January 8, 2026 • 19 mins
In this episode of the Arizona Civics Podcast, host Liz Evans is joined by Dr. Tim Hall, educator and founder of Religion Matters, for a thoughtful conversation on religious literacy—what it is, why it matters, and how it can be taught responsibly in public schools.
Dr. Hall explains how religious literacy helps students better understand history, civic life, global affairs, and one another in a pluralistic democracy. The conversation explores constitutional guardrails, classroom strategies, and trusted resources for educators who want to approach religion academically, not devotionally.
What You’ll Learn
- What religious literacy means in a public school context
- Why religion is essential to understanding history, civics, and global issues
- How religious literacy supports global competence and civic engagement
- Constitutional guidelines for teaching about religion in K–12 classrooms
- The Six-Point Framework and the “lived religion” approach
- Why the Scopes Trial still matters nearly 100 years later
- Trusted, classroom-ready resources for educators
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Core Religious Literacy & Civics Resources
- National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) – Religious Studies Companion to the C3 Framework
https://www.socialstudies.org - First Amendment Center – Guidelines for Teaching About Religion
https://www.freedomforum.org - American Academy of Religion (AAR) – Definition of Religious Literacy
https://www.aarweb.org - Pew Research Center – Religion & Public Life
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion
Teaching & Curriculum Resources
- Tanbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
https://tanbaumcenter.org - Harvard Divinity School – Religion and Public Life
https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu - Religion & Education Collaborative
https://religionandeducationcollaborative.org - Religion Matters (Dr. Tim Hall)
https://religionmatters.org
Global Competence Resources
- World Savvy
https://www.worldsavvy.org - Asia Society – Center for Global Education
https://asiasociety.org/education - Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
https://pz.harvard.edu
Historical & Civic References
- The Scopes Trial (1925) – Religion, science, and public education
- Declaration of Independence – Religious influences on the Founders
- First Amendment Religion Cases – Including cases related to the Pledge of Allegiance
The Arizona Constitution Project
Check Out Our Free Lessons on Arizona History and Government!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Liz Evans (00:53):
Welcome back to the Arizona Civics Podcast.
I am super excited about ourguest today because I have
actually learned so much.
I've been in this world for twodecades.
Um, and I've never actuallyheard the term religious
literacy.
So with us today, we have Dr.
Tim Hall, who is a K-12 socialstudies instructional
(01:15):
specialist, adjunct history,instructor, interim principal,
and founder of ReligiousMatters, a platform dedicated to
advancing religious literacy,diversity, and global competence
in education.
He has served as past presidentof the North Carolina Council
for the Social Studies andcoordinated Holocaust education
(01:36):
for his county.
Dr.
Hall's work helps educatorsbring religion into the
classroom in a ways that areacademically sound,
constitutionally appropriate,and culturally responsive,
preparing students to betterunderstand history and civic
life and the diverse world thatthey live in.
Dr.
Hall, thank you so much forbeing here today.
I am very excited to talk aboutthis because I think sometimes
(02:01):
when we say the word religion,educators get scared.
So when we talk about religiousliteracy, what do we mean and
why is it such an essential partof public education today?
Tim Hall (02:15):
Thank you for having me here.
I'm very happy to be a part ofthis uh podcast and have this
opportunity to talk aboutreligious literacy.
So religious literacydefinitely scares uh a lot of
teachers or makes teachersanxious.
And you can see that across thenation in classrooms for sure.
Um Religious literacy isfundamentally about
(02:36):
understanding the ways religionintersects with social,
political, and cultural life.
The American Academy ofReligion, which is religious
studies scholars, it's about10,000 strong, for uh, which is
pretty large, defines it as theability to discern and analyze
those intersections, along withhaving the basic understanding
(02:59):
of major traditions and thecontext that shape them.
In public education today, thisreally matters because religion
is one of the most powerfulforces shaping human behavior.
I mean, globally, and this isfrom 2012, um Pew Forum uh
survey, more than 5.7 billionpeople out of 7.5 billion people
(03:22):
identify with some religioustradition.
I mean, that's a huge number.
And so, what that means forstudents is we're going to live
and work and collaborate withpeople whose world views are
informed by a religioustradition.
