Values Education Forums

The Values Education Forum offers schools an opportunity to consider values education in relation to their own policies and practices. The forum should enhance the progress of values education within the context of current Queensland education initiatives.

All school communities were encouraged to hold a values education forum between 2005 and June 2008.

Values Education Resources Kit

Professional learning resources for primary and secondary schools were developed and distributed to all Australian schools in 2006. The Values Education Resources Kit is an integrated package of resources for every school in Australia and contains:

a copy of the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools;
Values Education Professional Learning Resources - Primary OR Values Education Professional Learning Resources - Secondary;
The Values Education Poster Set - three posters which will be appropriate for workshops, display in school staffrooms and school community meeting rooms;
a DVD containing a 15-20 minute trigger video with extended footage for use in professional learning activities. The DVD will include teacher notes.
Values Education Forums - Engaging your school community - a forum resources support booklet.

These resources are available on the Curriculum Corporation's Values Education website.

Ideas for a Values Forum

Forums can be big, based on the model provided by Rochedale State School containing pre, and post forum ideas as well as what to do at the forum itself.

Or Forums can be small - completing one, or more, of the activities below at a Staff and/or P&C meeting. The important thing is to have representation from the parent as well as the student body and to refer to the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools.

Here are some ideas of what to do at a smaller meeting:

Using the DVD that is in the Values for Australian Schooling Kit:
- Discuss the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools and the Poster using the Power Point presentation on the DVD.
- Discuss a whole school approach to Values Education using the Power Point presentation on the DVD with Activity 1 p22 in the 'Professional Learning Resources' booklet.
- After viewing the 20 minute section on the DVD where teachers, students, parents and other educators discuss approaches to values education, complete Activity 3 on p14 of 'Professional Learning Resources' booklet.
Using the booklet 'Engaging Your School Community' from the Values for Australian Schooling Kit:
- Carry out a survey on what values the school community consider to be important. P22-24 has sample survey forms for staff, parents and students.
- Carry out an audit on values in the school curriculum. See p19 for audit form.
- Carry out an audit on values in the school's policies, mission and/or co-curricular activities. P17, 18, 20 and 21 has several examples of audit forms.
Using the 'Professional Learning Resources' booklet from the Kit:
- Review school policies using the proforma that can be found on p33.
- Examine the school vision statement using Activity 1 and 2 on p27 and 28.
- Explore the 'School I'd like - through students' eyes' by doing Activity 2 on p 13 and 18.
- After reading the case studies on p 23 - 26 discuss the questions in Activity 2 on p22.

Electronic Resources

Values Education Workshops

During 2009 a series of workshops will be provided throughout Queensland to support schools to explore and familiarise themselves with the resources for Values Education that have been developed by the Curriculum Corporation. It is suggested that schools send along a team. The team could consist of:

Principals / Deputy Principals / teachers
Pastoral care / behaviour management staff
Curriculum Coordinators
Parents and
Other community members.

This team could then take a leadership role for work done in Values Education at their school.

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