European Solutions for Religious Education and Scenarious for Developing a Finnish Model

1. European Solutions for Religious Education and Scenarious for Developing a Finnish Model Arto Kallioniemi Univeristy of Helsinki, Department of Teacher Educatio

2. Background • in Finland, the character of RE in school system has been a much debated phenomenon • in recent years there has been a resurgence of RE and its curriculum • e.g. in Norway

3. Skeie (2001) ¤ re is a political issue the following factors: 1. the religious landscape of country 2. the role and values of religion in society 3. the structure of educational system, its history and educational politics Schreiner (2002) pointed out that re usually have three different components: 1. ultimate questions 2. living faith systems 3. shared human experiences The subject RE consits of different aspects and contents in European countries

4. The differentiation between the concepts ”denominational” and ”non-denominational” • -is based on the fact that contents and shapes of religious education, the development of the curricula and teaching materials are mainly responsibility of religious communities or the state • -where re is denominational oriented, religious communitites have an influence on the subject –the task of re is to introduce pupils to one spesific tradition • where re is non-denominational, its task is generally to transimit religious knowledge and understanding

5. DEFINING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION • Grimmitt 3. different set: • 1. learning religion - only single religious tradition is taught • the teachers are believers; the object of instruction is to enable pupils to come to believe in the religion or strengthen their commintement • two possibities: • a. re may be abandoned altogether and the state education system may become complete secular

6. b. a system in which students are offered a system opf parallel instruction • - children from each faith are educated in separate classrooms and receive instruction from the reprenstative of that faith • 2. learning about religion • - religion is taught from the outside • -sometimes this approach can be called ”education in comparative religion or religious studies • -historical and descriptive approach

7. -this approach is usually motivated by the desire to create a purely educational form of religious education • -the disadvantage of this learning about religion approach is that it tends the focus upon the content of religion, students are not so motivated about it • this approach often makes little or no explict contribution to the pupils’ search for moral and spiritual values

8. learning from religion: -pupilis are expected to participate in the beliefs and practice of the religion being taught -the life world of the pupils is in the focus of instruction -education approach

9. RE in Finland • in all levels of the educational system • in early childhood education and also in pre-school education • in comprehensive school (pupils 7 to 16) and in senior secondary school (16 to 19) • the re solution in early childhood section is different than in basic education

10. Act of Freedom from Religion (2003) • ¤ in prepatory process, the nature of re was discussed • should re be dominational or are there possiblities to reorganise the subject as in other Scandinavian countries • in Sweden 1962, in Denmark and in Norway in 1997. Also in Britain has in recent decades been a change in the nature of re: the shift has been from denominational Bible-oriented RE to more open multi-religious approach • the review of the Act of Freedom from religion in Finland did not result in very big changes in the system for religious education • the term ”denominational” relinquished and it re-placed by the term according to one’s own religion

11. Conclusions • -developing the Finnish solution needs a deep familiarisation with other countries solutions for RE • in autumn 2001 at the Department of Teacher Education began a research project whose main focus is the investigation of European models of RE and also to develop Finnish solutions • the aim of this project is to obtain a multifaceted viewpoint of religious education in other European countries and also to et research material to develop our own solutions.

12. Pressures to Develop a Finnish Solution • -changing Finnish society towards multicultural society • in the beginning of the 1980’s in Finland were 17,000 forgeiner and nowadays 85,000 • incresing multiculturalism has in many ways influenced re at all levels of the school system • In is very difficult to organise re-lesson, specially in the area of Helsinki • six-different form of RE in same school and the number increase all the time

13. ¤ alongside to multicultural challenge, Finnish society has had to face up other new challenges such as: the developing information technology, devolution and integration and also a change to a post modern society • all these changes have influenced RE • RE is very important subject for society

14. Possible Scenarious • -there different scenarious for the future development of the solutions of re in Finland • 1. abandon our current system of basing RE according to the pupils’ religion and build up a new subject which is independent of pupils’ religion • - similiar developments have taken place in e.g. in Britain, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. • -problems: miniority religious backgrounds, what is the real content of the subject, what would form academic basic for teaching and the subject

15. 2. the present situation will continue • -the problems assiciated with organising re in school woll stille pose obstacles to this approach • the idea of separating re-lessons is not very suitable for a multicultural society • more and more religious tolerance is needed in multicultural society • school religious education lessons are ideal occasions to exercise tolerance of religious diversity

16. 3. own religion-based character will become stronger • - this scenario is not very suitable if we consider that re is a school subject in society-owned schools • there are also fourth possibility • 4. to combine the first and third scenarios ----a solution where some RE would ne taught to all the pupils in the same classroom and some parts separately