Grants Awarded // Completed Projects

The Open University

The Docutube method uses filmmaking to facilitate reflection on religious diversity, past and present.​ Through the creative and collaborative process of making short documentary films (‘Docutubes’),  young people can explore, discuss and reflect on issues relevant to religious diversity, toleration and peace, drawing on historical examples and their own experience.  This method was originally developed by The Open University in collaboration with a wide range of international partners as part of the RETOPEA (Religion Toleration and Peace) project, funded by the European Union.
Current grant funded project (2024–26) £22,478: The Docutube Method: Teacher‑training, policy and practice across the UK
This project aims to:
  • Raise the profile and promote the widespread adoption of the Docutube method across all four nations of the UK as a multisensory & multimodal approach that actively engages young people in teaching and learning about religion and worldviews.
  • Work with teacher-training colleges, RE teacher associations and networks to train teachers, teacher-trainers and trainee teachers of RE and other relevant subjects in the use of the Docutube method.
  • Harness and promote the Docutube method’s potential to build resilience and support peace and community cohesion in areas where there may be tension or division in community relations.
  • explore pathways for more extensive parental engagement in the development of the Docutube methodology, including scoping activities for its potential use in the context of home education networks.
  • scope out how the Docutube method could potentially be adapted to primary school contexts.

 

Earlier project (2022–23) £25,971: Young People and Religion: Creative Learning with History and Filmmaking

This project built on and raised awareness of the EU-funded  approach of making ‘Docutubes’ among teachers and others working with young people.

Learn the method yourself

Educators can access a free online course explaining how to use the Docutube method in their own teaching:

Young People and Religion: Creative Learning with History — OpenLearn Young people and religion: creative learning with history | OpenLearn – Open University

Here is a Quick Guide summarising the steps:

‘Making Docutubes: Quick Guide

Using the Docutube method in home education

The following resources support home educators in using the Docutube method in their own teaching and learning. These resources have been developed by home educating parent, Judith Antell, working with the project team at The Open University:

Listen to this podcast/ watch this video where Stefanie Sinclair, Professor of Religion, Identity and Education at The Open University, speaks to home educating parent, Judith Antell, and Dr Katelin Teller from the Open University about how the Docutube method can be adapted to home education contexts. This uses the example of a home educating group in London:

Listen to Professor John Wolffe and John Maiden in a recent In Conversation event discuss the project. How did people neutralize religious contradictions in the past? Can we learn from those experiences? These are the questions that were central to a large-scale international research project RETOPEA. It investigated the different ways in which religious coexistence is thought of in different environments and how religious peace treaties have been established in the past.