So, in a pluralistic democracy,religious literacy helps
students interpret the worldaccurately and deeply while
(03:46):
engaging respectfully acrossdifferences and avoiding those
simplistic stereotypes andgeneralizations that often fuel
conflict.
It's not about promotingbelief.
Religious literacy is not aboutpromoting belief, it's really
about preparing young people tonavigate the real world with
intelligence and empathy.
Liz Evans (04:09):
So, how does religious literacy fit within
the broader goal of preparingglobally competent and civically
engaged students?
Tim Hall (04:18):
That is a great question as well.
I mean, so global competenceinvolves several things.
It involves examining local andglobal issues, understanding
different perspectives, and theninteracting respectfully with
others and then takingresponsible action.
So religious literacy is one ofthe most direct pathways to
(04:40):
building that capacity.
When students learn howreligious ideas shape culture,
conflicts, social movements, andidentity, then they really gain
the tools that for, they reallygain the tools for interpreting
global events and localdynamics at the same time.
So civically, religiousliteracy supports what scholars
identify as civic,constitutional, and liberal
(05:03):
education purposes forschooling.
But it also teaches students towork across deep differences,
grounds them in First Amendmentprinciples, and strengthens
their ability to participate ina diverse democracy.
Global competence and religiousliteracy are two sides of the
same coin, and they're mutuallyreinforcing.
(05:24):
Both cultivate perspectivetaking, humility, and the
capacity to hold complexityrather than collapse it into us
versus them thinking.
Liz Evans (05:35):
So we talk about this, you know, in classrooms.
What are some practical waysthat teachers can responsibly
include religion in theclassroom, especially in an era
of polarization andmisunderstanding?
Tim Hall (05:49):
Very good question because that question comes up
most in my conferences andworkshops and my uh engagement
with teachers on this issue.
Um, so there are guidelines.
And so the guidelines wereproduced by Charles Haynes back
in 2001 and published by theFirst Amendment Center, and then
later incorporated into severalnational documents.
(06:10):
And so the guidelines are veryclear and very workable.
So, in general, and I won'tread all the guidelines, but in
general, the guidelines sayteachers should be academic
rather than devotional when theyteach about religion.
They should be focused on theawareness, not the acceptance of
religions.
And they should always beneutral among religions and
(06:31):
between religion andnon-religion.
So, in practice, I mean, thiscan look like using primary
sources, like, say, art, laws,literature, constitutional cases
to show how religion shapesculture.
Or it could mean incorporatingmulticultural literature that
highlights lived experiences,not just doctrines that you find
(06:53):
in textbooks.
It could also mean usingstructured classroom tools, um,
two of them in particular: bracketing, which means uh (06:58):
undefined
students learn to set asidetheir own personal beliefs, and
then windows and mirrors, whichhelps students see others in
what they are reading andthemselves in the content.
And then lastly, you discussreligion in relation to
geography, politics, science, orhistory, rather than isolating
(07:19):
as a single unit outside ofregular experience, because it
is a lived experience.
So when teachers lean on theseacademic methods, then they
really create the space forcuriosity, nuance, and
respectful dialogue, and evenwhen communities are polarized.
Liz Evans (07:38):
So beyond teaching about religion responsibly and
constitutionally, what does itlook like for teachers to do so
in a way that is rigorous andinclusive?
Tim Hall (07:50):
That is also a good question because um I'm gonna be
quite honest with you.
Early on in my career, I wasnot I was not rigorous with um
teaching about religion.
I was very much in a staticmode of teaching about religion
using graphic organizers,doctrines, and beliefs.
But really, we need to use thislived religion lens.
(08:10):
And that lived religion lenscomes from the six-point
framework.
Uh, the six-point framework islocated in the National Council
for Social Studies, religiousstudies companion document to
the C3 framework, which waspublished in 2017 as an appendix
to the actual C3 framework.
And I'll go over that more in alittle while.
(08:33):
But, anyways, that live umreligion lens is much better
because rather than reducing atradition to charts of founders
and doctrines and holidays, itreally focuses on the rigorous
teaching that engages thecomplexity of how people
actually live out their religionin their daily lives.
So the six-point frameworkencourages teachers to explore
(08:56):
these uh items.
First of all, um, there's thethree B's belonging, behaviors,
and beliefs.
You know, um people uh indifferent religious traditions
belong to these religioustraditions and have communities
and identities associated withthat belonging.
