mutual knowledge from different religions and cultures is promoted at an early age, as a substrate for interreligious coexistence, should be emphasized. In this respect, the important role of religious education in promoting religious literacy is evident (Orchard 2020).…”

A critical reflection on the Commission on Religious Education’s proposed National Entitlement to Religion and Worldviews in England and Wales

“…The REC's intention for CoRE was to set RE in England and Wales on a pathway to excellence for all pupils in all schools. Longstanding inconsistency in RE provision is well documented in literature (Baumfield & Cush, 2013, 231;Clarke & Woodhead, 2015;Dinham & Shaw, 2015;NATRE, 2017;Ofsted, 2013;Orchard, 2020). A recent research report on RE in England and Wales conducted by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) comments that recent researches into RE generally conclude that it, 'has not kept pace with the academic and intellectual developments that might help pupils to make sense of our complex multi-religious and multi-secular society' (Ofsted, 2021, 4).…”

“…Personal development-sometimes associated with moral and spiritual developmentand social development, normally associated with intercultural and interreligious understanding, are commonly expected instrumental purposes of RE and worldviews education internationally and nationally (Cooling, 2020;Lipiäinen et al, 2020). Orchard (2020) observes how Hand's (2004) 'socialisation justification' for RE has in more recent literature been reframed as 'religious literacy', itself a contested term. Drawing on the work of Gadamer (1975) Shaw argues that religion and worldview literacy contributes to 'intercultural understanding and competency by developing the ability to talk well about and engage well with religion and worldviews in diversity, from a self-aware perspective' (Shaw, 2020, 154.…”