How can Religious Education profit from Ethnographic Studies?

International Conference Bremen 30.10.03Heid Leganger-KrogstadUniversity of OsloEducational Department

Contextual approach to REthrough use of ethnographic / anthropological methods

Religion as a phenomenon in life (Alfred Schutz) Children’s experience as basis for education

– Focus on ability – opposite “not-yet-adult-human-beings” Religion as it is empirically observable in society and

lifeworld (lebenswelt ) Teacher trainers, students and pupils make use of

ethnographic studies: participant observation, field studies, interviews and historical studies in context

Give priority to first-hand experiences – and not teach only through second-hand experiences

Contextual didactics

Article in the Festschrift for Jürgen Lott explains contextual didactics in a multicultural north of Norway setting

In this case: discussed in an urban perspective – (Oslo)

Children’s explorative way of behaviour as an ideal for education – systematic and reflective use in a classroom setting

Material manifestations of religion used with the intention of making religion more perceivable for the younger pupils

Religion as a perspective on life – in a mainly secular school setting

Religious ”wirkungsgeschichte” in local environment

family

friends / neighbours

neighbourhood

schooldistrict

local society

region

nation

Europe

global

kindergarten/ school travels/visitors

imagination/ fictionplay/ drama

Media/ ICT/ literature

second-handexperiences

first-handexperiences

‚ƒ

Religious practice through artefacts

Cultural landscape, architecture, historical signs, monuments Music, art, symbols, traditions, language and use of names Holy texts, narratives and songs Institutions and values Clothing, food, days and hours, rites, rituals, customs,

behaviour Events, discussions in media Attitude to natural environment Members and leaders

Impressions from Oslo

Short trip into the city with the teacher training students

Written task: signs of God in the city– Reflections on the notion of religion

Pupils: customs in my family Observations in the local community Visiting holy houses in the neighbourhood, historical

sites and monuments Analysing newspapers and the coloured press

Participant obervation in use in upper secondary education

Carin Laudrup: Example of RE in DenmarkCogree Conference in Vienna2– 5 May 2002

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES FIELD WORK –UPPER SECONDARY– experienced reality– social context – smells, breaths, moves– ”the frozen moment”– objective a goal in itself– subjective

– personal experience

Facts about Norway

The ‘waste’ land without people (3000 km from south to north)

13.8 inhabitants pro km2 (Germany: 230)

Young nation – outside EU Going from poverty to

richness in 30 years Ideals of equality Local history and identity

important New immigrants in urban

areas

One school for all(Einheitsschule)

comprehensive school for 98.3 % of all children – 10 years from age of 6

local school (mirrors the local culture) all children integrated streaming not allowed permanent differentiation or segregation not allowed equal opportunities no formal assessment before age 13 3 years further education - open to all - differentiated

Norway – pluralistic society today?

Multireligious? Population: 4.5 million

– 4. 100 000 Christians – 3,900 000 members of Church of Norway

– 70 000 Muslims– 8 000 Buddhist– 2 700 Hindus– 2 500 Sikhs– 1 000 Jews (Official statistics of religions 01.01.02)

Actual presence of multireligious plurality is quite small, but ….

Actual plurality – not a question of numbers only The presence of one single Muslim child in a

classroom - alters the situation Global plurality affects every classroom Modern plurality is visible on many levels: national,

institutional, congregational, group and individual Information flow makes a variety of life interpretation

and world views part of children’s world

Changes in RE in Norway during 30 years

From a confessional monoreligious model - 1974

Via a parallel model – 1987 To a common non-confessional multireligious

model -1997________________

Historic lecture presented in Zürich: http://folk.uio.no/heidl/ http://www.paed.unizh.ch/institut/home/download_aktuell/

ReferatLeganger.pdf

KRL: Christentums-, Religions- und Lebengestaltungskunde

Common classroom – dialogical room Regular school subject Formal curriculum – Parliamentary decision Primary religious education - in the families and in religious

institutions Text books – responsibility for the publishers without any

influence from religious institutions Teacher – regardless of confessional background Total 780 lessons in the course of 10 years

School subject

Global view & contextually based curriculum

Nationally decided common core curriculum &

local adaptation up to 50 % at primary stage up to 30 % at secondary stage

References:

 

Birkedal, Erling. 1994. "Church and School in Norway." PANORAMA International Journal of Comparative Religions Education and Values 6:48-56.

