values in the new zealand curriculum - Ministry of Education

… a framework for learning and assessment which provides direction in the form of
principles, aims and outcomes. It identifies key content for learning including
knowledge, competencies and values. It is the basis for planning and action and is
used by schools and teachers to implement learning programmes (Adapted from
Ministry of Education, 1993, pp 3-4 by Keown, Parker & Tiakiwai, 2005a).
VALUES IN A CURRICULUM
Taylor (1998) defines “values in education” as “the values which a school adopts,” and this
can apply equally to the curriculum at a national level. Values in a curriculum can be
thought of as the values that a curriculum adopts. These can have a number of
dimensions.
Firstly, the values that the curriculum adopts will include the values conveyed in the aims,
purposes and principles of the curriculum. They will also be evident in the structure of the
curriculum and in its content. For example, the values will be evident in the choice of
learning areas or subjects for the curriculum, and will also be expressed in the learning
processes, the skills and competencies, chosen. The values of any specific curriculum
can be explicit and fully acknowledged and explained, or they can be implicit, not
explained and remain somewhat hidden.
Some curricula have quite specific values learning goals. Some national curricula have
particular parts of their curriculum that focus on values learning. Some, for example the
Philippines, include values education directly as a learning area within the curriculum.
Some include somewhat broader subjects that focus on values, such as personal, social
and moral education in the UK National Curriculum prior to 2000. In some curricula,
particular learning areas such as civics and citizenship, carry a strong values emphasis.
Even when there is not a subject specifically addressing values, particular learning areas
may be seen as values education carrier subjects. In New Zealand, Social Studies has
long been considered an important values subject within the curriculum and recently
Health and Physical Education and Environmental Education have also been seen as
important sites in the curriculum for values learning.
Taylor (1998) points out that a wide variety of values curriculum experiences are included
in national curriculum documents and/or in the curricula of individual schools. She lists
Values in the New Zealand Curriculum: A Literature Review 7