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Well I think the ideas put forward by this thinktank are excellent ones:
I feel that as well as teaching basic skills like the 3 Rs that some kind of lessons in assessing information, sources, etc. and coming to your own conclusions is vital. I' also like to see the idea sneaked into science teaching as well (something that came up in another thread) as a lot of that is instilled in some course at University but that means an awful lot of people miss out when it should be one of the core skills.
Emps
Non-religious RE lessons idea
Religious education - compulsory in English schools - should include discussion of non-religious beliefs, a think tank report suggests.
The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) said students needed to acquire skills to discuss ethical dilemmas.
Religious education (RE) is not part of the national curriculum but by law all schools have to provide it.
Only now is the QCA curriculum regulator drawing up a national framework for teaching RE.
Weekly attendance
An IPPR report coming out on Monday says RE should be widened to include non-religious belief systems such as atheism, agnosticism and humanism.
It should encourage the study of philosophical and ethical problems and teach young people to evaluate evidence and argument.
Even the name should go, to be replaced by something like "religious, philosophical and moral education". In Scotland, for example, it is "religious and moral education".
IPPR senior research fellow Ben Rogers said: "Now that only seven per cent of Britons attend a weekly religious service, many are arguing for the abolition of RE as a compulsory subject - we disagree.
"RE has an important place in the curriculum - but only if it's brought up to date."
'Bias'
It was important that people learned to converse with those of different faiths and think critically about their own.
"Dropping religion from the syllabus, or banning the expression of religious beliefs from schools, as in France, won't make religious strife go away - if anything it will exacerbate it.
"Religious education can play an important part in combating prejudices."
But too often it had "a pro-religious and in some cases anti-science bias".
The IPPR said there were almost as many RE syllabuses in England as there were education authorities, with each opting to draw up their own.
The QCA plans to consult widely on the content of the new framework.
"IPPR believes it is vital that not just teachers and faith groups, but children, parents and the wider teaching community are consulted and involved."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/3486537.stm
Published: 2004/02/15 00:11:18 GMT
© BBC MMIV
I feel that as well as teaching basic skills like the 3 Rs that some kind of lessons in assessing information, sources, etc. and coming to your own conclusions is vital. I' also like to see the idea sneaked into science teaching as well (something that came up in another thread) as a lot of that is instilled in some course at University but that means an awful lot of people miss out when it should be one of the core skills.
Emps