Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

Religious education teachers, your experiences?

For those of you who teach RE in schools, what is it like to teach the subject, what are the highs and lows, what's on the curriculum, and which country do you teach in?

Your answers are very interesting to me, as a prospective teacher and former student of Philosophy/Arts.

Reply 1

gjd800

The GCSE and A Level curricula are a bit crap, and the way they examine is doubly crap. Years 7-9 are a joy, because you teach the locally agreed syllabus, which gives huge scope to mess around with the content and teach a wide variety of stuff. I went back to HE pretty quickly, though I am a much better instructor having done a PGCE and taught in schools.

Reply 2

bcramer15

Original post by gjd800

Thanks, that's interesting. I wonder who writes the GCSE and A Level curriculum.

Reply 3

gjd800

Original post by bcramer15

Thanks, that's interesting. I wonder who writes the GCSE and A Level curriculum.

I complained about mistakes and inaccuracies in the Buddhism and Hinduism textbooks and markschrme, and they told me that they are written by 'non specialists', which blew my mind a bit.

Reply 4

bcramer15

Original post by gjd800

I complained about mistakes and inaccuracies in the Buddhism and Hinduism textbooks and markschrme, and they told me that they are written by 'non specialists', which blew my mind a bit.

As it would mine!

Reply 5

jacksmith23

Original post by gjd800

I complained about mistakes and inaccuracies in the Buddhism and Hinduism textbooks and markschrme, and they told me that they are written by 'non specialists', which blew my mind a bit.

bit curious, what mistakes and inaccuracies have been written about these two religions in the textbook/marchscheme if you remember.

Reply 6

gjd800

Original post by jacksmith23

bit curious, what mistakes and inaccuracies have been written about these two religions in the textbook/marchscheme if you remember.

Incorrect translations, lots of them (I read both Sanskrit and Pali) - this obviously affects the content

and incorrect scriptural citations from discredited sources. Especially the jataka stuff.