I have just arrived home from a fabulous weekend at the Words Beyond Words conference jointly arranged by NATRE, AULRE and AREIAC. Now, you might think that the obvious thing to do would be to unpack, eat and sleep, but instead I've decided to blog...
The theme of the conference was an exploration of religious literacy in relation to RE. This is a theme close to my heart as I and my wonderful colleagues, Kathryn Wright (@kathrynfenlodge), Jane Chipperton (@jchipperton) and Olivia Seymour (@ollyseymour), have been thinking about, talking about, listening to others' views on and writing about this topic for some time now. You can read our most recent thoughts here.
The conference generated a lot of discussion and not a little positioning (!), but the experience generated fantastically creative and productive discussion, often in the quiet moments between sessions. I know that I have come home with the beginnings of the third revision of our conversation piece about religious literacy, as well as some specific changes I intend to make to various ongoing projects.
However, having had the chance to think about the keynotes, workshop sessions and many conversations during the long car journey home, I've realised that there's one very important thing to come out of this conference.
The conference was the first one of its kind to be jointly organised by NATRE, AREIAC and AULRE. These three subject associations represent three distinct groups: RE teachers, RE Advisers/Consultants/Inspectors and academics involved in various disciplines relevant to RE. I have attended conferences for each of the separate associations and the difference between these and this joint conference was striking. It was helpful for teachers to have the chance to engage with the latest thinking and research at HE level, but equally it was very helpful for the AULRE members to get the chance to engage at length with both the thinking and practice of the teachers. There was helpful reflection on the relationship between theory and practice that had a real sense of urgency. There was also lots of discussion about the ways in which each group could be an agent of change to impact positively on the experience of RE in the classroom.
So, what about the RE Advisers? Well, I observed two things (and please feel free to completely disagree, colleagues!): firstly, we were more likely to take - and stick to - a position. Now, in and of itself, that's not a bad thing. However, where it becomes unhelpful is when we get distracted from focusing on the teachers and young people in the classroom. Secondly, we hold a unique position in this family of RE professionals. We regularly have contact with actual teaching practice, but have the time and mental space that our teacher colleagues do not always have the luxury of to engage with the latest academic thinking. Equally, we are often aware of or participating in the most cutting edge theoretical and practical research, but have a more easily accessible conduit directly into the classroom. This gives me great hope - just like the openness and collaboration of this weekend, I look forward to a creative and collaborative few weeks and months ahead. And all of this with one aim in mind - to do the best we can by the young people learning RE in our schools and academies.
