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Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools pp 299–310Cite as

Effective Tools for Pedagogical Change in Religious Education: Experience of Teachers in Hong Kong Catholic Kindergartens and Primary Schools

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Abstract

The growing student population with pluralistic views and diverse background in Catholic schools all over the world is raising ethical and pedagogical issues in Catholic Religious Education (CRE). In the past, much emphasis was given to theological concerns (Grimmitt, 2008). However, there has been more research paying attention to CRE in terms of teaching technique, methods, approach and pedagogies (Buchanan, 2005; Figiel, 2013; Grimmitt, 2008; Groome, 1996). One of the most discussed approaches in CRE is the Shared Christian Praxis (SCP) proposed by Thomas Groome (1996, 2011). His approach was adopted and evaluated in various countries including Australia, Lithuania, Sweden and Korea, and was appreciated. However, some reports suggested there were difficulties in equipping teachers to use this approach in their teaching (Bezzina, Gahan, McLenaghan, & Wilson, 1996; O’Connell, 2008). Hong Kong, as the first East Asian region to adopt SCP in CRE, also faced problems in implementing the approach. This chapter will discuss the implementation problems in the Hong Kong context and suggest ways to overcome the hurdles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic Education Office, Hong Kong, China

    Wing Kay Vion Ng & Shuet Yan Fion Luk

  2. Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Hong Kong, China

    Shuet Yan Fion Luk

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  1. Wing Kay Vion Ng
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  2. Shuet Yan Fion Luk
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Michael T. Buchanan

  2. Faculty of Education/Faculty of Theology, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Adrian-Mario Gellel

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Ng, W.K.V., Luk, S.Y.F. (2019). Effective Tools for Pedagogical Change in Religious Education: Experience of Teachers in Hong Kong Catholic Kindergartens and Primary Schools. In: Buchanan, M., Gellel, AM. (eds) Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6127-2_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6127-2_24

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-6127-2

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