Biographical Note
Gert Biesta is Professor of Public Education at Maynooth University, Ireland, and Professorial Fellow in Educational Theory and Pedagogy at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He writes about educational theory and policy, including
Obstinate Education: Reconnecting School and Society (Brill | Sense, 2019).
Patricia Hannam is County Inspector/Adviser for Religious Education, History and Philosophy in Hampshire, UK. Her research and writing interests include religious education, history education and educational theory, including
Religious Education in the Public Sphere (Routledge, 2018).
Review Quotes
âFollowing the publication of the Commission on Religious Education (CoRE) Final report there has been a mood change in the theoretical discussions about the nature and purpose of RE. The true game-changing significance of the Commission's introduction of the language of worldview is beginning to dawn. This fine collection of essays from a variety of talented thinkers represents some green shoots heralding the paradigm shift that might be to come. The authors are a mixture of well-known old hands, including three who served as commissioners on the CoRE team, and some mid-career rising stars whose ideas will no doubt become increasingly influential. Their interests are wide-ranging across, amongst others, the representation of Islam, the nature of religion and of education, the place of theology in Catholic schools, GCSE question setting , pedagogy and hermeneutics. But the common theme is the offer of an alternative to a lazy approach to notions like knowledge, understanding and academic rigour that forget that our pupils are developing human beings and not just consumers of knowledge organisers. This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to grapple with the future direction of a Religious Education that takes seriously both religion and education.â â