Our experiences educating about faiths and beliefs have led us to believe:

• We always encourage dialogue. We do not recommend creating debate-style discussions as they create conflict.

• There are no short answers, and we should seriously consider the intentions of anyone who wants to suggest a simple response

• There are no simple questions.

  - The ones that appear straightforward are often the hardest to answer.

  - Most questions are loaded with assumptions and misunderstandings. We often spend more time scrutinising questions than giving answers

  > activity: the Art of Asking

• There are many different (and often conflicting) narratives, which lead to a variety of different truths, all of which may be valid

> activity: Seeing through Lenses

> activity: Different Narratives

• It’s vital to get information from different sources to understand different viewpoints and bias

> activity: Sources of Information

• Trying to define the key terms is a good exercise in understanding how complex this subject is. We tried and failed to agree, but found that the process was a valuable way of understanding different perspectives

> activity: Talking about Sacred

• This is an incredibly emotive subject, whether students relate to it on the level of their personal relationships or issues of justice. Sharing feelings is very important, so we recommend agreeing on ground rules for discussion before people share their feelings

> activity: Sharing Feelings