Category Archives: Religious and Moral Education

Improving RERC: Religious Education in Roman Catholic Schools National Engagement Event

The Curriculum Area Impact Review Report for Religious and Moral Education/Religious Education was published in February 2014. The report highlighted strengths in RERC in Scotland but also identified some significant aspects for improvement which are the responsibility of senior leaders across all sectors. The report is available here.

A national engagement event has been arranged to explore the implications of this Impact Review Report, consider what high quality RERC looks like and how improvements in RERC can be realised, and support continuous improvement in RERC through effective self-evaluation and high quality leadership.

This free one day event is aimed at Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers across early years establishments, primary, special and secondary Roman Catholic schools and will take place as follows:

8 December 2014: The Europa Building, Glasgow

Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

If you would to book a place at one of these events, or would like further information about the events, please contact Vicki.mckechnie@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk

Simple Acts for Schools is Back!

Simple Acts is back for Refugee Week Scotland 2013 – Get Your School Involved!

The Simple Acts campaign is about inspiring people to use small, everyday actions to change our perceptions of refugees.

For 2013, we have chosen four simple acts, which we think are great ways for the students in your school to get involved. They fit in perfectly with Curriculum for Excellence objectives, the theme of heritage for Refugee Week Scotland 2013, and are great fun too!

These acts will be delivered live through in Glow TV throughout May by Scottish Refugee Council’s Arts & Cultural Development Volunteer Rhea Lewis. Read more on Rhea’s Blog

Glow TV events include:
Share a Story – Wednesday 1 May, 11am
This Simple Act is most suited for P1-P5. A story from another country will be told to students during the Glow Meet, followed by discussion.

Find an object that tells a story of your heritage – Wednesday 8 May, 11am
This Glow Meet is suitable for P6 upwards.During this session the students will explore the meaning of heritage and will be shown objects that reflect as aspect of our heritage chosen by refugees.

Cook a Dish from another country – Wednesday 29 May, 11am
In this Glow Meet students will be able to cook along with the Rhea.The dish will be a simple recipe from another country.

You may also be interested in the Simple Acts 2013 Teacher Pack.

Taking a closer look at the National Assessment Resource: A professional learning resource

Education Scotland have recently developed this professional learning resource.  It provides an opportunity to reflect on effective practice in learning, teaching and assessment, drawing on the work published on the National Assessment Resource (NAR).  It also provides a structured look at the NAR flow chart as a tool for planning effective learning, teaching, moderation and assessment.

The resource can be used by individual practitioners keen to reflect and improve on their assessment practice as well as pairs, groups of practitioners, associated school groups (ASGs) or clusters working collegiately to reflect on and improve practice.

It is available to download from the Education Scotland website and welcome section on NAR.  There will be a Glow meet on Wednesday the 13th of February at 8:20am and Thursday the 14th at 4:15pm to explore the resource further.

BBC Class Clips

A group of Development Officers from Education Scotland worked with the BBC yesterday exploring BBC Scotland’s Learning Scotland website and the BBC Class Clips resource. It’s possible to embed BBC Class Clips in blogs and share links through social media. One handy feature for practitioners who are subject specialists is the ability to search for the clips used in BBC Bitesize. To find the clips, include Bitesize as a keyword along with your subject specialism.

Testimony (RME)

Testimony is Education Scotland’s new high quality resource to support learning and teaching in religious and moral education. It has been designed for use by both staff and senior phase pupils.

 

Testimony illustrates how faith, belief and values can influence how a person acts. It includes examples of religious and non-religious standpoints to show how people from around the world and in Scotland have been influenced by faith. The material includes the personal testimonies of some well-known individuals alongside the stories of ordinary members of faith communities.

 

It can be used to support learning within the new SQA award in Religion, Belief and Values and also supports the development of skills for learning, life and work.

 

Scott Duncan, Education Scotland’s RME Development Officer, was interviewed at this year’s Scottish Learning Festival about the Testimony resource – listen to a recording of the interview.

 

Find out more by visiting the Testimony web resource.

