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Happy New Year 2025 and the 5th year of The RE Podcast. And welcome to season 14 of The RE Podcast which is shaping up really nicely. The first half of the season will focus on how we embrace a multi-religious society looking at Islamophobia, Interfaith week, Freedom of Religion or belief and the Sea of Faith Network. Then I am going to explore some smaller religions like The Tao and Shinto. Can't wait to share all this with you. But first asn episode on the Ethics of AI.
Following the brilliant #REChatUK, last monday about how we use technology in the classroom, I wanted to share with you the thoughts of Henry Taylor.
We chatted about the history of AI, concept of consciousness and how you can test for this in Robots and the subsequent moral obligation towards them. We also looked at the ethics of using robots in the care of the elderly. Henry shares some ideas for film clips we can use in the classroom to support our teaching in this area.
We also chat briefly about the 'human fingertip' bias in programmes like ChatGTP and the questions we need to answer before this technology evolves.

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To help you celebrate the end of the longest term of the year, to get you in the festive spirit, to shine a beacon to parents, particularly mothers, as we focus on the amazing story of Mary, the mother of Jesus and the central role she plays in the Christmas story, I bring you tidings of great joy!
This last episode of the season, and of 2024, is a spotlight on two RE teachers as they talk about juggling motherhood with their careers. Naila Missous, and Gemma Brown. They are connected through the amazing MTPT Project - The UK’s charity for parent-teachers. It provides support and entitlements for pregnant and expectant staff. And check out the festive name of its founder, Emma Sheppard (so much festive joy). Emma, also joined us to tell us why she made the journey from English Teacher to wanting to support parent teachers.
The conversation not only includes information about the project and how it supported Naila and Gemma, and what needs to happen in the political sphere to support parents in education, but also how we can include the role of mothers into our curriculums, and where we see the role of mothers in scriptures.
As you can imagine, it is an empowering and uplifting chat.

https://www.mtpt.org.uk/

To all my listeners' my seasonal message for you is from Mary's song because all teachers, but specifically parents are often so humble and they need to be lifted up;

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.

I hope this episode lifts you up.

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In a move towards multidisciplinary RE, I wonder if you are stuck on how to teach through a social sciences lens - particularly through a psychological lens. Maybe you are not sure what the psychology of religion is, or how to incorporate it into your lessons. Or maybe you have started to explore but have become overwhelmed. Dr Carissa Sharp is an associate professor of Psychology of Religion from The University of Birmingham and she came on to the podcast to guide us through how to do this.
For example, is this a psychological question – “Does God exist?” – and if not, how do we turn it into one?
For the answer and for much more, listen to this episode.
The links for this episodes are below;

Get in touch with Dr Carissa Sharp
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/tr/sharp-carissa
https://crosstrainingpsychologyandtheology.com/
https://crosstrainingpsychologyandtheology.com/resources/resources-for-re-teachers/

When Children Draw Gods by PY Brandt
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94429-2

Believing, Bonding, Behaving, and Belonging: The Big Four Religious Dimensions and Cultural Variation by Vassilis Saroglou
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022022111412267#:~:text=Believing%2C%20Bonding%2C%20Behaving%2C%20and,Cultural%20Variation%20%2D%20Vassilis%20Saroglou%2C%202011

Experimenting with Religion by Jonathan Jong
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/experimenting-with-religion-9780190875541?cc=us&lang=en&

Cambridge Elements
https://www.cambridge.org/core/browse-subjects/psychology/psychology-of-religion

Lambi Scale RE Today resource
https://www.natre.org.uk/resources/termly-mailing/bqic-secondary-challenging-knowledge-in-re/studying-god/8-using-psychology-to-investigate-ideas-of-god/

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Find out more;
Twitter: @TheREPodcast1
Insta: @TheREPodcast
Webiste: www.therepodcast.co.uk