Joseph Kentenich Institute Award 2024: Pedagogy of attachments in learning

On Sunday, March 17, Anna Loriz received the 2024 award from the Josef Kentenich Institute (JKI). Since there is a second recipient this year, Verena Häffner, the cash prize of 500 euros will be shared between them. Here we share details about Loriz’s valuable work.

Aspects of the pedagogy of attachments

Anna Loriz’s thesis, entitled “Aspects of attachment pedagogy according to Josef Kentenich, as a contribution to the development of learning skills in children with learning disabilities using the example of the Josef Kentenich School in Kempten, Oberallgäu” was presented at the Bavarian Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, at the Institute for Special Education under the direction of Anna-Lena Weber and was rated as “very good” (1.0).

In the keynote speech presented by the university chaplain Manuel Gärtner, the content of Loriz’s work was praised. The priest explained to the audience that in the first part of her work, the award-winner had initially dealt fundamentally with the pedagogy of Joseph Kentenich and that she had focused very significantly on the presentation of the five guiding stars of this pedagogy.

Connections between attachment and learning

In the subsequent course of her work, Loriz gave the importance of the attachment aspect a prominent consideration, particularly for children with learning disabilities, which was consistent with the focus of her studies, establishing a connection between attachment and learning in school based on various factors, including the parent-child and teacher-student relationship, as well as the relationships and attachments in the school context and their importance in learning.

According to Father Gärtner, something very special about the work is that Loriz not only elaborated on the Kentenich theories of pedagogy and attachment, but also described and presented the pedagogy of attachments at the Joseph Kentenich School in an extensive practical section of her thesis.

Value of attachments to people, places, things, and ideas

For this she carried out interviews with colleagues at the school in Kempten and then reflected on them. Loriz explains that attachment in the Kentenich School relates to people, but also to places and things, to forms and ideas. The research uses three examples to illustrate in a very clear and striking way how the performance of students can be significantly improved by practicing and applying the pedagogy of attachments.

In her conclusion, Anna Loriz concludes that the Kentenich pedagogy, in particular the aspect of attachments, has an added value for both teachers and students. Dr. Joachim Söder, President of the Joseph Kentenich Institute, congratulated the winner for the extraordinary success of her work and presented her with the certificate and the award.

The Joseph Kentenich Institute Award

The JKI Prize is awarded annually to scientific research that addresses the ideas and concerns of Fr. Joseph Kentenich, his insights and contributions, and brings them into the academic debate. The subject area is not limited to theology, but encompasses various disciplines. Various scientific investigations, graduate theses (equivalent to a master’s degree), but not doctoral or postdoctoral theses are eligible for the award.

Source: schoenstatt.de