I Speak for Myself

At Amina MWRC we are passionate about empowering and inspiring women, spreading knowledge of women’s rights and promoting positive images of Muslim women.  Last year 19 secondary schools across Scotland were visited to allow young people the opportunity to discuss Islam and Muslims.  Staggeringly over 70% of secondary school young people associated words such as “Terrorist”, “Foreign”, “Oppressed” and “Uneducated” to Muslim women. 

Responding to this, ‘I Speak for Myself’ was born.
 
From November 2011 until February 2012 we have engaged with over 300 Muslim women from Dumfries and Galloway to Elgin and all the major cities and towns in between.  For more information about our Roadshow click here.
 
September 2012  will see the launch of our national campaign ‘I Speak for Myself’ at the Scottish Parliament.  The campaign will exhibit over a hundred of the messages captured during our roadshow and aims to tackle misconceptions and common stereotypes about Muslim women, thus reducing inequality and sexual discrimination not only within the Muslim community but also in the wider society.

http://www.ispeakformyself.co.uk/

Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace 2012

The Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace is now online and covers a wide range of exhibitions, conversations, workshops and performances. Please go to the the following link anfd have a look:

http://www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk/

New advice and guidance published for RMPS National 4

Added Value Unit: As part of the National 4 Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS) Course, learners are expected to complete a mandatory Added Value Unit. The Added Value Unit at National 4 level in RMPS will be assessed through an assignment.  This support has been provided for practitioners to support the teaching and delivery of the assignment.

Visit NQ latest advice and guidance.

Join our Glow meet from Rio

11am – 12pm Tuesday 19th June 2012

WATCH again: See our Glow meet live from Rio+20 where young people from across Scotland put questions to Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change. 

What are your green dreams for the future?

What message will you send to world leaders?

How can Scotland become more sustainable?

What can we expect from this globally important event?

Over 150 heads of state and world leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro from 20-22nd June 2012 for crucial talks at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, will be one of those travelling to Rio as part of the official UK delegation.

Education Scotland, through Glow, is giving you the chance to link with the Minister live from Rio to learn more about the event and the hopes and expectations of the UK delegation.

The conference, referred to as Rio+20, will mark 20 years since the historic Earth Summit in the same city in 1992 which put issues such as climate change and the protection of biodiversity on the map and gave birth to Agenda 21 – an action plan for a sustainable future which was adopted by national governments, cities and local authorities across the world. Rio+20 will focus on seven priority areas including: decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness.

Rio+20 provides an opportunity to move away from business-as-usual and to take bold steps to end poverty and address environmental destruction.

This will be an interactive Glow meet so get your questions, messages, ideas and green dreams ready for Rio! 

  • What is Scotland doing to protect the environment and promote sustainable development? What more could we be doing?
  • What are your green dreams and ideas for the future? What should we have achieved by the time Rio+40 comes around?
  • What messages would you like the Minister to pass onto other government officials and world leaders when he meets them for discussions?

 This Glow meet will be suitable for learners in primary and secondary schools.  

Free Rio+20 resources are available at: http://bit.ly/JxZr5G

Simple Acts – Spirit Project Update

Do you know about Simple Acts and the Spirit photography project? If not this is another chance for students to get involved in the project and share any videos or interviews they have taken so far.

As part of Refugee Week 2012 the Scottish Refugee Council are a running a photographic project around the theme Spirit. An online gallery will be created where people can upload videos and interviews with each other. Schools across Scotland will be invited to take photos and videos that capture this theme and these will be added to the online gallery.

In this Glow Meet, students will get to see photographs and videos that have already been uploaded and will be able to discuss how these represent Spirit and can ask questions about taking their own photos/videos.

This project is most suited to P4 and upwards and will take place on Wednesday 30th May at 11am.

Sign up and join us in Glow TV!

Simple Acts on Glow TV

Simple Acts is about inspiring individuals to use small, everyday actions to change perceptions of refugees and Glow TV is getting involved once again to highlight this just before Scottish Refugee Week.