They also have behaviors,rituals, habits, and daily
practices that are associatedwith that.
(09:17):
And then finally, they havebeliefs, which are ideas,
meaning making, and theology.
And all three belonging,behaviors, and beliefs, all
influence each other uhmutually.
So as people belong to adifferent community, then they
uh the affects their behaviorsand their beliefs as well.
And then the other three pointsof that six-point framework are
(09:38):
from the cultural studiesmethod of learning about
religion, which is, and theyinclude internal diversity.
So um we need to recognize andreject stereotypes that show um
by showing a variety of internaldiversity within a religious
tradition.
So all religious traditionshave this internal diversity, so
(10:01):
you can't say one religion allbelieved this, because that is
not the case.
In addition, uh another one isdynamic change.
Um, so all religious traditionschange over time.
So if you're teaching aboutIslam in the seventh century,
that looks very different thanIslam today, or Christianity in
the seventh century looks verydifferent than Christianity in
(10:23):
the 21st century.
And then finally, this um ideaof culture embeddedness, which
means that religion alwaysinteracts with art, politics,
science, economics, and publiclife.
It it really influencescultures, but also is influenced
by culture.
So Christianity, say in Americalooks different than say
(10:44):
Christianity in Africa a lot oftimes, because of the different
cultures and the uh that thatinflux.
So this uh approach, this umsix-point framework really meets
that constitutional bar whilealso honoring the real
complexity of religion inpeople's lives.
It widens the narrative beyondthe isms, Islam, Hinduism,
(11:06):
Buddhism, and really kind ofgives the students a rigorous
and humane understanding ofreligious traditions in the
world today.
Liz Evans (11:15):
And we will put all of the things that Dr.
Hall is talking about.
Our show notes are just goingto be bursting with information.
Um, and I appreciate that youtalk about this because on our
other podcast, Civics in theyear, when we're going through
the declaration, one of ourscholars, Dr.
Paul Careese, was talking aboutthe influence of religion on
the Declaration of Independencebecause that was the lived
(11:38):
experiences of the founders.
And you can't teach history orcivics without understanding
that.
So one of the things we'vewritten about was actually one
of my very favorite things toteach in school, um, the scopes
trial.
So you've talked about that andits ongoing relevance.
What does that moment inhistory teach us about how
(11:59):
Americans debate religion,science, and education today?
Tim Hall (12:06):
There is a lot to the scopes trial.
I love the scopes trial too,not just as a historical point
of reference in 1925, but howyou can take the scopes trial
and say, here's what happened in1925, but go to 2025 and you're
saying, wait, there are somevery similar uh things happening
today.
And so the scopes trial isreally a powerful reminder that
(12:28):
debates about religion andscience are never black and
white.
You know, they're aboutidentity, authority, and who
gets to define public education.
So in 1925 in Tennessee, thetrial exposed the tensions
between modern culture andtraditional culture, you know,
state control and academicfreedom, scientific inquiry, and
(12:50):
religious conviction.
And so all those um differentthemes are in that trial.
And so nearly a century later,you can still see echoes of
those same dynamics in debatesover evolution, climate change,
book challenges, civiceducation, and how schools
address other cultural warissues in the classroom.
(13:12):
So the lesson is not theconflict is new, it's it's about
how we equip students with thecivic and intellectual tools to
engage in these debatesthoughtfully and respectfully.
So religious literacy helps usto understand what's behind the
arguments instead of reducing itto characters that you see in
(13:34):
May history books of the Scoopstrial today.
Liz Evans (13:38):
So if I'm a teacher, I'm I'm probably already
teaching about religions becausehistory you can't get away from
it.
But if they want to bring moreof that religious literacy into
their classroom in the mannersthat you've been talking about,
where should they start?
And what are some trustedresources providers you would
recommend?
And again, everything thatyou're listening to, listeners,
(13:59):
we will make sure is in the shownotes so you don't have to be
writing quickly during this.
Tim Hall (14:05):
So that's a great question about resources.
So there are a few entry pointswhich are especially strong.
So, first off, I would startwith the religious studies
companion document for the C3framework by the National
Council for Social Studies.
Um, that document does a greatjob of aligning religious
literacy with inquiry andstandards.
