Page 23 - TWO OF A KIND • Erik Renkema

2007, 280). At inclusive schools, like cooperation schools, there is no emphasis on 1 any tradition (Alberts 2007; Valk 2007).
Second, our research is directed by the basic position that the experiences and views of students are addressed in religious education as well as in worldview education (Jackson 2004; Schreiner 2006b).
Our third position that links both concepts is the appreciation of religious diversity in school. This diversity is visible in classrooms because “children do not leave their values and deeply felt convictions outside when they enter the classroom” (Milot 2006, 15).
An important focus in our perception of religious education is John Dewey’s perspective, which is important for three reasons. First, his view aims at pluralistic democracies (Ghiloni 2011; Sutinen, Kallioniemi and Pihlström 2015). Conjoint living in the pluralistic world where encounter about differences between people can be a challenge for society is a central point of Dewey’s views.
Second, his plea for concrete practices of dialogue that facilitate expression of encounter between students is underlined as being relevant for democratic and interreligious education (Sutinen, Kallioniemi and Pihlström 2015; Ghiloni 2011; Berding and Miedema 2007).
Our third reason concerns Dewey’s view that living together in democratic societies is fostered when religion is “brought down to earth, to what is “common” between human beings” (Sutinen, Kallioniemi and Pihlström 2015, 335). Religious educators that work with religious and non-religious students can still benefit from Dewey’s focus on the exchange of common life experiences that “must be able to transcend this divide” (Webster 2009, 97).
In our view, religious education deals with students’ development of identity by engaging with, reflecting on and communicating about religious and secular traditions and sources that provide a view on life, living together and the world – a view that the student can relate and respond to.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
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