Simple Acts consists of 20 actions that can be done by anyone and that encourage us to learn and do more with refugees. With every person who joins in on the idea and does a small thing with and for refugees, we get a little closer to removing barriers between communities and to creating the kind of world we all want to live in.

We believe that if everyone does at least one of these simple actions, we could make a big change to the way refugees are perceived in Scotland. Simple Acts are both fun and educational, contributing to the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence.

Over the next few weeks we will be joining the Scottish Refugee Council every Wednesday at 11am in Glow TV to find out more about:

  • the Spirit Project on 9th May with an update on the 30th May
  • learn about a refugee’s experience on 16th May
  • cooking a dish from another country on 23rd May
  • There are also supporting materials in the Simple Acts Glow Group which will also be of use.

    Also if you are fundraising at school you can get the most out of your Simple Acts by raising funds for vulnerable new arrivals at Scottish Refugee Council. There are many ways you could help – you could charge for quiz entry or even for others to taste your cooking! You can find out more about fundraising on the Scottish Refugee Council website.

    Find out more about what is on offer in Glow TV and sign up and join us – just look for the Simple Acts logo!

    Religious Leaders of Scotland Glow TV event

    Monday 23rd April 2pm – 2:45pm

    An opportunity to engage with and question leaders from across religious faiths in Scotland on the theme of ‘How is religion and spirituality relevant today?’.

    The leaders taking part include:

    •The Most Rev. Mario Conti (Archbishop of Glasgow)
    •Mr Allan Forsyth (Chair of the Baha’i Council of Scotland)
    •Reverend John Chalmers, (Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland)
    •The Most Reverend David Chillingworth (Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church)
    •Imam Habib of Glasgow Central Mosque
    •Rabbi Rubin, Jewish Community of Scotland
    •Mrs Ravinder Kaur Nijjar (Sikh Community)
    •Acharyaji Mishra (Priest of the Glasgow Hindu Mandir)
    •Shobha Nagpal (President of the Glasgow Hindu Women’s Group)
    •The Venerable Lama Yeshe Losal (Kagyu Samye Ling and Head Lama of Tibetan Buddhists in Scotland)
    •The Venerable K Sri Rewatha (Chief Monk of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Community, Scottish Buddhist Vihara)
    •Sr Isabel Smyth (Convener of the Scottish Inter Faith Council)
    •Dr Maureen Sier (Director of the Scottish Inter Faith Council)
    •Iain Stewart, Inter Faith Worker, Church of Scotland

    Click here to sign up for this Glow TV Event. (Glow log in required)

    National challenge: Design a billboard for Scotland

    Education Scotland has launched a national challenge for learners to design a double-sided billboard to be seen by people entering and leaving Scotland.

    The challenge is aimed at those working within second, third and fourth curriculum levels.

    The challenge can be incorporated into planning for a number of curriculum areas including art and design, social studies, religious and moral education, technologies and sciences, and the themes of sustainability and global citizenship.

    To find out more about the challenge click here.

    Marks on the Landscape – new design challenge

    Education Scotland is today launching an exciting new design challenge. Aimed at 2nd to 4th curriculum levels, the challenge can be incorporated into planning for a number of curriculum areas including art and design, social studies, religious and moral education, technologies and sciences, and the themes of sustainability and global citizenship.

    Learners are invited to create a design for a 2-sided billboard to signal the entrance and exit to Scotland. The work should offer different perspectives for people who are arriving and people who are leaving. Themes might reflect why people need to leave their native countries or why they would want to come and live in Scotland today.

    Support materials and further instructions for this challenge can be found on the Marks on the Landscape website. Entries should be submitted by 21 June 2012.
    A number of the learners’ designs will be displayed on the Education Scotland website.

    For further details please contact:
    Pat Campbell Pat.Campbell@educationscotland.gov.uk

    School Open Day – Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk Council

    School open day – using international education to develop a whole school approach to global citizenship

    Venue: Bo’ness Academy, Falkirk

    9:30am – 3.00pm

    Thursday 17th May 2012

    Note: this event was due to place at an earlier date in the year but has now been rescheduled for the date above.

