What's new - September 2007

Welcome to ‘What’s new’ on the Values Education website for September 2007.

Events

1 October 2007, World Habitat Day: A safe city is a just city
2 October 2007, International Day of Non-Violence
10 October 2007 World Mental Health Day
8–12 October 2007, 12^th International Metropolis Conference: Migration, Economic Growth and Social Cohesion, Melbourne
10–12 October 2007, 2007 International Conference, New Imagery for Schools and Schooling: Challenging, Creating, and Connecting, Sydney
14–17 October 2007, Murray-Darling Basin Commission International River Health Conference, Canberra
14–20 October 2007, Anti-Poverty Week
18 October 2007, National Youth Roundtable 2008 – applications close
22–23 October 2007, ACSSO National Education Conference 2007: Top End – New world, Darwin
24 October 2007, Universal Children's Day

See links below for workshops and seminars in your State or Territory.

National

National forum 2007

A full report of the 2007 National Values Education Forum: ‘Values Education in Practice: Making Connections’, held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre on 3–4 May 2007, is available for downloading from the website.

States and Territories

In the Australian Capital Territory:

• Cymantha Cantrill is the new Values Education Contact Officer in the ACT. Her details are below.

Ms Cymantha Cantrill
Project Officer, Values and Drug Education Forums
Curriculum Development and Support Section
ACT Department of Education and Training
Phone: (02) 6207 6824
Fax: (02) 6205 9340
E-mail: cymantha.cantrill@act.gov.au

In Queensland:

• Values @Sunset Seminars

Brisbane – 1 November 2007
Rockhampton – February 2008
Townsville – March 2008

•   Service-Learning Forum

27 November 2007 – Brisbane North and Brisbane Central West Districts

•   Values Forum: Values – the Moreton Way: Valuing Diversity in our Communities

28 November 2007 – Moreton Region

In South Australia:

• On Monday 27 August, over 100 South Australian teachers, students and members of governing councils participated in a one-day workshop with Dr Julia Atkin on educating for values-based action.
• On Thursday 8 November, a twilight seminar will be held in the Education Development Centre, Adelaide, focusing on values education and whole school change and the importance of shared vision and values in moving schools towards a common goal.  

In Victoria:

• Wantirna South Primary School began their Social Values Education Project through a community consultation approach, which first tackled the big question, ‘What makes a great school?’
• A band of superheroes were at the launch of Werribee Secondary College Core Values on 1 August 2007.

In Western Australia:

• New contacts for values education in Western Australia are:

School forums and professional learning
Lindy Stirling
State Advisor, Asia Education Foundation
Department of Education and Training – Western Australia
151 Royal Street, East Perth 6004
Ph: (08) 9264 4249
Fax: (08) 9264 4240
Email: lindy.stirling@det.wa.edu.au

Values education
Carolyn Press
Principal Project Officer
Syllabus Development and Resources Directorate
Department of Education and Training – Western Australia
151 Royal Street, East Perth 2004
Phone: (08) 9264 4350
Fax: (08) 9264 4240
Email: Carolyn.PRESS2@det.wa.edu.au

Good Practice Schools

Case studies

Merrylands big values professional learning day

For the past six years, the Merrylands/Guildford learning community has held a combined professional learning program, including a Combined School Development Day, in Term 3 of each school year. This year, the Combined School Development Day was dedicated to values education and the cluster’s participation in the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stages 1 and 2.

Resources

Articles

Two new articles :

•  ‘Character and Academics: What Good Schools Do’, Jacques S. Benninga, Marvin W. Berkowitz, Phyllis Kuehn, and Karen Smith, Phi Delta Kappa International, (Vol. 87, No. 6) February 2006.
•  ‘Values, a hot topic in a changing environment’, Gary Shaw, Eingana: The Journal of the Victorian Association for Environmental Education, Volume 30, Number 2, August 2007.

Links

New web links for values education resources include the Foundation for Young Australians, and ViTAL (Values in Teaching and Learning).

Professional learning

A new professional learning resource:

• The New South Wales Department of Education and Training has a policy statement, Values in NSW public schools, which emphasises that values are taught in the classroom through all subjects. Some classroom strategies to help bring values to the surface are outlined (with examples) on the Department’s website.

Survey and data gathering tools

Merrylands/Guildford cluster values survey

The Merrylands/Guildford cluster, from the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project - Stage 2, delivered a values survey to staff and students across all seven schools.

Teaching and learning

‘Renewable energy – is it just a lot of wind?’

Another KLA-based lesson plan with a values focus for early adolescence students is now available from the website. Each lesson includes teaching and learning strategies with ‘Getting started’, ‘Discovering’, and ‘Bringing it together’ activities to engage students.