Religion, Ethics and Philosophy Teaching Team: Mr J. Bryant – Leader of Learning for R.E.P | E-Mail |
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Welcome to Humanities
The Humanities Faculty at Cantell Maths and Computing College consists of a hard working, well-qualified and very friendly group of teachers who want the Humanities subjects to be seen as lively and exciting. We are proud of the way we work together as a team, sharing good practice and writing schemes of work together in departments and supporting each other. We aspire to be at the forefront of developing the use of new teaching and learning strategies to enhance student progress. This combines to make the Humanities Faculty a very stimulating and enjoyable place to work and learn.
The Humanities Faculty comprises Religious Education, Geography, History, Classical Civilisation and Latin. Individual subjects are important in their own right, but the faculty identity is developing into a strong one.
The different members of the Faculty offer a wide range of skills, interests and experiences. Some staff teach in more than one subject area of the Faculty. The range of interests and personalities in the Humanities team ensure that we enjoy a stimulating and lively working atmosphere.
“It is not just a matter of helping students to obtain qualifications and a career with some emotional value added on, but of helping them to find passions and enthusiasms, drawing on their inner resources so that they have these to rely on whatever life brings, nurturing a sense of purpose and motivating a vision”.
Ofsted Inspector
In the Humanities Faculty, we aim to develop an enthusiastic, progressive and challenging learning environment for all students. We shall do this by providing interesting and stimulating lessons using a range of engaging teaching and learning styles, both inside and outside the classroom. We shall enable students to investigate and understand the world’s past and present, in order to make them better citizens and decision-makers for the future.
We aim to develop learners who have a sense of awe and wonder about the natural world around us; tolerance and support for others; and the ability to understand and celebrate the incredibly rich cultural and ethnic diversity of our fantastic school community and the wider world around us.
We aim todevelop and extend students’ understanding of the world and its diversity; make a significant contribution to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; help students to understand their roots as individuals and as members of larger social groups, whatever their ethnic and cultural background; help students to come to terms with their own hopes, fears, beliefs and achievements by seeing them in the wider context of the hopes, fears, beliefs and achievements of other people, past and present.
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The Humanities Faculty Vision
To be an Outstanding Faculty for Teaching and Learning.
To encourage lifelong learning throughout the Faculty (students & staff).
To provide a relevant and engaging curriculum to meet the needs of all students.
To achieve and celebrate progression as well as attainment for all students.
To be secure in our judgements of our students’ progression and attainment.
To instil engagement, participation and curiosity at the heart of everything we do so that learning extends beyond the classroom.
To foster a climate of support and challenge across the Faculty (staff and students) to ensure that together everyone achieves more.
We strive to help students to achieve their full potential and as a Faculty we take pride in the progress the school continues to make.
Mrs Claire May-Smith
Faculty Leader for Humanities
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Subject Overview:
Religion, Ethics and Philosophy: REP encourages a greater understanding of the world around us. Pupils will be required to address and evaluate challenging ideas, share their opinions with their peers and respect opposing viewpoints. As a result they will develop a clearer understanding of their own beliefs and priorities as well as the spirit of tolerance and empathy towards others.
During REP lessons at KS3, students will also build up an understanding of a range of ideas, concepts and skills. Study includes the history of religions as well as a consideration of festivals, worship and central beliefs. Students are introduced to philosophy with an analysis of some ultimate questions such as 'Does God exist?' and 'Why do we suffer?' They are encouraged to consider religious and alternative perspectives on these questions. Students are encouraged to further develop their analytical skills and to think critically about established philosophical and ethical concepts and ideas. This is an exciting section which allows the students to study key ideas from some of the world's most renowned philosophers.
At KS4: Our GCSE syllabus consists of two papers: Religion and Life through a study of two different religions. These papers are an exciting exploration of how and why religion has had such a massive impact on our world and behaviour. Students have the unique opportunity to consider and reflect upon how belief has shaped people's position on issues such as abortion, euthanasia and relationships. They will have the chance to get involved in ethical conversations taking place in modern medicine, for example, human rights, war and peace, environmental ethics, crime and punishment and the role of personal conscience in these matters. All these issues amongst many others, are examined, discussed and evaluated.
Assessment: Students are asked to take two examination papers with no coursework component.
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Learning Experience:
At all key stages we use a variety of resources and draw on recent case studies wherever possible. These are updated, as events occur to demonstrate the contemporary nature, relevance and importance of the subject.
Religion Ethics and Philosophy lessons are designed to involve the students actively in tasks, and encourage them to think and learn independently. Activities range from evaluating moral dilemmas, discussing news articles, to group role-plays, presentations and debating. We aim to provide a range of learning experiences within each scheme of work to take advantage of the strengths of as many students as possible. Additional opportunities such as Booster Classes and GCSE query surgeries are provided at various points during the academic year.
Religion, Ethics and Philosophy KS3: Students at KS3 get two fifty minute lessons a fortnight.
Religion, Ethics and Philosophy GCSE: This course is currently as a one year GCSE; this means that students attend six lessons of REP a week resulting in a fast paced exciting course. For this course; Students are asked to take two examination papers with no controlled assessment component.
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Homework and additional learning:
At KS3: students are set extended project home works that link to the topic being studied for a six week period. Students are expected to manage their own time and learn to meet the deadlines set for the end of the unit of study. Projects range from collecting news articles that link to ethical issues to research for class assessments or completing topic specific challenge booklets.
At KS4: students are set weekly homework tasks. These take the nature of exam questions, research, preparation for guided learning and revision.
This homework can be graded in accordance with GCSE mark schemes so that students can see where they are in their learning, and where they need to go to improve.