(14:27):
It provides that um thoseguidelines that I mentioned
earlier while also providingthat six-point framework that I
mentioned earlier as well.
So that is a great document tostart with.
And then there's the TambaumCenter for Interreligious
Understanding.
They focus more on religiousdiversity, but also religious
literacy, but they provide a uhgreat resource of lesson plans
(14:52):
and and materials for teachersto use in the classroom.
Another group which has uhworked hard with um uh religious
literacy is the HarvardDivinity School, Religion and
Public Life.
Uh, they uh focus in on thecultural studies method of
teaching about religion, whichis three of the six points of
(15:12):
the six-point framework.
And they have videos and uhsource material for teachers in
the classroom.
Really great source.
Another one is religion andeducation collaborative.
That group uh brings togethertwo groups that typically aren't
together (15:29):
K-12 uh teachers and religious literacy scholars.
And they inform each otherabout religion and education in
the classroom.
And it's really a great groupbecause it's it's two groups
that really tend not tocommunicate back and forth, uh,
but they have opportunities toreally uh bridge those uh
(15:52):
communication gaps there.
Another one, of course, is mywebsite, religionmatters.org.
Um, on that website, we havecurated resource lists um
connected to the variouspresentations that I've done
across the state and then acrossthe nation.
And then also we have a blog inwhich we invite teachers who
(16:15):
are teaching about religion inthe classroom to share their
experiences and lesson planswith other teachers, providing
teacher voice to this uh veryimportant issue.
And then for the globalcompetence piece, let me mention
World Savvy, Asia Society, andProject Zero.
Great sources of globalcompetence connections and
(16:38):
resources and frameworks to beable to really look at global
competence in the classroom.
So for teachers, though, a goodfirst step is really just
simply integrating religiouscontent into your existing
units.
I mean, look where things fitnaturally and just are there,
like quietly in the corner, youknow?
(17:00):
So culture, migration, humanrights, revolutions, rather than
treating religion as anisolated topic.
And then once teachers see howdeeply religion shapes human
experience, it becomes anessential part of a good social
studies curriculum and teachingin the classroom.
Liz Evans (17:19):
I think the thing I appreciate most about this is,
you know, as you're talking, Iwas like, I did a lot of this in
school and I just didn't have aname for it.
And now that there's a name forit, I think that there's a lot
of educators who are going to belistening and say, I do this
and now I can sharpen it andmake it even better because I
(17:40):
have a name for it and I haveextra resources.
And, you know, this isn't likeyou said, it's not about pushing
religion.
You cannot separate religionfrom people because that's how
it shapes us.
We see it in the founding, wesee it in Supreme Court cases.
I'm even thinking of like, youknow, Supreme Court cases
(18:00):
surrounding the Pledge ofAllegiance.
They are actually FirstAmendment religion cases.
And so I appreciate you becausethis isn't an extra thing.
It's a thing that people arealready doing that you're
helping sharpen for the teachersand for the classrooms.
We I cannot say how much Iappreciate having you on.
(18:24):
Please check the show notesbecause they will be full of
everything that was talked abouttoday.
Tim Hall (18:30):
Well, thank you for having me.
I'm glad to be here and youhave a great day.
Welcome back to the Arizona Civics Podcast.
I am super excited about ourguest today because I have
actually learned so much.
I've been in this world for twodecades.
Um, and I've never actuallyheard the term religious
literacy.
So with us today, we have Dr.
Tim Hall, who is a K-12 socialstudies instructional
(01:15):
specialist, adjunct history,instructor, interim principal,
and founder of ReligiousMatters, a platform dedicated to
advancing religious literacy,diversity, and global competence
in education.
He has served as past presidentof the North Carolina Council
for the Social Studies andcoordinated Holocaust education
(01:36):
for his county.
Dr.
Hall's work helps educatorsbring religion into the
classroom in a ways that areacademically sound,
constitutionally appropriate,and culturally responsive,
preparing students to betterunderstand history and civic
life and the diverse world thatthey live in.
Dr.
Hall, thank you so much forbeing here today.
I am very excited to talk aboutthis because I think sometimes
(02:01):
when we say the word religion,educators get scared.
So when we talk about religiousliteracy, what do we mean and
why is it such an essential partof public education today?
Tim Hall (02:15):
Thank you for having me here.
