Professor Julian Stern

Professor of Education and Religion

julian.stern@bishopg.ac.uk

Julian Stern works on education and religion, leading research projects and organisations, and supervising doctorates. He qualified as a piano teacher, and then as a teacher of humanities and social sciences, and was a school teacher for fourteen years. Moving into teacher education and research, he has worked in universities in London, Yorkshire, and now Lincolnshire. Themes of his work include the philosophy of schooling, religious education, spirituality in education, research methods, and issues related to solitude, silence and loneliness.

Related courses:

  • Various dissertations related to religion and education
  • EdD work on methodology and on issues related to religion and education, the philosophy of schooling, spirituality, and solitude
  • PhD supervision on issues related to religion and education, the philosophy of schooling, spirituality, and solitude

  • The philosophy of schooling, including the use of philosophy in schools, and issues relating to care, curiosity, community and personhood
  • Religion and education, including religious education across the world, pedagogy in religious education, Christian education, Jewish education, prayer and schooling
  • Spirituality in education, including the ‘spirit of the school’, pedagogies of spirituality, different religious traditions of spirituality
  • Research methods, including research virtues, qualitative research, conversation in and as research
  • Solitude, silence and loneliness, including education and solitude/loneliness, solitude and the arts.
  • Computing and education
  • Homework
  • Leadership

Some recent books

Stern, L J, Sink, C A, Wałejko, M and Wong P H (eds) (2022) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness; London: Bloomsbury.

James, M and Stern, L J (2019) Mastering Primary Religious Education; London: Bloomsbury.

Stern, L J (2018) A Philosophy of Schooling: Care and Curiosity in Community; London: Palgrave.

Stern, L J (2018) Teaching Religious Education: Researchers in the Classroom: Second Edition; London: Bloomsbury.

Stern, L J (2017) Can I Tell You About Loneliness?: A Guide for Friends, Family and Professionals; London: Jessica Kingsley.

Stern, L J (2016) Virtuous Educational Research: Conversations on Ethical Practice; Oxford: Peter Lang.

Stern, L J (2014) Loneliness and Solitude in Education: How to Value Individuality and Create an Enstatic School; Oxford: Peter Lang.

Stern, L J (2009) The Spirit of the School; London: Continuum.

Stern, L J (2009) Getting the Buggers to Do Their Homework, Second Edition; London: Continuum.

Stern, L J (2007) Schools and Religions: Imagining the Real; London: Continuum.

Stern, L J (2007) O Envolvimento Dos Pais No Processo Educacional, Tradução Adail Sobral & Stela Gonçalves, Leitura Crítica & Adaptação Luciana Platero; São Paulo, Brazil: SBS.

Stern, L J (2024) The Art, Literature and Music of Solitude; London: Bloomsbury.

Stern, L J (2022 [but published in 2023]) Middle Leadership in Education: Care, Carefulness and Being ‘Caute’ in the Middle; Cambridge: Grove Books.

Some recent book chapters

Stern, L J (2022) ‘Beyond the lonely university – how universities can be alone together’, in Anna Murawska and Elżbieta Magiera (eds) University in the Frontier – Semantic, historical, scientific and educational contexts; Szczecin, Poland: University of Szczecin, pp 275-280.

Stern, L J (2022) ‘Introduction: Personhood, Alone and Together – Solitude, Silence and Loneliness in Context’, in Stern, L J, Sink, C A, Wałejko, M and Wong P H (eds) (2022) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness; London: Bloomsbury, pp 1-9.

Stern, L J (2022) ‘The Art, Music and Literature of Solitude’, in Stern, L J, Sink, C A, Wałejko, M and Wong P H (eds) (2022) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness; London: Bloomsbury, chapter 7, pp 89-103.

Stern, L J (2022) ‘Conclusion: Lifelong Learning of Aloneness’, in Stern, L J, Sink, C A, Wałejko, M and Wong P H (eds) (2022) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness; London: Bloomsbury, pp 323-333.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘A Self Rejected: Childhood Loneliness and the Experience of Alienation’, Chapter 4 in Wills, R, de Souza, M, Mata-McMahon, J, Abu Baka, M and Roux, C (eds) (2021) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Culture and Identity from Early Childhood to Early Adulthood: Perceptions and Implications; London: Bloomsbury, pp 49-59.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘Uncertainty and Mortality: Two Stubborn Particulars of Religious Education’, in Franck, O and Thalén, P (eds) (2021) Religious Education in a Post-Secular Age: Case Studies from Europe; Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave, chapter 7, pp 123-138.

