"Religious Education in a Plural, Secularised Society"

"Many European societies are characterised by increasing forms of secularisation and religious diversity. This results in a paradigm shift with regard to religious education. For a long time, the main aim of religious education was, clearly, to educate children in their own religious tradition. Today, the aims of religious education are much broader: contributing to pupils' general education (Allgemeinbildung) and preparing them for participation as a citizen in the future, plural society. As a result, the following question arises in many countries: how can 'teaching into religion' be transformed into or complemented by 'learning about' and 'learning from (the study) of religions'?"
(Leni Francken and Patrick Loobuyck, "RE in PSS" eds., Waxmann, 2011, 179p)

Current Developments. Peter Schreiner p17-34.

The new curriculum in the last year of secondary school in England wants: Responsible Citizens, Successful Learners and Confident Individuals. (RE in PSS, p18)
And the following objectives can be found in most syllabi governing the teaching of religious education in Europe: 
to encourage pupils to be sensitive to religion and the religious dimension of life,
to provide orientation among the variety of existing religious opportunities (including ethically-oriented guidelines for life),
and to provide knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs and experiences. (p23).
All approaches are challenged by... an increasingly plural European society. The following issues are central:
Developing an openness toward other religions and inter-religious learning;
Presenting a dynamic understanding of religion and culture (taking into consideration the intra-plural situation of religous communities);
and raising the question of how to integrate students' experiences and attitudes. (p24).

REDCo ('RE in PSS' p 30-31)

Between 2006 and 2009, an international comparative research project on young people's views of religion, religious diversity and possibilities for dialogue, as well as of classroom interaction and teacher-strategies was organised (REDCo= Religion in Education. A Contribution to Dialogue or a Factor of Conflict in Transforming Societies of European Countries). The project was financed by the European Commission and carried out qualitative research in eight countries running from Spain and Russia to Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Estonia. One of the key research findings was that a majority of students 'who learn about religious diversity in school are more willing to enter into conversations about religions and worldviews with students from other backgrounds than those who do not have this opportunity for learning'. (p30)
The research team has put 4 policy recommendations:
1 encouragement for peaceful coexistence. Education polilcy development and implementation should focus on the transformation of abstract (passive) tolerance into practical (active) tolerance.
2 Promotion of diversity management. Citizenship education tends to focus on homogeneity; but in turning from passive to active tolerance, it is necessary to value religious diversity at school as at university level.
3 The inclusion of religious as well as non-religious worldviews.
​4 Professional competence of teachers. (p 31)

Common standards? Fr. Schweitzer p24.

Friedrich Schweitzer has proposed five examples of such criteria ('RE in PSS'  p24):
1 Religion must and can be taught in line with the criteria of general education.
2 Religious education is of relevance to the public and must be taught accordingly.
3 Religious education must include some type of interdenominational and interreligious learning, in line with the increasingly pluralist situation of many countries.
4 Religious education must be based on the children's right to religion and religious education.
5 Religious education teachers must be professionals in the sense that they have reached a level of self reflexivity based on academic work which allows for a critical appropriation of their religious backgrounds and biographies.

The Lessons of Forty Years RE. Denise Cush p81

We have learned that 'mere description' is dull, and that teaching needs to be made interesting and relevant for young people. There are a number of ways of doing this. It can be through direct personal encounter with people from different traditions, as recommended by the 'interpretive' and 'dialogical' approaches, or by any teacher who organises a visit to a mosque or a placement in a Buddhist monastery. Another way is to link the religious material with students' concerns and interests, and personal quest for meaning, as recommended by the 'existential' and 'constructivist' approaches, or by providing s pace for reflection, meditation and personal response as in the 'experiential approach'. A further way is to include philosophical and ethical discussion of important social and global issues, looking at the impact of religious perspectives on these. Both the 'critical realist' approach and a thoroughgoing academic approach stress the need for critical evaluation, as the attempt to respect and involve bellievers can sometimes lead to a rather anodyne account of religions that avoids controversy. 
This latter point links to another about being aware of 'hidden agenda'. Those working in non-confessional, multi-faith religious education have been very sensitive to the concern not to indoctrinate pupils into one particular faith. However, they may perhaps have at times, deliverately or accidentally, given pupils a message about the truth and status of religions. This might be the liberal protestant or 'universalist' message that all religions are different paths to the same goal, or a 'secular' message that none of them can be taken seriously as true.
It is important that religious education keeps close links with academic religious studies, and the latest research into both particular traditions and ways of studying religions. For example, the recent debates about the constructed nature of both 'religion' and individual 'religions' has been an important one for religious educators to take on board. Religions are internally diverse and constantly changing, so school textbooks need to avoid reifying 'religions' in ways that do not reflect the real world. Teachers and textbooks need to avoid simplistic generalisations, if only by using phrases like 'some Muslims believe...', and ensuring that illustrations do not perpetuate stereotypes.
In order to be trully non-confessional and multi-faith, it is important that religious education is in principle inclusive of all faith and belief positions,including the non-religious, contemporary Pagan and other new religious movements. Clearly, it is impossible to cover every known religion and belief, but the selection made should incorporate a sufficiently wide range to reflect those traditions encountered in the classroom and locality, as well as those significant nationally and globally."                                 (Denise Cush in 'RE in PSS' p80 - 81) 

See Some Examples