I'm very happy to be a part ofthis uh podcast and have this
opportunity to talk aboutreligious literacy.
So religious literacydefinitely scares uh a lot of
teachers or makes teachersanxious.
And you can see that across thenation in classrooms for sure.
Um Religious literacy isfundamentally about
(02:36):
understanding the ways religionintersects with social,
political, and cultural life.
The American Academy ofReligion, which is religious
studies scholars, it's about10,000 strong, for uh, which is
pretty large, defines it as theability to discern and analyze
those intersections, along withhaving the basic understanding
(02:59):
of major traditions and thecontext that shape them.
In public education today, thisreally matters because religion
is one of the most powerfulforces shaping human behavior.
I mean, globally, and this isfrom 2012, um Pew Forum uh
survey, more than 5.7 billionpeople out of 7.5 billion people
(03:22):
identify with some religioustradition.
I mean, that's a huge number.
And so, what that means forstudents is we're going to live
and work and collaborate withpeople whose world views are
informed by a religioustradition.
So, in a pluralistic democracy,religious literacy helps
students interpret the worldaccurately and deeply while
(03:46):
engaging respectfully acrossdifferences and avoiding those
simplistic stereotypes andgeneralizations that often fuel
conflict.
It's not about promotingbelief.
Religious literacy is not aboutpromoting belief, it's really
about preparing young people tonavigate the real world with
intelligence and empathy.
Liz Evans (04:09):
So, how does religious literacy fit within
the broader goal of preparingglobally competent and civically
engaged students?
Tim Hall (04:18):
That is a great question as well.
I mean, so global competenceinvolves several things.
It involves examining local andglobal issues, understanding
different perspectives, and theninteracting respectfully with
others and then takingresponsible action.
So religious literacy is one ofthe most direct pathways to
(04:40):
building that capacity.
When students learn howreligious ideas shape culture,
conflicts, social movements, andidentity, then they really gain
the tools that for, they reallygain the tools for interpreting
global events and localdynamics at the same time.
So civically, religiousliteracy supports what scholars
identify as civic,constitutional, and liberal
(05:03):
education purposes forschooling.
But it also teaches students towork across deep differences,
grounds them in First Amendmentprinciples, and strengthens
their ability to participate ina diverse democracy.
Global competence and religiousliteracy are two sides of the
same coin, and they're mutuallyreinforcing.
(05:24):
Both cultivate perspectivetaking, humility, and the
capacity to hold complexityrather than collapse it into us
versus them thinking.
Liz Evans (05:35):
So we talk about this, you know, in classrooms.
What are some practical waysthat teachers can responsibly
include religion in theclassroom, especially in an era
of polarization andmisunderstanding?
Tim Hall (05:49):
Very good question because that question comes up
most in my conferences andworkshops and my uh engagement
with teachers on this issue.
Um, so there are guidelines.
And so the guidelines wereproduced by Charles Haynes back
in 2001 and published by theFirst Amendment Center, and then
later incorporated into severalnational documents.
(06:10):
And so the guidelines are veryclear and very workable.
So, in general, and I won'tread all the guidelines, but in
general, the guidelines sayteachers should be academic
rather than devotional when theyteach about religion.
They should be focused on theawareness, not the acceptance of
religions.
And they should always beneutral among religions and
(06:31):
between religion andnon-religion.
So, in practice, I mean, thiscan look like using primary
sources, like, say, art, laws,literature, constitutional cases
to show how religion shapesculture.
Or it could mean incorporatingmulticultural literature that
highlights lived experiences,not just doctrines that you find
(06:53):
in textbooks.
It could also mean usingstructured classroom tools, um,
two of them in particular: bracketing, which means uh (06:58):
undefined
students learn to set asidetheir own personal beliefs, and
then windows and mirrors, whichhelps students see others in
what they are reading andthemselves in the content.
And then lastly, you discussreligion in relation to
geography, politics, science, orhistory, rather than isolating
(07:19):
as a single unit outside ofregular experience, because it
is a lived experience.
So when teachers lean on theseacademic methods, then they
really create the space forcuriosity, nuance, and
respectful dialogue, and evenwhen communities are polarized.
Liz Evans (07:38):
So beyond teaching about religion responsibly and
constitutionally, what does itlook like for teachers to do so
in a way that is rigorous andinclusive?