Stern, L J (2019) ‘Care and Curiosity: How Religious Education Translates People and Ideas’, in Haußmann, W, Roth, A, Schwarz, S and Tribula, C (eds) (2019) EinFach Übersetzen: Theologie und Religionspädagogik in der Öffentlichkeit und für die Öffentlichkeit [Just Translate: Theology and Religious Education in and for the Public Sphere]; Stuttgart, Germany: Verlag W Kohlhammer, pp 69-75.

Stern, L J (2019) Chapter 14: ‘Holistic Assessment: Assessing Dialogically, Personally, Individually’, in Miller, J P, Nigh, K, Binder, M J, Novak, B and Crowell, S (2019) International Handbook of Holistic Education; New York: Routledge, chapter 14, pp 129-138.

Stern, L J (2018) ‘Loneliness in Education: The Agony and the Enstasy’, in Sagan, O and Miller, E D (eds) (2018) Narratives of Loneliness: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from the 21st Century [Explorations in Mental Health]; London: Routledge, chapter 10, pp 113-123.

Stern, L J (2018) ‘Missing Solitude: Macmurray, Buber and the Edges of Personalism’, in Castriota, A and Smith, S (eds) (2018) Looking at the Sun: New Writings in Modern Personalism; Wilmington, Delaware: Vernon Press, pp 157-172.

Stern, L J (2017) ‘Using Computers to Teach Religious Education’, in Barnes, L P (ed) (2017) Learning to Teach Religious Education in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience: Third Edition; Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge, chapter 12.

Stern, L J (2017) ‘The Assessment of Ethics and the Ethics of Assessment’, chapter 9 in Franck, O (ed) (2017) Assessment in Ethics Education: A Case of National Tests in Religious Education; Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp 177-191.

Stern, L J (2016) ‘Personalism and the Personal in Higher Education Research’, in McNiff, J (ed) Values and Virtues in Higher Education Research: Critical Perspectives; Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge, chapter 4, pp 64-77.

Stern, L J (2016) ‘Solitude and Spirituality in Schooling: The Alternative at the Heart of the School, in Lees, H E and Noddings, N (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education; Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, chapter 28, pp 431-445.

Stern, L J (2015) ‘The Personal World of Schooling: John Macmurray and Schools as Households’, in Fielding, M (ed) (2015) Learning to be Human: The Educational Legacy of John Macmurray; London: Routledge, pp 75-94.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Endword: Virtuous Education: Divided No More’, in McNiff, J (ed) (2013) Value and Virtue in Practice-Based Research; Poole, Dorset: September Books, p 124-128.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Loneliness, Solitude and Inclusion for Leaders’, chapter 7 in Buchanan, M T (ed) (2013) Leadership and Religious Schools: International Perspectives and Challenges; New York: Bloomsbury, p 109-126.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Virtue and Value in Educational Research’, chapter 10, in Arthur, J and Lovat, T (eds) (2013) The Routledge International Handbook of Education, Religion and Values; Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, p 114-123.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Homework’, chapter 17, in Hancock, R, Collins, J and Stacey, M (eds) (20013) Primary Teaching Assistants: Learners and Learning (2nd edition); Abingdon, Oxford: Routledge, p 120-125, reproduced from Involving Parents, chapter 6, p 54-62.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘What Must Church Schools Do To Live Up To Their Rhetoric’, in Worsley, H (ed) Anglican Church School Education: Moving Beyond the First Two Hundred Years, London: Continuum Bloomsbury.

Stern, L J (2011) ‘Expressing Meaning Through Sound: Liberating Music’, p 18-22 in Pett, S (ed) Questions: Expressing Meaning; Birmingham: RE Today Services.

Stern, L J (2010) ‘Love, Death, and Inclusive Religious Education’, chapter 1 (p 5-17) in Schmack, J, Thompson, M and Torevell, D, with Cole, C (2010) Engaging Religious Education: Liverpool Hope University Studies in Ethics Series Volume One: Ethics and Religious Education; Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Stern, L J and Kohn, E (2023) ‘Prayer in Schools: In Search of a New Paradigm’, in Gross, Z (ed) (2023) Reimagining the Landscape of Religious Education: Challenges and Opportunities; Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp 237-252.

Recent journal articles

O’Dea, X and Stern, J (2022) ‘Cross-Cultural Integration through the Lens of Loneliness: A Study of Chinese Direct Entry Students in the United Kingdom’, Qualitative Research in Education, 11:3, pp 203-229.

Stern, L J (2022) ‘Why Do Some People Find Nature So Amazing?’, Big Ideas for Religious Education module of work; Exeter: Big Ideas in Religious Education, available online at https://bigideasforre.org/exemplar-units-of-learning/ (with separate assessment tasks by Barbara Wintersgill).

