1. Speaking ABOUT HUMANISM in schools
Neil Mckain – head of rs – pipers corner school
Intro - NATRE/ISRSA - PhD
@nmckain

2. overview HUMANISM AND SECULARISM ON THE NEW EXAM SPECS (2016)
What schools are looking for
Misconceptions
SUGGESTED Dos and don'ts

3. Framing the secular on the new specs

4. PEARSON (EDEXCEL)
Paper 4 – The Study of Religion - Option 4B (Christianity)
Social and Historical Developments

5. EDUQAS
Component 1 – Study of a Religion (option A: Christianity)

6. AQA
Section A – Study of Religion (2B: Christianity)

7. OCR
Paper 3 – Developments in Religious Thought (H573/03 - Christianity)
Dawkins and Freud – the odd couple!

8. So how have I taught this unit?
Interrogate the Language of the Specification
How are these keywords used in the specification?
Are they synonymous? NO!
Atheist
Secularist
Humanist

9. DAWKINS Is on all four A LEVEL specs

10. GCSE Students now must study two religions in detail
Most schools seem to have chosen Christianity and Islam
Catholic schools have been told to study Catholic Christianity and Judaism
We study Christianity and Buddhism
Students then have choice to study a textual (scripture) paper or a philosophy (sic) and ethics paper
Patchy references to atheism, secularism and humanism

11. AQA
Component 2 – Thematic Studies

12. eduqas
Non-religious views can be brought into the study of philosophy and ethics but content not prescripted

13. Edexcel (pearson)
Not explicitly mentioned on either option expect as a set statement in odd places

14. OCR
Most explicit mention of Humanism on any of the 4 GCSEs

15. what schools are looking for
Knowledgeable speakers (we know not everyone can be Stephen fry or andrew copson!)
Speakers who can relate well to their audience
A Non-proselytizing approach

16. misconceptions HUMANISts hate religion and religious people
Humanists have no morals as morals come from religion
HumanistS don't believe anything

17. SUGGESTED Dos and don'ts
Be honest
Talk positively about why you are a humanist
LISTEN TO AND ANSWER QUESTIONS - EVEN IF THEY ARE UNEXPECTED!
BE OPEN AND ASK QUESTIONS
BE PATRONISING
TRY TO CONVERT
RELY TOO MUCH ON VIDEO OR READY MADE MATERIALS (THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THE GUEST SPEAKER)

18. The end – any questions?
@nmckain