Linking RE with the PLTSLinking RE with the PLTSLinking RE with the PLTSLinking RE with the PLTS

To link RE with the Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills

(PLaTS), it is best to start with your RE programmes of study and make

connections to the PLaTS. If you do start with the PLaTS,

ensure that real RE learning takes place by including assessable tasks related to the statements in your

syllabus.

Decide on the focus for the RE learning. Many RE syllabuses use the

following fields of enquiry:

A) beliefs, teachings and sources; B) practices and ways of life;

C) expressing meaning;

D) identity, diversity and belonging; E) meaning, purpose and truth;

F) values and commitments.

In order to obtain a balance between the attainment targets (or ‘processes’) of learning about and from

religion, try focussing your planning on ONE of A, B or C alongside ONE of D, E or F.

RE syllabuses are arranged in different ways but may well make use of the suggested

themes of the non-statutory framework for religious

education. Ensure at least ONE of these is present in your plan.

Design a good ‘key question’ based on such RE Themes as:

• ideas and questions of meaning; • authority;

• religion and science; • expressing spirituality;

• ethics and relationships; • rights and responsibilities;

• global issues; • interfaith dialogue.

In order to ensure that students’ work will be

assessable in RE terms, ask the three key questions:

1. What are we trying to achieve?

2. How do we organise the learning?

3. How will we know we have achieved our aims?

1The way in –

Which subjects will work together?

What is the key question or

relevant line of enquiry?

2Now consider

Which cross-curricular

dimension(s) will connect our

subjects?

Which cross-curricular

dimension(s) will connect our

subjects?

What key processes or skills will this

learning develop or rehearse?

What key processes or skills will this

learning develop or rehearse?

What key concepts in each subject

will this learning enrich?

What key concepts in each subject

will this learning enrich?

How will we organise

learning in the

curriculum?

How will we organise

learning in the

curriculum?

Where will this learning take

place?

Where will this learning take

place?

What resources will we need?

What resources will we need?

Who are the key people we will

need to involve?

Who are the key people we will

need to involve?

What will our shared learning objectives

be?How will young

people demonstrate they have met our

shared learning objectives?

What will our shared learning objectives

be?How will young

people demonstrate they have met our

shared learning objectives?

PLaTS GO HERE!

A cross-curricular planning A cross-curricular planning sequencesequence

A cross-curricular planning A cross-curricular planning sequencesequence

Getting the HOTS for REGetting the HOTS for REGetting the HOTS for REGetting the HOTS for RE

HigherOrder

ThinkingSkills

(HOTS)

LowerOrder

ThinkingSkills

(LOTS)

HigherOrder

ThinkingSkills

(HOTS)

LowerOrder

ThinkingSkills

(LOTS)

remember information, recognise, recall

explain information or concepts, interpret, exemplify, classify, compare, infer, explain, summarise

use information in new ways, execute, implement

distinguish different parts, differentiate, organise, attributeAnalyse

defend concept or ideas, check, critiqueEvaluate

create new, generate, plan, produceCreate

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy created by Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy created by Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001

Apply

Understand

Remember

Cognitive processes

Activities

Outcomes

PLaTS - Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills

Creative thinkers•generate ideas and explore possibilities •ask questions to extend their thinking•connect their own and others’ ideas and experiences in inventive ways•question their own and others’ assumptions•try out alternatives or new solutions and follow ideas through•adapt ideas as circumstances change

Reflective learners• assess themselves and others, identifying opportunities and achievements• set goals with success criteria for their development and work• review progress, acting on the outcomes• invite feedback and deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism• evaluate experiences and learning to inform future progress• communicate their learning in relevant ways for different audiences.

Team workers• collaborate with others to work towards common goals• reach agreements, managing discussions to achieve results• adapt behaviour to suit different roles and situations, including leadership roles• show fairness and consideration to others• take responsibility, showing confidence in themselves and their contribution• provide constructive support and feedback to others.

Self managers• seek out challenges or new responsibilities and show flexibility when priorities change work towards goals, showing initiative, commitment and perseverance• organise time and resources, prioritising actions anticipate, take and manage risks• deal with competing pressures, including personal and work-related demands• respond positively to change, seeking advice and support when needed• manage their emotions, and build and maintain relationships.

Effective participators• discuss issues of concern, seeking resolution where needed• present a persuasive case for action• propose practical ways forward, breaking these down into manageable steps• identify improvements that would benefit others as well as themselves• try to influence others, negotiating and balancing diverse views to reach workable solutions• act as an advocate for views and beliefs that may differ from their own

Independent enquirers• identify questions to answer and problems to resolve• plan and carry out research, appreciating the consequences of decisions• explore issues, events or problems from different perspectives• analyse and evaluate information, judging its relevance and value• consider the influence of circumstances, beliefs and feelings on decisions and events• support conclusions, using reasoned arguments and evidence

HOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTS

Young people think creatively by generating and exploring

ideas, making original connections. They try different ways to

tackle a problem, working with others to find imaginative

solutions and outcomes that are of value.Young people evaluate their strengths and lim

itations, setting them

selves realistic goals with criteria for success. They m

onitor their own performance and

progress, inviting feedback from others and m

aking changes to further their learning.

Young people work confidently with others, adapting to different contexts,

taking responsibility for their own part. They listen to and take account of

different views. They form collaborative relationships, resolving issues to

reach agreed outcomes.

Young people organise themselves, showing personal responsibility

,

initiative, creativity and enterprise with a commitment to

learning and self-

improvement. They active

ly embrace change, responding positively to

new priorities, co

ping with challenges and looking for opportunities.

