Values

The educator develops an awareness among learners of how beliefs and values underpin actions and how values need to be negotiated and reconciled.

Learning Outcomes

The educator helps the learners to:

Underpinning Components for the educator

In order to achieve the above Learning Outcomes the educator should be able to:

Example activities for teaching Values

1 Power flows
  • Suggested duration: 15 mins
  • Technique used: Group discussion
  • Materials required: Flipchart paper and pens
  • Aim of activity: To encourage students to think about flows and balance of power in systems
  • Underpinning components: UC 10.1; UC 10.2a; UC 10.2b; UC 10.3
  • Connection with other competences: Decisiveness; Responsibility; Empathy

Short description

  • Stage 1: On your flipchart, construct a diagram that shows the flow of power between various stakeholders in education e.g. the education ministry, schools inspectors, governors, headteachers, teachers, pupils … (likely to be hierarchical)
  • Share
  • Stage 2: Reflecting on the balance of power, add to the diagram showing how the various stakeholders might feel about this e.g. frustrated, angry, voiceless, secure, fearful
  • Share
  • Stage 3: Consider the implications of this – what might it lead to? Show this on your diagram e.g. resistance, demotivation, rebellion
  • Share
  • Stage 4: Consider whether there any alternative approaches? e.g. power sharing. What might be the outcomes of the alternative?
2 Power share examples
  • Suggested duration: 15 mins
  • Technique used: Reflection and group categorisation
  • Materials required: Post it notes
  • Aim of activity: To encourage students to reflect on times when power was shared and what this entails
  • Underpinning components: UC 10.1; UC 10.2a; UC 10.2b; UC 10.3
  • Connection with other competences: Responsibility

Short description

  • Individually: Using post it notes, think of examples during your educational journey, as a learner or educator, of where you felt the power was shared more equitably
  • Group activity: Share experiences and see if they can be grouped together in any way – do any have any characteristics in common?
  • Plenary: Any observations? What did they perhaps have in common? Discuss the extent to which the evidence shows that effective power sharing is built on trust and positive relationships.
3 Underpinning values
  • Suggested duration: 15 mins
  • Technique used: Group discussion
  • Materials required: Representation of different values
  • Aim of activity: To encourage students to consider how values can underpin/influence a system/approach
  • Underpinning components: UC 10.2a; UC 10.2b; UC 10.3
  • Connection with other competences: Transdiciplinarity; Empathy

Short description

  • Group activity: Reflect on the power flow as it currently exists in the education system and consider what values it seems to represent
  • Group activity: Consider alternative power sharing approaches and discuss what values these would seem to represent.
  • Plenary: Discuss Carl Rogers and Paolo Freire and their respective philosophies.
4 Choose a charity
  • Suggested duration: 25 mins
  • Technique used: Simulation
  • Materials required: Handout (see below)
  • Aim of activity: To encourage students to think about their values
  • Underpinning components: UC 3.3
  • Connection with other competences: Values; Decisiveness

Short description

Individuals read the handout and decide on a charity. They are paired with someone who chose a different charity and have to agree on ONE charity between them. They then join another pair who chose a different charity to them and try to agree on ONE charity to support. 

In plenary discuss whether this was easy or not. What made it difficult? 

We are driven by our values – sometimes even positive values conflict with each other. 

Handout used in UK setting: Considering Your Values

Your school has a reputation for making small donations to a variety of good causes so when an elderly neighbour of the school passed away, she left a donation of £4,000 to the school with the condition that half should go to the school and half should go to a charity in order to make an impact. 

The headteacher is aware that to make an impact, this sum should be paid to one charity.

All staff and pupils were invited to suggest their favourite ‘good cause’ and a number of suggestions were made. 

The Head finds it impossible to choose from the top four preferred charities so you have been asked to make a decision because you have no personal connection with any of the listed charities. 

The Head’s only guidance is that the school should be “seen in a good light among parents and the public” for making this donation.

Your task is to choose one charity from the list below and then rank the others in order of priority. Explain why the other charities were not selected.

  1. The local animal rescue centre – their urgent need for more animal housing has been highlighted in the paper recently.
  2. Oxfam – towards their recent, high profile appeal following a massive earthquake in Malawi.
  3. The local hospice – caring for terminally ill patients with a reputation for its special care of cancer patients.
  4. The NSPCC – for a specific campaign to help with the assessment, support and monitoring of children returning home from a period in care.

Example activities for teaching Values Sustainable Development Goals

Values SDG1 No poverty

Work responsively and inclusively with others on diminishing poverty, while remaining aware of personal beliefs and values and those of others.

Values SDG2 Zero hunger

Recognise how our values affect actions and behaviours and how these actions, in turn, might increase or reduce hunger of others.

Values SDG3 Good health and well-being

Recognise how our values impact on our health and wellbeing, our families and others and analyse the beliefs and different perspectives behind the decisions and actions taken. Reflect on how these actions can have positive or negative impact on other people’s life and wellbeing.

Values SDG4 Quality education

Recognise the intrinsic value of education and analyse and identify learning needs as part of personal development.

Values SDG5 Gender equality

Recognise how personal values connected to gender underpin our career choices and commitment and those of others as well as decisions taken in everyday life. Recognise power relations among gender and promote commitment and action toward a more equal balance.

Values SDG6 Clean water and sanitation

Engage, with others in the construction of knowledge related to the equitable distribution of water resources and sanitation issues and recognise values and beliefs behind (un)sustainable ways of managing water.  Identify own values and those of others and reflect how these can be combined in order to preserve water resources and promote sanitation. 

Values SDG7 Affordable and clean energy

Collaborate to reduce energy consumption.

Values SDG8 Decent work and economic growth

Recognise how our values underpin our own career choices and those of others as well as the decisions taken by different stakeholders (e.g. shareholders, employees, managers).

Values SDG9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Work with others, responsively and inclusively, while remaining aware of personal beliefs and values (yours and theirs), to achieve resilient infrastructure and inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation.

Values SDG10 Reduced inequalities

Work with others, responsively and inclusively, while remaining aware of personal beliefs and values (yours and theirs), to reduce inequality.

Values SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities

Identify the values that underpin decisions and practices adopted for sustainable and unsustainable community planning. Create community collaboration networks, share ideas and engage in decision making for creating sustainable and inclusive communities.

Values SDG12 Responsible consumption and production

Recognise and know roles, rights and duties of different actors in production and consumption.

Values SDG13 Climate action

Recognise how personal values and behaviours influence climate change, recognise diversity and commonalities between others’ values and behaviours and your own. Promote commitment and action toward personal and social behaviour changes.

Values SDG14 Life below water

Engage with others in a construction of knowledge related to the promotion of subaquatic biodiversity and recognize values and beliefs behind (un)sustainable ways of managing subaquatic biodiversity. Identify own values and those of others, and reflect how these can be combined in order to reduce the impact of human activities on the oceans.

Values SDG15 Life on land

Recognise how alternatives for food provision do exist that are less aggressive to natural habitats and help local communities in those habitats.

Values SDG16 Peace, justice and strong institutions

Understand the values and ideologies that contribute to disadvantage and recognise diversity and commonalities between these and our own values.

Useful reading for Values