Values Education

1. Values Education

2. 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

3. 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

4. VALUES EDUCATIONA 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?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. World Views • Values don’t 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.

9. 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 student’s school life • Ensures students receive consistent values messages • Promotes the sharing of a common vision and common language

10. 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

11. 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

12. Pedagogies • Active learning • Action research / Inquiry / Problem Solving • Community based / Service learning • Critical literacy • Student Action Teams / Student Mentoring • Socratic Circles

13. 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

14. 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 21st Century Guiding principles, key elements and practical guidance for schools in implementing values education

15. THE FRAMEWORK’S 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 school’s mission/ethos • Reviewing the outcomes of their values education practices

16. CORE VALUES FOR AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLING • Care and compassion • Doing your best • Fair go • Freedom • Honesty and trustworthiness • Integrity • Respect • Responsibility • Understanding, tolerance and inclusion

17. Whose values? Whose voices? “Where every value is defined you’ll 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

18. Gaps in our knowledge • How are we preparing young people for recognising and understanding values issues that are complex and difficult in Australia’s changing society? • What is the role of criticism and non conformity in values education?

19. 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?

20. 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)