Pedagogical Drift: The Evolution of New Approaches and Paradigms in Religious Education

This article brings together some of the literature on worldwide trends in religious education that have influenced the delivery of curriculum in this field in Australian Catholic schools. The approaches to religious education since the time of European settlement in Australia are surveyed in light of international trends and the pedagogical techniques underpinning each paradigm. Pedagogical techniques are reconceptualized in terms of the interplay between pedagogy and the development of approaches to religious education. As pedagogical techniques are applied, tried, tested, and modified, new approaches to religious education become distinguished yet remain interrelated. This article conceptualizes the process as "pedagogical drift".Footnote 1 1Parts of this article have been published in Buchanan, M. (2003). Survey of current writings on trends in religious education. Journal of Religious Education 51(4):22–30. Acknowledgments E-mail: mbuchanan@patrick.acu.edu.au Notes 1Parts of this article have been published in Buchanan, M. (2003). Survey of current writings on trends in religious education. Journal of Religious Education 51(4):22–30.