Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

The candidate has knowledge of:

- The place and function that religion and beliefs have in modern multicultural societies

- The challenges a multicultural society represents for upbringing, communicating values and education

- The school subjects’ origins, development, characteristics and justification

- The pupils’ world and children’s and young people’s moral and religious perspectives and development

- Central approaches and aids to religious and ethical teaching

- The five basic skills and how they can be applied and used in religious and ethical teaching in various kinds of schools

- The teacher’s role and key ethical challenges

Skills

The candidate is able to:

- Reflect verbally and in writing on the role of teacher in the subjects religion, life perspectives and ethics

- Plan, implement and evaluate teaching and learning in religion, life perspectives and ethics

- Plan and implement educational development in religion, life perspectives and ethics

- Evaluate and select various teaching aids for teaching religion, life perspectives and ethics

- Facilitate adapted teaching in religion, life perspectives and ethics

General competence

The candidate:

- Can inspire and demonstrate an attentive attitude towards pupils which will motivate them to contribute with resources from their own religious and philosophical backgrounds

- Is able to describe various ethical aspects related to the profession as a teacher of religion and life perspectives and demonstrate an ethical foundation in their own professional practice

- Can develop a reflective approach to the teacher’s role and an ethically-aware attitude in practicing the teaching profession

Course Description

The aim of the course, primarily, is to qualify for teaching the subjects, Religion, Life Perspectives and Ethics in primary and lower secondary school, and Religion and Ethics in upper secondary school; however, the course may also be useful in working with other disciplines and areas. The content will be based on:

• The subjects’ special characteristics, development and justification
• Teaching materials and pupils’ needs
• The teacher’s role and professional ethics
• Teaching and practical teaching skills
• Research and development.

Teaching and Learning Methods

In general

The course is organized as a 15 ECTS credits course (alternatively 30 ECTS credits for students who are only taking a subject didactics course) within the postgraduate educational program consisting of a total of 60 ECTS credits.

The course focuses on the attitude-forming aspect of subject knowledge, and students will be schooled in this part of a teacher’s work. If pupils are to discuss meaningfully existential problems based on their own experiences, and be stimulated to personal growth and development, then the teaching of the subject should include respect and tolerance and basic insight into various life perspectives and sets of values. Organisation, teaching and learning methods should consequently be selected with an aim of increasing students’ awareness of their own position regarding faith and life belief questions.

Teaching methods

Teaching and learning methods should encourage students to become aware of the special aspects of the subjects included in the subject group religion, life perspectives, and philosophy. This will be accomplished by discussing existential questions and using teaching methods that stimulate curiosity, provide experiences and offer an opportunity for reflection.

Focus on the teaching practice forms an important part of the students’ work, and students will be provided with the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their teaching practice experiences. Consequently, before students start their period of teaching practice, it is important they practice the teaching methods emphasised in the curriculum which are used in schools.

Hence, the course will focus on group work with discussions regarding subject didactic questions supervised by the course teacher. Either alone or in groups students will be given an opportunity to prepare and introduce discussions focusing on important subject and didactic questions. Consequently, it is expected that students will actively participate in the course. Participation in the form of student presentations, and response to the presentation of other students, is thus an obligatory part of the course. Two seminars regarding information and communications technology, and the aesthetic dimension of the teaching of religion, are also obligatory.

As far as the teaching and learning methods are concerned it is also important to emphasise that the students are responsible for their own learning, and that self-study is necessary if students are to grasp the subject material.

Assessment Methods

Supervision

Students will receive supervision throughout the course to assist them in developing the personal and professional qualities required in the teaching profession. The supervision will aid students in their evaluation of where they stand in relation to the goals and expectations of the teacher-education programme, thus stimulating their efforts in day-to-day work. Students will be able to arrange supervision throughout the course of the whole study, but it will be of particular use in relation to essay writing and during practice teaching periods.

Final assessment

In order to register for the final assessment, students must have participated in the mandatory parts of the course.

Students must have completed their teaching practice in the current semester with a passing grade. The semester plan distributed at the start of the course will explain which parts of the course are mandatory.

During the course of the study period, students must write a development project, which constitutes the written part of the work to be assessed. This is a take-home examination with no time limit, but with a deadline for submission. Students must receive a passing grade in the development project before they will be allowed to take the oral examination. The development project may be written individually or in groups. Students may select their own topic and project question, but these must be approved by each student’s designated supervisor and subject teacher. Projects that deal with topics related to schools other than public primary and secondary schools must include a discussion of the topic’s relevance and use in public schools.

While working on the project each student is required to give an oral presentation for the other students, which will be followed by a discussion. The development project counts for 40% of the final grade.

In addition there is an oral examination based on the development project. Students may be examined on the whole syllabus. The oral part of the examination counts for 60% of the final grade.

A single grade will be entered on the diploma, graded from A to F, where A is the highest grade and E is the lowest passing grade. Students must receive a passing grade on each part of the assessment in order to achieve a final passing grade for the course. Students must have met the requirements for mandatory participation in the study program in order to take the oral examination.

A single grade will be entered on the diploma, graded from A to F, where A is the highest grade and E is the lowest passing grade. Students must receive a passing grade on each part of the assessment in order to achieve a final passing grade for the course.

Please refer to Telemark University College’s Examination Regulation for further information.

Students taking 30 ECTS in the subject are required to write a more comprehensive development project and must select additional syllabus texts of roughly 600 pages; this selection must be approved by the course teacher before they can take part in the final assessment. These students will, as part of their oral examination be given questions from the additional syllabus texts.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean