Professional Focus Paper
Course: Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies
Level: National 3
1.
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
RMPS National 3.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning 3–18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the Broad General Education?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
RMPS National 3 consists of three Units.
 World Religion
 Morality and Belief
 Religious and Philosophical Questions
To achieve RMPS National 3, learners must pass all of the Units.
RME
What are the key features of RMPS National 3?
Unit assessment
Units can be assessed either separately or in a combined assessment activity. Staff should make use of naturally
occurring opportunities for the generation of assessment evidence. A wide range of activities will be suitable for
providing assessment evidence. There is no mandatory Unit content at National 3, however, staff should ensure
that they are familiar with the Unit outcomes and assessment standards in the Unit Specifications. Staff should
make best use of this flexibility to provide personalisation, choice and challenge in the opportunities that learners
have to demonstrate their learning. Assessment choices should take account of the principles of assessment in
Curriculum for Excellence and should support learning and develop learners’ self-awareness of themselves.
Integrated approach to skills development
Teaching and learning in RMPS National 3 should take an integrated approach to skills development across Units.
The emphasis on the use of naturally occurring evidence, the wide range of possible methods of Unit assessment,
as well as the possibility of combined Unit assessment, encourages and facilitates this integrated approach.
Skills
RMPS National 3 builds on the experiences learners will have had in the BGE and reflects the values, purposes
and principles of Curriculum for Excellence. It provides learners with many opportunities to build on the attributes
and capabilities of the four capacities. There is an increased focus on skills and on the application of skills,
including commenting on the meaning of sources, expressing views about moral questions and responses, and
outlining religious and philosophical questions and responses.
Hierarchy of Units
The hierarchical nature of the Units allows for the delivery of RMPS with groups of learners who are not all working
at the same level. The hierarchy of Units allows for a flexible approach, enabling learners to tackle Units and
assessments at the most appropriate level. The degree of choice within the Units further allows for new areas of
study for those who are able to progress from one level to another, while ensuring that learners are not repeating
content from one level to the next. Careful planning, however, will be required for any movement between National
3 and National 4, because of the different requirements of the course, in particular the additional requirements of
the Added Value Unit at National 4.
 How will you make use of the options within each Unit as you plan progression for pupils who progress from one
level to the next, eg how will you ensure that pupils moving to National 4 having completed National 3 are not
repeating content?
 To what extent does learning in RME/RERC within the third curriculum level provide opportunities for young
people to develop the skills they will need for National 3?
 How and where will you ensure that skills development is embedded within learning and teaching?
 How will you ensure that assessment opportunities arise naturally from learning and teaching approaches?
 What methods of Unit assessment will best allow learners to be successful in demonstrating their learning?
RME
What are the key features of learning in RMPS National 3?
Active learning
Approaches to learning and teaching should build on approaches used in RME/RERC in the third level. Learners
learn best when they are actively engaged with their learning; this includes developing skills, learning
collaboratively, and applying learning to fresh and challenging contexts. Active learning should also build learners’
confidence in independent learning in order to allow learners to take responsibility for their own learning and to
develop the skills and habits needed to become lifelong successful learners. RMPS offers many opportunities for
active learning. For example, learners will be engaged in selecting areas for study, researching issues, critically
evaluating positions, constructing meaning, working collaboratively, identifying points of agreement and
disagreement, reflecting on relevance and impact on themselves and others, identifying causes and
consequences, testing evidence and ideas, presenting ideas and responding to questions, categorising,
questioning and challenging their own and others’ views, and applying learning and skills to new contexts and
purposes.
 How will you ensure that the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, embedded in the broad general education,
continue to be developed in the senior phase as learners work towards RMPS National 3?
Learning independently
Learning experiences should provide many opportunities for learners to develop their skills and confidence in
learning independently. Staff should consider how best to support their learners to develop as independent learners
and thinkers. Building on the personalisation and choice within BGE, it will be important for learners to be
empowered to make choices about their learning. This might be in selecting particular case studies for investigation
or choosing perspectives for study, or in making choices about how to present their findings. This supports learner
engagement and motivation as well as their sense of purpose and control of their own learning. Learners should be
challenged to think for themselves. For example, learners, either individually or in small groups, could be asked to
identify the key features of a moral, religious, or philosophical issue, the strengths and weaknesses of an
argument, or the most helpful question to ask about a religious practice or moral issue and to justify their choices.
