This chapter will explore the impact of immigration on the relationship between religion and consumer culture in Britain. It will focus particularly on the ways in which globalisation and commodification have accelerated the consumption of ‘ethnic’ goods, be they cultural or religious. Whilst for some there are no limits where commodification is concerned, for others there is a clear boundary that cannot be traversed. Religious commodification is an arena in which there is an increasing interest, especially as religious symbols and artefacts are being appropriated by both adherents and non-adherents in an attempt to capitalise on a growing market. As developments in this field are very recent, this chapter will draw on examples cited on the internet.
Fast forward to 2024 – what has changed?
I can’t but help notice when new products arrive on our shelves – here are some recent ones and the question that always comes to mind ‘…is this a celebration of culture or an opportunity to monetise culture?’ You can make up your own mind on this with some of these:
In the past year I have taken a keener interest in applying active learning strategies and what is also commonly referred to as Purposeful Play or Gamification. The video below was my trial at combining an AI chat question with AI Video…the result for someone with no experience in creating videos was a real eye-opener.
There are several other tools that promote active learning and which are pretty straightforward to use:
Mentimeter
I was very fortunate to have had the guidance of Dr. Martin Compton who was a colleague in UCL Arena when he first introduced me to Mentimeter. There are many benefits to using Mentimeter as outlined in the video below:
Mentimeter has lots of features which are fantastic for student engagement. Below is a link to 70 fun ice breaker activities.
One of the activities that students really enjoy at the start of a class is the one below entitled ‘Where are you from?’ – they get to put a pin on the map in relation to the country that they feel best answers the question (this is all about self-identification).
I created a padlet to act as a resource for a workshop on Active Learning and you may find some of the ideas useful. Please note that Padlet is not accessible to all which is why I stopped using it as a tool in workshops – it goes against the principles of Universal Design for Learning. It is however, a good board to organise your own materials.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology
In the autumn of 2023 I attended a 4-day workshop to become a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology facilitator. I was blown away by the power of this tool which involves 4 main drivers: Construction, Metaphors, Story Making/Telling as well as Imagination. In the new year I will be offering team-building workshops using Lego®.
The methodology is built upon a process which stems from the heart of LEGO elements and the LEGO building system. Looking for a tool to unlock imagination and innovation within the company, the LEGO Group realized that a solution might be found in the LEGO System in Play itself: Just as the LEGO Group had been inspiring children to ‘build their dreams’ for decades, so perhaps adults could be asked to build their visions for future strategy.
The idea of the methodology originated in 1996 when two professors at IMD in Switzerland and The LEGO Group owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen were exploring alternative strategic planning tools and systems. They developed an understanding of the value of employees and the concept of an evolving, adaptive strategy that included using LEGO elements as three-dimensional models of business issues and challenges. The strategy was named LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
Other Tactile Pedagogies
There is an increasing interest in tactile or sensory pedagogies and this includes activities such as:
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Accept