KS3 and KS4 enrichment reading lists can be found on the website. These lists give advice on fiction and non-fiction books that students may find interesting in relation to the topics they are studying.
What do students study and how do they study?
Religious Education has changed. At Key Stage 4 the department is now called Religion Ethics and Philosophy to represent the radical and exciting change.
The Philosophy course combines with the short course GCSE qualification in Applied Ethics to give students a full GCSE in Religious Studies (Philosophy and Applied Ethics).
Over a year Students doing Philosophy will cover the following topics:
Belief about Deity (God)
Religious and Spiritual Experience
The End Of Life
Good and Evil
Religion Reason and Revelation
Religion and Science
Students can choose to study the topics through Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. We also encourage students, who want to, to consider the topics from a humanist/atheist perspective, although they are required to study one of the six world religions.
The course does not require students to have a faith background in order to do well, simply an enquiring mind. The course is designed to encourage students to develop their own opinions on major questions that life brings up, for example, 'why is there suffering in the world and what can be done about it?' We want to develop the key life skill of listening to different points of view.
We are working with Taunton's College to provide opportunities for education off site. The curriculum will allow time for regular trips (Dependent on numbers), taster sessions for a range of subjects on offer at A Level such as Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies and the International Baccalaureate (amongst others). This will be of immense help to students in making the right choices in further education.
The course will feature a lot of discussion and debate. We entered a team of philosophy students for the Oxford Union Schools Debating competition this year.
Students will also be expected to work in groups and to present seminars. The exams require students to write essay responses. Consequently essay writing skills will be developed during lessons.
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What coursework is required?
There will not be any coursework.
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What examinations are there?
Students will take two papers, each lasting one hour. (There are a further two, one hour papers for the Applied Ethics Paper).
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What additional study is expected?
Homework will be set regularly. Pre-reading and preparation for seminars is expected. We make full use of the VLE. The entire course text book is available on line.
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What can students do next?
This really is a very open ended course. We want students to experience a wide range of subjects as well as Philosophy. It will be the best opportunity to experience the International Baccalaureate which is becoming increasingly popular.
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What information is on the VLE?
Assignments Course text book
Links to other websites
Examination questions
What do students study and how do they study?
Religious Education has changed. At Key Stage 4 the department is now called Religion Ethics and Philosophy to represent the radical and exciting change.
The Philosophy course combines with the short course GCSE qualification in Applied Ethics to give students a full GCSE in Religious Studies (Philosophy and Applied Ethics).
Over a year Students doing Philosophy will cover the following topics:
Belief about Deity (God)
Religious and Spiritual Experience
The End Of Life
Good and Evil
Religion Reason and Revelation
Religion and Science
Students can choose to study the topics through Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. We also encourage students, who want to, to consider the topics from a humanist/atheist perspective, although they are required to study one of the six world religions.
The course does not require students to have a faith background in order to do well, simply an enquiring mind. The course is designed to encourage students to develop their own opinions on major questions that life brings up, for example, 'why is there suffering in the world and what can be done about it?' We want to develop the key life skill of listening to different points of view.
We are working with Taunton's College to provide opportunities for education off site. The curriculum will allow time for regular trips (Dependent on numbers), taster sessions for a range of subjects on offer at A Level such as Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies and the International Baccalaureate (amongst others). This will be of immense help to students in making the right choices in further education.
The course will feature a lot of discussion and debate. We entered a team of philosophy students for the Oxford Union Schools Debating competition this year.
Students will also be expected to work in groups and to present seminars. The exams require students to write essay responses. Consequently essay writing skills will be developed during lessons.
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What coursework is required?
There will not be any coursework.
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What examinations are there?
Students will take two papers, each lasting one hour. (There are a further two, one hour papers for the Applied Ethics Paper).
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What additional study is expected?
Homework will be set regularly. Pre-reading and preparation for seminars is expected. We make full use of the VLE. The entire course text book is available on line.
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What can students do next?
This really is a very open ended course. We want students to experience a wide range of subjects as well as Philosophy. It will be the best opportunity to experience the International Baccalaureate which is becoming increasingly popular.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What information is on the VLE?
Assignments
Course text book
Links to other websites
Examination questions
What do students study and how do they study?
All students in Years 10&11 study the Short course in Applied Ethics. The department is now called Religion Ethics and Philosophy to represent the radical and exciting change. The course leads to a GCSE (Short Course) in Religious Studies (Applied Ethics).
Over the two years students will cover the following topics:
Human relationships
Medical Ethics
Poverty and Wealth
Peace and Justice
Equality
The Media
Students can choose to study the topics through Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. We also encourage students, who want to, to consider the topics from a humanist/atheist perspective, although they are required to study one of the six world religions.
The course does not require students to have a faith background in order to do well, simply an enquiring mind and an ability to argue! The course is designed to encourage students to develop their own opinions on major questions that life brings up, for example, 'Should Euthanasia be legal?', 'Is Abortion wrong?', 'How should criminals be treated?' We want to develop the key life skill of listening to different points of view. Students with career plans as diverse as the law, medicine and flight attendant have found the course beneficial and engaging.
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What coursework is required?
There will not be any coursework.
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What examinations are there?
Students will take two papers, each lasting one hour.
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What additional study is expected?
It is not our intention to overload students with additional commitments. However, homework will be set
when preparing students for end of module tests, mock exams and the final exam.
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What can students do next?
Students taking this course will find it relevant to a wide variety of careers. It is also something to prepare them for life and some of the important and challenging issues they will face.
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What information is on the VLE?
Assignments; Further reading; Links to other websites; Examination questions; The VLE will become an integral part of the course.
