Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Exploring the beliefs and practices of the hermeneutical communicative model within a Melbourne Catholic primary school

  • Published:
Journal of Religious Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In response to a religiously diverse and culturally enriched Australia, this paper will discuss the instance of one Catholic primary school which has taken up the challenge of engaging in Religious Education through integrating the beliefs and practices underlying the KU Leuven’s Hermeneutical Communicative Model to Religious Education. This insider reflection will provide a number of insights into the school’s professional practice and practical actions that can be taken to enhance the Catholic Identity of a school, as well as the impact on both learners and educators.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Student and teacher quotes are drawn from current research data that is compliant with guidelines related to Ethics approval through The University of Melbourne.

Code availability

Not Applicable.

References

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Religion in Australia. Retrieved accessed 6/1/2020 from https://www.abs.gov.au

  • Bieringer, R. (2010). Texts that create a future: The function of ancicent texts for theology today. In R. Bieringer & M. Elsbernd (Eds.), Normativity of the Future (pp. 91–116). Leuven: Peeters Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boeve, L. (2004). Beyond correlation strategies. In D. Pollefeyt (Ed.), Hermeneutics and religious education (pp. 233–254). Belgium: Leuven University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boeve, L. (2016). Theology at the crossroads of university, church and society: dialogue, difference and catholic Identity. UK: Bloomsbury T & T Clark.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Boeve, L. (2019). Faith in dialogue: the Christian voice in the catholic dialogue school. International Studies in Catholic Education, 11(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2018.1561132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carswell, M. (2018a). Promoting fundamentalist belief? How scripture is presented in three religious education programmes in Catholic primary schools in Australia and England and Wales. British Journal of Religious Education, 40(3), 288–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2018.1493271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carswell, M. (2018b). Teaching Scripture: moving toward a hermeneutical model for religious education in Australian Catholic Schools. Journal of Religious Education, 66, 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1067/s40839-018-0070-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) and the Faculty of Theology K.U. Leuven (K.U. Leuven). (2008). Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project. Retrieved from https://www.schoolidentity.net/introduction/

  • Dillen, A. (2007). Religious participation of children as active subjects: toward a hermeneutical-communicative model of religious education in families with young children. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 12(10), 37–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillen, A., & Pollefeyt, D. (2011). Catechesis inside out. A hermeneutical model for catechesis in parishes. The Person and the Challenges, 1(1), 151–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project. (2014). Patron Saint Catholic Primary School, ECSIP 2014 research report. Issued by the Centre for Academic Teacher training of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium).

  • Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project. (2018). Patron Saint Catholic Primary School, ECSIP 2018 research report. Issued by the Centre for Academic Teacher training of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium).

  • Fullan, M., Hill, P. W., & Crevola, C. (2006). Breakthrough. Thousand Oaks, Calf: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurr, D., Longmuir, F., & Reed, C. (2020). Creating successful and unique schools: leadership, context and system thinking perspective. Journal of Educational Administration. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-02-2020-0045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves, A. (1995). Development and desire: A postmodern perspective. In T. Guskey & M. Huberman (Eds.), Professional development in education: New paradigms and practices (pp. 9–34). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombaerts, H. (2000). A Heremeneutical-Communicative concept of teaching religion. Journal of Religious Education, 48(4), 2–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catholic Education Office Melbourne. (2012). Learning Hermeneutically, draft document. CEOM, East Melbourne. Retrieved from https://cevn.cecv.catholic.edu.au/Melb/Document-File/Curriculum/Horizons-of-Hope/HoH-Resources/Learning-Hermeneutically

  • Murdoch, K. (2015). The Power of Inquiry. Northcote, Victoria, Australia: Seastar Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD). (2010). The Nature of Learning; Using Research to Inspire Practice. Paris: OECD Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D., et al. (2008). The difference of alterity. A religious pedagogy for an interreligious and interideological world. In J. De Tavernier (Ed.), Responsibility, God and Society. Theological ethics in dialogue. Festschrift roger burggraeve (Betl, 217) (pp. 305–330). Leuven: Peeters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D. (2008). Difference matters: A hermeneutical-communicative concepts of religion in a European multi-religious context. Journal of Religion Education, 56(1), 9–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D. (2011). Course Didactics Religious Education. In A0950 Reader. Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit, 2011–2012. Retrieved from https://www.kuleuven.be/thomas/uploads/image/prvftp/A0950Reader.pdf

  • Pollefeyt, D. (2013). The lustre of life: Hermeneutic–communicative concept of Religious Education’, English translation of the Dutch article: ‘De luister van het leven. Hermeneutisch–communicatief Godsdienstonderwijs. Narthex, 13(1), 62–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D. (2020). Hermeneutical learning in religious education. Journal of Religious Education, 68(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00090-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D., & Bieringer, R. (2010). The Role of the Bible in Religious Education Reconsidered: Risks and Challenges in teaching the Bible. In R. Bieringer & M. Elsbernd (Eds.), Normativity of the Future (pp. 377–402). Leuven: Peeters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D., & Bouwens, J. (2014). Identity in dialogue: Assessing and enhancing Catholic school identity. Research methodology and research results in Catholic schools in Victoria, Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D., & Richards, M. (2019). The living art of religious education: a paradigm of hermeneutics and dialogue for RE at faith schools today. British Journal of Religious Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2019.1593106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollefeyt, D., & Richards, M. (2020). Catholic dialogue schools enhancing catholic school identity in contemporary contexts of religious pluralisation and social and individual secularisation. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 96(1), 77–113. https://doi.org/10.2143/ETL.96.1.3287376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritchhart, R. (2012). The Power of Real Questions. In Creative Teaching and Learning. 2 (4), 8- 12. Retrieved from https://www.teachingtimes.com/ctl24thepowerofquestions/

  • Ritchhart, R. (2015). Creating cultures of thinking. USA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible. USA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Thomas, S., Wallace, M., Greenwood, A., & Hawkey, K. (2006). Professional learning communities: sources materials for school leaders of professional learning. London: DfES.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ugbor, C. A. (2015). Living the future in dialogue: Towards a new integral and transformative model of religious education for Nigeria in the 21st Century. Switzerland: Bern.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This paper whilst not funded by the University of Melbourne relates to studies undertaken at a PhD level. The author has a Commonwealth funded not position to complete the PhD.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Reed.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Not Applicable.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Reed, C. Exploring the beliefs and practices of the hermeneutical communicative model within a Melbourne Catholic primary school. j. relig. educ. 69, 5–24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00124-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00124-4

Keywords

Navigation