Hegemonic speech genres of classrooms and their importance for RE learning

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how potential learning is related to hegemonic speech genres. This we do through examples from two religious education (RE) classrooms, one Norwegian and one Swedish. By presenting important dimensions of speech genres used in RE classrooms, the article also contributes to developing theory. The theoretical perspectives in use are drawn from sociocultural theory. The Bakhtinian concept of speech genre is the central one, but positions, positioning and discursive practice and its institutional framing are highlighted too. Methodologically the article starts with the theoretical perspectives and uses data from a case study to illustrate the importance of these perspectives in understanding constructions of potential learning in RE classrooms. Besides demonstrating the importance of these theoretical perspectives, the article shows how the potential learning of the RE classroom is related to the teachers’ positioning along a pupil–content axis and to the character of the speech genres where two dimensions seem of special importance: how religion is valued (respectfully – mockingly) and how the borders of religions and beliefs are to be understood (fixed – open).