Free teaching resources for RE/RVE

Based on the Islam-UK Centre’s hugely successful Muslims in Britain: Changes and Challenges MOOC, and responding to calls to improve the representation of religion in RE (Commission on Religious Education 2018), these teaching resources use sociological approaches to religion to focus on how Muslims in Britain understand and live their faith in their everyday lives.

These teaching resources have been developed in consultation with RE teachers across the UK and other related organisations, such as RE Today. Find out more about the project.

We are delighted that RE Today has endorsed the CPD course, and the free associated Key Stage 3 teaching resources. The full text from RE Today is as follows:

The new teaching and learning resources from Cardiff University’s Islam UK Centre offer an excellent CPD course for RE teachers with linked classroom plans and materials for KS3. Discovering Muslims in Britain takes a sociological approach to the study of Muslims in Britain, incorporating current data and scholarship curated by the Islam UK Centre. As a renowned centre for study of Islam, Islam-UK’s expertise brings a unique offering to RE teachers, addressing some pressing concerns in RE curricula.

Instead of essentialised, abstract presentations of key beliefs of Islam, for example, the focus is on contemporary forms of Islam and the social realities of Muslim living in Britain. Teachers and pupils encounter Muslim voices through video clips and articles, enabling them to adopt a sociological approach in RE. This resource supports teachers in developing their own and their students’ substantive knowledge about Islam and Muslims, as well as introducing them to disciplinary knowledge – such as how sociology uses quantitative and qualitative methods to create and evaluate knowledge.

Islam is among the most popular topics at KS3 and GCSE-level teaching, and this resource offers thoughtful, detailed CPD for teachers and interesting ways of examining Muslim living. It roots study of Islam within recognisable contexts, providing meaningful and engaging opportunities for learning.

Teachers will find a wealth of associated resources, including recent, cutting edge research, to extend and deepen their own subject knowledge. It is great news that these resources are freely accessible and have been made available digitally. This helps to ensure that everyone can engage fully with the course.

Having reviewed the course and discussed it with the Discovering Muslims in Britain project team, we are pleased to recommend the course and its associated resources.

We are also proud that the Muslim Council of Wales has endorsed our CPD course and free teaching resources:

The Muslim Council of Wales is very pleased to support and endorse the Discovering Muslims in Britain lesson material and teacher training. The resources have been produced by the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK at Cardiff University, which has a long history of positive relationships and engagement with broader Muslim institutions and communities, and this ethos is reflected in the resources produced.

Religious Education is a valuable and important component of every young person’s education, and it has an important role to play in preparing the individual for life in a diverse and multi-religious Britain. The teaching of Islam is even more important in order to counter misconceptions about Islam and Muslim communities. This is why the Muslim Council of Wales is very pleased to see that academic expertise and research has been utilised in order to prepare lessons and training material that capture the diversity of Muslim experience in Britain

It is especially valuable that the material foregrounds the voices and experiences of Muslims themselves. This helps show Islam is not a foreign religion, but one lived and practised by millions of people in Britain today.

We are really pleased to see a focus on Cardiff throughout, reflecting a City with some of the oldest and most established Muslim communities in Britain.

Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed
Secretary General 
Muslim Council of Wales

We have also received an endorsement from The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB):

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) congratulates the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK at Cardiff University for producing the “Discovering Muslims in Britain” lesson material and teacher training resources. The Centre has a long history of positive relationships and engagement with broad-based community and Islamic organisations and we are pleased to see this is reflected in the material produced.

Religious Education has an important role to play in dispelling myths and misconceptions about different religious groups and communities. The ability to understand the faith or belief of individuals and communities, and how different worldviews are formed is very important for our children growing up in a multi-faith, diverse modern-day Britain. These resources will be invaluable in this endeavour.

Having reviewed the course and discussed it with the Discovering Muslims in Britain project team, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is very pleased to recommend the Discovering Muslims in Britain lesson material and teacher training resources.

Maswood Ahmed, MBA, Msc, CQSW, DipSW, AASW, PTA, RSW

Assistant Secretary General & Chairperson, Education Affairs Committee