In this book, Penny Thompson discusses the place of Christianity in Religious Education from 1963. She explores the reasons why the committed teaching of the Christian faith has been slowly undermined, and aims to show that the current state of boththeory and practice is incoherent and unsustainable. Her arguments explore the debates and historical developments in this sector, over the past forty years, and convincingly propose that the way forward to is to recover the teaching of Christianityin an open and self-critical way. OFSTED reports that the level of unsatisfactory staffing in RE is now a matter of 'deep concern'. This book seeks to inspire and motivate those who might not be attracted to RE teaching as a profession, and details suggestions which may help to alter this current state of affairs. The author draws on primary sources, her own experiences and interviews with prominent individuals in the profession.

Inspiring Faith in Schools addresses the privileging of secularism that appears to affect RE in countries influenced by modern western thought. The authors argue that a more engaging form of RE would emerge if religious life were to inhabit centre stage. Currently religious faith is made to hover in the wings awaiting the call to face the inquisitorial challenge of the modern day enquirer. The consequent relationship between pupil and the Divine as the purpose of study is then already intrinsically irreligious, as indicated in the Book of Job by putting God in the dock, whereas it is the pupil who should be (cross-)examining his or her life. What are the ways of exciting and engaging the young so that they begin to entertain the possibility of religious life as a genuine option for themselves? Leading scholars in philosophy and theology from the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA come together to address these questions together with RE experts. Marius Felderhof writes an Afterword summing up the challenges faced by such a re-visioning of RE.

This book describes the ever-escalating dangers to which Jewish refugees and recent immigrants were subjected in France and Italy as the Holocaust marched forward. Susan Zuccotti uncovers a gruelling yet complex history of suffering and resilience through historical documents and personal testimonies from members of nine central and eastern European Jewish families, displaced to France in the opening years of the Second World War. The chronicle of their lives reveals clearly that these Jewish families experienced persecution of far greater intensity than citizen Jews or longtime resident immigrants. The odyssey of the nine families took them from hostile Vichy France to the Alpine village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie and on to Italy, where German soldiers rather than hoped-for Allied troops awaited. Those who crossed over to Italy were either deported to Auschwitz or forced to scatter in desperate flight. Zuccotti brings to light the agonies of the refugees' unstable lives, the evolution of French policies toward Jews, the reasons behind the flight from the relative idyll of Saint-Martin-Vesubie, and the choices that confronted those who arrived in Italy. Powerful archival evidence frames this history, while firsthand reports underscore the human cost of the nightmarish years of persecution.

This book presents the theoretical basis and practical steps involved in using Statement Archaeology, an innovative method that enhances understandings of policy development, exemplifying its use in relation to one curriculum subject, Religious Education. The book is the first of its kind to fully describe the theoretical foundations of Statement Archaeology and the practical steps in its deployment, acting as a methodological handbook that will enable readers to use the method subsequently in their own research. Further, the book offers an unparalleled contribution to the historical account of the development and maintenance of compulsory RE in English state-maintained schools and uses this to engage with key current debates in Religious Education policy. It unearths important insights into how the present is built, informs future policy direction and potential implementation strategies, and helps prevent the repetition of unsuccessful past endeavours. This book will be of great interest for academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of religious education, educational policy and politics, and research methods in education.

Religious Education has returned in the limelight of education. Religious Education 5-11 deals with present-day debates and issues at the heart of this important subject. It provides a systematic, holistic and unified guidance on teaching RE in primary school. The guide features vignettes, case studies, extracts and viewpoints from experts for deeper engagement. Religious Education 5-11 offers ample guidance and suggestions for the classroom. The main areas covered include: Historical, legal and contemporary perspectives What is RE about? Aims, purposes and the field of enquiry RE in the Early Years, Key Stages 1 and 2 Knowledge in RE Concepts, attitudes, skills, dispositions and SMSC Planning and structuring the curriculum Theories, classical and contemporary pedagogies and multidisciplinary approaches Assessment and progression Subject leadership and the thriving community Research and lifelong learning in RE This book is an indispensable resource for all student educators, early career teachers and classroom practitioners interested in teaching Religious Education in an ambitious, contemporary and challenging way.

An updated, expanded, edition of the popular textbook for student and practising teachers of religious education. It is a book for and about teaching and learning religious education in schools, which is a lively and open-ended subject, ideal for those wanting to explore how people understand the world, and how they live their lives. A wide range of religious and non-religious ways of life are explored. New to this edition are descriptions of more recent research on teaching and learning religious education from the UK, Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Also included are personal accounts written by pupils, teachers and researchers, giving voice to those learning and researching religious education in practice. As well as revising and extending every chapter of the first edition, there are brand-new chapters on: - the real lives of teachers and pupils in religious education - religious education around the world - spirituality - thinking about philosophy, truth, and religious education - ethics, rights, values and virtues - creativity and religious education. A key feature of the book is the 33 classroom activities for learners aged 7 to 18, which are also designed for use by student and practising teachers. These activities enable those studying and teaching religious education to be active researchers.

The project "Religious Education at Schools in Europe" (REL-EDU), which is divided up into six volumes (Central Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe), aims to research the situation with regard to religious education in Europe. The second volume outlines the organisational form of religious education in the countries of Western Europe (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands). This is done on the basis of thirteen key issues, which allows specific points of comparison between different countries in Europe. Thereby the volume focusses the comparative approach and facilitates further research into specific aspects of the comparison.