Stern, L J (2022) ‘How Do We Discover the World?’, Big Ideas for Religious Education module of work; Exeter: Big Ideas in Religious Education, available online at https://bigideasforre.org/exemplar-units-of-learning/ (with separate assessment tasks by Barbara Wintersgill).

O’Dea, X (C) and Stern, L J (2022) ‘Editorial: Virtually the Same?: Online Higher Education in the post Covid-19 Era’, British Journal of Educational Technology, pp 437-442.

Killingback, C, Tomlinson, A, Stern, L J and Whitfield, C (2022) ‘Teaching Person-Centred Practice in Physiotherapy Curricula: A Literature Review’, Physical Therapy Reviews, 27:1, pp 40-50.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘Thank you, John: Three Persistent Influences of Rawls’, Studii De Epistemologie Și De Teorie A Valorilor, VII, pp 9-21.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘A Very Long Walk to Freedom’, British Journal of Religious Education, 44:1, pp 1-3.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘Do Online Communities Exist? A Macmurrian Account’, The John Macmurray Fellowship Newsletter, 46, Autumn 2020, pp 16-35.

Stern, L J (2021) ‘Do You Follow?: Understanding Followership Before Leadership’, Management in Education, 35:1, pp 58-61.

Stern, L J and Buchanan, M T (2021) ‘RE Leader Connectedness: A Theology of the Lived Reality of Catholic Education’, Journal of Beliefs and Values, 42:3, pp 378-392.

Stern, L J (2020) ‘The Real Reason Neoliberalism Became Extinct: A Curious Educational History of 2020’, Forum: For Promoting 3-19 Comprehensive Education, 62:3, pp 477-487.

Stern, L J (2020) ‘Do You Follow?: Understanding Followership Before Leadership’, Management in Education, pp 1-4.

Stern, L J and Wałejko, M J (2020) ‘Solitude and Self-Realisation in Education’, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 54:1, pp 107-123.

Stern, L J and Kohn, E (2019) ‘Icarus Ignored: Understanding Mundane Spirituality Through Young People’s Prayer’, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, p 1-17.

Stern, L J and Shillitoe, R (2019) ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools: A Subversion of Policy Implementation?’, Journal of Beliefs and Values.

Stern, L J (2018) ‘The Spirit of Religious Education’, Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 8:2, pp 180-187.

Simpson, G and Stern, L J (2018) ‘The Educational Use of Holocaust Novels’, Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 7:2, pp 38-54.

Stern, L J and Samiei, C (2018) ‘Novel Theorising: Lessons from School-Like Literature’, Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 7:2, pp 22-37.

Stern, L J (2018) ‘Curiosity Killed the SAT: The Role of Research in Redirecting Performativity in Initial Teacher Education’, Research in Education, p 1-15.

Stern, L J (2017) ‘Religion and Schooling in Conversation’, Research in Education, 97:1, pp 16-26.

Stern, L J (2017) ‘Avoiding Schooling Taboos: A Reply to Rasmussen’, Research in Education, 97:1, pp 30-32.

Stern, L J, Grant, T and Ward, P (2015) ‘How Solitude Will Bring Us All Together’, Professional REflection: The Journal of NATRE, 33:1, pp 54-57.

Stern, L J (2015) ‘Soul-searching and Re-searching: Action Philosophy Alone’, Educational Action Research, 23:1, pp 104-115.

Stern, L J (2015) ‘Children’s Voice or Children’s Voices: How Educational Research Can be at the Heart of Schooling’, Forum: For Promoting 3-19 Comprehensive Education, 57:1, pp 75-90.

Stern, L J (2014) ‘Dialogues of Space, Time and Practice: Supporting Research in Higher Education’, Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 3:2, pp 3-21.

Stern, L J (2014) ‘Teaching Solitude: Sustainability and the Self, Community and Nature While Alone’, Educational Research Journal, 28:1&2, p 163-181.

Stern, L J (2014) ‘The Influence of Research Within Religious Education: The Westhill Seminars, RE Professionals, Pupils and Schools’, British Journal of Religious Education, pp 1-21, 2013.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Martin Buber, Empathy and Research Practice: A Response to Rachel Cope’, Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 3:1, pp 67-72.

Stern, L J (2013) ‘Surprise in Schools: Martin Buber and Dialogic Schooling’, Forum: For Promoting 3-19 Comprehensive Education, 55:1, pp 45-58.

Stern, L J (2012) ‘The Personal World of Schooling: John Macmurray and Schools as Households’; Oxford Review of Education, 38:6, pp 727-745.

