In a recent article in The Atlantic, Michael Godsey claims that the growing emphasis in classrooms on interactive arrangements can be challenging for introverted students who tend to perform better when they are working independently and in more subdued environments. The author argues that such students sometimes appear shy, depressed, or antisocial, when they actually... Continue Reading →
Highly important to the theme of the Islamic Education Conference seminar on June 2, this entry builds on the previous post on deradicalisation which summarises some key findings in Mohammed Elshimi's recent presentation at Edinburgh University: Identity, Citizenship, and Security: What is Deradicalisation? Deradicalisation; it’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are Mohammed Elshimi, a phd... Continue Reading →
Of relevance to participants in the UEA Realising Potential Religious Education conference, this comment on Lawsons talk on Heidegger and the ‘Quest’ inherent in ‘Questioning’ is hereby reblogged.
“…all great truths must first be constantly renewed by bringing them into the place where they emerge into being for the first time, that is, in response to a deeply felt sense of questioning, the piety of thought. Second-hand truths may be useful, but they are not what make us who we are. This is something many school pupils feel very deeply.”
Notes from BRAIS conference, University of Edinburgh 10-11 April 2014 Panel 5: Education: Theory and Method:
Ibrahim Lawson (Institute of Eduction, London): Questioning builds a way: Heidegger, Islam and education
In my own presentation I point out the connection between the two preceding talks and my theme of schools teaching tools for authentic identity formation through the organised social constructivism of Cooperative Learning.
I want to begin this series of BRAIS posts here, as this talk is best likened to a nuclear submarine roving the dark ocean depths, with all other presentations – for all their merit – being mere air balloons above those deceivingly calm waters, blown hither and dither by the winds of postmodern self-referencing.
This is not mere poetic license. Ibrahim Lawson brings a unique set of experiences and skills to the table: He has read philosophy and linguistics at University of East Anglia, did his PGCE at Cambridge, has MA’s in Action Research and Theology and has…
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Of relevance to participants of today’s UEA Realising Potential conference, this comment on a young non-Muslim RE teacher’s presentation at Edinburgh University is being reblogged.
“…making religion and Religious Education relevant to children in a full-on atheist society – and in a school where the preceding science lesson makes a mockery of the spirit and the following history books are crammed full of religious massacres and greedy popes – can only be done via discovery exercises which gives children space to investigate from the perspective of their own relation to spirituality, and work outward from there.”
(Notes from BRAIS conference, University of Edinburgh 10-11 April 2014, Panel 3: Islam in UK Institutions/Organisations and Everyday Muslim Religious Lives)
Executive summary*
According to Matthew Vince, who is doing his PGCE at Exeter University, current RE is aimed more at political aims of community cohesion than subject knowledge. On top of that he cited the 2010 Warwick report that suggests that Christianity is presented as the default religion of this country. As a consequence, the representation of Islam in the current state administered RE is vulnerable to perpetuating negative stereotypes of Islam and other religions and that Muslim RE teachers find they must “navigate between negative conflicting spheres at times.”
His study concludes that the current curriculum is set primarily on knowledge and not the attainment of understanding Islam…
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Mohammed Elshimi (University of Exeter) : Identity, Citizenship, and Security: What is Deradicalisation? (PART 1, read PART 2)* (Notes from BRAIS conference, University of Edinburgh 10-11 April 2014, Panel 3: Identity and Integration In Muslim-Minority Societies) This is the most controversial presentation in the entire conference, bar none, and the most pertinent to our theme of... Continue Reading →
PDF of now available for safe download or online viewing. (Contains original material not included in the recording available at werdelin.co.uk. Listen to the recording instead). The Student-Centred Classroom & the Self-Centred Student - challenges and opportunities of Cooperative Learning for Muslim learners by Jakob Werdelin Paper presented at the British Research Association of Islamic... Continue Reading →
Matthew Vince (University of Exeter): Expressing Islam within a Christian centric education system : Lessons from a young British Muslim RE teacher (PART 1) (Notes from BRAIS conference, University of Edinburgh 10-11 April 2014, Panel 3: Islam in UK Institutions/Organisations and Everyday Muslim Religious Lives) Executive summary* According to Matthew Vince, who is doing his PGCE... Continue Reading →
Thanks for the huge number of hits on the preceding article. The following is a list of some of the other sessions I attended at the BRAIS conference and hope to be able to present here. Not all will get their own post, but all contain pertinent points which are worth exploring. Comments or wishes... Continue Reading →
Notes from BRAIS conference, University of Edinburgh 10-11 April 2014 Panel 5: Education: Theory and Method: Ibrahim Lawson (Institute of Eduction, London): Questioning builds a way: Heidegger, Islam and education In my own presentation on the Student-Centred Classroom and the Self-Centred Student (read/listen), I point out the connection between the two preceding talks and my theme of schools... Continue Reading →
Audio recording of the BRAIS talk at Edinburgh University now available. This presentation at the British Research Association for Islamic Studies presents some of the challenges and opportunities posed by Student-Centred Learning related to epistemology and identity for Muslim minority schools in the UK as well as any teacher interested in RE and P4C. ... Continue Reading →
cooperativelearning.works 