South Australia – news – 24/10/09

South Australian Conference: Values and Inclusion
The final South Australian Values Education Conference was held on Monday 26 October at the Education Development Centre Hindmarsh. The conference explored the theme of Values Education and Inclusion. Conference speakers, Dr Emma Burns, a specialist in community health medicine and Catherine Devine, from St Monica’s School in Epping, Victoria, spoke powerfully on the topic and emphasised the need for educators to work towards intercultural understanding, social inclusion and social cohesion. Elida Brereton concluded the conference with a humorous and insightful presentation of her reflections on values and inclusion, drawing on her experiences as Principal at Camberwell High School and the fictional Summer Heights High.

The conference was also an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the work of the 31 grant school recipients. A common theme was the importance of student-led processes and active teaching pedagogies in creating a proactive and positive values curriculum, as well as the need for strong community involvement and support. The work of the grant schools has been outstanding and will be available for teachers in DVD format at the end of the year.