    Theme:  International Education

    This CPD event offers practitioners and school leaders an exciting opportunity to visit Bo’ness Academy and attend Falkirk Council’s Global Citizenship Showcase Event.

    Bo’ness Academy is an inspiring example of a school that has used international education as a vehicle to engage the whole school in global citizenship activities. Through the Comenius Programme and other well established links the school has developed a rich international programme connecting it to countries across the world including: The Gambia, The Netherlands, China, France, Germany and The Czech Republic.

    A focus of the event will be to identify and share the practical lessons and ideas that have helped the school move forward on its journey including: 

    • Making global citizenship a key priority in the school and a focus for the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence
    • Using international links to explore important issues in a global context and to create engaging, meaningful and challenging learning experiences
    • Developing strong international partnerships which can be sustained and which have made an impact on every learner.

    Participants will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the Head Teacher, International Coordinator, staff and learners and also tour the classrooms and school. Time will also be set aside for participants to reflect and share their own experiences.

    Download Programme for Bo’ness Academy Open Day 17May12

    How to book

    To book, please contact Megan Farr, Policy Officer, Falkirk Council. Email: megan.farr@falkirk.gov.uk or Tel. 01324 506671.

    Places for the open day section of the event are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is a free event!

    Resources to support the teaching of Judaism in schools

    The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities website provides a wealth of information that can be used to support the teaching of Judaism in schools. The Resources section of the website has many useful documents including “Scotland Jews”. Their quarterly magazine “Four Corners” contains many useful articles and sources from people around the country that well help bring alive the message of what it means to be Jewish in Scotland today.

    Many of the articles on the consultations pages will show you how Judaism in Scotland has reacted to many current moral and ethical issues that the Scottish Parliament has been discussing.

    Please visit the website and browse this useful and engaging website full or articles and resources.

    www.scojec.org.

    International Women’s Day – Be What You Want!

    Join us on GlowTV on Thursday 8 March @ 1.45 pm

    “That’s women’s work!” “You’ll need a man to do that job!”

    To mark International Women’s Day, join us in challenging the stereotypes and assumptions that young people may have when considering subject choices and subsequent career paths by participating in a Glow TV event aimed at P6-P7 pupils. Sign up here

    CfE & Glow News – February Issue

    The CfE and Glow News update provides you with information about Curriculum for Excellence and support for practitioners, along with all the latest developments within Glow. Read it here.

    To sign up for this newsletter, please click here.

    Church of Scotland Leaflets on Moral and Ethical Issues

    The Church of Scotland has published a series of leaflets about current moral and ethical issues. These leaflets link to the teachings of the church and the position that the Church takes on these issues. There are also reflective questions to help in your thinking about these issues.

    These leaflets would be an ideal source of information for those teaching Senior pupils and in particular for NQ courses looking at moral issues.

    Climate Change leaflet (1)

    Synthetic Biology leaflet

    Poverty leaflet

    Stem Cells leaflet

    Nuclear Weapons leaflet

    Mental Health leaflet

    Internet leaflet

    Human Cloning Ethical Issues leaflet

    Fair Trade Leaflet

    End of Life Issues leaflet

    Cloned Embryo Research leaflet

    Planning for Learning, Teaching and Assessment in RME

    A new resource has been developed to support practitioners in planning for effective learning, teaching and assessment in RME. This resource takes you through the process of unpacking the Es and Os to gathering evidence. There are tasks for staff to undertake and help develop your thinking. There is also an interactive powerpoint presentation and templates for you to use. The resource can be found by clicking here.

    Talking Stem Cells in Scottish Schools

    Pupils All Over Scotland Come Together Using Glow TV to Talk Stem Cells!

    SSCN (Scottish Stem Cell Network) is delighted to announce the next Talking Stem Cells workshop will be running on Glow TV on February 21st 2012 at 2pm.

