Learning for Life: An Imaginative Approach to Worldview Education in the Context of Diversity

Teachers of religious education experience the challenge of secularization and diversity in the classroom. Schools rooted in the Christian tradition wonder how they can adapt religious education to an increasing plurality in worldviews. How can worldview education contribute to the identity development of children and at the same express the identity of the school? Learning for Life introduces a hermeneutical-communicative model that helps teachers to reflect on their goals, didactical roles, religious sources and students’ abilities. Teachers invite students to search for meaning in all kinds of religious and non-religious sources, to exchange views with each other in a respectful way and to respond individually using imagination as a powerful learning tool. Learning for Life explains the model, provides pedagogical backgrounds and shows results from research at nine primary schools in the Netherlands. Hermeneutical-communicative learning appears to be an inspiring perspective for both private and public education.

André Mulder is a professor of theology and worldview at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle, the Netherlands. His research focuses on the contribution of worldview communication to the quality of professional practices in education, care, and church-related fields. Regarding the field of education in worldview and religion, he is searching for perspectives, methods and didactical roles that stimulate the development of every student in her or his religious identity in the context of diversity.


Bas van den Berg is professor emeritus in dynamic identity development at Marnix Academie University of Applied Sciences for Teacher Training in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His expertise includes dialogical hermeneutics and creative interpretation of worldview sources (Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Humanistic). His research focused on worldview development of children, teachers, and school teams using a narrative approach.