A practitioner action research approach to learning outside the classroom in religious education: developing a dialogical model through reflection by teachers and faith field visitors

Abstract

This paper reports the co-creation of knowledge through a Practitioner Action Research Community of Practice of teachers and mid-level policy enactors which sought to engage the question of how to enhance Religious Education in primary schools serving socially disadvantaged children. Co-authors’ professional values and assumptions are explored, and questions developed to carry out a needs assessment of primary teachers in contexts of social disadvantage; highlighting the advantages of effective school-community partnership, leading to a recognition of the importance of learning outside the classroom for enhancing children’s experience of Religious Education. A model of successful learning outside the classroom was developed, centring on the importance of spaces for encountering the lived experience of religion, asking challenging questions, and sharing learning objectives. The benefits of this approach for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are explored. Feedback from teachers, children, places of worship and SACREs was fed into the reflective process to arrive at a series of opportunities, weaknesses and training needs for effective field visits and visiting speakers. The paper concludes by setting out a model for an online portal to enable schools and education officers from places of worship to connect effectively with one another to enhance primary Religious Education.