Making the most of your existing expertise

As a teacher of RE you will bring to the subject your own areas of expertise.

For example if you are a history teacher you may be particularly effective at engaging pupils with sources; as a drama teacher you may be able to engage pupils with ethical and moral issues through role play and improvisation. As a qualified primary specialist you already know how to plan and implement active learning and enquiries with pupils.  This means you can use the expertise you have in order to focus on effective teaching and learning in this subject.

The most important thing to remember is to play to your strengths. If you love the creative and expressive arts, these can be used in RE; if you prefer debates and discussions, these too are an essential part of learning in RE.

Don’t be afraid to ask for support – you deserve it. Use people in school to help you, but also have a look at RE:ONLINE and the RE:ONLINE Cafe  to support your teaching.