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Dissertation – Simon Hallonsten
Simon Hallonsten defends his dissertation Online Small Groups as Sites of Teaching – An Action Research Dissertation into Christian Religious Education in the Church of Sweden.
24 May 2024, 1–4 p.m., Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm.
The defense will be held in English.
Faculty examiner: Courtney T. Goto, Associate Professor of Religious Education, Boston University.
Grading committee: Caroline Klintborg, Docent in Religious Education, Matts Mattsson, Docent in Pedagogy, Katarina Westerlund, Docent in Systematic Theology.
Defense Chair: Tone Stangeland Kaufman, Professor of Practical Theology.
Assistant supervisor: Heather Walton, Professor of Theology and Creative Practice.
About Online Small Groups as Sites of Teaching – An Action Research Dissertation into Christian Religious Education in the Church of Sweden
What happens to church-based small groups when church moves into digital space? What are the opportunities and limitations of the online format from a religious education perspective? By taking a closer look at what happens in online small groups and, above all, how leaders in these groups act, this book argues that the church must take a clear teaching responsibility in its online education and beyond.
The study is based on an action research project in the Church of Sweden Diocese of Stockholm. Experiences from the project are narrated using fictional writing methods to offer a learning journey. Reflections on these experiences place the project in the context of research on small groups, online learning and, in particular, research on learning and teaching in the Church of Sweden. The result contributes to a deeper understanding of and increased interest in teaching in non-formal learning situations and the church’s responsibility to equip leaders for this task.