Values-Based Theory of Change

Emeritus Professor David Perkins, from Harvard University, elaborates on "What does it mean to be smart?" (The Brainwaves Video Anthology, 2018). Perkins discusses how a high IQ does not mean you are smart and that to be smart, you must be playful, have a dispositional character, be multiple, performative, and be intuitive. Students' IQ levels are mostly linked to the development of value problems, and one solution is to revitalize value education, which is often neglected in contemporary educational practice (Supriadi et al., 2022). Moral, citizenship, character, ethical education, and others are all subsets of the larger idea of "value education" (Taylor, 2006; Thornberg, 2016; Johansson et al., 2016).

According to Halstead (2005), "the term value is used to refer to principles and fundamental convictions, ideals, standards, or life stances that act as general guides to behavior or as points of reference in decision-making or the evaluation of beliefs or actions and which are closely connected to personal integrity and personal identity" (p. 13). Relating to Halstead's (2005) definition of value, Gaikwad (2004) elaborates on the relationship between value and actions. Gaikwad based his explanation using a model four-layered pyramid by Mariani (1999) (Figure 1) as an illustration of how the impact that our values and system of beliefs have on our lives and, therefore, our actions. The model shows how our beliefs shape our attitudes. Our attitudes shape our judgments and decisions, directing our behavior and actions. What we observe in the world is the end consequence of decisions, and our attitudes and beliefs shape our paths to get there. This way, we gain a more practical understanding of the importance of value.

Hawkes, founder of Value-Based Education, said, "Our world so desperately needs hope. Values-based education is bringing this hope, by creating a transformational movement that has the potential to transform education and society so that we can live in peace and harmony with each other, ensuring the sustainability of our planet" (Values-Based Education [VbE], 2023). Yet, specific teaching and learning foundations would need to be developed for the students to get the most out of Values education, elaborates Hawkes (2009). What makes this possible is a classroom environment that is favorable to learning, positive, calm, and all-inclusive, with a feeling of equality. This would aid students in getting the most out of their values education. It was thought crucial that any strategy used for managing the classroom must reflect the values taught to the students?(Hawkes, 2009). Furthermore, as students see that their contributions are always appreciated, they relax and open up about themselves and their experiences. Students will respond quickly if the teacher demonstrates a model of values since values are often "caught" (Hawkes, 2009).

Toomey (2009) "proposed that values education was the missing link in quality teaching" (p. 141). The link between values and quality teaching (and its counterpart, quality learning) affects teacher training and development (Toomey, 2009). Toomey describes the connection between values of education and quality teaching as a genetic "double helix" (p. 143), where values of education serve as the missing half of the helix represented by quality teaching (Figure 2). According to Toomey (2009), value education can significantly redefine the role of teaching and the school's impact.

Including a values education component into education practices cannot only enhance the development of student competencies but also set them up to be successful, confident, and responsible global citizens in the future (Read, 2018). Besides, the benefits of values-based education are not automatically acceptable components in educational practice. According to Toomey (2009), the values of education can no longer be considered marginal. Values must become a core component of the curriculum for the transformative work of teachers and schools to have the maximum impact on students' outcomes in terms of intellectual depth, communication competence, capacities for reflection, self-management, and, most significantly, self-knowledge.

When a school puts values at the center of its work and actively lives those values, students' and teachers' behavior changes and progressively leads to quality teaching and learning. The classroom dynamic changes when teachers and students consciously try to be respectful, honest, tolerant, and so on. It changes the personal and interpersonal ties in school. Quality teaching and learning naturally come when principles like respect, tolerance, trying your best, and others shape classroom activities and where classroom activity is designed to cement the practice of the values of education?(Toomey, 2009). So how can we engage students in values education?

In this assignment, the Values-based Theory of Change (VTC) will be used to design a set of learning criteria and actions for specific values to create the conditions for students' engagement in value-based education. There are so many values that are standard to quality education, but for this writing, I will choose the following value: RESILIENT.?

The diagram of the Values-Based Theory of Change (VTC)

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VALUE: Resilient

"Resilience is the ability to thrive, mature, and increase competence in the face of adverse circumstances or obstacles" (Rouse, 2001). Pooley and Cohen (2010) define resilience as "the potential to exhibit resourcefulness by using available internal and external recourses in response to different contextual and developmental challenges."

It must be noted that resilience varies between ages, developmental stages, and situations, but it is not something we are born with; instead, it is a developing process that is impacted by our experiences. This indicates that resilience can be developed and learned. For example, educating students on making constructive decisions in early life and encouraging them to do so might enhance their resilience. This is achieved by providing repetitive scenarios to students and effective coping methods.

