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Big Questions in Classrooms

Encouraging critical thinking among students and teachers about how different types of knowledge relate.

Young people are curious about the world around them and their place within it. No single subject alone can answer the universe’s biggest questions, particularly those that bear on the human search for meaning, purpose, and truth. The Big Questions in Classrooms (BQiC) initiative seeks to help students understand the value of different kinds of knowledge and explanatory frameworks from different disciplines, and how they connect to give us a fuller and deeper understanding of our world and of ourselves.

BQiC seeks to develop teachers’ and students’ understanding and insight about “how knowledge works,” particularly in the domains of science education and religious education (RE) in England. We want to nurture their curiosity and their appreciation of how various forms of knowledge can come together to enrich our questioning, reasoning, and learning.

BQC what we seek
What we seek to accomplish
1
Develop a robust research and evidence base of best practices in teaching about how knowledge works in science education and in religious education.

2
Provide high-quality and innovative training, implementation strategies, and resources for teachers on how knowledge works and interdisciplinary engagement in science education and in religious education.

3
Make valuable contributions to national conversations in the United Kingdom about education enhancement in science, religious education, and beyond.
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Stories of Impact

Being Human: How Do Students View Science and Religion?

Berry Billingsley’s project at Canterbury Christ Church University explores the intersection of science and religion, and how students tackle the big questions in both fields.

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