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Religious education


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Examples of enterprise learning in key stage 4

Case study 1

A group of year 10 students started a lesson by ‘mind mapping’ the characteristics of modern entrepreneurs and discussing what they thought were their main strengths and weaknesses. They were then asked to work in teams to research the lives of outstanding historical religious leaders (eg Mahatma Ghandi, Yusuf Islam, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa) and produce a short summary of each leader and why they were successful, listing their key leadership strengths. The pen-portraits were then compared with a similar list for modern entrepreneurs, also researched by the students. Similarities and differences were discussed. Finally, the discussion broadened to consider examples of how enterprise can ‘go too far’. Can enterprise and morality be reconciled? Students considered the ways in which religious leaders today raise money through the use of the media. Students focused on the different meanings of enterprise and the importance of business ethics.

Case study 2

Key stage 4 students were shown examples of three curriculum vitae (CV) and asked to focus on the sections relating to ‘previous experience’, ‘hobbies’ and other personal statements. Students then acted out a role play, using a teacher-devised script, which depicted someone having difficulty in completing these sections and receiving both good and bad advice from friends. Some of the advice required false information to be included. The class then assessed the advice, deciding what should be accepted and what should be rejected. Discussions subsequently considered the pros and cons of inclusion of false qualifications, exaggeration of skills, the drawbacks of being honest in your CV and the embellishment of truth. The latter point was then extended to general lifestyle. Finally, students drafted their own CVs for future reference. Students were able to draw their own conclusions about misrepresentation in both their own lives and in business and commercial matters.

Case study 3

Groups of year 11 students were given a selection of newspapers, journals and magazines. Their task was to identify and select sets of advertisements which fitted three categories: those likely to strongly influence behaviour; those which are perceived as in some way being dishonest; and a third selection which are seen to be honest. Teams reported back on the totals of each collected and the difficulties they faced in making decisions. Discussion then considered the influence of television adverts, with students asked to identify the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ they had recently seen. Taking their own examples the students considered the main selling points of each advertisement and identified how advertisers aimed to influence potential customers. Finally, the class discussed products which they felt should never be allowed to advertise. Further discussion took the group onto the subject of government advertisements. When is it public information and when is it government propaganda? This focus on advertising helped the students to differentiate between information, persuasion and manipulation.

Case study 4

A year 10 tutor group worked with the religious education department to organise an inter-faith event at the school. The group met with the site manager and arranged the booking of the school theatre for the morning. During this meeting they also interviewed the site manager about his job at the school and, in particular, his responsibility for health and safety. Groups of students wrote to the representatives of the local places of worship, outlining a provisional programme and inviting them to contribute to the event. On the day, each team of students was allocated a faith group and required to work with their visitor to produce display materials reflecting the history and culture of their chosen religious group. Publicity materials advertising the event were prepared and distributed around the school. Other departments in the humanities faculty, including history and geography, contributed to the session and arranged for their year 7 groups to visit the displays and discuss the development of the various faiths. Students had the opportunity to develop their project management skills and to work on tasks with adults from the local community.

Case study 5

The religious education teacher organised students into groups to research the lives and work of nineteenth-century philanthropists such as Joseph Rowntree, William Booth and Titus Salt. Members from the local branch of the Salvation Army also came into the school to talk about the history of the movement and their work in modern inner city Britain. The history department provided extracts from Booth’s Life and labour of the people in London. Extracts from Dickens were also read out to develop the students’ understanding of the Victorian economy and the plight of the poor. Videos of popular TV dramas such as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield were used to depict living conditions at that time. The students were asked to prepare presentations for the year assembly which detailed the achievements of their chosen characters and considered the extent to which their actions were shaped by their religious beliefs. Students decided their own method of delivering the presentation.

Case study 6

The manager of the local cooperative store was invited to school to talk to year 10 and 11 students about the commitment to ethical investment that has been made by the cooperative society. Students were also provided with ethical investment policies from a number of ‘blue chip’ companies producing a range of household goods and foodstuffs. The students worked in groups to discuss whether these company statements would affect their buying habits. They were also required to consider the cost implications for the school budget of policies such as the recent commitment by the school governors to use only recycled paper products. A school governor spoke to the students about the reasons for adopting the policy and what other areas of the school might be made the subject of a similar policy. Finally the students produced draft ethical investment policy statements for the school dinner service and the tuck shop. These were circulated to interested parties for comment.

Case study 7

During Fair Trade Fortnight year 10 religious education students downloaded data from the Fair Trade Foundation website and used the information to prepare a display and a presentation to the school governors. Having conducted a student survey to gauge the level of awareness about fair trade products, the students organised a fair trade tasting event in collaboration with the food technology department. They also approached the school kitchens to find out about their use of fair trade products as well as contacting the local education authority (LEA) schools meals service to make them aware of the range of products available. They undertook a shopping survey in the town to identify the availability of fair trade products in local shops. The information was subsequently made available in a guide booklet for shoppers on the student section of the school website. During their presentation, the students presented a proposal to the governors to use fair trade products at their meetings and they also submitted a request to the staff committee to discuss whether a similar policy should be adopted in the staff room.

Case study 8

Following a visit to a local place of worship, year 10 students produced a careers leaflet about a minister of religion using a ‘day in the life’ format. They also researched the range of charities supported by the congregation and agreed to organise task groups to raise funds, with permission from the headteacher, for these charities. Speakers from the individual charities were invited to talk about the work of their organisations. Each group of students presented the results of their research to the rest of the teaching group and produced displays to show how any money raised would be used by the charities. Students organised a series of fund-raising activities, including a talent show and a snooker tournament and regular bulletins were prepared for the student newsletter. Frequent updates on how the money was used were received from the various bodies. Students gained a good understanding of social enterprise as well as developing their own presentation and organisation skills.