Buchanan, M T and Stern, L J (2012) ‘Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Peer Review’, Journal of Education for Teaching, 38:1, pp 37-49.

Stern, L J and Backhouse, A (2011) ‘Dialogic Feedback for Children and Teachers: Evaluating the ‘Spirit of Assessment’’, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 16:4, pp 321-336.

Stern, L J (2010) ‘Research as Pedagogy: Building Learning Communities and Religious Understanding in RE’, British Journal of Religious Education, 32:2, pp 133-146.

Stern, L J (2009) ‘Soul and Chips’, Teaching Thinking & Creativity, 10:2, pp 17-19.

Stern, L J (2009) ‘Monologue or Dialogue? Stepping Away from the Abyss in Higher Education’, London Review of Education, 7:3, pp 271-281.

Sink, C A, Cleveland, R, and Stern, J (2007) ‘Spiritual Formation in Christian School Counseling Programs’, Journal of Research on Christian Education, 16, pp 35-63.

Stern, L J (2007) ‘Mattering: What it Means to Matter in School’, Education 3-13, 35:3, pp 285-295.

Stern, L J (2007) ‘Action Philosophy in Jewish and Christian Traditions’, REsource, 30:1, pp 9-12.

Stern, L J and James, S (2006) ‘Every Person Matters: Enabling Spirituality Education for Nurses’, Journal of Clinical Nursing 15:7, pp 897-904.

Stern, L J and Kohn, E (2023) ‘Insights on Student-Centred and Knowledge-Centred Teaching: Jewish Studies Teachers, Pedagogy and Community’, Oxford Review of Education, 49:5, pp 681-697.

Killingback, C, Tomlinson, A, Thompson, M, Whitfield, C and Stern, L J (2023) ‘Teaching person-centered practice to pre-registration physiotherapy students: a qualitative study’, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, pp 1-13.

Stern, L J (2023) ‘Being At One: A Philosophical Anthropology of Solitude’, Topoi, pp 1-9.

Wałejko, M J and Stern, L J (2023) ‘Ineffable Education, the Uncommunicable and the Uncommunicated’, British Journal of Religious Education, 45:4, pp 358-369.

Stern, L J (2023) ‘Celebrating Uncertainty in RE’, RE Today, 40:3, pp 14-15.

Stern, L J (2023) ‘Editorial: Beyond Knowledge-Centred versus Student-Centred RE’, British Journal of Religious Education, 45:3, pp 225-227.

Stern, L J (2023) ‘Editorial: In and Out of Focus: RE Horizons’, British Journal of Religious Education, 45:2, pp 83-85.

Stern, L J (2022) ‘‘You’re Alive!’: On the ‘Livingness’ of Spirited Educational Research’, International Journal of Transformative Research, 9:1, pp 1-5.

Wałejko, M J and Stern, L J (2022) ‘Editorial: Solitude together with education’, Journal of Silence Studies in Education, 2:1, pp 1-4.


Some public reports

Stern, L J and Shillitoe, R (2018) Evaluation of Prayer Spaces in Schools: The Contribution of Prayer Spaces to Spiritual Development; York: York St John University.

Stern, L J (2010) ‘Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Religious Education’, The Religious Education CPD Handbook

Stern, L J (2005) ‘Learning the lessons of life’, Yorkshire Post, 5th January 2005, p 13.

Stern, L J (2005) ‘Find Yourself on the Salmon Line’, TES First Appointments, January 14th 2005, pp 32-33.

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) [Morgan, A and Stern, L J] (2004) Help Your Children to Learn: Getting the Best Out of Homework: For Both Primary and Secondary Parents; London: DfES.

Stern, L J and Sprake, B (1999) ICT Identification of Your Training Needs: KS3 RE; London: TTA. (CD-rom.)

Stern, L J and Lamey, J (1999) ICT Identification of Your Training Needs: KS4 RE; London: TTA. (CD-rom.)

  • General Secretary of ISREV: The International Seminar on Religious Education and Values
  • Director of WRERU: The World Religions and Education Research Unit
  • President of the ISRS: The International Society for Research on Solitude
  • Secretary of the John Macmurray Fellowship
  • Senior editor of the British Journal of Religious Education.
  • On the editorial boards of the Greek Journal of Religious Education, the Journal for the Study of Spirituality, Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, and Pedagogika Szkoły Wyższej (the Polish Journal of Higher Education Pedagogy)
  • Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Board Member of The Centre for Reconciliation, Lincoln
  • Member of the Lincoln Diocesan Board of Education

Related Posts

Professor Julian Stern L and Professor Leslie J Francis

World Religions and Education Research Unit Launch Announced