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We are going to
be hearing a lot more about values education. Many politicians, social
commentators and educationists believe that youth crime and misbehaviour
are due to a loss of values and that giving youngsters values and a
return to traditional/family values is the answer. But what a minefield!
How can
youngsters be given values? What are traditional values? What do we mean
by "family"? Is youth crime really due to a loss of values or to youth
acting according to other kinds of values?
There are some
preliminary answers to these apparently overwhelming questions. First
let’s define values education:
an activity
which can take place in any organisation during which people are
assisted by others, who may be older, in authority or more experienced,
to make explicit those values underlying their own behaviour, to assess
the effectiveness of these values and associated behaviour for their own
and others' long term well-being and to reflect on and acquire other
values and behaviour which they recognise as being more effective for
long term well-being of self and others.
Let’s see what
some of the terms in that definition mean.
Enhanced well-being means better
behaviour
The extent of
well-being in any community depends on people's behaviour towards one
and other. Values education is ultimately about changing behaviour for
the better - to enhance well-being of all. It is surprising how many
educators do not accept that their fundamental task is to change
behaviour - even if this means encouraging deeper thinking or the
correct use of chemistry apparatus. Educators who promote values
education see it as a direct and effective contribution to reducing
youth crime, drug misuse, vandalism, bullying, unwanted teenage
pregnancy, and so on. Of course, it is one's motives and how one does it
that will determine the rightness or wrongness of attempts to change
behaviour.
Moralistic telling and social
indoctrination ruled out
Values
education does not dictate rules, promote lists of values or state
desirable ways of behaving. The values educator, does not say: "You
should behave this way or that way because I, God, society, school rules
or the law, says so". Values education requires a new way of thinking
about how to get youngsters to realise right from wrong.
During values
education the youngsters themselves decided what "better" behaviour
means. Instead of asking them to depend on some external code for
judging the appropriateness of their behaviour, values education
attempts to assist youngsters in building their own internal code.
Motivated only by total concern and love (agape), the values educator,
genuinely wants to know what youngsters think they should do in a moral
dilemma or what they understand the values of 'respect' and 'honesty'
entail in differing situations. Values educators attempt to participate
as equals in these discussions - their views are one contribution, not
the right answer.
Does this mean
that we must do away with school rules?
Not at all!
If two children are involved in fisticuffs, the adult's duty is to
impose his/her will and stop the fighting and state without
consideration of the children's views, that fighting is unacceptable in
school. However, this alone is not values education. Values education,
through detailed and supportive discussion, should enable youngsters to
reach the very bed-rock of what it means to be human and to make
explicit for themselves the values they should act on to enhance their
feelings of worth and meaningfulness.
This is why
values education emphasises long-term well-being. Shoplifting might
enhance the well-being of the thieves in the short-term. But in the
long-term, well-being is diminished by the thief's dread of being
caught, ostracised, and feelings of worthlessness and meaninglessness.
Does this mean that values education is about social manipulation and
conformity? No! Values education should give youngsters the rationale
and courage to resist social norms or laws in the very rare instances
when these blatantly infringe human dignity such as in slavery, the
Nazi's treatment of Jewish people in World War II and apartheid. Values
education transcends cultural and religious differences.
How can values education be done?
In the context of schooling, values education can be undertaken by at
least four main interrelated approaches.
1.
The cross-curricular or permeation
approach in which subject specialists identify values issues in, for
example, history, geography or chemistry, and discuss them briefly when
they arise during teaching.
2.
The hidden curriculum approach
which entails values educators attempting to become more aware of their
behaviour and choosing only those behaviours they wish students to
adopt. For example, the chemistry teacher would show respect for method,
honesty in recording data and concern about the social implications of
chemical products. Despite their status or educational attainments,
values educators would attempt to regard all others (including cleaning
and catering staff) as having equal worth as human beings.
3.
The whole school ethos approach in
which senior staff take the initiative to implement organisational
policies which entail the whole school in making explicit the values it
stands for. Events and occasions would be organised whereby youngsters
would have the opportunities to act according to the values identified.
This approach involves, for example, senior staff consulting teachers,
students, janitorial staff and parents on how the school is to be
administered. Within statutory guidelines teachers would consult with
students on what and how they are taught; what school and classroom
rules should be, and how rules should be monitored and rule-breakers
treated.
4.
The subject approach. A specific
time could be set aside for group reflection and detailed discussions on
the meaning of particular values, values issues and current social
problems. What one would call this specific timetable slot (subject)
could cause some debate but “Values education” springs to
mind”. Values education is not necessarily the same as moral education,
religious education, and personal and social education but essential
part of them.
Bill Robb is a
management and education consultant based in Aberdeen, Scotland. For
more information and resources on values education or to invite Dr Robb
to speak at your event go to
www.valueseducation.co.uk. This article was originally
published as For what it’s worth in the TES, July 2 1993, page
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