Religious Studies and the Key Stage 3 Strategy Sarah Barnett

What is the KS3 Strategy? The strategy was introduced with the aim of raising standards It aims to strengthen teaching and learning across Key Stage 3 It aims for teachers to become more effective so that pupils improve in what they know and learn

Principles Focus on teaching Provide challenge Make concepts and conventions explicit Structure the learning Make learning active Make learning engaging and motivating Develop well paces lessons with high levels of interaction Support pupils’ application and independent learning Build reflection

The strategy included fourteen modules- Planning and Assessment Teacher repertoire- Questioning, explaining, modelling Structuring learning- starters, plenaries, challenge, engagement Knowing and learning- teaching thinking, thinking together, reflection and big concepts and skills

How does this impact on Religious Studies? The three elements of questioning, explaining and modelling are key to any good lessons and are often paramount to a good Religious Studies lesson So many of the concepts taught in Religious Studies are imbedded in theology, philosophy and ethics and so require the full teachers repertoire to ensure pupils fully appreciate them

Explaining What are you trying to explain? What key things should pupils understand/know if the explanation is to understand? What examples, analogies, stories, visual aids or other devices will you use in the explanation to help pupils understand?

Over to you! How would you go about explaining the following to a class? Trinity Sacrifice Pilgrimage Prophet Sacred/holy

Questioning Questioning is important as it is the most common form of interaction between a teacher and their class Questioning is a the key method of altering challenge Questioning is an immediate way for a teacher to check the effectiveness of teaching

What is effective questioning? Make use of open and closed questions- Closed questions- check knowledge and understanding Open questions- Have more than one possible answer, if used successfully it takes pupils Allows pupils to ask their own questions Effective questioning can only occur in an environment where pupils feel secure to take risks or be tentative

Top Tips Treat questions seriously Give pupils time to think Allow pupils time to research answers Provide structure to help pupils answer Encourage pupils to question and help them find answers to these questions Treat answers with respect

Invite pupils to elaborate‘Would you say a little more about that’ Speculate about a subject‘I wonder what might happen if…’ Make a suggestionYou could try…’ Reflect on the topic‘Lets bring all this together…’ Offer extra information‘It might be useful to know that…’ Reinforce useful suggestions‘I especially liked…because…’ Clarify ideas‘We can tell this is the case by…’ Correct me if I’m wrong‘So now perhaps we all believe…’ Echo comments/ summarise‘So you think…’ Non-verbal interventionsEye contact, a nod, raised eyebrow, even an expression of surprise

Over to you! In pairs I would like you to take it in turns to ask each other questions about your half terms Remember to use open and closed questions Try to use some of the examples in the previous slide!

Modelling Is a powerful teaching strategy The teacher is ‘expert’ demonstrating how to do something whilst thinking through the process aloud Examples of modelling include- writing an account constructing a mind map evaluating a concept

Effective modelling Specific Explains underlying principles Shares thinking Involved pupils Provides pupils with a chance to practice new skills whilst they are fresh Supports first attempts with scaffolds It is a bridge to independent work

Over to you! Modelling is a way of helping pupils develop written skills- EG explanation, analysis and evaluation Think and note down- How you would model pupils writing a written response explaining the idea of pilgrimage How you could model an evaluation on the issues of abortion

Conclusion The strategy is huge with many strands Improve teaching and learning Effective planning Effective questioning, explaining and modelling Effective teaching and learning