Values

Education


VALUES EDUCATION: SETTING
THE CONTEXT

We live in difficult times when peace and
human security are facing new challenges
at the individual and global level

Education is a key dimension of the long
term process of building peace, tolerance,
justice and intercultural understanding-
the reorientation of education to create a
better world is truly urgent.

Koichiro Matsuura Director-General of UNESCO
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
VALUES EDUCATION
Values education is not new or something
extra, it is building upon what already
exists
Values education is on both national and
state agendas
Values can be personalised, politicised and
contested
Values education can strengthen students
self esteem, optimism and help students
to exercise ethical judgement and social
responsibility
What is new is progress towards a conscious,
explicit and planned approach to values
education for all students in all schools

VALUES EDUCATION
A challenging and complex domain
Whose values? Which values?
What is the content of a values
education curriculum?

Should values be taught in schools?

What pedagogies can be used to teach
values?
VALUES EDUCATION
Any explicit and/or implicit school
based activity which promotes
student understanding and
knowledge of values, and which
develops the skills and dispositions
of students so they can enact
particular values as individuals and
as members of the wider community
Approaches to Values
Education
Providing a place in the curriculum for specifically
studying values their nature and significance in our life-
choices, and how one goes about justifying them and
negotiating value agreements in the group: in short,
studying the discipline of values discourse.

Values Education Programs:
Drug Education, Religious Education, Program Achieve,
Social Skills Programs

Service Learning Approaches
Service learning provides the
opportunity for students to learn and
develop through active participation
to meet a specific community need.

Students experience success in
helping others and learn to view
themselves differently.
World Views
Values dont exist in a vacuum they come out
of the beliefs we hold about the world
We need to understand why people hold
different values and why they behave differently
The overall perspective from which one sees
and interprets the world
A collection of beliefs about life or the universe
held by an individual or a group
It is the root, the source, from which our
thoughts, values, actions and feelings spring.

A Whole School Approach
Involves all members of the school
community (students, parents, teachers,
community members)
Acknowledges that values learning occurs
not only through the formal curriculum but
across all experiences in a students
school life
Ensures students receive consistent values
messages
Promotes the sharing of a common vision
and common language
Whole School Approach
Values reflected across the whole school in:
the articulated school mission, purpose and
values
all school policies and guidelines
the behaviour of students, teachers, school
staff & parents
the curricula and learning materials in all
subject areas
the teaching/learning process,
methodology, pedagogy
the whole school culture and environment

Good Practice
Establishes a shared values language
across the school
Explicitly teaches and models values
Uses a range of learning strategies
Enhances student agency
Develops approaches relevant to the
local context
Gathers data for continuous
improvement
Pedagogies
Active learning
Action research / Inquiry / Problem
Solving
Community based / Service learning
Critical literacy
Student Action Teams / Student
Mentoring
Socratic Circles

Where Does Values Education
Fit in the Curriculum?
civics and citizenship education
environmental education, sustainable futures
international and global education
indigenous studies, languages and multicultural
education
history, philosophy, social sciences
health and human development
sciences ethical dilemmas, problem solving
math, economics (equity issues gap between
haves/have-nots)
media & ICTs critical thinking, discernment, choosing
screen-based information

NATIONAL VALUES FRAMEWORK
A stimulus for discussions about values
A vehicle for promoting greater
understanding and explicitness of school
values including:
A context, underpinning vision based on
the National Goals for Schooling For the
21
st
Century
Guiding principles, key elements and
practical guidance for schools in
implementing values education
THE FRAMEWORKS VISION
All Australian schools will promote values
education in a planned and systematic
way by:
Developing student responsibility in local,
national and global contexts
Building student resilience and social skills
Ensuring values are incorporated in school
policies and teaching programs
Articulating the schools mission/ethos
Reviewing the outcomes of their values
education practices
CORE VALUES FOR
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLING

Care and compassion
Doing your best
Fair go
Freedom
Honesty and trustworthiness
Integrity
Respect
Responsibility
Understanding, tolerance and inclusion
Whose values? Whose voices?
Where every value is defined youll
find a totalitarian society.
Rather, we need to engage with
students in dialogue and deep
thinking about values.

Professor Lee Win On, Professor & Principal Lecturer , Hong
Kong Institute for Education National Values Forum 2005

Gaps in our knowledge
How are we preparing young people
for recognising and understanding
values issues that are complex and
difficult in Australias changing
society?

What is the role of criticism and non
conformity in values education?


Other gaps
How are we preparing all teachers to
be values educators?
How do we more effectively engage
parents and communities in values
education partnerships?
How do we address values education
in non mainstream school contexts?
How do we report meaningfully on
values learning outcomes?
RELATED INITIATIVES
National School Drug Education Strategy
National Safe Schools Framework
Mind Matters Program
Discovering Democracy Project
Global Education
National Environment and Sustainable
Education Statement for Australian
Schools (2005)
National Statement Engaging Students
with Asia (work in progress 2005)