Lecture 1: An Introduction to ERB

Question 1

What does ERB stand for?

Answer 1

Education about Religions and Beliefs

Question 2

What does ERB involve?

Answer 2

Involves pupils learning about religions and belief systems and from religions and belief systems

Not about faith formation or religious instruction

Question 3

Is religion a contested concept?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

Can religions impart wisdom?

Answer 4

De Botton argues that even people who describe themselves as atheists can take lessons from religions, e.g. in community building, maintaining relationships

Can also learn moral and social values- guidance on how we can treat each other- The Ten Commandments in Christianity and Judaism

Question 5

Why is Ethics and ERB on the educational agenda?

Answer 5

Criticism from Human Rights bodies for failing to respect and uphold the rights of non-religious and minority faith children who attend denominational (religious) schools.

Draft Primary Curriculum Framework- SPHE to become SPVE- Social, Personal and Values Education (Values = Ethics)

Patron’s Programmes- GMGY and Educate Together

Question 6

Benefits of ERB?

Answer 6

Understanding of the lives, values, traditions and cultural heritage of friends and classmates

Children develop and acceptance of the right to hold a particular belief + will be sensitive to other beliefs.

Commitment to the dignity and freedom of other human beings

Prevent prejudice and stereotyping

Question 7

Challenges with teaching ERB?

Answer 7

• Presenting religions as stereotypical monolithic systems; all who belong to a particular religious tradition think and act the same way
• Called the ‘Robotic Tendency’ by Berglund- thinking that individuals perform uniformly identical actions

Question 8

People belonging to the same religion are not all..?

Answer 8

• not internally homogeneous and not bounded systems of belief
• Diversity of belief + practice within religions

Don’t use the word ‘all’ rather ‘some/many’

Question 9

Why don’t you over rely on textbooks?

Answer 9

• Often based on the beliefs of the most devout and involved practitioners to the neglect of internal variations that invariably exist.
• Followers in the classroom may believe themselves to be poor followers if they do not live up to the picture presented by the teacher.

Question 10

What can we do to get a more balanced view of a religion?

Answer 10

• Conceptual Enquiry Approach
• Teach critical thinking
• Create a safe space- agreed rules for discussion
• Invite children to talk about how they practice their religion- never put a child on the spot- voluntary
• Invite parents in to talk
• Select reputable non-biased resources- should not be over-simplified on complex issues

Question 11

Why shouldn’t we label children as Catholic or Muslim according to Dawkins?

Answer 11

They are the children of Catholic or Muslim parents but that does not make it ‘normal and right to indoctrinate tiny children in the religion of their parents, and to slap religious labels on them’