Tim Hall (07:50):
That is also a good question because um I'm gonna be
quite honest with you.
Early on in my career, I wasnot I was not rigorous with um
teaching about religion.
I was very much in a staticmode of teaching about religion
using graphic organizers,doctrines, and beliefs.
But really, we need to use thislived religion lens.
(08:10):
And that lived religion lenscomes from the six-point
framework.
Uh, the six-point framework islocated in the National Council
for Social Studies, religiousstudies companion document to
the C3 framework, which waspublished in 2017 as an appendix
to the actual C3 framework.
And I'll go over that more in alittle while.
(08:33):
But, anyways, that live umreligion lens is much better
because rather than reducing atradition to charts of founders
and doctrines and holidays, itreally focuses on the rigorous
teaching that engages thecomplexity of how people
actually live out their religionin their daily lives.
So the six-point frameworkencourages teachers to explore
(08:56):
these uh items.
First of all, um, there's thethree B's belonging, behaviors,
and beliefs.
You know, um people uh indifferent religious traditions
belong to these religioustraditions and have communities
and identities associated withthat belonging.
They also have behaviors,rituals, habits, and daily
practices that are associatedwith that.
(09:17):
And then finally, they havebeliefs, which are ideas,
meaning making, and theology.
And all three belonging,behaviors, and beliefs, all
influence each other uhmutually.
So as people belong to adifferent community, then they
uh the affects their behaviorsand their beliefs as well.
And then the other three pointsof that six-point framework are
(09:38):
from the cultural studiesmethod of learning about
religion, which is, and theyinclude internal diversity.
So um we need to recognize andreject stereotypes that show um
by showing a variety of internaldiversity within a religious
tradition.
So all religious traditionshave this internal diversity, so
(10:01):
you can't say one religion allbelieved this, because that is
not the case.
In addition, uh another one isdynamic change.
Um, so all religious traditionschange over time.
So if you're teaching aboutIslam in the seventh century,
that looks very different thanIslam today, or Christianity in
the seventh century looks verydifferent than Christianity in
(10:23):
the 21st century.
And then finally, this um ideaof culture embeddedness, which
means that religion alwaysinteracts with art, politics,
science, economics, and publiclife.
It it really influencescultures, but also is influenced
by culture.
So Christianity, say in Americalooks different than say
(10:44):
Christianity in Africa a lot oftimes, because of the different
cultures and the uh that thatinflux.
So this uh approach, this umsix-point framework really meets
that constitutional bar whilealso honoring the real
complexity of religion inpeople's lives.
It widens the narrative beyondthe isms, Islam, Hinduism,
(11:06):
Buddhism, and really kind ofgives the students a rigorous
and humane understanding ofreligious traditions in the
world today.
Liz Evans (11:15):
And we will put all of the things that Dr.
Hall is talking about.
Our show notes are just goingto be bursting with information.
Um, and I appreciate that youtalk about this because on our
other podcast, Civics in theyear, when we're going through
the declaration, one of ourscholars, Dr.
Paul Careese, was talking aboutthe influence of religion on
the Declaration of Independencebecause that was the lived
(11:38):
experiences of the founders.
And you can't teach history orcivics without understanding
that.
So one of the things we'vewritten about was actually one
of my very favorite things toteach in school, um, the scopes
trial.
So you've talked about that andits ongoing relevance.
What does that moment inhistory teach us about how
(11:59):
Americans debate religion,science, and education today?
Tim Hall (12:06):
There is a lot to the scopes trial.
I love the scopes trial too,not just as a historical point
of reference in 1925, but howyou can take the scopes trial
and say, here's what happened in1925, but go to 2025 and you're
saying, wait, there are somevery similar uh things happening
today.
And so the scopes trial isreally a powerful reminder that
(12:28):
debates about religion andscience are never black and
white.
You know, they're aboutidentity, authority, and who
gets to define public education.
So in 1925 in Tennessee, thetrial exposed the tensions
between modern culture andtraditional culture, you know,
state control and academicfreedom, scientific inquiry, and
(12:50):
religious conviction.
And so all those um differentthemes are in that trial.
And so nearly a century later,you can still see echoes of
those same dynamics in debatesover evolution, climate change,
book challenges, civiceducation, and how schools
address other cultural warissues in the classroom.
