BRINGING BIG IDEAS TO LIFE: MEDIUM TERM PLANNING
The bridge between the Big Idea and the substantive knowledge is the topic-related question.
Schools should interpret the following ‘pupils know and understand’ sections in relation to the religions / worldviews they have chosen to teach for this age-group. These decisions will reflect the national legal requirement and any local or denominational requirements.
Topic-related Questions and Learning Objectives for Ages 14-18
BI 1: CONTINUITY, CHANGE AND DIVERSITY: AGE-RELATED BIG IDEA FOR AGES 14-18There is no consensus on the meaning of the word ‘religion’ or how it relates to the term ‘worldview’. During the 20th and 21st centuries in particular, religious and non-religious worldviews have faced challenges from a range of moral, political and social issues in national and international contexts.
| Topic-related question | Pupils know and understand: |
| 1. What is the difference, if any, between a religious and a non-religious worldview? | i. popular understandings of what religion is ii. different scholarly definitions of religion iii. views from adherents of religious and non-religious worldviews of what religion is iv. different meanings of the word ‘worldview’ v. why some worldviews are classified as religions while others are not and by whom. |
| 2. What factors have led to changes in religions / worldviews in the past and how have these impacted upon the traditions? | i. that religions / worldviews can change as a result of: a. the effect of local culture (e.g. Islam in Pakistan and Turkey; compare the life of a CofE Cathedral and a new community church on a housing estate) b. disagreements about ideology and authority (e.g. Sunni / Shia) c. the intervention of an influential person or group with a new interpretation of the religion (e.g. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; Charles Taze Russell) ii. that some people who do not agree with the decisions their leaders have made may break away and set up a new group (e.g. reactions in the CofE to the ordination of women). |
| 3. What are the main challenges of the 21st century and how are religions / worldviews responding? | i. that religions in particular have been challenged to respond to: a. religious plurality b. the impact of liberalism on traditional values c. the role of women, feminism d. feminism e. LGBT+ issues f. the environmental crisis g. developments in the sciences, including medicine h. war and peace, terrorism and the rise of extremism i. social justice, including poverty/wealth, refugees. |
EXEMPLAR(S) OF THIS MEDIUM TERM PLAN
(Word Download) EXEMPLAR 1: Religion and Worldviews: Past Changes and Current Challenges
TRANSFERABLE QUESTIONS
Is England a secular society? (Also BI 5)
Why are so few women mentioned in the histories of worldviews?
Why aren’t all the people in a religion / worldview the same?
Why do religions / worldviews change?