Spirited Arts – Creative Work on Religious Dimensions of Inter-cultural Eduction.

Context:

A secondary school in the UK

Learning Objectives:

• To connect themes in religion and intercultural education and promote inter religious education
• To identify turning points in religious story
• To encourage creativity in this work by designing logos
• To stimulate effective thinking understanding about the inter cultural and inter religious aspects of citizenship
• With regard to the religions studied, pupils learn to explore and respond to the teachings about respect for all
• To develop skills of self-expression (visual and literary) and consider the impact of attitudes from religions to other people on life and practice, including their own

Teaching strategies / group dynamics:

This competition, run successfully and nationally in England (with some entries from other parts of the UK) proposed four themes for art work in classroom contexts 5-16 (both religious education and art were used as contexts, often working together). Teachers interpreted these flexible themes in many ways. The online ‘Art in Heaven’ Gallery enables the young people’s artistic reflections to be shared and disseminated in wide and inspiring circles.

Partners

• A funding source – the Westhill Trust
• The Professional Council for Religious Education (PCfRE)
• Hundreds of teachers in schools

Working methods

PCFRE proposed the competition, devised the themes, announced and gathered support for the activity through its networks. It established and maintains the website of associated pupils work as a ‘web gallery’ It disseminated the theme of ‘designing a logo for inter-religious understanding’ to many schools and colleges across the 5-17 age range, using the text below.

Themes addressed:

Peace!

Peace and a logo for inter-religious understanding.

This theme is central to religious dimensions of intercultural education in many ways – pupils could learn about the inner peace which Christians seek through prayer, or the stillness and tranquillity Buddhists find through meditation. But inner peace and peace in the world are contrasts – and the ethics of peace and conflict give other angles on the theme.

Talking to pupils about the meanings of peace is a good beginning for this topic. Questions such as ‘What does it mean to have peace through the storm?’ ‘Where is peace to be found?’ ‘Does God bring peace?’ and ‘How can anyone be peaceful when the world is so troubled?’ are the stuff of good intercultural education, and make good ‘launchers’ for this work.

Pupils will find it helpful to have a clear brief for this theme, which is of course very wide. Ask them to make a symbol for peace to use on a United Nations greetings card, or devise a logo for a divided city (Jerusalem? Belfast?) That is aiming for communal harmony, or a symbol for the peace of the heart. Ask them how the European intercultural project should devise a logo to include religious and non-religious visions of peace.

Simple colour, considering alternatives carefully and looking at the ideas of others will stimulate better work.

Design a logo for intercultural education about religion

This activity works well if you want pupils to think through what respect between religions means. We have tried it out in making new covers for RE Agreed Syllabuses in several parts of the country (UK). Talk to pupils about the ways in which Religions co-operate and connect, alert to what is significant in each faith, but also drawing attention to how faiths share some values and ideas.

Ask them to design a logo or image that respects six different religions, and that shows what can be fun in religious dimensions of intercultural education. Look together at some symbols for different religions. Consider what balances and distinctive colours are good for different religions. Give them the challenge to show their vision of all the religions, not just copy out a symbol nicely!

Make sure that they write a paragraph explaining what is good about the logo they have designed, and how it shows the spirituality of the religions and of themselves.

Target group/size of group:

Ages 7-14, groups of up to 30 at a time

Persons involved:

Art teachers, RE teachers., Citizenship teachers.

Time needed for preparation:

30 minutes

Time needed for implementation:

1-2 hours + homework

Instructions (unfolding of the activity):

See above

Pedagogical material and equipment used:

• the best art materials available to the group
• Opportunities to examine and respond to symbols and information from several religions.

Appraisal

The organisers consider it to be one of the most successful ways of encouraging reflective and sensitive learning with regard to religious aspects of intercultural education. Teachers engaged in the competition reported very high levels of interest, motivation and enthusiasm for the project form many pupils. The quality of work (see the website) is representative of the best, but a very wide impact from the several hundred schools taking part is evident.

This highly successful project has energised the learning and spiritual thinking of many hundreds – thousands – of pupils in UK RE / Art settings, making them think about the ways we express co-operation and respect between religions.

The creative activity generates a context for exploring concepts such as mutual understanding, difference and similarity, cohesion and conflict, with some sensitivity. Teachers can use pupil groups, structured discussion and evaluation questions to focus this. Challenging quotations from sources within different religions, including sacred writings, can be presented as the focus for discussion. See quotes below.

See also the pictures on the sirited arts website at: www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts

Suggestions for transfer:

Pupils will easily gather ideas, information and examples of the Muslim and Christian understanding of tolerance and respect from their work. In settings where the example does not link with religious education, teachers will need to provide such information through, for example, formal teaching.

Many other themes can be used.

Pupils can examine the work of others from many traditions as an inspiration to their own.

Contact details:

Mr Lat Blaylock,
1020 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham UK B29 6LB
lat@retoday.org.uk