VALUE EDUCATION
Value education is the process by which people give moral values to others. It can
be an activity that can take place in any organisation during which people are
assisted by others, who may be older, in a position of authority or are 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. There is difference between literacy and education. Values
education can take place at home and as well as in schools, colleges, universities,
jails and voluntary youth organisations. There are two main approaches to values
education, some see it as inculcating or transmitting a set of values which often
come from societal or religious rules or cultural ethics while others see it as a type
of Socratic dialogue where people are gradually brought to their own realisation of
what is good behaviours for themselves and their community.
MORAL EDUCATION
Morals as socio-legal-religious norms are supposed to help people behave
responsibly. However, not all morals lead to responsible behavior. Values education
can show which morals are "bad" morals and which are "good". The change in
behavior comes from confusing questions about right and wrong.
American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg who specialized in research on moral
education and reasoning, and was best known for his theory of stages of moral
development, believed children needed to be in an environment that allowed for
open and public discussion of day-to-day conflicts and problems to develop their
moral reasoning ability.
TEACHER EDUCATION
Cross has made a start at documenting some teacher training attempts.
MULTINATIONAL SCHOOL BASED VALUE EDUCATION SCHEMES
LIVING VALUES EDUCATION PROGRAMME (LVEP)
This project of worldwide proportions inspired by the new religious movement
called the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University incorporates twelve values
(unity, peace, happiness, hope, humility, simplicity, trust, freedom, co-operation, h
onesty, courage, love), and has formed the basis of thekiss whole-school ethos
approach in schools such as West Kidlington Primary School, Kidlington whose
head master Neil Hawkes and Values education coordinators Linda Heppenstall
used the work and other programmes to help them form a values-based school. The
LVEP website lists 54 countries where values education projects are undertaken.
HUMAN VALUES FOUNDATION
The Human Values Foundation was established in 1995 to make available
worldwide, a comprehensive values-themed programme for children from 4 to 12
years entitled EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES. Its fully resourced lesson
plans utilise familiar teaching techniques of discussion, story-telling, quotations,
group singing, activities to reinforce learning and times of quiet reflection.
Following the success of "EHV", a second programme was published SOCIAL
AND EMOTIONAL EDUCATION ("SEE"), primarily for ages 12 to 14+ but it
has also proved constructive for older children identified as likely to benefit from
help getting their lives 'back on track'. The programmes enable children and young
people to explore and put into practice a wide spectrum of values with the potential
to enrich their lives. Through the experiential learning, over time participants
develop a well considered personal morality, all the while gaining invaluable
emotional and social skills to help them lead happy, fulfilled, successful lives.
CHARACTER EDUCATION
Character education is an umbrella term generally used to describe the teaching of
children in a manner that will help them develop as personal and social beings.
However, this definition requires research to explain what is meant by "personal
and social being". Concepts that fall under this term include social and emotional
learning, moral reasoning/cognitive development, life skills education, health
education; violence prevention, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and conflict
resolution and mediation. Lickona (1996) mentions eleven principles of successful
character education. It seems to have been applied in the UK and the United States.
SCIENCE OF LIVING
Science of Living (Jeevan Vigyan; Jeevan = Life and Vigyan = Science) is a
detailed program that complements the current educational approach with spiritual
and value based learning. While both mental and physical development is needed
for a student's growth, Jeevan Vigyan adds a third pillar that of emotional
intelligence and morality (or values) to education in schools and colleges. A
combination of theory and practice, Jeevan Vigyan draws on the findings of
various life-sciences as well as nutritional sciences. Our parasympathetic nervous
system and endocrinal system are known to be the drivers of our emotions and our
behavior. These biological centers can be influenced Science of Living through a
system of yogic exercises, breathing exercises, medication and contemplation.
Science of Living's source of inspiration is Jain Acharya Ganadhipati Shri Tulsi
(19141997). His thoughts were further developed and expanded by Acharya Shri
Mahapragya (1920 - 2010). Currently Muni Shri Kishan Lal Ji, under the
leadership of Acharya Shri Mahashraman, is the Principal of SOL.
EXAMPLES OF VALUE BASED EDUCATION FROM THE WORLD
Taylor gives a thorough overview of values education in 26 European countries.
AUSTRALIA
The Australian Government currently funds Values education in its schools, with
its own publications and funding of school forums on values education at all levels
of education. It also helps in becoming a better person. A conference on "Moral
Education and Australian Values" was held in 2007 at Monash University.