    Talking Stem Cells is an opportunity for Scottish secondary school pupils to participate in an interactive and engaging workshop, presented on Glow TV, with real scientists working in this topical science field.

    The workshop covers the basic science of stem cells, their therapeutic potentials and the research currently being conducted; while also highlighting some of the career possibilities the industry offers in Scotland, a world leader in this field.

    By using Glow it allows for the breakdown of geographical and social barriers and allows pupils from all over Scotland to engage and tune in to activities and special guests that may not have previously been available, especially true of schools in more remote areas.

    The event will be hosted by Forth Valley College and stem cell scientists, Dr. Andy Downes, Edinburgh University and Dr. Paul Shiels, Glasgow University. They will be leading the workshop which will include a mix of presentations, interactive activities and investigations by the participating students.

    The workshop will see students participating from schools across Scotland, with participation from as far afield as Shetland, Orkney and the Highlands.

    You can sign up and take part in this event in Glow TV – Sign up and join us!

    Talking Stem Cells

    21/02/12 – 2pm
    Scottish Stem Cell Network (SSCN) have been running a series of interactive workshops on the topic of Stem Cells.

    The workshops are delivered live by scientists enhancing the class room experience and providing a unique opportunity to explore science as a career. The scientists presenting this session are Dr Paul Shiels from Glasgow University and Dr Andy Downes from Edinburgh University.

    Resources address key objectives by setting up scenarios to encourage Interdisciplinary learning specifically addressing areas of  Science, RMPS together with issues from Health and Wellbeing. The resources are designed to develop skills in group work within and across schools and critical analysis skills where the students will be assessing the moral and ethical issues associated with scientific advancements based on factual information validated and delivered by experts in the field.

    The workshops are lead by a stem cell scientist, making use of a mix of presentations, interactive quizzes, video and web based activities and cover:

    • A basic introduction into stem cells, the science.
    • How can we use Stem Cells
    • What does the future hold
    • The Ethical questions
    • Careers in the Stem Cell Industry

    These workshop sessions are aimed at S5 Higher Human Biology/ Higher Biology classes.

    This event will be coming live from Forth Valley College on the day.

    Click here to sign up and join in! (Glow log in required)
    Please ensure that you have contacted Henriette Laidlaw prior to the event to ensure that you have the relevent materials – Henriette@sscn.co.uk

    Resources for RME – “Amina” Muslim Womens Resource Centre

    Amina – the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre is an organisation based in both Glasgow and Dundee that is willing to support schools in the teaching of Islam. They can offer a wide variety of services and workshops. They have worked with a number of schools in Dundee and have been well received and are looking to work with more schools across the country.

    Please visit their website to find out more or look at the attached document.

    www.mwrc.org.uk

     Amina Publication

    SQA Curriculum Event: RME and Social Studies

    SQA, in partnership with Education Scotland, are holding a series of curriculum area events to discuss the new national qualifications and give practical support on their implementation. The events are also an opportunity for practitioners to give their views on the new qualifications. Places have been allocated to local authorities and their schools, independent schools and colleges. The events are part of a range of support to help local authorities and individual centres prepare for implementing the new qualifications.

    The RME and Scoial Studies day was on the 29th Novemeber. To view the Glow Meet recordings from the event click on the links below (you will need to glow log in to access the recordings):

    Introduction and Question/Answers

    To find out about other Curriculum Area Events during December via Glow TV click here.

    Curriculum Area Events on Glow TV

    SQA, in partnership with Education Scotland, are holding a series of curriculum area events to discuss the new national qualifications and give practical support on their implementation. The events are also an opportunity for practitioners to give their views on the new qualifications. Places have been allocated to local authorities and their schools, independent schools and colleges. The events are part of a range of support to help local authorities and individual centres prepare for implementing the new qualifications.

    The events will take place on 29 November, and 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13 December. Each event will be streamed live on Glow via the SQA Glow Group.  Most events and workshops will be shown live and recorded for watching again later.

    A number of resources will be available following each event, including opportunities to hear some of the discussions from the day.

