As part of the EWC effort to bridge policy, research and educational practice, the EWC organizes a series of ‘educators’consultations’ this autumn in co-operation with a range of European universities and teacher training institutions. These events present the results of a European research project Religion in Education. A contribution to Dialogue or a factor of Conflict in transforming societies of European Countries (REDCo). REDCo explored the attitudes of young people about personal experience with religion, the social dimension of religion, and religion in school in eight European countries. The results indicate e.g. that school is a desired “safe space” for encounters with the convictions of others.

The workshops and seminar are addressing teachers, teacher trainers, students, community representatives and educators to discuss possible implementation for educational practice. They aim to contribute to a better understanding of how to facilitate dialogue within multicultural classrooms, so that diversity results in understanding rather than in tensions between students.

                       Dr. Claudia Lenz, EWC

Two workshops were already held in Oslo, bringing together over 80 participants such as students, teachers, teacher trainers, and community representatives. Researchers from the REDCo project presented the REDCo key findings with a focus to the situation in Norway.

At a third event in the series, a Council of Europe Pestalozzi European Workshop “School Culture(s) – Values – Identities” for teacher trainers in Wels/Austria, October 3-5, EWC contributed with a key note session by Prof. Bob Jackson and a session on inclusive ways of addressing religion and belief in schools, conducted by Dr. Claudia Lenz.
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Upcoming:

• A two-days seminar in Hamburg will gather local educational policy makers, teachers, and researchers in the field of religious education to discuss the possible impact of the REDCo findings on the approach of “integrated religious education” practiced in local schools.