(13:12):
So the lesson is not theconflict is new, it's it's about
how we equip students with thecivic and intellectual tools to
engage in these debatesthoughtfully and respectfully.
So religious literacy helps usto understand what's behind the
arguments instead of reducing itto characters that you see in
(13:34):
May history books of the Scoopstrial today.
Liz Evans (13:38):
So if I'm a teacher, I'm I'm probably already
teaching about religions becausehistory you can't get away from
it.
But if they want to bring moreof that religious literacy into
their classroom in the mannersthat you've been talking about,
where should they start?
And what are some trustedresources providers you would
recommend?
And again, everything thatyou're listening to, listeners,
(13:59):
we will make sure is in the shownotes so you don't have to be
writing quickly during this.
Tim Hall (14:05):
So that's a great question about resources.
So there are a few entry pointswhich are especially strong.
So, first off, I would startwith the religious studies
companion document for the C3framework by the National
Council for Social Studies.
Um, that document does a greatjob of aligning religious
literacy with inquiry andstandards.
(14:27):
It provides that um thoseguidelines that I mentioned
earlier while also providingthat six-point framework that I
mentioned earlier as well.
So that is a great document tostart with.
And then there's the TambaumCenter for Interreligious
Understanding.
They focus more on religiousdiversity, but also religious
literacy, but they provide a uhgreat resource of lesson plans
(14:52):
and and materials for teachersto use in the classroom.
Another group which has uhworked hard with um uh religious
literacy is the HarvardDivinity School, Religion and
Public Life.
Uh, they uh focus in on thecultural studies method of
teaching about religion, whichis three of the six points of
(15:12):
the six-point framework.
And they have videos and uhsource material for teachers in
the classroom.
Really great source.
Another one is religion andeducation collaborative.
That group uh brings togethertwo groups that typically aren't
together (15:29):
K-12 uh teachers and religious literacy scholars.
And they inform each otherabout religion and education in
the classroom.
And it's really a great groupbecause it's it's two groups
that really tend not tocommunicate back and forth, uh,
but they have opportunities toreally uh bridge those uh
(15:52):
communication gaps there.
Another one, of course, is mywebsite, religionmatters.org.
Um, on that website, we havecurated resource lists um
connected to the variouspresentations that I've done
across the state and then acrossthe nation.
And then also we have a blog inwhich we invite teachers who
(16:15):
are teaching about religion inthe classroom to share their
experiences and lesson planswith other teachers, providing
teacher voice to this uh veryimportant issue.
And then for the globalcompetence piece, let me mention
World Savvy, Asia Society, andProject Zero.
Great sources of globalcompetence connections and
(16:38):
resources and frameworks to beable to really look at global
competence in the classroom.
So for teachers, though, a goodfirst step is really just
simply integrating religiouscontent into your existing
units.
I mean, look where things fitnaturally and just are there,
like quietly in the corner, youknow?
(17:00):
So culture, migration, humanrights, revolutions, rather than
treating religion as anisolated topic.
And then once teachers see howdeeply religion shapes human
experience, it becomes anessential part of a good social
studies curriculum and teachingin the classroom.
Liz Evans (17:19):
I think the thing I appreciate most about this is,
you know, as you're talking, Iwas like, I did a lot of this in
school and I just didn't have aname for it.
And now that there's a name forit, I think that there's a lot
of educators who are going to belistening and say, I do this
and now I can sharpen it andmake it even better because I
(17:40):
have a name for it and I haveextra resources.
And, you know, this isn't likeyou said, it's not about pushing
religion.
You cannot separate religionfrom people because that's how
it shapes us.
We see it in the founding, wesee it in Supreme Court cases.
I'm even thinking of like, youknow, Supreme Court cases
(18:00):
surrounding the Pledge ofAllegiance.
They are actually FirstAmendment religion cases.
And so I appreciate you becausethis isn't an extra thing.
It's a thing that people arealready doing that you're
helping sharpen for the teachersand for the classrooms.
We I cannot say how much Iappreciate having you on.
(18:24):
Please check the show notesbecause they will be full of
everything that was talked abouttoday.
Tim Hall (18:30):
Well, thank you for having me.
I'm glad to be here and youhave a great day.
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