Reflections of a Teacher Educator of Religion Education: Informing and Transforming Practice (original) (raw)
Related papers
Paving the Way to Transformation: Student Teachers' Religious Identity and Religion Education
In South Africa, Religion Education refers specifically to a diversity of religions and beliefs. The Religion and Education Policy (2003) requires teachers to adopt a multi-religious approach to Religion Education. This presents a challenge to Life Orientation student teachers given the religious diversity in South African classrooms. This article focuses on final year Life Orientation student teachers, in the School of Education at a South African university. Once qualified, these student teachers will be expected to facilitate Religion Education as part of the Life Orientation curriculum. I explore their understanding of religious freedom as a constitutional right and how their religious identity influences their approach to Religion Education. This qualitative case study, which drew on the theory of identity negotiation, showed that, to varying degrees, the students struggled to adopt a multireligious approach to Religion Education. I contend that Initial Teacher Education Life Orientation modules, need to create space for student teachers to explore and negotiate their religious identity. This is necessary for the effective implementation of the Religion and Education Policy (2003) which expects teachers to encourage learners to grow in their own religious beliefs while also empathetically respecting the religious beliefs of others in society.
Alternation, 2009
In South Africa, Religion Education refers specifically to a diversity of religions and beliefs. The Religion and Education Policy (2003) requires teachers to adopt a multi-religious approach to Religion Education. This presents a challenge to Life Orientation student teachers given the religious diversity in South African classrooms. This article focuses on final year Life Orientation student teachers, in the School of Education at a South African university. Once qualified, these student teachers will be expected to facilitate Religion Education as part of the Life Orientation curriculum. I explore their understanding of religious freedom as a constitutional right and how their religious identity influences their approach to Religion Education. This qualitative case study, which drew on the theory of identity negotiation, showed that, to varying degrees, the students struggled to adopt a multi-religious approach to Religion Education. I contend that Initial Teacher Education Life Orientation modules, need to create space for student teachers to explore and negotiate their religious identity. This is necessary for the effective implementation of the Religion and Education Policy (2003) which expects teachers to encourage learners to grow in their own religious beliefs while also empathetically respecting the religious beliefs of others in society.
The Voice of the Religion Education Teacher in the Context of Religious Diversity
In the domain of Religion Education the voice of the Religion Education (RE) teacher is crucial. This voice can either entrench religious discrimination or promote religious tolerance and dialogue. The findings of a recent empirical research project in selected KwaZulu-Natal primary schools provided evidence that the RE teacher's understanding of religious freedom is influenced by his/her biography and school context. This understanding finds expression in the RE teacher's voice which can choose to act in a way which is emancipatory and transformatory or not. It is important that a dialogical space is created for RE teacher's concerns to be voiced and heard.
Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa
This article argues that it is essential to explore conversations at the intersection between personal religious identity and Human Rights issues in an attempt to bridge the gap between policy and practice. To facilitate this exploration an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach was adopted to engage with pre-service teachers in a South African Higher Education Institution. Selected pre-service Religion Education teachers were encouraged to engage in self-dialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue and Communities for Transformation provided the opportunity for empathetic-reflectivedialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address the possible disconnect between the individual's personal and professional identities when considering Human Rights issues, and in this case, gender equality in particular. Conversing at this intersection has the potential to increase the individual's identity capital and to transform classroom practice to classroom praxis and this can possibly impact the wider society.
2015
In the interest of instilling a respect for diversity in learners, the South African policy on religion and education (DoE 2003) aims to recognise religion in teaching and learning in public schools. The policy provides one mechanism for advancing diversity via religion education; Life Orientation in the classroom. Research however suggests that embracing religious diversity in the classroom is challenging. This article therefore examines whether this is an adequate mechanism for achieving the intended outcome of the policy. The article proceeds to examine the mechanism for advancing diversity via religion education, the classroom, in relation to integration of the post-apartheid classroom and teachers’ capacity. The article finds that the mechanism to advance diversity via religion education provided by the national policy on religion education is inadequate within the current South African context. Keywords: religion education, classroom, post-secular, teacher capacity
Scriptura, 2020
'Christian National Education' (CNE) was promoted in South Africa between 1948 and 1990 by the then apartheid government to enhance and preserve white supremacy through the public schools' system. One significant educational reform following the introduction of democratic governance in South Africa was the replacement of 'Religious Education' with 'Religion Education', intended to promote mutual recognition between future citizens, regardless of religion, ethnicity or culture. Yet, however preferable to what preceded it, this policy introduced inherent and unique limitations and difficulties we, two philosophers of education, one South African, the other English, explore while keeping in mind the place of religion in the curriculum. We see clear lessons to be learned from the South African experience of RE that are relevant to both contexts, adopting what we describe as a 'post'-post-confessional stance to advocate a richer notion of religious illiteracy than that which is commonly assumed by policy makers, educational professionals and other educational stakeholders. We conclude by exploring the potential of academic learning in RE that is both educative and consciously positioned, using the specific example of sacred text scholarship to illustrate 'post' post-confessional RE's practical application.
The alienated religion studies teacher: a case study in Cape Town, South Africa
2017
South Africa’s post-apartheid National Policy on Religion and Education instituted in 2003 ushered in a new paradigm for the study of religion in the country’s schools. It promotes a programme of teaching and learning about religious diversity that constitute the nation. While this revised policy enabled Religion Studies educators to grapple with new ways of thinking about the study of religion, it still demanded them to assume a standardised role that focused more on their duties and responsibilities of promoting a multi-religious approach in an impartial manner. This homogenous policy image neglected the teachers’ interpretations and personal identities. Consequently, a gap emerged between the policy-imagined role and Religion Studies teachers’ perspectives. This thesis explores the gap between what the national policy expects from the teachers and their readiness for teaching Religion Studies. Rahel Jaeggi’s concept of alienation is used to examine the alienating effects of the n...
Strategies for teaching religion in colleges of education
1999
The revised norms and standards for teacher education requires an understanding of the beliefs, values and practices of the main religions of South Africa. However, many preservice teachers have emerged from backgrounds of monoreligious education, or from schools where Religious education was discarded from the curriculum. This situation implies that pre-service teachers may lack the knowledge and skills to cope within a religiously pluralist school environment. This study argues therefore that the attitudes and perceptions of pre-service teachers towards Religious education in particular and religions in general will be positively influenced by means of a programme of intervention. The main aim of this study is to examine strategies for teaching religion to pre-service teachers to equip them for the religious and cultural diversity of South African classrooms. F euerstein' s theory of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) is examined as a vehicle for initiating new and creative wa...
This article argues that the intersection between personal religious identity and human rights issues needs to be explored. There is a need to bridge the gap between policy (the constitutions of countries such as South Africa and Norway espouse gender equality) and practice. Using gender equality as an example of a human rights issue, an intervention strategy is employed using an empathetic-reflective-dialogical approach to engage with pre-service teachers in both South Africa and Norway. Selected pre-service teachers are encouraged to engage in selfdialogue and to write their self-narratives. Participating in Communities in Conversation, Communities in Dialogue, and Communities for Transformation provides the platform for empathetic-reflective-dialogical restorying to take place. This restorying has the potential to address possible dissonance between the individual's personal and professional identities when dealing with human rights issues. Classroom practice could become classroom praxis! There is also the potential for transformative practice in the wider society.