Enger, Trond. 1998. "Religious Education for all pupils - The Norwegian Way." PANORAMA International Journal of Comparative Religions Education and Values 10:122-134.

—. 2001. "Religious Education for all Pupils stands Trial - the Norwegian Experimence after three years." Panorama 13:77-87.

Haakedal, Elisabet. 2001a. "Contextual Teaching and Learning in Religious Education." Pp. 165179 in Towards Religious Competence : Diversity as a Challenge for Education in Europe, edited by H.-G. Heimbrock, C. T. Scheilke, and P. Schreiner. Münster / Hamburg / Berlin / London: LIT Verlag,165179.

—. 2001b. "From Lutheran Catechism to World Religions and Humanism : Dilemmas and Middle Ways through the Story of Norwegian Religious Education." British Journal of Religious Education 23:88-97.

Heimbrock, H.-G. (Ed.). (1998). Religionspädagogik und Phämenologie : von der empirischen Wendung zur Lebenswelt. Weinheim: Deutscher Studien Verlag.

Heimbrock, H.-G. (2001). Religion lernen vor Ort. Schönberger Hefte, 2001(3), 2-9 KUF. 1990. Curriculum guidelines for compulsory education in Norway. M87 English

edition. Oslo: Aschehoug / The Ministry of Education and Research.

—. 1999. "National Curriculum for Compulsory School (Læreplanverket for den 10-årige grunnskolen - 1996)." vol. 2001: Royal Ministry of Education, Research and Church affairs.

Leganger-Krogstad, Heid. 1997. "Religious Education in the Norwegian School System." Pp. 171-183 in Religion, church and education in the Barents Region, edited by R. E. Kristiansen and N. M. Terebichin. Arkhangelsk: Publishers of Pomor State University,171-183.

—. 2001. "Religious Education in a Global Perspective : A Contextual Approach." Pp. 53-73 in Towards Religious Competence : Diversity as a Challenge for Education in Europe , edited by H.-G. Heimbrock, C. T. Scheilke, and P. Schreiner. Münster / Hamburg / Berlin / London: LIT Verlag,53-73.

—. 2003. "Dialogue among young citizens in a pluralistic religious education classroom." Pp. 169-190 in International Perspectives on Citizenship, Education and Religious Diversity, edited by R. Jackson. London: RoutledgeFalmer,169-190.

Leirvik, Oddbjørn. 1999. "Theology, Religious Studies and Religious Education." Pp. 75-83 in Diversity as Ethos : Challenges for Interreligious and Intercultural Education, edited by D. Chidester, J. Stonier, and J. Tobler. Cape Town: University of Cape Town ICRSA,75-83.

Læringssenteret. 2002. KRL-boka : Kristendoms-, religions- og livssynskunnskap : Læreplan for den 10-årige grunnskolen : Læreplanveiledning : Rundskriv om KRL-faget og begrenset fritak : Informasjon til foreldre og skjema for delvis fritak. Oslo: Læringssenteret.

NOU1995:9. Official Norwegian Report: Identitet og dialog : kristendomskunnskap, livssynskunnskap og religionsundervisning (Identity and dialogue. Christian knowledge and religious and ethical education). Oslo: KUF.

Rasmussen, Tarald. 2000. "The New Norwegian "KRL" Subject and Religious Freedom: a Report." Studia Theologica 54:19-34.

Selander, Sven-Åke. 1999. "State, Church and School in the Scandinavian countries - in a European perspective." Pp. 54-75 in Into the third Millenium : EFTRE conference August 1998 in Copenhagen, vol. 31, Årsbok 1999, edited by N.-Å. Tidman. Malmö: Föreningen lärare i religionskunskap,54-75.

Østberg, Sissel. 1997. "Religious Education in a Multicultural Society: The quest for Identity and Dialog." Pp. 147-154 in Crossing Boundaries : Contributions to Interreligious and Intercultural Education, edited by T. Andree, C. Bakker, and P. Schreiner. Münster: Comenius-Institut,147-154.

http://folk.uio.no/heidl/