Inspiring Change in Catholic Religious Education

Abstract

The task of Bible teaching in Catholic religious education (RE) is to bring the world of the Bible and that of the contemporary reader into dialogue. This is not an easy task. After all, the (postmodern) processes of detraditionalisation and pluralisation have greatly widened the gap between the Bible and today’s culture. To meet this challenge, the hermeneutic-communicative model of Catholic RE in Flanders promotes an approach to Bible teaching that is both experiential, multidirectional, and communicative. However, Flemish Catholic RE teachers indicate that they often find it difficult to apply and implement this in their actual classroom practice. As part of a larger appreciative inquiry project with nine Catholic RE teachers in Flemish secondary education, this contribution focusses on the question of what teachers need to develop the necessary ownership, confidence, skill, and experience to strengthen their Bible teaching. Based on an analysis of RE teacher’s self-reflection and self-assessment reports, several factors or elements were identified that seem important to facilitate transfer to practice.