Subject knowledge: the 'knowledge-rich' agenda, Buber and the importance of the knowing subject in Religious Education

• Published in: British journal of religious education Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 140 - 149
• Main Author: Jarmy, Clare
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 03.04.2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Buber; Buber, Martin (1878-1965); dialogue; Educational Philosophy; Epistemology; Futures (of Society); Knowledge; Knowledge Level; powerful knowledge; Religious Education; Religious Factors; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0141-6200; 1740-7931
• DOI: 10.1080/01416200.2019.1595525

Knowledge is a key concern at the moment in schools. Advocates of so-called 'knowledge-rich' schooling claim that constructivist models of mind, and a focus on skills education has meant that students are leaving school without core knowledge. Extending this to Religious Education (RE), there are some that have defined the need for a robust knowledge-base as the defining challenge for its future. This way of talking about knowledge, namely in the sense of a 'body of knowledge', is common in educational circles. When used in this sense, knowledge is conceived of as exterior to the knowing subject, and prior to any subject coming to know it. Yet, this is not how knowledge is spoken of in the field of epistemology, where even the most minimally defined position concerns what is known and the knowing subject. I argue that the knowing subject is key to the knowledge acquired in RE, that knowledge of religion cannot be easily conceived of without taking the knowing subject into account. Employing Buber's notion of the I-Thou relation, I characterise knowledge in RE as the result of an engagement with the other.