‘Freedom to Wonder’Developing Children’s Spirituality:

Reflections on Practice

Heather BlackAccredited Trainer, Godly Play UK

www.godlyplay.org.uk

Our ContextNorth Ormesby a community close to the centre

of Middlesbrough

Population approx. 4,500

North Ormesby Community Primary School, approx. 200 pupils

St Alphonsus RC Primary School, approx. 230 pupils

Reflections on Practice

• Five years working with local community primary school

• Sept 2009/10 a year-long longitudinal study for MA Dissertation, Durham University

• Three years of supporting local RC primary school

• Four years working with local special needs school

In the beginning….There was nothing! Something was created

Sowing some seeds

Key findings

Wondering

Respect for others

Understanding that others may see things differently

Inner peace

Ability to concentrate

Ability to work independently and discover for themselves

School RE Coordinator

Pilot study with a Year 2 class over two terms

Benefits were seen across the curriculum

The weekly sessionsTuesday afternoons for 1.5 hours

All sessions in Godly Play room at Holy Trinity Church

Lead by accredited Godly Play leader with support from class teacher

Year 2 class, mainly white, almost all have little or no experience of church or the bible, one or two children from other faiths each year

The weekly sessions• Crossing the threshold

• Building the circle

• Sharing the story

• Wondering together

• Freedom to wonder

• Sharing a feast

• Saying goodbye

Creating space to wonder

Creating space to wonder“I wish I could live here all the time”

“I’m not ready to go in yet, can I go to the back and get ready again?”

“I love looking out at the garden and watching the water”

“I can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd all the time when I am here.”

You are special and you are welcome

The Good Shepherd knows each of his sheep by name

Nurturing the call to relate to ourselves, to others and to God

Sharing the storyThe focus is on the story and the ability of the

narrative ‘to speak’

The significance of the artifacts

The attention of the children

Sharing the story from the heart

Wondering together

Which part of the story do you like the best?

Which part of the story is most important?

Where are you in the story, or what part of the story is about you?

If there is any part of the story we can leave out and still have everything we need?

Four key questions that help to develop

wondering

I wonder……

Wondering togetherI wonder…..

Creating a space to discover together

Being attentive to the children in that moment

Being prepared to go to places you didn’t expect!

Being comfortable with maybe not knowing

Wondering becomes a way of being with children

Wondering together Making meaning with the

story of the Exile

The chain is like a prison

I think a prison can be anywhere, my dad was in the army in the Gulf and it was like that for him

My grandad has a prison in his bungalow (grandma had recently died and now Granddad was housebound)

Wondering together Exploring what is truly

precious

“The pearl of great price is a home, because if you have ever not had a home, that is what the pearl is.”

Wondering together I wonder where the joy (of

Easter) comes from?

“I think the happiness of Jesus being born and the sadness of Jesus dying is all mixed together to make the joy of Easter.”

I wonder which of the disciples was the most important?

“Judas…. because if he hadn’t betrayed Jesus would Jesus still have died for us?”

Wondering togetherI wonder where the 10 best ways (commandments) are kept today?

“In our hearts”

“They are kept in love”

Freedom to wonder Time, space and

resources to continue wondering

Freedom to choose their own work

The community of the circle

Sharing a feast

Learning to listen and respect each other

A community of grace

A taste of a spiritual feast

Shared reflections

“For me its giving the children the time and space to become aware that there is a spiritual dimension to their lives.”

Teacher Community Primary School

Shared reflections

“The awe and wonder element is something that reaches far into other areas, the class keep ‘wondering' all the time in science.”

Teacher Community Primary School

Shared reflections

“I have learnt more about the children in my class on Tuesday afternoons than in all the rest of the week”

Teacher Community Primary School

Shared reflections

“I am so looking forward to this school year with the opportunity to bring the children over to 'Godly play' it certainly alters the whole dynamics of a class.”

Current Year 2 teacher Community Primary School

 

Shared reflections

“What I have learnt is that it is OK to not have all the answers. Godly Play is for the children, they have the answers inside and can usually explain it a lot better than I could!”

Teacher RC Primary School

Shared reflections

“The impact on the school has been amazing. Our Ofsted inspection report commented that ‘what goes on inside the Godly Play room is remarkable.’”

RE Coordinator RC Primary School

Shared reflections

“We knew the stories because our teachers had taught them and read them from the bible, but now they are our stories”

Year 6 pupils RC Primary School

With thanks toNorth Ormesby Community Primary School

St Alphonsus RC Primary School

Holy Trinity Parish Church, North Ormesby www.trinitycentre.org

Godly Play UK

The Diocese of York

Diocese of York