Religious Education for Teachers Course

Lesson 1 • Legal and Ethical Frameworks

Examines the rights, duties, and boundaries governing religious education in public and private schools. Grounds teachers in professional accountability.

Lesson 2 • Defining Religious Education Today

Clarifies what religious education is, distinguishing it from faith formation and indoctrination. Establishes the professional vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Historical Development of the Field

Traces how religious education evolved from catechesis to a pluralistic academic subject. Provides context for current debates and practices.

Lesson 1 • Indigenous and Traditional Religions

Examines animism, ancestor veneration, and oral cosmologies with cultural sensitivity. Challenges Eurocentric hierarchies of religious knowledge.

Lesson 2 • New Religious Movements

Provides an objective introduction to emerging and alternative religious groups. Equips teachers to address student questions without bias or sensationalism.

Lesson 3 • Abrahamic Traditions Overview

Surveys Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through their core texts, beliefs, and practices. Highlights shared roots and significant theological differences.

Lesson 4 • Non-Religious Worldviews

Covers secular humanism, atheism, and agnosticism as coherent worldviews deserving equal academic treatment. Broadens the scope of religious education.

Lesson 1 • Religious Language and Meaning

Explores how religious language functions symbolically, analogically, and literally. Helps teachers explain why religious claims resist simple verification.

Lesson 2 • Arguments for and Against God's Existence

Surveys classical and contemporary arguments including cosmological, teleological, and ontological proofs. Prepares teachers to present multiple positions fairly.

Lesson 3 • Ethics, Morality, and Religion

Connects religious teachings to ethical frameworks such as divine command theory and natural law. Enables teachers to facilitate moral reasoning discussions.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Worldviews Across the Curriculum

Embeds religious and ethical perspectives into other subject areas. Demonstrates how cross-curricular links enrich both religious education and partner subjects.

Lesson 2 • Curriculum Models and Frameworks

Compares phenomenological, conceptual, and experiential curriculum models. Guides teachers in selecting the approach best suited to their school context.

Lesson 3 • Backward Design in Religious Education

Applies the backward design process to create outcome-driven units. Ensures alignment between learning goals, instruction, and assessment.

Lesson 4 • Adapting Curriculum for Diverse Classrooms

Modifies content and delivery for students with varied religious backgrounds and learning needs. Builds inclusive curriculum that respects all identities.

Lesson 1 • Dialogic Teaching and Classroom Discussion

Builds skills for facilitating respectful, intellectually rigorous discussion on sensitive topics. Positions the teacher as a discussion architect rather than authority.

Lesson 2 • Digital and Media-Based Teaching Methods

Integrates video, podcasts, and online resources to diversify instruction. Teaches students to evaluate digital sources on religion critically.

Lesson 3 • Experiential and Immersive Learning

Uses visits, artefacts, and simulations to give students direct encounters with religious practice. Deepens empathy and contextual understanding beyond textbooks.

Lesson 4 • Storytelling and Narrative Approaches

Harnesses sacred stories, parables, and personal testimony as pedagogical tools. Connects abstract beliefs to lived human experience for all learners.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Assessment in RE

Establishes what valid, fair assessment looks like in a subject dealing with belief and values. Addresses the unique challenges of assessing non-empirical content.

Lesson 2 • Feedback and Student Progression

Develops high-quality written and verbal feedback practices that move students forward. Links feedback to specific RE skills and conceptual understanding.

Lesson 3 • Summative Assessment Design

Guides construction of essays, projects, and presentations that assess deep understanding. Aligns tasks to the full range of RE learning outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Identifying Sensitive Content in RE

Categorizes types of sensitivity including personal, cultural, political, and theological. Helps teachers anticipate challenges before they arise in the classroom.

Lesson 2 • Parental and Community Concerns

Develops communication strategies for engaging parents and community members who challenge RE content. Turns potential conflict into collaborative dialogue.

Lesson 3 • Responding to Extremism and Radicalization

Prepares teachers to recognize and counter extremist narratives encountered in RE contexts. Provides referral pathways and preventive pedagogical strategies.

Lesson 4 • Creating a Safe Learning Environment

Establishes classroom norms and relational conditions that allow honest exploration of belief. Balances psychological safety with intellectual challenge.

Lesson 1 • Continuing Professional Development

Maps pathways for ongoing growth in subject knowledge, pedagogy, and professional standing. Connects teachers to networks, research, and leadership opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Managing Personal Belief in the Classroom

Addresses how teachers navigate their own religious or non-religious identity professionally. Develops strategies for transparent, ethical self-disclosure.

Lesson 3 • The RE Teacher's Professional Role

Defines the unique professional responsibilities of an RE teacher in relation to students, school, and community. Distinguishes the role from that of a faith leader.