How can teachers contribute to a classroom climate in which discussions about religions and beliefs contribute to mutual respect and understanding? Under which circumstances can religious diversity result in tensions and conflicts? And how can it become a source of inspiration resulting in positive encounters and experiences?  In multicultural classroom students sometimes have more detail knowledge than the teacher. How can the teacher still facilitate dialogue, so that diversity results in understanding rather than in tensions between students? 

These questions will be addressed at a teacher training seminar “Dialogue About Religion in the Classroom”, organized by the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities in cooperation with the EWC, September 20 in Oslo.

The seminar invites participants to examine their experiences of dealing with religious issues in the classroom. Some recent examples of research in the classroom will be presented and discussed, showing that most students have thoughts about existential questions of life, questions which might find religious or non-religious answers. Furthermore, ways to facilitate dialogue on religious issues will be explored.

Time: Monday, 20th of September,10.00 – 16.00

Place: HL-senteret, Villa Grande, Huk Aveny 56, Oslo/ Norway

Target group: primary school teachers

Language: The seminar will be held in Norwegian.

Please register with undervisning@hlsenteret.no if you want to take part in this seminar. Deadline for registration is the 6th of September, 2010.

This seminar is the first event in a series of “educators’ consultations”, the EWC is organizing across Europe in autumn 2010, to present the findings of a research project on  Religion in Education - REDCo to students, teachers and other educators and to discuss possible implementation for educational practice. For more information on the upcoming events, click here.