INDIA
The Indian Government currently promote Values education in its schools.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken strong step to introduce
values among schools and teachers training centers. Also India is known as the
land of introducing values. In India From the leadership of B. Shaji Kumar, New
Golden Education Trust (NGET) Values Based Education has progressing
throughout the country among schools from first standard to twelve std class.
INDONESIA
A key feature of education in Indonesia are the five principles of Pancasila.
JAPAN
Elementary school and middle school students from first to ninth grades will be
taught the importance of life, to listen to others with different opinions, to be fair,
respect their country and learn about foreign cultures.
PHILLIPINES
For Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP) (the version of the Values Education in the
Philippines), the signs or basic skills of functional literacy decides and acts toward
common good with accountability.It means, EsP aims to cultivate and develop the
ethical character of students. The EsP aims to guide the student to find the meaning
of his life, his role in society to share in building the community the operative
truth, freedom, justice and love. To demonstrate this, she must possess five basic
skills: understanding, reflection, consultation, decision and action.
SINGAPORE
Teacher training institutions in Singapore all have curricular for learning to teach
civics and moral education programmes but students do not take these as
seriously as they should due to lack of assessment. The reason has been said to be
the lack of innovative teaching approaches such as the discourse pedagogy.
SLOVENIA
There is an obligatory school subject that includes the aspect of values education
and Citizenship Culture and Ethics. It is taught in 7th or 8th grade of primary
school. Besides this there are two elective subjects that partly deal with values
education: Religions and Ethics (for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade) and Philosophy for
children (Critical thinking, Ethical exploring, Me and the other; for 7th, 8th, and
9th grade). Slovenian educational system does not require special training in the
field of values education for teachers that teach mentioned subjects .
SWEDEN
Values education is a part of Swedish schools. Whereas the formal curricula is
about educating students to be competent democratic citizens by practising student
participation, qualitative studies have shown that in everyday school life, values
education and school democracy often appeared to be reduced to traditional
disciplining with high focus on rules and regulations. This in turn evokes some
critiques among students. Most research on values education in Sweden is done by
qualitative methods, especially ethnographic or field studies as well as focus group
and interview studies. Some studies have been conducted by survey and other
quantitative methods. In addition, theoretical work with roots in Dewey and
Habermas has been done on deliberative democracy and deliberative conversations
in schools.
THAILAND
In Thailand, values have traditionally been taught within the context of Buddhist
religious education. Since 1982 there has been a revival of applied values as an
extracurricular activity suitable for Buddhist, Moslem and Christian students alike
to prepare Thai students for the effects of globalization.
UNITED KINGDOM
Since 1988 the British government, although not recognising or calling it values
education, has promoted and respected values in the guise of spiritual, moral,
social and cultural development (SMSCD) leaving the initiative to individual
schools to decide how values education standards should be met. It is not clear
whether there are standards of values education. It should be noted that the
Government and state school systems have never called it "values education".
Values education courses in Britain may be implemented in the form of
government supported campaigns such as Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning
(SEAL) but are more often provided by local experts in the form of LVEP.
Values education is a term used to name several things, and there is much
academic controversy surrounding it. Some regard it as all aspects of the process
by which teachers (and other adults) transmit values to pupils.
Others see it as an activity that can take place in any organization during which
people are assisted by others, who may be older, in a position of authority or are
more experienced, to make explicit those values underlying their own behavior, to
assess the effectiveness of these values and associated behavior for their own and
others long term well-being and to reflect on and acquire other values and
behavior which they recognize as being more effective for long term well-being of
self and others.
OBJECTIVES OF VALUE EDUCATION
a. To improve the integral growth of human begins.
b. To create attitudes and improvement towards sustainable lifestyle.
c. To increase awareness about our national history our cultural heritage,
constitutional rights, national integration, community development and
environment.
d. To create and develop awareness about the values and their significance and
role.
e. To know about various living and non-living organisms and their interaction
with environment.
VALUE BASED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Let us see how environmental education be made value-oriented:
1. HUMAN RELATIONS
Preparation of text-books and resource materials about environmental education
can play an important role in building positive attitudes about environment. The
basic human value man in nature rather than nature for man needs to be infused
through the same.
2. SOCIAL VALUES
Love, compassion, tolerance and justice which are the basic teachings of most of
our religions need to be woven into environmental education. These are the values
to be nurtured so that all forms of life and the biodiversity on this earth are
protected.
3. CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS VALUES
These are the values enshrined in Vedas like Dehi me dadami te i.e. you give me
and 1 give you (Yajurveda) emphasize that man should not exploit nature without
nurturing her. Our cultural customs and rituals in many ways teach us to perform
such functions as would protect and nurture nature and respect every aspect of
nature, treating them as sacred, are it rivers, earth, mountains or forests.
