Abstract
Through further consideration of data emanating from the author’s original research into ways in which children are predisposed to learn in approaches to religious education influenced by Jerome Berryman’s Godly Play method, a new disposition has been identified, connecting to life. It comprises three elements—(1) making connections between stories and lived experiences, (2) placing one’s self in the shoes of the Other, and (3) considering one’s own story within a Universal Story. This paper presents excerpts from the original interviews of the research participants that indicate the presence of this disposition among their students. Each of the three elements of connecting to life is also reflected upon through reference to Berryman’s writing, as well as to some pertinent phenomenological literature.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Earlier analysis in Hyde (2018) indicates an additional element, discovering the significance of stories for one’s own life. However, further reflection suggests that this additional element is really a part of the second element, making connections between stories and lived experience. When an individual makes such a connection, an application of story to life subsequently follows. See also Groome (2014).
References
Adams, K., Hyde, B., & Woolley, R. (2008). The spiritual dimension of childhood. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Berryman, J. W. (1985). Children’s spirituality and religious language. British Journal of Religious Education, 7(2), 120–127.
Berryman, J. W. (2009). Teaching Godly Play: How to mentor the spiritual development of children. Denver, CO: Morehouse Education Resources.
Berryman, J. W. (2013a). The spiritual guidance of children: Montessori, Godly Play, and the Future. Denver, CO: Morehouse Publishing.
Berryman, J. W. (2013b). The Chaplain’s strange language: A unique contribution to the health care team. In B. Hyde (Ed.), The search for a theology of childhood: Essays by Jerome W. Berryman from 1978–2009 (pp. 75–102). Ballarat, VIC: Modotti Press.
Berryman, J. W. (2013c). Caring for sick children: The parish, the hospital and theological play. In B. Hyde (Ed.), The search for a theology of childhood: Essays by Jerome W. Berryman from 1978–2009 (pp. 195–206). Ballarat, VIC: Modotti Press.
Berryman, J. W. (2013d). Spirituality, religious education, and the Doormouse. In B. Hyde (Ed.), The search for a theology of childhood: Essays by Jerome W. Berryman from 1978–2009 (pp. 145–167). Ballarat, VIC: Modotti Press.
Buber, M. (1958). I and Thou. (trans: Smith, R. G.) (original work published 1923). New York: Charles Scribner and Sons.
Cameron, B. (2002). The nursing ‘How are you?’. In M. van Manen (Ed.), Writing in the dark: Phenomenological studies in interpretive inquiry (pp. 10–25). London, ON: The Althouse Press.
Carr, M. (2001). Assessment in early childhood settings: Learning stories. London: Sage.
Carse, J. P. (1986). Finite and infinite games: A vision of life as play and possibility. New York: The Free Press.
Champagne, E. (2003). Being a child, a spiritual child. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 8(1), 43–53.
Claxton, G. (2007). Expanding young people’s capacity to learn. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(2), 1–20.
Claxton, G., & Carr, M. (2004). A framework for teaching learning: The dynamics of disposition. Early Years, 24(1), 87–97.
Costa, A. L. (2000). Describing the habits of mind. In A. L. Costa & B. Kallick (Eds.), Habits of mind: Discovering and exploring (pp. 21–40). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
de Souza, M. (2006). Rediscovering the spiritual dimension in education: Promoting a sense of self and place, meaning and purpose in learning. In M. de Souza, K. Engebretson, G. Durka, R. Jackson, & A. McGrady (Eds.), International handbook of the religious, moral and spiritual dimensions in education (pp. 1127–1139). AA Dordrecht: Springer.
Dilthey, W. (1985). Poetry and experience. Selected works (Vol. V). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self theories: Their role in motivation, personality and development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
Eaude, T. (2011). Starting from how young children learn: A rationale from psychology for religious educators in the early years. Journal of Religious Education, 59(3), 61–71.
Gendlin, E. (1981). Focusing (2nd ed.). New York: Bantam.
