Luke\’s RMPS Blog

At the ATRES conference this year both Brian Boyd and Patricia Watson delivered presentations on A Curriculum For Excellence and the role RMPS plays within the new curriculum’s delivery. Boyd, who was part of the original group that envisaged what ACE might be, said it was replacing a system (5-14) which was created out of a lack of trust in the teaching profession. ACE, he believes, is all about trust. Interestingly, Boyd stated that there was no topic in the working group he was a part of in which RME wasn’t included. This suggests, he stated, that ‘RME is at the heart of the curriculum in the 21^st Century’.More generally, Boyd discussed what he considered to be the main Barriers to change. These are:

• The Examination system – are we placing too much weight on summative assessment?
• Professional Vested Interests – are we afraid as to where the new curriculum might take us?
• HMIe – do inspections create a climate of fear and unnecessary paper work?
• Nostalgia to a Golden Age – are we more inclined to look back to an age which didn’t even exist rather than look ahead to a potentially fruitful future?

Boyd appeared to reject the idea that Outcomes were necessary in the delivery of ACE, which was interesting considering Patricia Watson delivered the following presentation. Watson is responsible for the creation of the new RME Outcomes!

 Watson’s presentation was incredibly thought provoking as she opened with the following statement.  ‘Truly excellent means:

• Excellent teacher
• Excellent RME Department
• Excellent learner in RME’.

 She then posed the question ‘What projected image do we give to our colleagues, pupils and parents?’ This certainly encouraged me to carry out more evaluation of the department and myself within the school community. Ultimately, I felt incredibly positive leaving the presentation. As a teacher of RMPS I felt confident that my subject:-         makes a significant contribution to the curriculum-         Is really well placed to take forward ACE.-         Can make a significant contribution to the wider life of the school outside of the classroom.However, Watson made it clear that there are still areas we need to work harder at. RME is about challenging pupils, not enjoyment. The subject must also constantly strive to be relevant to the lives of the pupils by including other patterns of living in Scottish Society. ACE has raised the benchmark for teachers, schools and Scottish education in its widest sense. As Watson stated, excellence means ‘the very best there is’, and that is some challenge for us to rise to.  

After teaching the Intermediate2 Free Standing Unit ‘Justice in the World’ for several years we are piloting a new S5 core RMPS course this year at Knox Academy called ‘A Matrix of Meanings’. I was inspired to introduce this course after seeing North Berwick High School implement a similar course whilst I was a student there.
S5 core RMPS, as some readers may be aware of, has the potential to be a tricky business. Pupils have a heavy workload with certificated courses, which they have chosen to take, and often core RMPS is not, understandably, a priority for them. Therefore, the subject, I believe at this stage, must more than ever be engaging and inspiring. A Matrix of Meanings, from my experience of teaching it so far, is proving to be just that. Every teacher is taking a different approach and using a variety of film and media case studies. Some films we’ve looked at in my classes so far include:
o Saved! (directed by Brian Dannelly)
o Crash (directed by Paul Haggis)
o The Edukators (directed by Hans Weingartner)
Importantly, this course isn’t just about watching films. After every viewing at least one lesson is spent discussing the religious, moral and philosophical issues the film raises. Once we had watched Saved pupils’ discussed the dangers of fundamentalism, issues relating to sexuality and sexual freedom, as well as relationships. Crash stirred ups issues relating to race, human nature and conflict. Marxism and consumerism were debated (at length I might add) after viewing the Edukators.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas we are hoping to take these lessons even further by entering pupils into Philosophy Slam, a global essay based competition. The question which pupils have to answer this year is ‘Is global warming the greatest challenge facing humankind?’ Hopefully Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth will spark some discussion.
If any readers have suggestions of other titles we could look at in this course, please leave a comment.

Today I had the opportunity of facilitating a Buddhism lesson to a class of P4 pupils at Gullane Primary School. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my visit, especially the enthusiasm of pupils. The secondary sector has so much to learn from primary schools, especially concerning developments relating to A Curriculum For Excellence; for example, the implementation of Critical Skills in the classroom as a learning tool.

The lesson I facilitated was on ‘Interconnectedness’. Each pupil had to pass a piece of string to another pupil who had a similar feature/characteristic as him or her. Eventually every pupil was holding the string, creating a massive web across the classroom. I developed this idea of interconnectedness by using a clip from the Lion King to promote discussion about the ‘circle of life’ and our responsibility to all living creatures. This was concluded through a visual display detailing the early life of Siddhartha Gautama.

As well as facilitating the lesson I was able to observe a P5 poetry lesson. Pupils wrote personal poems on a colour of their choice and then made a pod cast of their work to put on the P5 learning Blog. This activity was excellent, not only in developing core IT skills but in developing pupils’ confidence in terms of oral presentation. Keep up the good work Gullane!

‘Two hundred years ago, William Wilberforce was one of those who realised the true horror of the slave trade. It was right under his nose. It was the backbone of the British economy. It was wrong. And it was growing…’ Daniel Bedingfield reminds us in a Stop the Traffik promotional video. The fact that the slave trade is still very much alive is one which is extremely frightening. 2.4 million people are involved in this industry and are prevented from possessing the basic dignity and human rights they deserve.

In several of my lessons this week I’ve been focussing on the issue of Human trafficking, its causes and its effects. Pupils are engaging well with the issue and many, like myself, have been stirred to action. Please feel free to use a PowerPoint I have made to accompany the campaign. Also, I urge you to sign an online petition calling for an end to slavery once and for all. Visit www.stopthetraffik.org. Thanks!

Knox Academy has once again triumphed in the annual East Lothian inter-school RMPS quiz. S1 and S2 Pupils were ecstatic when they received news of their victory. Individual rounds were based on information learnt from a number of websites, including BBC Religion & Ethics and Show Racism the Red Card. We are looking forward to celebrating pupil success (and keeping the impressive RMPS Quaich for another year!).

I’m currently updating and enhancing a unit on ‘War’. The topic is fascinating me and one which pupils are engaging well with. So far we’ve discussed the value of warfare as a means of conflict resolution (using Saving Private Ryan, Omaha Beach scene as a resource), analysed the cause and effect of war (including both social and environmental implications), and examined Just War Theory (critiquing the classic Bob Dylan song ‘Masters of War’). One resource I’m finding invaluable in aiding me to successfully teach this unit is www.dailywarnews.blogspot.com. This blog, informs users of the daily events in Iraq (be warned, it will shock and disturb). Pupils are also using this blog to track and critique developments. Please let me know if you have any further suggestions or comments.

Recently the RMPS department at Knox have signed up to take part in this year’s Learning for Life poster competion. The competition, which was originally envisaged by David Lorimer encourages pupils to think about and reflect on their life and the lives of others.
The resources which accomany the Learning for Life poster competion are fantastic and, even better, they are all free. Additionally, a well produced and maintained website is central to the initiative and pupils are encouraged to use the website whilst making their posters. This can be to gain information about notable historical figures or to find out more about personal qualities and philosophies of life. To find out more about Learning for Life visit the website - www.learningforlife.org.uk