‘Deep Learning’ in Studies of Religion and Worldviews in Norwegian Schools? The Implications of the National Curriculum Renewal in 2020

Abstract

From 2020, the National Curriculum in Norway has been totally renewed for primary, secondary, and upper secondary education. This includes the introduction of such new concepts as ‘deep learning’ and ‘core elements’ in school education. In this article, we unpack the significance of the reform for studies in religion and worldviews in Norwegian schools. We explore continuities and changes by looking at general educational trends and debates and how they become significant, specifically for the study of religion and worldviews in schools. While the changes may stem from international trends, they have been formed in a Norwegian discourse that also draws on traditions from previous curricula. Three interdisciplinary topics have been introduced: ‘health and life skills’, ‘democracy and citizenship’, and ‘sustainable development’. Emphasis is placed on competence-oriented relevance and less on the traditional classroom learning of ‘facts’. Our research question is: Which continuities and which changes are found when comparing studies of religion and worldviews in the previous and the new curricula? Our hypothesis is that continuities stem from national traditions while incentives to change are connected to rapid social change that is also reflected in supranational developments in education. Our methodology is a contextual presentation and discussion of studies of religion and worldviews, where the context we are considering includes both national and international discourses. Our objective is to inform a broader audience about recent developments in the Norwegian school, as well as to bring together important elements in this reform in a focused discussion on the framework for studies of religion and worldviews in Norwegian schools today. We identify both continuity and change, along a subject-specific—general-educational policy axis and along a national-international axis. The continued relevance of teaching about religion and worldviews in schools is strengthened in the reform, because of the potential for significant contributions to general aims of education now reflected in ‘core elements’, including for continued development of a functioning democracy.