RE teachers and the challenges of digital didactics during the coronavirus pandemic in Poland

ABSTRACT

The period of the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2), which hit Poland in early March 2020, has become a great challenge for the whole education sector. The limitations in the functioning of schools, imposed on all teachers, including RE teachers, created the immediate need to adapt to new conditions and start remote teaching. Some of these teachers have never worked in such a way before, have not used information and communication technology, and possessed no or only elementary digital competences. Therefore, the author of the article attempts to seek answers to the following questions: To what extent could RE teachers count on methodological help of those responsible for RE teaching in individual dioceses during the pandemic and has the need to use digital didactics in distance teaching of Religious Education been recognized? The author present the context of her research, formulate the research problem and indicate its relevance and originality, which is based on presenting the issues of remote teaching from the perspective of methodological support for teachers of RE given by the Catholic Church in Poland, then describe the results of a critical analysis of materials for RE teachers published on-line during the pandemic and give conclusions.

KEYWORDS:

• digital didactics
• distance teaching of RE
• coronavirus pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Beata Bilicka

Beata Bilicka – a habilitated Doctor of Theology in the field of Catechetics; teacher of Religious Education from 1987 to 2001; since 2001 Assistant Professor in the Department of Practical Theology at the Faculty of Theology of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń; since 2019 Associate Professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University; member of the Section of Lecturers of Catechetics in Poland and the Torun Scientific Society; diocesan catechetical inspector; expert of the Ministry of National Education for professional promotion of teachers.

Elżbieta Osewska

Elżbieta Osewska – Full Professor of Theology, a habilitated Doctor of Theology in Pastoral Theology and Family Pedagogy. Working as a Professor in the University of Applied Sciences in Tarnów and the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków. In 1990-1993 she was a lecturer in educational and catechetical centres in the former USSR. 1995-2015 - an academic of the Cardinal Wyszyński University in Warsaw. In 1998-1999 the Head of the Family Affairs Department in the Prime Minister’s Office in Warsaw. From 1990 to 2014, a consultant in the Teacher Training Centres in Suwałki and Łomża. A member of the Polish Accreditation Committee and International Accreditation Committee, Équipe Europea di Catechesi (EEC), the European Society of Catholic Theology (ESCT), the President of the Polish Familiology Association, a member of the European Forum for Religious Education in Schools (EuFRES). An author of 220 publications in the field of pedagogy, RE, catechesis, family studies, pastoral theology, interpersonal communication and family policy. Visiting lecturer and an organizer and participant of numerous conferences and congresses in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Józef Stala

Józef Stala – priest of Tarnów Diocese (Poland). Full Professor of Theology (Catechetics), Professor at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow (UPJPII), Vice Rector for the Scientific Capacity and International Cooperation UPJPII. Head of the Research Section of Pedagogical and Catechetical Studies at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow (UPJPII), Theology Faculty, Section in Tarnów (WTST). A member of the European Catechetical Equips; the European Society of Catholic Theology (ESCT); Section of Lecturers of Catechetics in Poland, Polish Familiology Association, Polish Theological Society and Tarnów Scientific Society. Editor in chief of the international scientific journal “The Person and the Challenges”. Expert of the Catholic Education Commission of Bishops’ Conference of Poland in the matters of RE programme and catechetical textbooks evaluation. Participant and organizer of many catechetical and educational conferences, symposiums and congresses in Poland and abroad. He has published and edited widely in the field of catechetics and pedagogy.