    Resources for St. Andrew’s Day

    St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. Find out more about the Saint, view an animated version of his story, and discover why the Saltire is Scotland’s national flag. Find out more information on Education Scotland’s Celebrating St. Andrew’s Day Website.

    Click here to find St. Andrew’s Day resources.

    On Monday 28th November, the annual St Andrew’s Day debating championship will be held in the Scottish Parliament with students and senior pupils from universities and schools across Scotland competing in debating heats covering a range of issues important in today’s society. To find out more click here.

    Other Education Scotland resources include:

    Scotland’s Songs

    Scotland’s Stories

    Talking STEM Cells

    Scottish Stem Cell Network (SSCN) have been running a series of interactive workshops on the topic of Stem Cell aimed at S5 Higher Human Biology/ Higher Biology classes since the summer and two new ones have now been scheduled.

    The workshops are delivered live by scientists enhancing the class room experience and providing a unique opportunity to explore science as a career.

    Resources address key objectives by setting up scenarios to encourage interdisciplinary learning specifically addressing areas of Science, RMPS together with issues from Health and Wellbeing. The resources are designed to develop skills in group work within and across schools and critical analysis skills where the students will be assessing the moral and ethical issues associated with scientific advancements based on factual information validated and delivered by experts in the field.

    The workshops are lead by a stem cell scientist, making use of a mix of presentations, interactive quizzes, video and web based activities and cover:

    • A basic introduction into stem cells, the science.
    • How can we use Stem Cells
    • What does the future hold
    • The Ethical questions
    • Careers in the Stem Cell Industry

    The two new sessions are identical in content but are on different days and times to hopefully suit the S5 timetable in your school.

    Sign up and join us on either Wednesday 16th November live from 1.15 – 3.30pm or on Friday 25th November from 9.55-11.55am. Talking STEM Cells – 16/11 OR Talking STEM Cells 25/11

    Edinburgh Interfaith Week

    Edinburgh Interfaith Week Programme has been launched and offers an ideal opportuntiy for those in and around the Edinburgh Area to find out more about faith and belief and its relevance to the world today.

     EIFA Inter faith week

    Happy Diwali – new resource from @GuardianTeach

    Happy Diwali to everyone – today is Diwali and Hindus around the world are celebrating the return of Rama and Sita from exile as told in the Ramayana.

    Guardian Teach has an excellent resource to use – have a look and if you wish to leave a comment below on how you have used it – feel free!

    http://glo.li/scTSWl

    A Guide to Faith Communities in Scotland

    To advance public knowledge and understanding of the teachings, traditions and practices of the different faith communities in Scotland, SIFC has produced the above booklet. It has recently been reprinted in May 2011. It can be downloaded  here:

    A Guide to Faith Communities in Scotland

    Glow TV – School’s Channel First!!

    Our first School’s Channel broadcast is coming live from Braehead Primary School in West Dunbartonshire. Headteacher Joanne Paton contacted us through Glow and now her pupils will be taking centre stage on Glow TV for a National Event.

    Join us as the candidates for the Braehead Primary Pupil Council for 2011-2012 will be rounding off their election campaigns with their own election broadcasts outlining why they should be elected to the Pupil Council.
    Watch the broadcasts and then have your own vote in school. You will be able to ask the candidates questions yourselves too! Find out the winners by logging on to the Braehead Primary website after the final vote on Tuesday 13th September.

    Sign up in Glow TV and join us on Monday 12th September at 1.45pm to find out more!

    David Mach Exhibit

    Just to remind you that the David Mach exhibit is still on at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh. This exhibit uses the King James bible as inspiration and David has used sculpture and collage to convey his interpretations of classic biblical stories.

    A Design challenge for both Art and Design and RME is being developed with kind permission from David himself – so look out for this in future as a way of linking together two subjects.

    RME: Belief in Dialogue

    The Scottish Government (with support from the Scottish Inter-faith Council has recently published “Belief in Dialogue” – this resource aims to provide guidance on interfaith dialogue and best practice when dealing with faith groups.

    Belief in Dialogue