Dave Aldridge Principal Lecturer, Philosophy of Education Programme Lead: Professional Education Courses Oxford Hermeneutics and Critical Religious Education

Edition Wars “This revised version of Dungeons and Dragons is compatible with all previously released material” Ontology - an account of what happens when learning (understanding) goes on in the encounter with religions Good learning is left untouched by this account: hearing and telling stories, responding to and creating images and other art, role play; offering an ‘orientation’ for these activities/ processes However, this is not the same as the claim that you can ‘mix and match’ pedagogy Aldridge, D (2012) ‘Schemes of Work and Lesson Planning’ in Barnes, L P (ed) Debates in Religious Education, Abingdon and New York: Routledge

Softening the Edges Influenced by the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer Emphasis on the moment of understanding as a transformative event (ontological) rather than the acquisition of knowledge or skills or (solely) making ‘judgements’ (epistemological) Emphasis on dialogue rather than argument or debate BUT Participants in dialogue (rather than e.g. a conversation) allow themselves to be conducted by the subject matter The event of understanding entails an orientation toward truth; truth is always at issue/ at stake in RE

Common Objections 1.An emphasis on questions of truth creates conflict and damages community cohesion 2.Questions of truth do not exhaust the subject matter of RE 3.Encouraging young students to question the truth of their own and others’ deeply held beliefs creates anxiety 4.Critical RE is too challenging for my students

Three Principles 1.The Text is a Teacher 2.No Meaning without Truth 3.Understanding is an Event of Belonging

The Text is a Teacher What can a student ‘learn from’ this image? For further discussion see: 2rs0cqoyy- 2/religion-and- subject-matter/ 2rs0cqoyy- 2/religion-and- subject-matter/

The Text is a Teacher Or this one? For further discussion see: 2rs0cqoyy- 2/religion-and- subject-matter/ 2rs0cqoyy- 2/religion-and- subject-matter/

The Text is a Teacher StudentText Subject Matter OBJECT OF STUDY

No Meaning without Truth What is this story about?

No Meaning without Truth StudentText Subject Matter OBJECT OF STUDY

Understanding is an Event of Belonging How to teach the story of the sacrifice of Isaac? What is the subject matter? What are students’ perspectives? How to ensure that student, teacher and text ‘belong’ to the subject matter, or that an event of mutual belonging occurs?

Understanding is an Event of Belonging StudentText Subject Matter OBJECT OF STUDY

Understanding is an Event of Belonging inner/?id= content/uploads/2013/06/Banq-Chr_Jud Res2-Abraham-Cards-v01a.pdf

Common Objections 1.An emphasis on questions of truth creates conflict and damages community cohesion 2.Questions of truth do not exhaust the subject matter of RE 3.Encouraging young students to question the truth of their own and others’ deeply held beliefs creates anxiety 4.Critical RE is too challenging for my students

References Aldridge, D (2011) 'What is religious education all about? A hermeneutic reappraisal?', Journal of Beliefs and Values 32:1, Aldridge, D (2012) ‘Schemes of Work and Lesson Planning’ in Barnes, L P (ed) Debates in Religious Education, Abingdon and New York: Routledge Aldridge, D (2013) 'The logical Priority of the Question: R G Collingwood, Philosophical Hermeneutics and Enquiry-Based Learning', Journal of Philosophy of Education, Aldridge, D (2013) REOnline Banquet: What is Faith?, REOnline, available at content/uploads/2013/06/Banq-Chr_Jud-0001-Res2-Abraham-Cards- v01a.pdfhttp:// content/uploads/2013/06/Banq-Chr_Jud-0001-Res2-Abraham-Cards- v01a.pdf Aldridge, D (2014) A Hermeneutics of Religious Education, London and New York: Bloomsbury

References Gadamer, H-G (2004) Truth and Method, trans Weinsheimer, J and Marshall, D G, London and New York: Continuum [original German publication 1960] Hella, E and Wright, A (2009) ‘Learning ‘about’ and ‘from’ religion: phenomenography, the Variation Theory of Learning and religious education in Finland and the UK’, British Journal of Religious Education, 31:1, Hookway, S (2002) ‘Mirrors, windows, conversations: religious education for the millennial generation in England and Wales’, British Journal of Religious Education 24:2, Hookway, S (2004) Questions of Truth: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Secondary RE, Religious and Moral Education Press Wright, A (2000) ‘’The Spiritual Education Project: Cultivating Spiritual and Religious Literacy through a Critical Pedagogy of Religious Education’ in Grimmitt, M (ed) Pedagogies of Religious Education, Great Wakering: McCrimmon,

Following it up... Consider pursuing MA, EdD and PhD study in hermeneutics, religious education or critical RE at Oxford Brookes University: MA Education EdD PhD