Please send The RE Podcast a Text Message!

I think one of the trump cards of RE is our ability to teach critical thinking. In the wake of a general election, with the diverse voices and opinions our young people are exposed to, and as they embark on relationships, it feels that an ability to spot flaws in people's arguments is vital. In this episode, I explain what I mean by 'flaw' or 'fallacy and break down into easily accessible chunks a few of the most common fallacies;

• Post hoc ergo proctor hoc - after this, therefore because of this
• Reductio ad absurdum - reducing something to it's most ridiculous extreme to try and prove an opinion is wrong
• Slippery slope - arguing that one event will evetually lead to something catestrophic
• Ad hominem - when you can't find anything wrong with someone's argument so start attacking the person
• False dichotomy - when someone assumes there are only two options
• Straw man fallacy where you slightly misrepresent someone's argument to make it look like it is flawed
• Circular arguments where your premise is assumed to be true and therefore is used to prove your conclusion is
• Non-sequiter so where a conclusion doesn't logically follow a premise
• Fallacy of composition where you assume that something that is true for an individual is also true for the whole
• False authority - where you use an authority figure who isn't an expert to prove a point
• Confirmation bias - where you look for evidence to support what you already believe.

I apply these fallacies to philosophical arguments and modern day dilemmas and talk about how to overcome them.
I really hope this is a helpful episode that will help you equip your students for life in the 21st century.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Find out more;
Twitter: @TheREPodcast1
Insta: @TheREPodcast
Webiste: www.therepodcast.co.uk

Please send The RE Podcast a Text Message!

I have been thinking a lot recently about the Science of Learning and what that looks like in the RE classroom. I think we have a lot to learn from educational research. But what I am noticing is that children don't seem to LOVE learning, in fact some seem to resent it. I have been trying to work out why. Like many things, I think it is multifaceted with social and political factors, but what I am more interested in is solutions. HOW do we encourage children to LOVE learning? Children are naturally curious and love to ask WHY - and the RE classroom is such an ideal place to cultivate their curiousity and encourage them to be like they were when they were younger. So I was thinking about HOW we can cultivate curiosity in our classrooms. This episode is the result of my thinking.

I'd love to hear how YOU cultivate curiosity in your classroom so please get in touch!

Support the Show.

Find out more;
Twitter: @TheREPodcast1
Insta: @TheREPodcast
Webiste: www.therepodcast.co.uk

Please send The RE Podcast a Text Message!

Back in February, Jamie and I discussed doing an episode together! And three months later it happened! And it was a delightful chat. We dicuss so many things including the worldview approach to RE, what sentientism is and what it means in terms of how we treat living things, as well as the the importance of evdience and reason in working out what's real!

Here is a link to Jamies website, articles of RE today, Christspiracy and how to contact him;

https://sentientism.info/

https://www.natre.org.uk/resources/termly-mailing/secondary-investigating-worldviews/investigating-non-religious-worldviews-re-today-services/investigating-a-non-religious-worldview-what-is-sentientism/

https://www.christspiracy.org/

@jamiewoodhouse

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Find out more;
Twitter: @TheREPodcast1
Insta: @TheREPodcast
Webiste: www.therepodcast.co.uk