Page 71 - TWO OF A KIND • Erik Renkema
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KEY VALUES OF DUTCH COOPERATION SCHOOL AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
two based on a substantive perspective and one based on a social perspective:
First, with regard to the substantive perspective, the website mentions biblical
stories. These stories are referred to as the source of these ‘pedagogically sound’ 3 themes. Despite the fact that a variety of narrative sources is used, we can conclude
that the Bible is the main source of religious education content and the themes in
this education. Trefwoord suggests two biblical stories for the date of our video
recordings: the story of the Ten Commandments and the story of the Golden Calf.
For these dates, no other stories are suggested. This fact is also stressed by the
respondents in the reliability test.
A second type of content from the substantive perspective is the themes that Trefwoord suggests to accompany the stories, so as to encourage the students to reflect on and question their own experiences, to develop critical thinking, and to incorporate these themes into their own lives.
For both dates on which we recorded, Trefwoord suggested life themes: on the first day the suggested theme was ‘class rules’ linked to the story of the Ten Commandments. For the second date, the theme is ‘group behaviour and peer pressure’, linked to the story of the Golden Calf. This is only suggested for 7-9 years and 10-12 years. For 4-6 years old, the theme about learning and practicing is suggested.
A third type of content is important for the social perspective. The school guide mentions that Trefwoord offers many options and themes “regarding social education” (school guide 2012, 56). When examining Trefwoord, we find that a variety of didactics are available. An example explicitly mentioned is didactics for cooperation. It is therefore interesting to see whether or not these didactics, and especially the cooperative ones, are used by the teachers. For both dates, the guide offers a suggestion for discussion about an illustration. Besides the biblical stories and group discussions, other narratives are suggested: for 4-6 years a poem, for 7-9 years and 10-12 years a song about the Ten Commandments, for 7-9 years also a song about the Golden Calf on the second date. Other didactics are suggested for 7-9 years and 10-12 years: a game in order to memorise the Ten Commandments and a didactic for cooperation.
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