EfS continually confronts students with values-related issues. Students are challenged to uncover the values that lead people to act in the ways they do and, at the same time, they are challenged to explore and test their own values. Below are examples of how learning in EfS can develop the values listed in the New Zealand Curriculum.
Students set realistic goals and persevere in addressing an issue in spite of barriers. For example, students are resilient and keep going (when faced with resistance) as they work on an action to mitigate wasteful practices in their school.
Students consider various viewpoints, are open to differences, and use a variety of thinking tools when investigating an issue. For examples, students conduct a study on the spread of HIV in Africa and discuss the links with poverty, environmental degradation, and climate change.
Students engage ethically with difference and recognise that we each view the world through lenses that are shaped by culture, language, and history. For example, students consider the values and debate the practices of shellfish gathering by Pākehā, Māori, and Asian communities.
Students develop an understanding of fairness and social justice by critically analysing relationships of language, power, social practices, identities, and inequalities. For example, students consider fair trade and the use of child labour by investigating the manufacture of T-shirts from growing the cotton to final purchase.
Students develop an understanding of the common good through participating in community activities. For example, students participate in community planting events, such as restoration plantings during World Environment Day.
Students consider approaches to ecological sustainability and what caring for the environment may mean. For example, students are actively involved in developing an ecologically sustainable plan for their school grounds.
Students develop an understanding and appreciation of integrity in relation to our interactions with one another and with all living things. For example, students develop a fair and responsible means of addressing those who litter and set up practices to keep their school litter free.
Students develop a greater understanding of the importance of respect for all living things and for those yet to come. For example, students are respectful of people, property, and the environment and show this in the activities they are involved in around the school and local community.
See also modelling what we value
Last updated April 27, 2015