Sarah Green and Cindy Harper work collaboratively across all primary ITT programmes at St Mary’s University. Both are passionate about RE and ensuring trainees are confident teaching RE in school. Annually they travel to Lourdes to support people on their spiritual journeys.
The Holy Spirit is a complex and abstract theological concept that can be difficult for children to grasp in religious education (RE) lessons. Language barriers, diverse backgrounds and the ability to think abstractly are challenges and considerations for all teachers. To overcome these challenges teachers can use a variety of pedagogical strategies.
RE in Catholic education
A mandatory curriculum subject, the teaching of RE is part of the fabric of all English primary classrooms. All schools subscribe to an RE curriculum that is agreed by the governors. For Catholic schools, this is represented by the Religious Education Directory (RED). Teaching the Holy Spirit forms part of this curriculum leading up to Easter and Pentecost. According to the RED (2023), religious education has three main aims. First, that those who are baptised increase in their understanding of the faith - we must remember that this is not representative of all the children in our classrooms. Second, that children learn how to worship God in spirit and truth through prayer and liturgy – this is key in all areas in the RED, and third, children live with human goodness and the truth that we are taught by Jesus. The role of RE in Catholic schools and the use of the RED contributes to all of these. Ultimately, using a range of approaches not only deepens children's understanding but also inspires them to embody these virtues in their everyday lives. The RED lends itself to creative approaches and the understanding of the ‘story of all stories’ through scripture, rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church encouraging pupils to develop a deep understanding of the Catholic faith.
This post highlights one pedagogical approach to support teaching the theme of the Holy Spirit. This topic features in most schemes for RE but is key within the RED.
Art and the Holy Spirit (RED Section to the Ends of the Earth)
Art is an excellent hook for a primary RE lessons and immediately allows pupils of all abilities to engage with content (James and Stern 2019). In the case of the Holy Spirit, there are many images that come to mind – the dove at the baptism of Jesus, the golden thread from heaven when the Holy Spirit brought the incarnation of God to Mary in the womb and as tongues of fire at Pentecost.
The image above, created by AI, would be a good starting point for lesson about the Holy Spirit using some of the approaches below:
- Display the image up on a working display board and allow pupils to ask questions about it in the days leading up to the lesson – these can be questions written by pupils on post-it notes or written by adults or older children in the school for pupils not yet writing. These can be placed on the working display board around the image.
- Take your eyes for a walk around the image – make sure that your eyes cover every part of the painting, moving in circles from the outside to the inner part. In partners, turn away and record as many different parts of the painting as possible, who can remember the most in one minute?
- Guide children to imagine going for a for a walk in the image – where do you see yourself in the painting? What you can hear, smell, taste and touch as well as see.
- Allow the children to use appropriate AI technology to create their own image of the Holy Spirit using key words and thoughts from the previous learning.
These steps enable pupils to engage deeply and spend time reflecting. In the year 2 curriculum of the RED, pupils are invited to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit into their hearts ('Celebrate' lens in the RED). Having engaged with this deeply abstract concept in a meaningful and practical way, it is at this point, that art can be used (if wished) to engage pupils in prayer.
- Catholic Education Service. (2023) Religious Education Directory. CES
- James, M. and Stern, J. (2019). Mastering Primary Religious Education. Bloomsbury Academic