Learning for Life: An Imaginative Approach to Worldview Education in the Context of Diversity
Ebook
Teachers of religious education experience the challenge of secularization and diversity in the classroom. Schools rooted in the Christian tradition wonder how they can adapt religious education to an increasing plurality in worldviews. How can worldview education contribute to the identity development of children and at the same express the identity of the school? Learning for Life introduces a hermeneutical-communicative model that helps teachers to reflect on their goals, didactical roles, religious sources and students' abilities. Teachers invite students to search for meaning in all kinds of religious and non-religious sources, to exchange views with each other in a respectful way and to respond individually using imagination as a powerful learning tool. Learning for Life explains the model, provides pedagogical backgrounds and shows results from research at nine primary schools in the Netherlands. Hermeneutical-communicative learning appears to be an inspiring perspective for both private and public education.
“Learning for Life provides a research-tested model for
teaching religion and worldview to children. Drawing on the talents
of teachers, the approach provides for a lively, holistic, and
critical approach to assist children to develop their convictions
in the community of the class. The approach recognizes the
importance of beliefs and meanings to building community and
conversation in a diverse, democratic society. While rooted in the
experiences of the Netherlands, I highly recommend this book to
others as it enriches our strategies for teaching worldview and
religion with children—strategies that respect the differences and
meaning-making abilities of children.”
—Jack L. Seymour, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and
editor emeritus, Religious Education
“Anchored in the secularized Dutch school context and based on
careful empirical research, Mulder and van den Berg develop a solid
didactic concept for the religious education classroom. Supporting
children in exploring, understanding, and communicating their
worldviews—in relationship with traditions, fellow learners, and
their own journeys—is the central focus of this concept. The
authors explicitly refer to imagination as the added value to the
concept and as the necessary condition for sustainable ‘learning
for life.’”
—Bert Roebben, University of Bonn
“Learning for Life presents a refreshingly imaginative
approach to Worldview Education. Theoretically grounded, research
based, regionally attentive, and nationally focused, it presents a
flexible hermeneutical-communicative model attentive to the
existential questions raised by young children in exploring their
beliefs and values. Though Dutch context specific, it is suitable
for both public and private schools in wider secular and plural
nations. Very helpful in engaging children in an exploration of
their worldview perspectives.”
—John Valk, University of New Brunswick
Product Details
- Title : Learning for Life: An Imaginative Approach to Worldview Education in the Context of Diversity
- Authors:
- Mulder, André
- van den Berg, Bas
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532676888
André Mulder is a professor of theology and worldview at
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle, the
Netherlands. His research focuses on the contribution of worldview
communication to the quality of professional practices in
education, care, and church-related fields. Regarding the field of
education in worldview and religion, he is searching for
perspectives, methods and didactical roles that stimulate the
development of every student in her or his religious identity in
the context of diversity.
Bas van den Berg is professor emeritus in dynamic identity
development at Marnix Academie University of Applied Sciences for
Teacher Training in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His expertise
includes dialogical hermeneutics and creative interpretation of
worldview sources (Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Humanistic). His
research focused on worldview development of children, teachers,
and school teams using a narrative approach.