Gilligan, C., Spencer, R., Katherine-Weinberg, K., & Bertsch, T. (2006). On the listening guide: A voice-centred relational method. In S. N. Hesse-Biber & P. Leavey (Eds.), Emergent methods in social research (pp. 253–271). Thousand Oasks, CA: Sage.
Groome, T. (2003). Total catechesis/religious education: A vision for now and always. In T. Groome & H. Horell (Eds.), Horizons and hopes: The future of religious education (pp. 1–29). Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.
Groome, T. (2014). Life to faith to life. Retrieved January 1, 2019, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHHn0i2gEec.
Hart, T. (2003). The secret spiritual world of children. Maui, HI: Inner Ocean.
Hart, T. (2006). Transforming self and subject: Towards an integrative spiritual pedagogy. In M. de Souza, K. Engebretson, G. Durka, R. Jackson, & A. McGrady (Eds.), International handbook of the religious, moral and spiritual dimensions of education (pp. 1149–1163). AA Dordrecht: Springer.
Hay, D. with Nye, R. (2006). The spirit of the child. Revised edition. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Husserl, E. (1970). The crisis of European sciences and transcendental phenomenology: An introduction to phenomenology (trans: Carr, D.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Hyde, B. (2008). Children and spirituality: Searching for meaning and connectedness. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Hyde, B. (2010). A dispositional framework in religious education: Learning dispositions and early years religious education in Catholic schools. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 31(3), 261–269.
Hyde, B. (2012). Learning stories and dispositional frameworks in early years’ religious education. Journal of Religious Education, 60(1), 4–14.
Hyde, B. (2014). Nurturing spirituality through a dispositional framework in early years contexts. In J. Watson, M. de Souza, & A. Trousdale (Eds.), Global perspectives on spirituality and education (pp. 128–139). London: Routledge.
Hyde, B. (2018). Nurturing the spiritual child: Recognising, addressing and nurturing spirituality in early years’ classrooms through a dispositional framework. In M. de Souza & A. Halafoff (Eds.), Re-enchanting education and spiritual wellbeing: Fostering belonging and meaning-making for global citizens. London: Routledge.
Hyde, B., & Leening, L. (2012). Teachers’ perceptions and experiences in using a dispositional framework in Catholic school early years’ religious education to track students’ learning. Journal of Catholic School Studies, 84(1), 56–67.
Jensen, M. (2015). Stories we live by: Fiction, faith and the fragments of human life. ABC Religion and Ethics. October 31, 2016. http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2015/11/05/4346010.htm.
Katz, L. G. (1988). What should young children be doing? American Educator, 12(Summer), 29–45.
Linde, C. (2009). Working the past: Narrative and institutional memory. Oxford: Oxford Scholarship Online.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of perception (trans: Smith, C.). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Perkins, D. N., Jay, E., & Tishman, S. (1993). Beyond abilities: A dispositional theory of thinking. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 39, 1–21.
Reinhardt, K. F. (1960). The existentialist revolt: The main themes and phases of existentialism (original work published 1950). New York: Fredrick Unger Publishing Co.
Robinson, E. (1977). The original vision: A study of the religious experience of childhood. Oxford: The Religious Experience Research Unit, Manchester College.
Stein, E. (1989). On the problem of empathy. Washington, DC: ICS Publications.
van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. London, ON: State University of New York Press.
van Manen, M. (2014). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
Witte-Townsend, D. (2002). Remembering the childhood loss of a mother. In M. van Manen (Ed.), Writing in the dark: Phenomenological studies in interpretive inquiry (pp. 168–178). London, ON: The Althouse Press.
Yalom, I. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.
Acknowledgements
The original research reported in this paper was funded by the Victorian Bishops’ Grant for Excellence in Religious Education under Grant Number G1238.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hyde, B. Connecting to life: a new, emerging learning disposition within a Godly Play educational framework. j. relig. educ. 67, 115–125 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-019-00080-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-019-00080-8