Author: Woodward

KEEPING THE RE DEBATE OPEN
THE "3RD" PERSPECTIVE SYLLABUS

Catherine Bowness

University of Exeter. Third Perspective Team Member,

Co-author of an RE syllabus which offers a perspective on syllabus construction which
differs from the SCAA Models.

The Third Perspective Syllabus was
written by four Religious Education
lecturers   from   higher  education
institutions and has been offered as a possible
aid to local Agreed Syllabus Conferences. The
writers hope that their ideas are seen as
complementary   to   the   SCAA   Model
Syllabuses, keeping the debate on RE content
alive rather than competing for a share in the
Syllabus construction "market".

Believing that Religious Education in county
schools should not seek to urge a particular
religious belief in general upon pupils, the
Third Perspective Group found it necessary to
begin with a somewhat wider definition of
religion than that employed by SCAA. For the
Third Perspective  contributors  Religious
Education is an educational venture which has
much to offer in the development of both
individuals and the society to which they
belong. The subject should be of relevance,
interest and use to all pupils whether they or
their families are members of a faith, atheist,
or non-committed. Religious Education is not
simply a subject for religious people but
should be open and welcoming to all. If
discussion in the RE class is always limited to
the worldviews of the accepted major religions
i.e. the "big six" then we may be in danger of
shutting out the ideas of a large percentage of
our students simply by implicitly urging
religion in general upon pupils and not taking
non-religious  worldviews  seriously.  The
SCAA models present each religion discretely.
The Third Perspective attempts to show that
religious and non-religious people live
together in the world and interact with each
other. The Third Perspective team hope that
where differing views challenge each other
human beings are capable of listening to and
learning from each other.

The Third Perspective is not, as has been
reported, a "Thematic" syllabus. The writers
are aware that not all religions have founders
or encourage their members to go on
pilgrimage; rather it is structured according to
the areas of enquiry common to young people
of religious or secular backgrounds. These
areas of enquiry are:

Who are we? (The Human Condition)
The Natural World (Cosmology)
Looking Further (Metaphysics)
Morality (ethics)
Religious Practices (ritual)
People and Communities (social)
Communication and Expression (language and
symbol).

These areas of enquiry are related to and
formed by issues of human experience.

At the same time the syllabus aims to preserve
the integrity of the faith traditions by offering
Christianity as a core focus at all key stages
but also showing how each of the five other
faiths could be a focus of core study twice
throughout compulsory education and be a
point of reference for a more philosophical
understanding of religion at the post sixteen
level. By dividing key stage two into two
areas, lower and upper it is possible to ensure
that each faith is offered at least once in the
primary phase and once in the secondary
phase. Thus no faith is marginalised, the
integrity of the traditions is preserved, whilst
pupils with non-religious world views are not
turned away from Religious Education as they
too are involved in the areas of enquiry.

The writers hope that Third Perspective will
keep open the debate about RE. They began
the project partly to satisfy their own curiosity,
believing that there were more than two ways
to provide sound Religious Education. Third
Perspective is simply one other way and if
many others follow, the writers' aims will
have been achieved.                     

NOTE:

Copies of Third Perspective cost £3 plus 75p postage
and packing. Write to Catherine Bowness, Third
Perspective Group, School of Education, Heavitree
Road, Exeter, EX 1 2UJ.