Core values are present in both the content and the process of the curriculum
The idea of promoting spiritual and moral development within all the subjects of the curriculum is one that many teachers find difficult. Not only have we been trained within an educational paradigm that has traditionally separated values from facts but also we have been trained to respect the autonomy of learners, by refraining from making value judgements and 'imposing' a particular worldview on them through indoctrination.
Both of these approaches have long been challenged and the notion of a 'value neutral' curriculum is no longer tenable. Furthermore the spiritual, moral social and cultural resources which a pupil brings to learning in the form of existing cognitive frameworks, values and worldviews are increasingly being seen as an important educative tool, rather than something which has to be 'left at the door of the school room' so that real learning can take place.
The curriculum is a vehicle through which students are given opportunities to learn and achieve and to prepare them for the responsibilities and experiences of adult life. This includes:
- passing on the enduring values of society
- encouraging pupils to be caring and responsive citizens
- the promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Where a school has a genuine consensus on its vision and values, then this provides a relevant and defensible framework for students to critically engage with citizenship and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues which are embedded within that vision. When the values that a student encounters are those values which our community, including students, consider to be important, then it is all about considering our values in relation to learning, rather than imposing alien values on children.
Encounters with core values can become specific learning objectives in lesson planning
The values content of the curriculum is very closely related to what the teacher and the school consider to be the purpose of that subject. For example, many Geography teachers care passionately about global issues of sustainability and responsible care taking of the natural and social environment. That 'passion' for something 'more to life than meets the eye, something more than the material, something more than the obvious, something to wonder at, something to respond to' (Copley T. 1997) is deeply spiritual. Science teachers care about the search for truth, history teachers care about issues of social justice.
Moments of opportunity can be found within all subjects for teaching and learning about spiritual and moral issues related to that subject. Core values are generally already present in the curriculum - this means simply making explicit what is often implicit. Teaching values is not necessarily about teaching about different things, but about teaching in a different way.
A school's core values provide a vehicle for citizenship education and for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils across the curriculum
Each time a student encounters a core value in a learning experience within the curriculum, they will be engaging in aspects of citizenship education and will encounter opportunities for spiritual and moral development.
Core values underpin much of citizenship education. Valuing ourselves and others, justice, truth, taking care of the environment and so on, are all values which are intrinsic to active citizenship. Furthemore, core values have spiritual and moral dimensions to them, and core values provide the basis for a school's approach to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Effective citizenship education takes place within a learning environment that enables students to develop a range of participative competancies. In fact the way in which learning experiences are organised in citizenship is crucial to effective provision. Teaching styles likewise can facilitate these kinds of learning experiences.
Planned encounters with core values in lessons enriches the teaching and learning experience
Integrating core values into learning means that there is more to teaching than just covering the curriculum. Whilst this is a pressure to most techers, being able to explore new strategies and ideas to introduce values is a welcome challenge and one that brings us back to the reason we teach in the first place. Values can be communicated in the classroom in three main ways: through content, process, and application.
The content of the lesson can be used to draw out a particular value. In this case it is the specific subject matter which can be used as a vehicle for emphasising the value. This may well be the subject matter that you were going to use anyway, or it may be necessary to extend the 'normal' work a little in order to provide the necessary material. For example, in this KS3 science lesson about blood, the resource used in the lesson goes beyond what is immediately required by the national curriculum. It specifically refers to a racially sensitive situation which produces an emotional response, and hence discussion about racial issues. (Click here to see worksheet and here to see example of pupil's work referred to in the above KS3 Science lesson.)
In language lessons teachers have found it was sometimes necessary to come out of the target language in order to discuss aspects of the values more fully. In many cases it is the actual process of the lesson that can be used to create the necessary interaction with the value in question. For example, in a KS3 geography lesson, running a simulated public inquiry, the importance of valuing others is brought out during the public meeting, where students have to listen carefully to each other and ask questions appropriately.
In many subjects the content of the curriculum is applied to other aspects of life. For example, technology is used or applied in almost all aspects of life.
Citizenship education requires that learners take responsibility for their learning, engage in exploring, discussing and debating values and attitudes concerning issues of interest to them, take on different roles in group activities and reflect on how the topics they have engaged with might be relevant to them.
Spiritual and moral development involves the interaction of three stories
When a student is engaging with core values in learning, it is likely that three key stories are being engaged. Firstly the student's own story - their personal experience of life and of those values. Secondly the story of the learning itself - whether that is science, history or mathematics. Thirdly the story and values of the school and its community. When these three interact there are powerful opportunities for students to learn, adapt and change in relation to what they are learning.
Look at the diagram on page three of a school's staff teaching and learning handbook, illustrating the three stories.
Suggestions for using students' existing knowledge and understanding, beliefs and skills as a starting point for citizenship education can be found in the DfES Teachers Guide (go to page 40).
