1. E NGAGING TEACHERS WITH THEIR RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC COMMUNITIES. Joyce Miller

2. BEGINNINGS Education Bradford’s Community Cohesion Strategy School’s bid to become a Specialist Humanities College; school wants to improve its relationship with its communities REDCo project : Religion in Education. A contribution to dialogue or a factor of conflict in transforming societies of European Countries

3. T HE PROJECT CPD for teachers in a humanities faculty in a mixed comprehensive school Took place over a whole year – many delays Eleven teachers: ten white and one Pakistani-heritage

4. T HE SCHOOL 927 pupils: 134 white and 793 BME, mainly Pakistani heritage 75% have English as an additional language Serves two areas in 20% most deprived nationally 56% have special needs 2008 – 45% A*-C grades at GCSE 72% gained A*-C in RS.

5. P HILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY Robert Jackson’s Interpretive Approach. Three key concepts: Representation Interpretation reflexivity Ethnographic methodology: Participant observation Semi-structured interviews

6. CPD PROGRAMME Twilight sessions: Exploring school demographics Exploring key concepts: identity/ community/ ‘skilled cultural navigators’ Semi-structured interviews with sixth form students Preparation for visits

7. VISITS Off site for whole day x 3: Preparation at resource centre – questions and issues for the day Visit to place of worship and conversation with faith community representative Visit to community centre and conversation with community representative Interview with Muslim woman, employed as faith tutor at resource centre Plenary at resource centre - what to report back to rest of faculty

8. R ESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the impact of the deployment of the interpretive approach in the CPD of the humanities faculty teachers’: Understanding of the school’s religious and cultural communities Professional practice Personal edification? Does the interpretive approach provide a sound basis for improving teachers’ understanding of and relationship with their religious and cultural communities?

9. D ATA Four teachers kept ‘reflective diaries’ Five teachers interviewed – recorded and transcribed Nine teachers filled in concluding summary forms Eleven teachers gave background information and opinions on religion and education Six students gave background information Flipcharts and plenary notes Field notes

10. K EY THEMES TO EMERGE Identity - British/Pakistani? Religion and culture – interpretation of the Qur’an Diversity within diversity - Divisions between communities The place of women

11. IDENTITY View that young Muslims are ‘lost’ and ‘confused’ ‘Back home’ – British or Pakistani? ‘British Muslim’ Q: ‘Aren’t we just trying to westernise these students?’ A: ‘Yes, but how are they going to survive in the world of work if we don’t?’

12. R ELIGION AND CULTURE Key issue for teachers was how to differentiate between the religion and culture Teachers wanted to give primacy to religion Q: ‘Wearing the hijab: is it cultural or religious?’ A: ‘Yes’ and ‘no’. Q: ‘How can we make sense of the Qur’an?’ A: ‘It isn’t black and white and I take comfort from that.’

13. D IVERSITY WITHIN DIVERSITY Staff had varying degrees of knowledge Pupils did not. Divisions v the umma ‘The Asian community is more diverse than I had realised.’ ‘Identity is a very complex issue for Muslims.’ ‘No group in society is quite as united as they would like to make out.’

14. D IVISIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES Fine line between diversity and division Anti-Semitism The Holocaust 9/11 ‘The UK is the best place for Muslims to live’ ‘ – a message some of our students could be given.’

15. T HE PLACE OF WOMEN Issues raised included: Marriage to relatives from the sub-continent Lack of English Illiteracy Lack of choice ‘Compulsion is not part of Islam.’ ‘Men will have to change.’

16. REPRESENTATION Met a variety of people from a range of groups - broad and balanced view of communities Agree that stereotyping was avoided Increased understanding of diversity and complexity Who can act as a representative? How does the individual relate to the group and to the tradition as a whole ?

17. INTERPRETATION None seemed to have increased understanding of the ‘grammar’ of religions and communities About a third said that they could empathise with people they met Need to explore religion and culture further Negative perceptions of communities expressed by informants and teachers: Time warp Pakistan has ‘moved on’

18. REFLEXIVITY Personal edification – no positive evidence Shared experience: Universals – fears/aspiration Young people Communities Professional development: Increased awareness and ‘increased openness’ Changing practice – e.g. visits/Islamic Relief Increased confidence in dealing with controversial issues Improved Humanities specialist status bid

19. U NDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES Increased experience and understanding of local communities Teachers became more ‘skilled cultural navigators’ Teachers enjoyed the CPD and all said that they had benefited and that all teachers in the school should have the same opportunities

20. F UTURE PRACTICE More time in a shorter time-scale Teachers to keep diaries/photographic records Only focus on one religion, not three Challenge perceptions: ‘Parallel lives’ ‘Sleepwalking into segregation’ Ethnicity /religion as key to ‘problems’

21. PUBLICATION Miller, J (forthcoming) ‘Raising humanities teachers’ understanding of their pupils’ religious and cultural backgrounds’ in J. Ipgrave, R. Jackson and K. O’Grady (eds) Religious Education Research through a Community of Practice (Munster, Waxmann)