Values in Education

On last night's TV news there was some interesting spin put on the draft curriculum that's being released today. The curriculum includes a statement about values, and the fact that schools should be modeling and teaching the following values: Those values were excellence, innovation, diversity, respect, equity, integrity, community and care for the environment. The National Party response, given about equal air-time as the information about what is in the new curriculum, was that schools need to focus on the three R's, not all this values rubbish. And "Whose values should be taught?" a concerned vox pops asked. It's a bit of a storm in a teacup, likely to be talked up to make it a story, but not of huge consequence. Schools have always taught values. It would be naive to think they don't. The 'traditional' approach that's being implied by the three R's focus teaches some clear values. A traditional classroom dynamic teaches the values of conformity, obedience, and accepted wisdom. If you look back to the golden days of the 1950s, students were being taught that the teacher is always right and that doing as you're told is praiseworthy. Those are values. There was also a lot of national pride instilled in the education system (as there is now), with a traditional link to the Mother Country. There was also the 'hidden curriculum', the lessons that students learn by observation. Like, men are more successful professionally than women (the gender balance in teaching in secondary schools is skewed to the feminine, but in senior management this balance is reversed). Sport is more valuable than other cultural activities. I'm no scholar, but what little history I've picked up from TCOL and studying history at Uni leads me to beleive that we've always taught values in schools, in one form or another. There is no need to get het up about putting it in writing, where it can be seen, discussed and criticised. To return to the values named for a moment: excellence, innovation, diversity, respect, equity, integrity, community and care for the environment. Are any of these actually controversial? Schools have always given awards for excellence, thereby teaching pupils the value of excellence. Diversity is a fact in schools, and we need our kids to be able to deal with it if schools are to function. Equity, innovation, integrity, community, environment? These are all pretty basic elements of having a functioning society. As a last note, I'm reminded of a Stephen Fry sketch from the show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. A politician is on the podium, talking about values in education. I'm paraphrasing here, from watching it about a week or two ago: "Most importantly, we must teach our youngsters the value of not damaging the passenger side mirror of my car. Leaving my bloody car alone is one of the bedrocks of good education."