Friday, 25 September 2015

Do you have the drive, interest and personality to teach one of the most diverse, questioning and relevant subjects in schools today?

Seen through the eyes of Lynsey Wilkinson, Head of RE at Redhill Academy near Nottingham and her students, the Beyond the Ordinary film shows how RE helps young people make sense of the world around them. The short film gives the teacher’s view on a subject, where the answers are rarely straightforward and sometimes raise more questions.

Beyond the Ordinary is a Religious Education Council initiative. Key partners involved in the project include the National Association of Teachers of RE, the Association of University Lecturers in Religion and Education and Culham St Gabriel’s Trust.

To find out more about the campaign visit www.teachre.co.uk/beyondtheordinary

NATRE: New RS Exams: Accreditation timeline

http://www.natre.org.uk/news/latest-news/new-rs-exams-accreditation-timeline/

New RS Exams: Accreditation timeline

Below is a timeline of the process for the specifications for the new Religious Studies GCSE and A-level.

Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

3 August 2015 - Awarding organisations submit draft specifications, sample assessment material and assessment strategy to Ofqual for accreditation.
7-10 September 2015 - Ofqual panels of subject experts review awarding organisations' submissions.
1 October 2015 - Ofqual decision on the accreditation of specifications.
8-9 October 2015 - Ofqual inform AOs of their decision on accreditation. AOs then make any necessary changes and submit revised specification and assessment material for re-accreditation.
Late Autumn 2015 - Accredited specifications submitted to schools to allow teachers enough time to prepare for first teaching in September 2016.
September 2016 - First teaching of new RS GCSE specifications in schools

Find more information on the draft specifications here

Thursday, 10 September 2015

Invented Religions

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/podcast-carole-cusack-on-invented-religions/

Invented Religions

What is an “Invented Religion”? Why should scholars take these religions seriously? What makes these “inventions” different from the revelations in other religions? What happens when an author does not want their story to become a religious text?

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Tricylce : Meditating with emotions

http://www.tricycle.com/practice/meditating-emotions

Meditating with Emotions

Drop the story and find the feeling.Pema Chödrön

We all have emotional experiences that feel terrifying, and in order to experience our natural state, we have to be willing to experience these emotions—to actually experience our ego and our ego clinging. This may feel disturbing and negative, or even insane. Most of us, consciously or unconsciously, would like meditation to be a chill-out session where we don’t have to relate to unpleasantness. Actually, a lot of people have the misunderstanding that this is what meditation is about. They believe meditation includes everything except that which feels bad. And if something does feel bad, you’re supposed to label it “thinking” and shove it away or hit it on the head with a mallet. When you feel even the slightest hint of panic that you’re about to feel or experience something unpleasant, you use the label “thinking” as a way to repress it, and you rush back to the object of meditation, hoping that you never have to go into this uncomfortable place.

http://www.tricycle.com/practice/meditating-emotions