A collaborative project to develop teaching resources, knowledge and dispositions among FE staff to teach social justice-based religion and belief literacy for the preparation of learners for employment and life in a diverse society.
Why the need?
In our society, clichés and stereotypes about religious and secular ‘others’ are commonplace – including well-recognised forms of prejudice including Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism but also other forms of suspicion and misrepresentation of religion and belief groups (e.g., tendency to equate religion with irrationality, or tendency to see non-religion as a-moral). Lack of religion and belief literacy leads to misunderstanding and hostility between different people, and hinders young people from being able to operate effectively and respectfully within a diverse society.
How is this Project helping?
Religious literacy is a tool for challenging these clichés and stereotypes and for celebrating diversity. This project…
- Has provided religion and belief literacy workshops for three colleges in the WM region [1], led by experienced university researchers in the field of religion and belief, exploring with FE staff how a social justice-based religious literacy can help prepare learners for employment and life in a diverse society. (We continue to be available to run further workshops for other colleges wanting them).
- Is developing a suite of resources on religious literacy which can be used within FE college contexts to help young people develop religious literacy (the design of these resources will be informed by consultation with FE college staff – a key part of each workshop). These are being made available free of charge to colleges via the Open University’s OpenLearn website. The first two resources: a Religious Literacy Mini-Doc and an animation about religious literacy in a lecture room setting, are now available here.
We seek the development of FE students as whole people capable of making a positive impact to society. Consequently, this project begins with the person, not as a passive vehicle for particular beliefs but as an agent engaged in the positive transformation of themselves and others through critical reflection.
Who is leading the project?
The project is led by Dr Paul-François Tremlett, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the Open University (https://www.open.ac.uk/people/pt3595), along with a project team of experienced academic researchers in the study of religion and belief, including Dr Aled Thomas (University of Leeds), Dr Rhiannon Grant (University of Birmingham), and Dr Ian Jones (St Peter’s Saltley Trust). The project is funded by St Peter’s Saltley Trust.
How can you get involved?
We enjoy working with colleges which would like to help develop and trial religious literacy resources; we can also run staff CPD sessions.
If you are a college senior manager and would like to discuss involvement, please contact us for a conversation.
[1] Birmingham and Black Country, Herefordshire, Telford and Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Warwickshire and Worcestershire