Teaching and Learning Resources: Co-curricular Activities

Co-curricular activities

Co-curricular activities include ideas, information and suggestions about how schools are implementing the National Framework outside the formal classroom context. Written by school-based practitioners of values education they contain practical activities for teachers to use or adapt in their communities.

*Philosophy in the Classroom:* *Oxenford State School*
A practical look at how to conduct philosophy with a class or other small groups to demonstrate values education.
Year levels	Values for Australian Schooling	KLA
Early years–Middle childhood	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Fair Go Freedom Honesty and Trustworthiness Integrity Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	English Society and Environment Health and Physical Education

*Connections: Sherbourne Primary School***
This activity was designed to develop awareness and foster an acceptance of and respect for the elderly. Primary-aged students were partnered with residents at a local retirement village. The students acted as mentors in developing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills of the residents.
Year levels	Explicit values focus	KLA focus
Middle childhood	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Respect Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion Cooperation	English Information and Communication Technology

*Students lead in investigating and implementing values education using a Student Action Team (SAT) framework: St. Charles Borromeo Primary School*
To achieve an increased understanding within the school community of the nature of core values for Australian schools and how these were represented within personal, school and community spheres.
Year levels	Values for Australian Schooling	KLA
Middle childhood	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Fair Go Freedom Honesty and Trustworthiness Integrity Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	The Student Action Team framework touches all KLAs as it engages students in real decision making, and action which takes them beyond the classroom to work on issues valued by the students and the broader community which are linked to other mandated goals.

*Integrating values education into the Middle Years curriculum: BEACHVALE cluster***
This activity was designed to develop and implement values in student social skills by integrating values education into Key Learning Areas for the Middle Years of Schooling.
Year levels	Explicit values focus	KLA focus
Middle childhood - Early adolescence	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Fair Go Freedom Honesty and Trustworthiness Integrity Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	Strategies underpinning the Inquiry Learning approach provided opportunities for values education to be integrated into all KLAs

*Student Leadership and Values Education – Making the Link:* Merrylands High School
A practical look at what student leaders can do to enhance values education practices across their school and wider community.
Year levels	Values for Australian Schooling	KLA
Middle childhood - Later adolescence	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Fair Go Freedom Honesty and Trustworthiness Integrity Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	Extracurricular – student leadership

*Peer support and values education: Christian Brothers’ College Burwood***
This activity looks at how the Peer Support Program by the Peer Support Foundation can enhance values education in a school.
Year levels	Explicit values focus	KLA focus
Early adolescence	Care and Compassion Fair Go Honesty and Trustworthiness Respect Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	English Health and Physical Education Society and Environment

*Kaniva Chicks: An enterprise-based approach to applied learning: Kaniva P-12 College*
The Kaniva Chicks programme at Kaniva P-12 College in rural Victoria provides Year 8 students with an opportunity to integrate all domains of learning (Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS)) into a real-life situation that focuses on the resources of the local community. The Kaniva Chicks business is based on chickpeas, a product that is grown locally, so students are motivated by the fact that it relates closely to their background and to a possible future in rural agriculture. The Year 8 students are responsible for the growing of the raw product, its production into a healthy alternative snack food and its marketing.
Year levels	Explicit values focus	KLA focus
Early adolescence	Doing Your Best Freedom Honesty and Trustworthiness Responsibility	English Health and Physical Education Studies of Society and Environment Technology

*Applied Learning Experience: Abbotsleigh Girls School*
Topic description: The Abbotsleigh Applied Learning Experience provides Year 10 students with the opportunity to participate in a student-directed project in an area of curriculum relevance and personal interest. The projects are proposed by students and staff members and aim to develop students’ problem-solving skills, collaborative skills and initiative. All projects incorporate a service element in keeping with the school’s commitment to service learning as a pedagogy. All projects also make use of technology in preparation for showcasing the project achievements to a public audience.
Year levels	Values for Australian Schooling	KLA
Early adolescence - Later adolescence	Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion	Cross-Disciplinary