Page 72 - TWO OF A KIND • Erik Renkema

CHAPTER 3
4.2.2. Analysis of the Video Recordings
All moments of contemplation were situated in the classroom. The length of the moments ranges from 9 to 27 minutes. In all cases, the participants were the students of one single class and their teacher. In the youngest group of four- to five-year-old students, another teacher was present during each moment. During four moments, a student from a teacher training institute was observing. After analysis of the video data, no new results were detected. Four main findings manifest themselves when the videos are subjected to careful study.
In the first place, with regard to the social perspective, we paid attention to the classroom organisation: does the set-up of students and teacher stimulate dialogue? Results show that a majority of the students sit in a circle, together with the teacher. In three classes, students sit at their own table in small groups. In these classes, the teacher stands or sits in front of the class. Also, in three classes, students sit at their own table in rows of two to three next to each other. In one class, students sit at their own table in rows apart from each other.
A second, very dominant, finding of our analysis also concerns the social perspective: every moment of contemplation consists of a conversation between students and the teacher, where the teacher is clearly leading the conversation. students follow the process. When one of the students responds to a question, the teacher does not invite students to interact. For example, the teacher of the 7-year-olds asks which skill the students needed to practice a lot (video recording 15-5-14, group 4). However, she does not encourage students to respond to individual answers. In another video, the students interact in small groups after the teacher has given the assignment to combine each of the Commandments with illustrations (video recording 13-5-14, group 8). This is the only moment of contemplation in which students interact.
In two other videos, the students spontaneously express religious remarks after closing statements of the teacher, in which the students are not actively involved. After the reading of the biblical story of the Golden Calf, one student from the group of 4- to 5-year-olds states that ‘God is always close to us’. Another student mentions that ‘God really exists’ (video recording 15-5-14, group 1-2). The teacher acknowledges these remarks in one phrase. However, she does not stimulate dialogueaboutthisissuebyaskingaquestionorencouragingotherstudentstorespond. The teacher leads the conversation, the teacher talks or reads, it is the teacher who
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