Spiritual Heart Education
In my view, religious education is spiritual heart education. The development of this model is being conducted within the context of the Aesthetic-Islamic Education Research Laboratory (FORLÄB) , which I have established in 2023. Within this framework, artistic activities enhance the emotional aspect of values education by enabling children to develop their understanding of spiritual values through an aesthetic learning process. Artistic practices such as painting, music, literature, drama and creative writing provide pedagogical tools that help children internalise spiritual values such as responsibility, solidarity and love through experience. The interactive nature of art appeals to emotions and enables a holistic educational approach, ensuring that spiritual values leave a lasting impression on children at cognitive, emotional, and social levels.
BIOGRAPHY
Prof. Dr. Tuba IŞIK
Tuba Işık was born in Mainz, Germany. She began her university studies in 2001 at the University of Göttingen in International Public Law and Pedagogy, while simultaneously completing a degree programme in Islamic Religious Education at the University of Osnabrück. In 2010, she commenced her academic career as a research associate at the Center for Comparative Theology and Cultural Studies at the University of Paderborn. She completed her Ph.D. in 2013 with a dissertation entitled „The Role and Significance of the Prophet Muhammad in Islamic Religious Education.“ During her doctoral studies, she also pursued Catholic Theology at the University of Paderborn and at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in the Rome, thereby gaining a second theological qualification. Between 2013 and 2019, Işık held the position of a postdoctoral researcher and habilitation candidate at the Department of Islamic Theology at the University of Paderborn, and also served as a lecturer and associate professor at the same department.
Prof. Dr. Tuba IŞIK
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