Module 1
Factual Background
Chapter 3: Strategic Path and Practical Recommendations
3.2 The importance of promoting values
Schools should not only prepare students for society, but schools in themselves are also micro-societies in which students are socialised into relationships and roles through the school culture. In traditional hierarchical education, adaptive and disciplinary values are stressed, which might be counterproductive. Often, the school culture is more adapting and authoritarian than democratic and does not stimulate the values of democracy and inclusion. This culture is still present in many schools in Europe today.
However, schools can also be organised more horizontally, democratically, and participatory, so that students can learn values by practicing them. Such experiences can serve as powerful and transformative modes of learning. For example, students as members of the school community can directly experience processes of democracy and tolerance (in the school) or the lack thereof.
Given the subjective quality of values as personal choices and expressions of one’s personal view on the ‘good life’, teaching values is not easy. Values cannot be transferred in a mechanical way; students need to be able to understand and accept the values. Developing values thus requires active cognitive and affective activities engaging the students themselves.
A social-constructive dialogical teaching and learning methodology is desirable when teaching values. The concept of dialogical learning refers to more engaging and interactive learning processes in which students inquire about their environment and their own position in it (Illeris, 2009). Part of dialogical learning is a reflection on one’s own moral values.
It is particularly important to continue promote values as vectors of cohesion and inclusion, favor the implementation of participatory learning environments at all levels of education, improve training for teachers on citizenship and diversity and enhance the media literacy and critical thinking skills of all learners.
Another element of teaching values in schools, and in particular the values of democracy and tolerance is the composition of teachers and students. This relates to inclusion in schools. Does a school have students with different abilities and different social and cultural backgrounds? And does a school have teachers with different social and cultural backgrounds, different genders, and different sexual orientations?
These differences provide students with experiences and possibilities of practising a pluralist democracy characterised by tolerance. Substantial research work summarised in the Report on Education policies and practices for fostering tolerance, respect for diversity and civic responsibility amongst children and young people in the EU (Van Driel, Darmody & Kerzil, 2016) shows that in order to develop an appreciation for diversity, contact and cooperation between different groups is desirable, and that education holds the potential to organise such diverse learning settings. However, simply bringing together young people from different backgrounds physically is not sufficient to reduce prejudice and develop positive intercultural relations; schools need to create the conditions for all children and school staff to develop their intercultural competence.
However, schools can also be organised more horizontally, democratically, and participatory, so that students can learn values by practicing them. Such experiences can serve as powerful and transformative modes of learning. For example, students as members of the school community can directly experience processes of democracy and tolerance (in the school) or the lack thereof.
Given the subjective quality of values as personal choices and expressions of one’s personal view on the ‘good life’, teaching values is not easy. Values cannot be transferred in a mechanical way; students need to be able to understand and accept the values. Developing values thus requires active cognitive and affective activities engaging the students themselves.
A social-constructive dialogical teaching and learning methodology is desirable when teaching values. The concept of dialogical learning refers to more engaging and interactive learning processes in which students inquire about their environment and their own position in it (Illeris, 2009). Part of dialogical learning is a reflection on one’s own moral values.
It is particularly important to continue promote values as vectors of cohesion and inclusion, favor the implementation of participatory learning environments at all levels of education, improve training for teachers on citizenship and diversity and enhance the media literacy and critical thinking skills of all learners.
Another element of teaching values in schools, and in particular the values of democracy and tolerance is the composition of teachers and students. This relates to inclusion in schools. Does a school have students with different abilities and different social and cultural backgrounds? And does a school have teachers with different social and cultural backgrounds, different genders, and different sexual orientations?
These differences provide students with experiences and possibilities of practising a pluralist democracy characterised by tolerance. Substantial research work summarised in the Report on Education policies and practices for fostering tolerance, respect for diversity and civic responsibility amongst children and young people in the EU (Van Driel, Darmody & Kerzil, 2016) shows that in order to develop an appreciation for diversity, contact and cooperation between different groups is desirable, and that education holds the potential to organise such diverse learning settings. However, simply bringing together young people from different backgrounds physically is not sufficient to reduce prejudice and develop positive intercultural relations; schools need to create the conditions for all children and school staff to develop their intercultural competence.
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