Guest Blog: Gretchyn Bedard, National Board Certified Social Studies Teacher

Religions and belief systems have brought people together and torn groups apart. This phenomenon is something most students can comprehend, at least as it relates to the recent past and today. However, I have discovered that many of my students are largely unaware of how long, historically, this has been the case. The truth is that religion has been a force for both unification and division for centuries.

For this particular inquiry, I decided to focus on these forces both between and within the Abrahamic faiths. To begin, I provided examples from France, which has a Christian majority. I introduced students to the relatively recent concerns about Jewish emigration from France. I also discussed French legislation, first passed in 2004, that bans the Islamic hijab in schools which many critics claim targets Muslims.

Overview

For the inquiry, itself, I offered numerous Featured Sources spanning a multitude of historical developments. Each source offers a glimpse into a faith-based unifying force or dividing force. I tried to ensure that both types of examples were represented within a religion and between religions, but the balance is not perfect. 

Cooperative Learning

Clearly, perspective is a key component of this inquiry. I have, therefore, opted for cooperative learning arrangements and collaboration between small heterogeneous groups of students each time I have delivered this lesson.

Mural Design

For the Taking Informed Action portion, students collaborated on a collection of designs to replace the “Coexist” symbol. Students were prompted to consider imagery and symbolism that could promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence as a visual way to solve the divisive component of this inquiry. Then, they created small-scale versions of their mural designs.

Implementation

Completing these small-scale murals was also an exercise in balance. Specifically, I provided no additional time for students to work. Instead, they were expected to develop a plan among themselves to complete their designs.

Final Selection

I utilized many strategies to narrow down the results for the final class mural. Initially, students collaborated using a Think-Pair-Share model to foster small-scale cooperation. Then, rough drafts were showcased. Finally, the classes voted on the winning design for the semester. Thus, as an entire community, they chose the mural that they felt best addressed the need to promote tolerance among religions. 

(click the image to access the PDF and the live links for Featured Sources)

 

Reflection

I have performed an informal meta-analysis of this inquiry by talking with students both individually and in small groups. In general, students felt they were able to learn more about the selected religions by reading and analyzing the documents. They also felt capable of making judgments about the impact of each historical development that was outlined.

Students also concurred that they understood, as a given, that people adhering to various religions have not gotten along at various points in time. In addition, they felt that this inquiry reinforced their understanding of this sociological concept and provided opportunities for greater discernment around it.

Despite this, some students were surprised at how far in the past some divisions had occurred and how long ago certain prejudices were forged. Some found this disheartening, prompting them to form a more pessimistic view about humanity and its ability to find resolutions. This happened, even though they remained both motivated about and engaged in the project.

Overall, the students’ favorite part of this lesson was participating in the Taking Informed Action step. They really enjoyed developing, designing, reaching consensus, and implementing the mural. This portion of the inquiry seemed a relevant and purposeful action to take for most students. It also clearly resonated with them. During the final selection process, students were able to see past differences and support the winning design, even when the decision was very close.

One student offered a particularly helpful suggestion which I hope to fulfill in the near future: exploring even more religions. Together, we approached this suggestion, not as a failure on my part, but as an opportunity for improvement. We then discussed a couple of specific ways to tackle this.

The first idea was to create a second, follow-up inquiry on the Vedic religions/philosophies. Certainly, that inquiry would need to be implemented in a manner that was meaningful. In addition, I think it would be better if it were not back-to-back with this inquiry. My course currently follows both a roughly chronological and a thematic approach. So, I could see meaning in returning to the Vedic religions as I approach postcolonialism, with older sources serving as a flashback in time.

The other option I discussed with this student was approaching religions, and perhaps some belief systems more generally, from a regional perspective. In this type of inquiry, different groups of students would focus on different regions of the world. Then, they would come together at the end of the inquiry to inform each other before approaching the creation of a mural.

I welcome feedback on either or both of these options. In reality, I enjoy writing inquiries, so I will probably write both!

The Winning Designs

The first design to win depicted the world as interconnected puzzle pieces. Each piece contained a religious symbol, and the pieces were held by hands of different skin tones representing different ethnicities.

 

Another winning design showcased an interfaith house of worship featuring simple columns adorned with the symbols of different religions/belief systems. On the roof, the word “we” was written in a variety of languages. Billowing over the roof and reaching toward the columns was a plant that connected the architectural elements and symbolized life.

About the Author

Gretchyn Bedard holds a MAT in Adolescent Social Studies from the Russell Sage College and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She currently teaches high school World History at Crossroads Arts & Science Early College in North Carolina. The C3 Framework for inquiry, as used in this lesson, has been a central part of her pedagogical approach for many years now.