Creative thinkersR

eflective learners

Team workersSelf managers

Youn

g pe

ople

act

ively

enga

ge w

ith is

sues

that

affe

ct th

em

and

thos

e ar

ound

them

. The

y pl

ay a

full p

art i

n th

e life

of

thei

r sch

ool,

colle

ge, w

orkp

lace

or w

ider

com

mun

ity b

y ta

king

resp

onsib

le a

ctio

n to

brin

g im

prov

emen

ts fo

r oth

ers

as w

ell a

s th

emse

lves.

Effe

ctiv

e pa

rtic

ipat

ors

Young people process and evaluate information in their

investigations, p

lanning what to do and how to go about it.

They take informed and well-re

asoned decisions, r

ecognising

that others have diffe

rent beliefs and attitu

des.

Independent enquire

rs

Remember/Understand

Apply

Analyse

Evaluate

Create

list

ask

matchdiscover locate

observe

research

identifydefine

name

reproduce

telldescribe

discussexpand

explain

outlinereport

definition

fact chartlist

worksheetinformation sheet

drawingparaphrase

peer teaching

construct

teach paint

draw

compose

record

photograph interview

simulate

illustratedramatise

exemplify

diary

collection

puzzle

photographdiagram

sculpture

map

model

illustration

interview

role play

scrap book

moviecollection

compare

contrast differentiate

distinguish

examine

infer

outline

sequence

classify

categorise survey deduce

determine graph

survey questionnaireadvertisement

reportdiagram

chartsummary

spreadsheet

appraise

discuss

judge

evaluate

debate

defend

justify

prioritise

support

verify

rank

conclude select

decide give your opinion

compare

critiquejudgement

opinionreport

self-evaluation

news item

recommendation

court trial

survey

summary

change

transform design

originaterearrange suppose

find an unusual way

compose

create

inventproduce

suggest

hypothesiseimagine

storypoemcartoon

play

song

rap

programme

pod/vodcastnews article

recipenew game

sculpture

magazineDVD cover /blurb

multimedia presentation

Cognitive processes

Activities

Outcomes

HOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTSHOTS & PLaTS

TASC

IDENTIFY

GATHER/ORGANISE

GEN

ERAT

E

DECIDEIMPLEMENT

EVALUATE

COM

MU

NIC

ATE

LEARN FROM

EXPERIENCE

THINKING ACTIVELY in

aSOCIAL

CONTEXT

What do I know about this?

What is the task?

How many ideas can I think of?

Which is the best idea?

Let’s do it!

How well did I do?

Let’s tell someone!

What have I learned?

What do I know about this? Where have I met this before? What information do I have? How much do I understand? What questions can I ask?

What is the task? What are my goals? What are my obstacles? What do I need to know? What do I need to do this?

How many ideas can I find? Who can help me? Where can I find out more? What do other people think? Is there another way?

Which ideas are important Which is the best idea? What will happen if...? What is my plan? What else do I need to do?

How do I check my progress? Am I doing it correctly? Is my plan working? What do I do next?

What have I done? How well did I do? How could I do better? Did I solve the problem? Did I work well in my group?

Who can I tell? How can I tell or present? What should I say? How can I explain? How do I interest others?

What have I learned? How have I changed? What do I think and feel now? How can I use what I have learnt? How would I use this again?

Copyright © Belle Wallace 2000. See www.tascwheel.com/. Used with permission.

Designing Assessable ActivitiesDesigning Assessable ActivitiesDesigning Assessable ActivitiesDesigning Assessable ActivitiesFocus on TWO of the fields of enquiry and select an appropriate range of ‘can-do’ statements to

guide your activity design. Here is an example of how it might work:

For the full list of statements, see: http://betterre.reonline.org.uk/assessment/cando.php

KEY QUESTION: Can religious art change people’s lives? Focus areas: C & E PLaTS: Self-managers & Creative thinkers

Context All pupils should: Most pupils should:(Majority class expectation)

Some pupils could:

In work on the crucifixion in Christianity and the three marks of existence in Buddhism, pupils have considered such concepts as inspiration, love, sacrifice, anatta, anicca, dukkha, and examples of Christian and Buddhist symbolism.

seek advice from believers in making comparisons between two different symbols of religious belief;

generate their own questions about these symbols and give answers from their own and other perspectives.

by a set date, produce a portfolio of Buddhist and Christian designs with explanations linking symbolism and belief;

write a summary of their own views on the most important ideas being expressed in the designs.

Choose a personally challenging medium such as a poem or a multi-media presentation to interpret a favourite piece from the portfolio and hypothesise why it might help believers understand more about life’s deep questions.

LEVEL DESCRIPTORS(Objectives for learning and assessment)

C5 I can use a wide religious vocabulary in suggesting reasons for the similarities and differences in forms of religious, spiritual and moral expression found within and between religions.

E5 I can ask questions about the meaning and purpose of life and suggest answers which relate to the search for truth and my own and others’ lives.

C6 I can use correct religious and philosophical vocabulary in explaining what the significance of different forms of religious, spiritual and moral expression might be for believers.

E6 I can use reasoning and examples to express insights into my own and others’ views on questions about the meaning and purpose of life and the search for truth.

C7 I can use a wide religious and philosophical vocabulary as well as different of forms of expression in presenting a clear picture of how people express their religious, spiritual and ethical beliefs in a variety of ways.

E7 I can give my personal view with reasons and examples on what value religious and other views might have for understanding questions about the meaning and purpose of life.