A Whole School Approach Values Education: A Whole School Approach One of the guiding principles for effective values education outlined in the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools 2005 is a whole school approach. This presentation provides an overview of a whole school approach to values education. Note to facilitators: The presentation is designed to accompany Unit 3, ‘Developing values education in your school’ in Values Education for Australian Schooling Professional Learning Resources (Primary/Secondary). Depending on the goals for your school community values education forum, it may also be adapted for a broad school community audience. This presentation assumes that your audience is familiar with the contents of the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools. © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

The National Framework and a whole school approach Effective values education: occurs in partnership with students, staff, families and the school community as part of a whole school approach to educating students …. (Guiding Principles, National Framework, p5) The National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools has as one of its key guiding principles for effective values education a whole school approach to educating students. The principles were developed from the recommendations of schools involved in the Values Education Study (2003) and subsequent school community consultation. Discussion What does a whole school approach mean to you? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

What is a whole school approach? A whole school approach is one that involves all members of the school community (students, staff, parents and carers, and other community members) and works across all areas of school life. It implicitly acknowledges that learning occurs not only through the formal curriculum, but also through students’ daily experience of life in the school – and beyond. (Values for Australian Schooling Professional Learning Resources – Primary/Secondary) Read the slide. The National Framework emphasises a planned and systematic whole school approach to values education. This includes the involvement of all members of the school community including students, teachers, parents, carers and other community members. A whole school approach has been used to successfully implement a number of educational initiatives and many teachers are familiar with the processes involved. A whole school approach ensures: • widespread and representative participation in school decision making • consistent messages about values, both in principle and practice across all areas of school life • joint ownership of decisions by all stakeholders in the school community • support for individual teachers whose classroom curriculum and pedagogy approaches are affirmed at the whole school level • sustainability of programmes which belong to the whole school community. © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

The elements of a whole school approach to values education The diagram shows the model of a whole school approach to values education which contains the elements outlined by the National Framework. The elements are described below. School vision defines the shared vision of the school community and explicitly states its values. The vision statement is the focus for all planning decisions. School policies and programmes frame school practices and reflect the values outlined in the vision statement. Classroom teaching and learning covers curriculum and pedagogy including the values taught, discussed, modelled and practised in all KLAs and the classroom environment, and the consideration given to individual learning needs. School community encompasses partnerships, communication and consultation with parents and carers to ensure that the values of home and school are consistent and understood. The school community, in turn, is part of the wider local community. Students are at the heart of all the endeavours of the school and their values learning is affected by all aspects of the school. The values in the background are the core shared values. The local, national and global contexts refer to the wider world in which the school resides. Discussion Discuss examples of values education activities in your school that fit into each of the elements of a whole school approach. © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

School Vision © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 Australian schools generally have vision or mission statements that outline the key aspirations for their school and students. As the diagram indicates, the school vision guides all activities in the school. To support effective values education, these vision statements should contain explicit reference to the school community’s values. To ensure that teachers, students and parents and carers share ownership of these values, they should be developed in partnership. Discussion Is our vision statement known and understood by all members of the school community? Does it accurately reflect the aspirations that we share? What implicit and explicit values are contained in our vision statement? How could it be improved? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

School policies and programmes The National Framework emphasises the importance of the participation of parents and carers, teachers and students in the school’s decision-making bodies. This ensures that decisions are owned by the whole school. School policies and programmes should reflect and articulate the values contained in the school vision statement and ensure that these are applied consistently across the school. A key aspect of the National Framework is the importance of students developing responsibility, resilience and social skills through co-curricular as well as curriculum programmes. The involvement of students in school governance and in broad participation programmes is essential for learning responsibility, practising social skills, and understanding and practising values. Discussion What opportunities are there for student participation at our school (eg student representative bodies, peer programmes, school community programmes)? What knowledge, social skills and values do students learn in the programmes we offer? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Classroom teaching and learning The National Framework emphasises the importance of both curriculum content and pedagogy in effective values education. Values are taught, discussed, modelled and practised in all key learning areas (KLAs). The classroom environment supports student understanding and enacting of values, and caters to individual needs. Discussion How do students in our classrooms learn values? How do you model particular values in the classroom (eg Fair Go)? How do you teach students social skills? What values are part of the KLA that you teach? What values language do you use in the classroom? How might we assess the outcomes of classroom values education? How might we ensure that values are taught and learnt across all areas of the curriculum? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

School community © Commonwealth of Australia 2005 Parents and carers are the primary partners in school-based values education. Children learn their values first and foremost in the family environment and the National Framework stresses the importance of partnerships between the school and parents in developing effective values education. Funding by the Australian Government for each Australian school to conduct a values education forum reflects the importance attached to school–family partnerships. Families have a major influence on students’ achievement in school and life. Research on effective schools conducted by the ACER (Masters, 2004) shows that schools which achieve high standards for their students strongly encourage parent involvement in discussing, monitoring and supporting student learning and in setting goals and policies for the school. The school community also includes the other partnerships in the community which support student learning such as the local council, volunteer groups, local businesses, other schools, Indigenous councils, religious communities, international organisations like the Red Cross, and TAFEs and universities. Discussion In what areas of school life are parent partnerships encouraged? How can we encourage further involvement by parents in our school? With what community organisations does our school have links? How can these organisations support our school values programmes? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Using the whole school model Starting points policy? curriculum planning? student welfare? student participation? community relations? parent engagement? A whole school approach supports the development of explicit and planned values education as a core part of schooling. The approach can have a number of starting points, as listed. Values education is best introduced in the context of local school needs and priorities. Discussion What are our school’s current priorities? Where do they fit in the whole school approach? How do they link to values education and the National Framework? © Commonwealth of Australia 2005