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Science and Religion in Schools: A Guide to the Issues for Primary Schools

by The Science and Religion in Schools Project

49 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains tables, black and white images, CD; catalogue #06-0948; ISBN 1-4120-9194-2; US$24.21, C$24.21, EUR16.54, £12.50

Written for students of 7 to 11 years of age, our aim is to stimulate open-minded discussion and to ensure that students are well informed and have a balanced view of the debate between the claims of science and those of the major world religions.

About the Book

The aim of the Science and Religion in Schools Project, the first major project of its kind, is to encourage the teaching in schools of issues concerning the debate between the claims of science and those of the major world religions. We want to stimulate open-minded discussion and to ensure that students are well informed and have a balanced picture of the different views involved.

Aimed at students aged from 7 to 11 (a separate guide and CD ROM is available for Secondary School students aged 11 to 19) the materials are differentiated and offer a range of teaching and learning styles.

To make this possible we are providing a very wide range of materials for teachers and students. This includes background information since there are few teachers, either of Religious Education or of Science, who can claim to be equally well informed about both subjects and would therefor be able to therefor be able to cover these topics with complete confidence.

A broad range of materials is required, not only because the subject itself is broad, but because the examination system in the UK still provides a very diverse set of syllabuses for Religious Education and Religious Studies. By providing such a range we can most areas which are examined and also encourage syllabus writers to increase the representation of this important debate in future curricula. No teacher could possibly cover all this material but we hope that all teachers will be able to use some.

The materials have been written and edited by practising teachers or those with recent experience of classroom teaching. They have all been trialled in schools and rewritten in the light of comments and criticism. University experts have reviewed them for academic accuracy.

For the sake of busy teachers we have provided background reading and lesson plans designed for ease of use. We hope that more experienced teachers will change and develop what they find here to suit their own students and their own particular teaching styles. It is hoped that the materials will act as a stimulus and not be treated as a course which must be rigidly adhered to.

The Guide is designed to give an idea of the scope and quality of the materials, which are available in full in the attached CD ROM. It includes summaries of each topic, and units within the topics,to give teachers a flavour of how that particular topic or unit is treated and to make it easier to decide which they wish to study in greater depth.

What we present here is the work of many people, but it should be seen as a first rather than a final edition. Thanks to 'Print on Demand' and the CD ROM, we are able to produce a great deal of material at a modest cost. Moreover, it will be possible to produce 'new editions' relatively cheaply and frequently. This will enable us to cover some areas which we have not yet been able to cover and to improve the quality of what is already there. This project should be seen as ongoing rather than complete. We shall rely on those using the material to keep us informed about their opinion of the material and to suggest improvements. We hope that teachers and their students will enjoy what they find here and may contribute in the future.

We are greatly encouraged by the interest already shown in this project both in the UK and around the world and hope that you will find these materials exciting, stimulating and enjoyable.

If you have ideas about how these materials could be improved or extended please contact us at admin@srsp.net or by using the feedback on the CD ROM or on the website.

The project has been supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

About the Author

A range of authors have contributed to these materials, for more details see the SRSP website.

Excerpts

Reviews

The material presented in the guides has been developed by teachers and reviewed by an academic advisory panel. It has also been tested and rewritten in the light of comments and criticism. Both these quality-assuring elements are among the many advantages with this material, because teachers are busy in their daily work and need guides which are *to the point*, easy to apply and, of course, up to date academically. Another valuable feature is that teachers can select which parts to use, and utilize only what they find relevant in their teaching.

Mr. Martin Rogers, Prof. John Hedley Brooke and their editorial team have developed two admirable basic guides for use in schools. My hope is that the material will be used extensively by teachers, but also act as a starting-point for further development of these well-written and high-quality resources."

Knut-Willy Saether (ESSAT)