This activity was used with pupils in key stage 3, year 8.

Aims

• To introduce the study of Sikhism.
• To promote perception and thinking skills to challenge racism and value racial diversity.

Activity objectives

• To identify why equality is fundamental within the Sikh religion.
• To understand what 'community' means within the Sikh religion and how it contributes to the Sikh identity; and to apply this understanding to the nature of society in Britain today.
• To recognise how the Sikh religious leader Guru Nanak challenged the accepted norms of his society.

Activity description

The teacher showed a picture of black and white swans to the pupils. (The picture used was Swans, a 1956 wood engraving by M C Escher.) The pupils were in groups of four (as far as possible, these were not groups of friends). They were given the following instructions:

• look carefully at the Escher picture and note down your thoughts, however unimportant they may seem at first;
• write a caption for the picture that shows how the picture might contribute to an awareness of community.

The pupils did the first task in pairs, and then shared their ideas with the pair in their group of four. Each group agreed on one caption for the Escher picture describing how the image portrayed a sense of harmony and cooperation. In order to stimulate the pupils' ideas, the teacher introduced key words such as equality, community and diversity. The class shared the results of the activity among themselves and aired opinions.

The teacher asked the pupils why they thought the Escher image had been chosen to introduce the study of the Sikh religion. The discussion encouraged pupils to talk about the importance of community and about diversity within a community contributing to the value of the whole. Some of the pupils noticed that in the picture the swans all face in the same direction even when the direction changes.

The Escher picture has no immediate religious context so, as the pupils discussed their captions, the teacher placed these within the aims and teachings of Guru Nanak and the development of the Sikh community. The teacher focused on the way in which Guru Nanak taught and on his concern to break down the traditional religious and social divisions within the society of his time.

The pupils recorded their knowledge and understanding of Sikhism's emphasis on equality and community, and described how they related to Guru Nanak's teachings. They went on to describe and discuss parallels with society in Britain today, focusing on issues of identity, racism and the value of diversity within any community.

Commentary

Art is a good way of exploring emotional responses, particulary art like Escher's Swans, which is devoid of cultural markers and is neutral in terms of its religious significance. The piece will not prompt pupils to think immediately about religious symbols and their meanings. Stereotypes can be avoided and a general discussion on the intangible aspects of life that religion addresses can take place without religion being discussed at all.

The pupils began to understand the abstract concepts of equality, community and diversity by discussing them in the context of Swans. It was only after the pupils understood these concepts that Guru Nanak and the Sikh religion were introduced.

This activity enabled a lively and informative debate to take place on complex matters that would not have been so readily grasped by the pupils if the teacher had not used the Escher picture to begin the session. While it is hard to measure from a single activity, by the end of this activity the pupils seemed to have a better understanding of the Sikh religion and of positive multicultural values.

Extension activities

Pupils could be asked to produce a longer piece of writing than a caption. This writing task could focus on exploring, describing and evaluating the beliefs of the Khalsa (fully initiated Sikhs), relating these to ideas of community and identity within Sikhism and in wider society.

The pupils could also return to the picture, as their study of Sikhism develops, to see if they wish to alter their views or captions in the light of what they have learnt. This would be an opportunity for the pupils and the teacher to measure progress in understanding over time.

Resources

Escher, M C, Swans (White Swans, Black Swans), Wood engraving, Cordon Art-Baarn, The Netherlands, February 1956

The religious education schemes of work can be found at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes
The online national curriculum can be found at www.nc.uk.net