Religious Education, Big Ideas and the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)

This article outlines the 'Big Ideas' approach to curriculum reform, as applied in the 'Principles and Big Ideas of Science Education' project. A critical analysis follows of the outcomes of the University of Exeter's 'Identifying Principles and Big Ideas for Religious...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British Journal of religious education
Authors: Freathy, Rob (Author) ; John, Helen C. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] [2019]
In: British Journal of religious education
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Religious instruction / Idea / Team learning / Action oriented teaching
RelBib Classification:AH Religious education
RF Christian education; catechetics
Further subjects:B Pedagogy
B RE-searchers
B Religious Education
B Big Ideas
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:This article outlines the 'Big Ideas' approach to curriculum reform, as applied in the 'Principles and Big Ideas of Science Education' project. A critical analysis follows of the outcomes of the University of Exeter's 'Identifying Principles and Big Ideas for Religious Education' project, which sought to apply the same approach to Religious Education (RE) in English schools. This project made great headway in generating 'Big Ideas' to inform and improve the selection and sequencing of RE curriculum content. However, its primary focus on subject content knowledge means that 'Big Ideas' about epistemology and methodology are lacking. The article recommends an additional focus on multi-disciplinary, multi-methodological, inquiry-based, reflexive learning, which would ask why, how, where and by whom our 'knowledge' of religion(s) and worldview(s) is generated. In this regard, the article posits four 'Big Ideas about the study of religion(s) and worldview(s)' to highlight the symbiotic relationship between knowledge and knower, and to reject the false dichotomy between the object of study and method of study. In so doing, it draws upon the theoretical framework underpinning the 'RE-searchers approach' to primary school RE, which correspondingly exemplifies how such ideas can be taught in practice.
ISSN:1740-7931
Contains:Enthalten in: British Journal of religious education
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2018.1500351