4. ETHICAL VALUES
Environmental education should encompass the ethical values of earth-centric
rather than human-centric world-view. The educational system should promote the
earth-citizenship thinking. Instead of considering human being as supreme we have
to think of the welfare of the earth.
5. GLOBAL VALUES
The concept that the human civilization is a part of the planet as a whole and
similarly nature and various natural phenomena over the earth are interconnected
and inter-linked with special bonds of harmony. If we disturb this harmony
anywhere there will be an ecological imbalance leading to catastrophic results.
6. SPIRITUAL VALUES
Principles of self-restraint, self-discipline, contentment, reduction of wants,
freedom from greed and austerity are some of the finest elements intricately woven
into the traditional and religious fabric of our country. All these values promote
conservationism and transform our consumeristic approach.
VALUE BASED EDUCATION OR VALUE EDUCATION?
All VbE schools deliver Values Education. Not all schools that deliver Values
Education are VbE schools.
VALUE BASED EDUCATION(VbE)
We say that a school or setting is values-based when it underpins all its practices
and routines on a set of universal positive human values such as respect, tolerance
and peace. That means for instance that all school policies are crossed-referenced
against the school's values.
VALUE EDUCATION (VE)
Values Education refers to the aspect of the curriculum that is designed to enable
pupils to learn about and experience the school's or setting's values. This includes
lessons, activities and assemblies that support the learning about values. VE has an
explicit and implicit element: explicit refers to the planned experiential activities
that enable the children to develop an ethical vocabulary based on the values
words, which builds ethical intelligence. The implicit element refers to, for
instance, the way that staff use the values vocabulary to reinforce learning e.g.
"Well done Matthew and Mary for showing so much cooperation when you
worked together".
Values Education helps students understand what values are. Values-based
Education helps students and adults embed those values into their lives, personal
behaviour and social interactions. It establishes a parallel system of student
achievement based on their values and behaviour, complementing the more limited
assessment of academic attainment.
DEVELOPING POSITIVE ATTITUDE AT HOME
Charity begins at home. Most of the values we learn are developed in our
formative stage which begins at home. So it is the duty of parents to make the child
a valuable asset of the society.
Parents are the first role models for the children. They should teach their children
distinction between right and wrong, sense of patience, tolerance and integrity of
mind. Parents should feed the minds of the children the young minds, resurrect a
mindset which will help rebuild their value system in the right direction.
Our educational institutions today are built on confusion and chaos. Different
educational institutions have different value based frameworks. There is no
common consensus with regard to value based education across the country.
Including spiritual dimensions in the curriculum should help the mind building
process of the youth of the present generation. Today, curriculum is cross-
disciplinary extending from psychology and sociology to neuroscience and
biology. So we have to re-think and see them from a multidisciplinary perspective.
In this backdrop comes the importance of minding the affairs of the learners when
they are young.
The young are the pillars of our generation. A country is not built by bricks but by
minds. In order to help our youth protect their own rights and responsibilities, with
positive thoughts as they grow and become adults.
CREATING POSITIVE VALUES AT THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUE
1. Just as parents play a major role at home, teachers and the environment in
the educational institutions play a big role in helping students inculcate a positive
mindset. Teachers are role models in schools and colleges and so the learners look
up to them for many things.
2. Shiv Khera, a great motivator, mentions that the character building process
should remain the prime purpose of education which helps the students imbibe a
sense of self-awareness which will lead to self development. This could lead to
societal development which is a collective development in the process.
3. Sense of fairness and justice should be incorporated in the rules and
regulations of educational institutions.
4. Counselling of students should be a part of the curriculum.
5. Team work and sharing attitude should also be made a practice.
6. Concepts of balanced interconnectedness and respect should be incorporated
in schools and colleges where values like self respect, self acceptance, self
knowledge and self development can be taught.
7. Value based syllabus should be the part of the education system at all levels.
INCULCATING POSITIVE VALUES INTO LEARNERS
1. We live in a world of multifaith society (Wright, 2000). Learners should be
made aware of values that different cultures and traditions follow.
2. Alongwith cognitive rationalities like logic, analysis and linearity, emphasis
should be laid on subjective subjects like emotions, intuition and relationships.
Intuition leads to creativity in the mind.
3. Help them face and rise up to the realities of real life situations.
4. Help them fight loneliness, rejection, defeat and failure.
5. Encourage them to practice small acts of courage in the process of learning
which can be speaking up for truth when required in the school environment.
