Giving Voice to the Impacts of Values Education The Final Report of ...

Seven teaching techniques supported the
enactment of explicit values-centred teaching
in identified classrooms. These techniques
included the use of quotes, mindmaps, story,
music, activities that reinforced values learning
using games, creative visualisation and silent
sitting. Opportunities were provided for
teachers to discuss, reflect and demonstrate an
understanding of cultural difference and a focus
on shared values, and for the school community,
students, staff and families to articulate an
understanding and knowledge of their shared
values. The professional development for staff,
and strong and ongoing communication with
parents and the school community, were integral
to the success of the project.
Teachers at St Augustine’s Primary identified a
‘value of the week’, and explicitly taught the value
using the seven teaching techniques. Teachers
reported that the variety of the techniques
supported students with a range of learning
styles to develop new understandings of values
concepts. Importantly, teachers reported that
the shared values meta-language encouraged
consistent and powerful teaching and learning
as the process unfolded. As one teacher put it:
My experience of using values education, [and]…
the activities we used to reinforce the value, has
been very powerful…so many times you have a
class of 25–30 people…young people…all with
different values, all with different socioeconomic
backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, religious
backgrounds even – and to try and find a
common ground from which to work with values;
by teaching values explicitly gives you that
common ground.
…Girls are now playing with boys, and they’re going
between games…And you can see…an acceptance…
knowing that they can play this and next lunch go
and play a different game with different people
and not feel they’re going to be scorned or scoffed
at or put down.
Another teacher reflected on the need to ‘break
down’ or ‘unpack’ the meaning of values and
bring them back to students’ lives:
I have realised the necessity of explicitly teaching
the values. You may expect your students to show
kindness towards others or use their manners –
but you must be able to break it down so that the
students create a deep understanding. I found
the seven teaching strategies by Grace Sarra
beneficial…in the explicit…values lessons. At the
beginning of our unit, my students exhibited
a shallow perception of the value and what it
meant…but by the end of our unit, they were using
the language, [and] had a deeper understanding…
and perception of the value.
Students also reflected on what was different
about their learning environment as a result of
changed teacher practice, and made interesting
observations about the transforming nature of the
values approaches, both on themselves and their
teachers. One student reflected:
The values project has helped lots of kids…in our
behaviour because there used to be some…fights
like with language and with physical [violence].
But…since we’ve learned the values there’s not been
physical fights, well not as serious. And I also think
the way I’ve been acting towards other people has
helped my friendship[s]…I used to just stay in this
little bunch of girls in Grade 6 and now I’m like
friends with girls from Grade 4 and…Grade 7. And I
like the value courage because you’re knowing that
you can always say what you want to say...we used
to just do what the schedule was…but now…we also
do values which is actually – sometimes it can be
boring but sometimes it can be really fun. And our
teachers…seem more happy and we do…a bit too…I
used to wake up and think I don’t really want to go
to school today. And now I say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m really
excited about school’.
Section 3: Accounts of the VASP cluster projects
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