Welcome to KIP and Friends, the online companion to the resource series, In God's Name.
What the resources are!
They are Catholic!
In God's Name is an online Religious Education resource used by Catholic Primary Schools in the United Kingdom and Australia. In some schools they are the building block for a school's Religious Education programme, in other schools, as the resources are rich in professional learning material and theological content, they are used to supplement existing programmes or schemes of work.
The resources draw on foundational documents of the Church, universal and local, and well researched best practice in Religious Education as an academic discipline. In God's Name presents a Catholic world view through learning about the Traditions of the Church, Human Experience, Creation and Scripture, named as the sources of revelation in Dei Verbum.
They are collegial!
Unlike commercially available programmes or schemes, In God's Name offers a whole school approach to Religious Education, one in which all pupils explore a common theology or practice at an age-appropriate level. Believing that the best resource a pupil can access is an informed, engaged, teacher, Key Information for Teachers (KIT) necessary for the teaching of the content, is vital, and a key component of every resource. Further, as the conversation is a common one, the 'siloing' of staff common in RE progammes is avoided. Staff meetings where content is explored together and shared planning occurs, is more than possible: collegial 'at the water fountain' conversations are encouraged, differentiation can be a shared task, cross-age learning becomes a possibility.
They are predictable!
Content is arranged deliberately to mirror the Liturgical Calendar and so the life of Jesus is explored 'logically', at the same time in school as it is in the Church. Six resources, two per term, take us annually from Advent to Advent, while a three year cycle rotates through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, again in time with the Church. The cyclical nature of the resource means that the life of Christ and the Church unfold naturally: horizontally, learning is passed from one resource to the next for further development; vertically, seasonal theologies introduced in one year are consolidated in other years.
Each resource is supported with two videos and their powerpoints. One, for staff, explores the theological content of the resource at an adult level; the one for pupils does the same for pupils.
They are research based!
Written by Dr Margaret Carswell, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Education at a Catholic University, the resources are both academically rigorous and practical. If you want the jargon, the resources are hermeneutical and recontextualising. They have an educational spine with an invitational heart. Using the structure of the Composite Model, the resources preference the Catholic story while acknowledging a multi-faith world.
What the resources are not!
They are not a scheme of work!
In God's Name is not, and never will be, a scheme of work. Resources model a pathway through a defined body of content from Level 1 to Level 6. As such, they can be used to strengthen or supplement a published programme or as the basis of your whole curriculum. Decisions about time, adaptation, entry and exit points, are all made at a local level.
They are not finished!
The resource is always a work in progress. Reviewed after every year to include more relevant resources, additional support for teachers, and new thoughts and ideas, the resource grows as comfort with content and process does. It will always require some level of planning at the local level: the people who know their pupils needs are those standing in front of them; to bypass them or to suggest that a generic programme can be used without adaptation is to misrepresent the very nature of teaching and learning.
Access to the resources is through annual subscription. If you would like to subscribe to the resources, or see a sample resource, please click here.
If you're interested in the academic background to the frameworks provided on this site, or have any questions about the resources, please contact me.
Margaret Carswell
margaretfcarswell@gmail.com.
They are Catholic!
In God's Name is an online Religious Education resource used by Catholic Primary Schools in the United Kingdom and Australia. In some schools they are the building block for a school's Religious Education programme, in other schools, as the resources are rich in professional learning material and theological content, they are used to supplement existing programmes or schemes of work.
The resources draw on foundational documents of the Church, universal and local, and well researched best practice in Religious Education as an academic discipline. In God's Name presents a Catholic world view through learning about the Traditions of the Church, Human Experience, Creation and Scripture, named as the sources of revelation in Dei Verbum.
They are collegial!
Unlike commercially available programmes or schemes, In God's Name offers a whole school approach to Religious Education, one in which all pupils explore a common theology or practice at an age-appropriate level. Believing that the best resource a pupil can access is an informed, engaged, teacher, Key Information for Teachers (KIT) necessary for the teaching of the content, is vital, and a key component of every resource. Further, as the conversation is a common one, the 'siloing' of staff common in RE progammes is avoided. Staff meetings where content is explored together and shared planning occurs, is more than possible: collegial 'at the water fountain' conversations are encouraged, differentiation can be a shared task, cross-age learning becomes a possibility.
They are predictable!
Content is arranged deliberately to mirror the Liturgical Calendar and so the life of Jesus is explored 'logically', at the same time in school as it is in the Church. Six resources, two per term, take us annually from Advent to Advent, while a three year cycle rotates through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, again in time with the Church. The cyclical nature of the resource means that the life of Christ and the Church unfold naturally: horizontally, learning is passed from one resource to the next for further development; vertically, seasonal theologies introduced in one year are consolidated in other years.
Each resource is supported with two videos and their powerpoints. One, for staff, explores the theological content of the resource at an adult level; the one for pupils does the same for pupils.
They are research based!
Written by Dr Margaret Carswell, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Education at a Catholic University, the resources are both academically rigorous and practical. If you want the jargon, the resources are hermeneutical and recontextualising. They have an educational spine with an invitational heart. Using the structure of the Composite Model, the resources preference the Catholic story while acknowledging a multi-faith world.
What the resources are not!
They are not a scheme of work!
In God's Name is not, and never will be, a scheme of work. Resources model a pathway through a defined body of content from Level 1 to Level 6. As such, they can be used to strengthen or supplement a published programme or as the basis of your whole curriculum. Decisions about time, adaptation, entry and exit points, are all made at a local level.
They are not finished!
The resource is always a work in progress. Reviewed after every year to include more relevant resources, additional support for teachers, and new thoughts and ideas, the resource grows as comfort with content and process does. It will always require some level of planning at the local level: the people who know their pupils needs are those standing in front of them; to bypass them or to suggest that a generic programme can be used without adaptation is to misrepresent the very nature of teaching and learning.
Access to the resources is through annual subscription. If you would like to subscribe to the resources, or see a sample resource, please click here.
If you're interested in the academic background to the frameworks provided on this site, or have any questions about the resources, please contact me.
Margaret Carswell
margaretfcarswell@gmail.com.