Is it learning about and from religion, religions or religious education? And is it any wonder some teachers don’t get it?

This article was first presented as a short paper at the annual conference of the Association of University Lecturers in Religious Education in Exeter, July 2009, and seeks to clarify different possible interpretations of what is meant by current uses of the terms learning about religion and learning from religion. Drawing on research/reports by OfSTED and examples from classroom practice, it recognises that this is an area that is by no means clear in many teachers' minds. The article also examines a variety of statements about teaching and learning processes in religious education (RE) in relation to learning about religion and learning from religion as a pedagogical strategy and argues that the three terms used in the title do not mean the same thing and that any concept of learning from religion depends on being clear about what it is that pupils should learn about religion. This in turn means making choices about how religion might be defined and understood in RE to enable us to understand how learning from religion can make the subject a distinctive curriculum experience.