Explicit Values education does make a difference!

I stumbled across this webpage, and thought it was worthy of adding to my blog here, especially in light of the ongoing issues some NSW schools are having with getting Ethics Classes implemented and accepted as an alternative to SRE for children already attending "non scripture". 
While the legal barriers to the classes have been removed, there remains strong opposition in some areas, co-ordinated by the SRE providers and more outspoken local churches.  There have been instances of delaying votes at P&C meetings, until sufficient numbers of non-supporters have acquired voting rights, and situations of overt bullying and personal vilification of Ethics Co-ordinators themselves.
All in all, hardly a good example of ethical behaviour, or of modelling good values.

One of the interesting observations I made while researching for this blog project was the existence of a long established, federally motivated program, the Values in Action in Schools project (links in the left sidebar), which although there is ample evidence for the benefits, has not yet been implemented as a discrete program across all schools.  While we wait, the Primary Ethics organisation, already operational, should be supported and encouraged, rather than hindered and persecuted, to get started on this valuable program!

In this paper, Dr John De Nobile presents results from a trial at a Sydney Primary Schools cluster group.
Click here for the link to the webpage, Board of Studies - Summary of Paper presented, and the below is the summary itself:

Values Education and Quality Pedagogy
Summary of the paper presented by Dr John De Nobile at the Board of Studies Primary Education Forum, Sydney, 21 November 2006

A group of schools in the Merrylands cluster initiated teaching and learning activities involving a set of agreed values and good teaching practice.

The project highlighted ten values:
 care and compassion; doing your best; fair go; freedom; honesty and trustworthiness; integrity; respect; responsibility; understanding; tolerance and inclusion.

Parents, students and teachers were involved in developing a set of core values. These were then included in strategies and activities taught in the classroom.

Dr De Nobile worked with the Merrylands cluster schools in developing a framework that teachers and students could use in quality pedagogy and values education.

Quality pedagogy involves teaching and learning activities that:

• are meaningful
• are relevant
• are related to the real world
• actively engage students
• have higher-order thinking skills.

Values education involves any explicit and/or implicit school-based activity which promotes student understanding and knowledge of values and which develops the skills and disposition of students so they can enact particular values as individuals and as members of the wider community.


The benefits of the project included improved student attitudes and behaviour, and a more positive school climate. Involvement by parents was a key part of its success, as was the professional dialogue among teachers in the cluster of schools.

For more information email Dr De Nobile: john.denobile@mq.edu.au

(Dr De Nobile is currently one of my tutors at Macquarie in an Inclusive Education subject - you can tell him I sent you, in case he should wonder about the flood of enquiries, LOL!)