Challenging RE:

Critical Thinking

Lost sheep

Zacchaeus

Good Samaritan

Horizontal knowledge / Depth knowledgeLearningaboutreligion

Wicked Servant

Pharisee & the Tax

Collector Sower and the seed

Horizontal knowledge

Lacks cognitive challenge recall

Horizontal knowledge / Depth knowledgeLearningaboutreligion

Horizontal knowledge

Lacks cognitive challenge

“Pupils except in knowing about more stories, more festivals, more traditions, more buildings and more religions.

They have not made connections between the beliefs and teachings of each religion, neither do they understand what belonging to a religion involves.”

REsource Spring 2003

Barbara Wintersgill HMI

recall

Lost sheep

Horizontal knowledge / Depth knowledgeLearningaboutreligion

Horizontal knowledge

Lacks cognitive challenge

Depth knowledge

recall

simple understanding

understanding

depth understanding

don’t lose things

be nice to animals

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

morally or spiritually lost

suffering for the sake ofothers

Quantity

Qu

alit

y

Lost soul

Horizontal knowledge / Depth knowledgeLearningaboutreligion

Horizontal knowledge

Lacks cognitive challenge

Depth knowledge

recall

simple understanding

understanding

depth understanding

Quantity

Qu

alit

y

Critical thinking

carping fault finding

Horizontal knowledge / Depth knowledgeLearningaboutreligion

Horizontal knowledge

Lacks cognitive challenge

Depth knowledge

recall

simple understanding

understanding

depth understanding

Quantity

Qu

alit

y

Critical thinking

discernment

comprehension

the penny drops

they get it

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

factual recall knowledge

descriptive knowledge

ka’bah Makkah

five pillars ihram

circuits

running standing stoning

Observable knowledge

Earthlings in their

millions walk in circles.

hajj Islam

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

ka’bah Makkah

Islam

black stone

hajj

ihram

Explain why Muslims go on hajj

Observable knowledge

Simple understanding

More going on than meets the eye

To keep one of the five pillars.

To obey what it says in the Qur’an.

To do with what Muhammad did and what he told them to do on.

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

special

feel closer to God

descriptive knowledge

factual recall knowledge

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

Fctual knowledge

Descriptive knowledge

ka’bah Makkah

Islam

black stone

hajj

ihram

Observable knowledge

Understanding

More going on than meets the eye

It helps to strengthen their faith.

They feel that everyone in the eyes of God are equal.

It makes them feel they are part of the Ummah – the community of Islam

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

Explain why Muslims go on hajj

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

Factual knowledge

Descriptive knowledge

ka’bah Makkah

Islam

black stone

hajj

ihram

The climax of the Hajj

Observable knowledge

More going on than meets the eye

To think seriously about the Day of Judgement.

To ask God for forgiveness.

To show regret for all the wrong things they have done.

Depth understanding

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

Mount Arafat

The Mount of Mercy

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

More going on than meets the eye

Depth understanding

Al-Ghazali (1058 – 1111)Theologian & Philosopher

“Ihram cloth – when you put it on, remember the coffin cloth with which you will be clothed.”

The Revival of Religious Sciences p.205

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

To show regret for all the wrong things they have done.

To ask God for forgiveness.

To think seriously about the Day of Judgement.

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

Knowledge

More going on than meets the eye

Depth understanding

Al-Ghazali (1058 – 1111)Theologian & Philosopher

“Reaching at Arafat, fix your tent and wait there with a great penitent mind.”

The Revival of Religious Sciences p.205

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

To show regret for all the wrong things they have done.

To ask God for forgiveness.

To think seriously about the Day of Judgement.

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

KnowledgeBack story

More going on than meets the eye

Depth understanding

Al-Ghazali (1058 – 1111)Theologian & Philosopher

“and recite supplications as much as possible and seek the mercy of God.”

The Revival of Religious Sciences p.205

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

To show regret for all the wrong things they have done.

To ask God for forgiveness.

To think seriously about the Day of Judgement.

Learningaboutreligion The pilgrimage to Makkah

KnowledgeBack story

More going on than meets the eye

A dress rehearsal for the Day of Judgement.

Depth understanding

Al-Ghazali (1058 – 1111)Theologian & Philosopher

“Think of this journey as the journey for the next world.”

The Revival of Religious Sciences p.205

Explain why Muslims go on pilgrimage.

Ninian Smart 1927 - 2001

‘Religious education must transcend the informative’

Secular education and the logic of religion 1968

The word ‘understanding’ in RE

Understandingsympathetic

On the 9th day we all prayed at Mount Arafat.

It makes you think everyone must have been prayed for.

I am so glad I saved up for the money to get here.

John aged 14

There were many people there and all praying for family, friends and even people they didn’t know

This whole experience was totally mind blowing and a once in a life-time experience.

Imagine you are a Muslim who has completed their hajj.

Understandingcomprehension

Explain why Muslims go on

pilgrimage.

Learningaboutreligion

Write a letter to a friend explaining why they had gone on pilgrimage and how they felt.

The word ‘understanding’ in RE

On the 9th day we all prayed at Mount Arafat.

It makes you think everyone must have been prayed for.

I am so glad I saved up for the money to get here.

John aged 14

There were many people there and all praying for family, friends and even people they didn’t know

This whole experience was totally mind blowing and a once in a life-time experience.

The prayers a Muslim speaks on Mt. Arafat are believed to be the most effective they will ever make in their life.

They think about their lives and pray to God for forgiveness and mercy.

Anna’s answer shows critical thought about Islam.

Many come away changed by the experience feeling they must live a better life before it is too late.

Anna aged 13

The day is physically and spiritually close to what the real Day of Judgement will be like.

Her work shows critical discernment and genuine deeper understanding which is specific to Islam.

Imagine you have been asked to write for a website. Understanding

Learningaboutreligion

comprehensionUnderstanding

sympatheticExplore and explain some of the beliefs and ideas that lie behind the hajj which account for why the pilgrimage is so important to Muslim.

The word ‘understanding’ in RE

On the 9th day we all prayed at Mount Arafat.

It makes you think everyone must have been prayed for.

I am so glad I saved up for the money to get here.

John aged 14

There were many people there and all praying for family, friends and even people they didn’t know

This whole experience was totally mind blowing and a once in a life-time experience.

John’s answer shows no critical discernment when it comes to Islam.

His work consists largely of positive statements about religion in general.

Imagine you are a Muslim who has completed their hajj. Write a letter to a friend explaining why they had gone on pilgrimage and how they felt.

The prayers a Muslim speaks on Mt. Arafat are believed to be the most effective they will ever make in their life.

The day is physically and spiritually close to what the real Day of Judgement will be like.

They think about their lives and pray to God for forgiveness and mercy.

Many come away changed by the experience feeling they must live a better life before it is too late.

Anna aged 13

Understanding

Learningaboutreligion

comprehensionUnderstanding

sympathetic

The word ‘understanding’ in RE

Imagine you are a Muslim who has completed their hajj. Write a letter to a friend explaining why they had gone on pilgrimage and how they felt.

Imagine you have been asked to write for a website. Explore and explain some of the beliefs and ideas that lie behind the hajj which account for why the pilgrimage is so important to Muslim.

dispassionate task

religion individual

objective subjective

feelings

emotions

beliefs

ideas

critical discernment

public reasons

imaginative literary task

critical discernment

private emotions

public individual

lends itself to assessment does not lend it self to assessment

Understandingsympathetic

Understanding

Learningaboutreligion

comprehension