6. Sense of wisdom or application of knowledge should be taught.
7. Help them value good principles of life and develop a sense of loyalty,
integrity and trustworthiness.
EXPRESSIONS WHICH BUILD POSITIVE ATTITUDES
Neuroscience has revealed that emotion is intimately linked to cognition and is
responsible for the maintenance of brain cells including our bodys immune
system.
1. Some amount of self illusion creates positive impact on imaginative minds.
Illusion increases performance.
2. Laughter, humour and jokes also have a beneficial effect on the immune
system. It is believed that polite social laughter produces psychological benefits.
3. Positive body language should be taught. Exposure to various languages and
cultures also helps.
4. Physical exercise helps the brain grow more effective cells. A positive
attitude should be taught. This can be reinforced by the power of faith as
mentioned by Norman Peale from where one derives energy.
5. Yoga and meditation can also be a part of body and mind building process.
Our religion plays an important role in influencing activity in the mind.
6. Above all these is the use of the Power of Prayer. Parents and teachers
should use prayer therapy which can create positive energy to produce positive
results. It can change our life and teach us to think creatively because prayer
sharpens our mind.
The Secondary Education Commission 1952-53 laid special emphasis on the
following values in the formation of character of the students:
1. Efficiency
2. Integrity
3. Discipline
4. Co-operation
5. Good Temper.
The Committee of Religious and Moral Instruction headed by Shri Prakash made a
special mention of dignity of labour, love of humanity, patriotism and self-
discipline. Moral values particularly refer, to the conduct of man towards man in
various situations good manners.
The Committee of Emotional Integration referred to the mutual appreciation of the
various religions in the country spiritual values, national unity and the unity of
mankind.
The Education Commission emphasised the inculcation of the values of
cooperation and mutual regard, honesty and integrity, discipline and social
responsibility. It also stressed the development of scientific temper of mind, respect
for manual labour, capacity to put in hard and responsible work, respect for an
proper pride in the past faith and confidence in the future, national consciousness,
spirit of social service for promoting social and national integration, equally
essentials are values which help to make democracy a way of life and thereby
strengthen it as a form of government, readiness to appreciate other's point of view
and patience.
A few examples of Human Values as contained in Various Religions Control of
Anger.
BUDDHISM
One should not give way to anger, but should control it.
CHRISTIANITY
The mark of Christian is love not hatred.
HINDUISM
Anger breeds confusion.
ISLAM
The strong man is only he who controls himself when lie is angry.
JAINISM
Anger is not for the wise or dies religious.
JUDAISM
Anger causes strife and destruction.
SIKHISM
Anger is the fire that burns me as at cremation.
NEED FOR VALUE EDUCATION
The following are some reasons that may be mentioned in this connection:
(1) The progress in science and technology without simultaneous development of
moral values could have serious repercussion in many areas of life. It is very
essential that moral awareness is promoted to orient the progress in science and
technology towards the welfare of mankind.
(2) With the general decline of traditional values, some common values should be
re-discovered to unite human beings.
(3) Schools can remain hardly neutral so far value education is concerned.
Teachers are always passing on some values to their students whether they are
conscious of it or not through their conduct in and out of classrooms, through their
selection of books to be read, through dicir choice of instructional strategic and so
on. The need for a consciously planned value education programme, therefore is
obvious.
(4) There is an increasing moral complexity in the contemporary world, and pupils
are expected to face more complicated decision-making situations about issues
involving values. They should be helped in developing the ability to make proper
choices in such situations.
(5) It cannot be ignored that the rate of juvenile delinquency is increasing
everywhere. It is a definite symptom of a crisis which today's youth undergoes in
the process of his personal growth. In such a situation value education assumes a
special significance.
3 QUICK WAYS IN TEACHING VALUES IN EDUCATION
Its clear that teachers have a central role in imparting these values to students.
There are many ways by which they may do so, but to help give an idea, here are
three quick tips.
1. LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Probably the most important point of all. If you want your students to show
solidarity, be supportive. If you want your students to respect diversity, then you
have to respect diversity too. Its the teachers responsibility to lead by example.
2. EMBRACE ADVERSITY
Create scenarios in which students feel outside of their comfort zones (within
reason) and are confronted with situations that reinforce the values in education.
Doing so will allow students to become familiar with examining and understanding
different points of view something that is very important to developing a greater
sense of maturity.
3. USE OF EXTERNAL RESOURCES
External resources offer a great alternative to the above in allowing students to
explore situations that might otherwise be impossible in the context of a class.
These resources may include films, shorts, documentaries, news, or numerous
other study resources.