The development of the skills of critical thinking and philosophical enquiry is an essential part of independent
learning. Learners should be encouraged to engage with issues, sources, ideas, responses, and viewpoints in a
critical and analytical manner, using higher-order thinking skills. For example, learners will consider the
consequences and impact of religious belief and practice in the lives of individuals and on society by engaging with
evidence and case studies; learners will be challenged to find points of agreement and disagreement between
different perspectives on moral issues; and learners will evaluate philosophical arguments, identifying strengths
and weaknesses.
 What learning and teaching approaches at third level will prepare pupils for learning independently at National
3? How might these be embedded within the BGE?
Responsibility for learning
Learners should be taking increasing responsibility for their own learning. Learners should be encouraged to
choose challenging activities and areas of study and, in order to do this, it will be important that learners are aware
of their developing abilities to learn independently and their own strengths and weaknesses as learners. Staff
should ensure that learners have opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning, including opportunities
to make choices about the direction and focus of their learning. For example, learners may be involved in choosing
areas for study as well as having a choice in the learning and assessment methodologies used. Learners could be
RME
involved in arranging relevant visits, for example, a class visit to a place of worship, or in inviting speakers to talk to
the class.
Time to reflect on learning, to evaluate progress, and set targets for future learning should be built in to teaching
and learning plans. Learners should be encouraged to reflect on their own progress and make effective use of
feedback to improve. Staff should consider how best to provide feedback and how best to use self- and peerassessment in order to help learners to engage with and take responsibility for the process of reviewing learning
and identifying strategies and targets for improvement.
 How can you ensure that learners have the skills and are given the opportunities to take responsibility for their
own learning?
 How will you ensure that learners have the information and understanding that they need to reflect on and make
choices about their own learning?
 How might you develop a more flexible approach, embedding personalisation and choice and encouraging
learners to take responsibility for learning?
Collaborative learning
RMPS is well suited to collaborative learning approaches. When considering collaborative learning and teaching
approaches, staff will want to consider how individual learners can be challenged and supported to take on roles
within teams that provide appropriate challenge and also meaningful opportunities to contribute to the group and to
experience success. For example, in the Morality and Belief Unit, learners could work in teams to research issues
and then act as learning resources for one another, taking on different roles to learn about and evaluate key
questions. While learners learn about the beliefs and views of others, they are also encouraged to reflect and draw
on their own beliefs and perspectives. In collaborative learning activities learners will need to demonstrate
awareness of and respect for those within their peer group of learners as well as for others.
 How will you ensure that, when working collaboratively, all learners take on roles and responsibilities that allow
for both challenge and success?
Applying learning and skills development
There is an emphasis on skills and, in particular, on the integration and application of skills. Skills that learners
should be able to apply widely in learning experiences include: understanding and commenting on the meaning
and context of sources, expressing views, and outlining religious and philosophical questions and responses.
Learners will have many opportunities to develop skills such as literacy, research and ICT. RMPS also offers
unique opportunities for learners to make connections between their learning and their own beliefs and values and
thus contributes significantly to health and well-being. Skills development should be embedded in all learning
opportunities, and learners should have opportunities to use skills developed in one area across other areas and in
different contexts. Learning experiences should be structured such that learners are encouraged to see links
across learning. This will include links between the Units and links to their wider learning outwith RMPS.
 To what extent does learning in RME within the third curriculum level provide opportunities for young people to
develop the skills they will need for National 3?
 How will you ensure that learners have opportunities to engage with a broad and challenging range of sources?
RME
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
RMPS National 3: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48609.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
 RME Principles and Practice
 RERC Principles and Practice
 Skills Development in the Study of a World Religion – This resource offers guidance on methodologies for
effective teaching and learning focussed on skills development in the study of a world religion.
 Testimony – This online resource is designed to support pupils and teachers of RME within the senior phase.
The site focuses on the importance of faith, belief and values to the lives of individuals and how these beliefs
and values have impacted upon their lives and influenced their actions.
Support materials have been produced over the last year to support Curriculum for Excellence and further support
materials and events are planned for this year. This downloadable list is updated quarterly with the most up-to-date
details available from the pages below.
Published and planned support for Curriculum for Excellence:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/publishedandplannedsupport
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
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