CRITERI?(Education Executive, 2019):

• Embrace Change: learn to deal positively with change, failures, and challenges
• Lifelong Learner: learn new skills, gain new insights, and use them in a changing environment, changing world.
• Take Charge: Take charge of your learning and development. Develop a positive mindset such as optimism, aiming for excellence, strong work ethics, self-reliance, self-regulation, resourcefulness, perseverance, and responsibility.
• Find Purpose: Examine setbacks in the context of a larger picture.
• Self-Identity: Know who you are, apart from your task. Value learning over task completion.
• Build Relationships: Connect with peers, school, online, and community resources to develop and nurture a broad network of personal and professional relationships. Develop relationship/social skills and listen to and support one another.
• Reflect: Promote learning, new views, and self-awareness when reflecting
• Skill Relocation: shift your perspective on your strengths, interests, talents, and skills. Build on your strengths, take risks, and develop new talents and interests.

ACTIONS:

• Help students identify their strengths and look at opportunities of how they can use them
• Support students to build a resilience plan. Help them identify different things that make them resilient
• Give students regular feedback to highlight their development and help them grow and develop further
• Provide scenarios for students where they must learn to problem-solve
• Model resilience and value in the classroom
• Help students connect their learning with their personal experiences or goals.
• Teach students strategies to help them become resilient and adaptive learners.

Why have I chosen resilience as a value?

I have fluctuated from different values, such as flexibility to integrity, and then from integrity to resilience. Finally, after carefully considering the values that have helped me be who I am today, I choose RESILIENT.

Allow me to share a single personal experience, which is merely a small portion of a vast journey. Like for many, pursuing a future did not come without obstacles for me. My family and I fled as refugees to the United States at the end of May 1999, escaping the war in Kosovo. We were required to make deliberate choices as a family, so we decided to pursue our future in Madison, Wisconsin. Despite many challenges, broken English, and humble jobs, my family fostered an environment of love and support that allowed my siblings and me to construct a new identity. Even though we continued to reflect on the social and economic hardships and the ethnic history that had shaped us, the support and encouragement we received in the US helped us overcome the unfamiliarity and obstacles we faced. Resilience for me is a living value, and the criteria above are steps that helped me become resilient. At the same time, the actions are just sample strategies for educators to stimulate resilience.

References

Gaikwad, P. (2004). Curriculum, pedagogy, and values: Revealing the invisible. International Forum Journal, 7(2), 5-16.

Education Executive. (2019, 01 24). Eight steps to help you become more resilient. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from Education Executive: https://edexec.co.uk/eight-steps-to-help-you-become-more-resilient/

Halstead, M. (2005). Values and values education in schools. In Values in Education and Education in Values (pp. 3-14). Routledge.

Hawkes, N. (2009). Values and quality teaching at West Kidlington Primary School. In T. Lovat, & R. Toomey, Values education and quality teaching: The double helix effect (pp. 105-120). Springer.

Johansson, E., Emilson, A., R?thle, M., Puroila, A. M., Brostr?m, S., & Einarsdóttir, J. (2016). Individual and collective rights expressed in educator and child interactions in Nordic preschools. International Journal of Early Childhood, 48, 209–224.

Mariani, L. (1999, March 18-20). Probing the hidden curriculum: Teachers' and students' beliefs and attitudes. Retrieved February 2023 from The British Council 18th National Conference for Teachers of English: https://www.learningpaths.org/papers/paperbeliefs.htm

Pooley, J. A., & Cohen, L. (2010). Resilience: A definition in context. Australian Community Psychologist, 22(1), 30-37.

Read, C. (2018). Values education for children: issues, challenges, and solutions. The newsletter of the IATEFL Young Learners and Teenagers Special Interest Group. TEYLT Worldwide, Issue 1.

Rouse, K. G. (2001). Resilient students' goals and motivation. Journal of Adolescence, 24(4), 461-472.

Supriadi, U., Supriyadi, T., Abdussalam, A., & Rahman, A. A. (2022). A Decade of Value Education Model: A Bibliometric Study of Scopus Database in 2011-2020. European Journal of Educational Research, 11(1), 557-571.

Taylor, M. (2006). The development of values through the school curriculum. In R. M. Cheng, J. K. Lee, & L. K. Lo, Values education for citizens in the new century (pp. 107–131). Sha Tin: The Chinese University Press.

The Brainwaves Video Anthology. (2018, June 21). David Perkins: What Does it Mean to be Smart? [Video]. YouTube. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZdD-xRhTU

Thornberg, R. (2016). Values Education in Nordic Preschools: A Commentary. International Journal of Early Childhood, 48(2), 241-257.

Toomey, R. (2009). The Double Helix and Its Implications for the Professional Lifelong Learning of Teachers. In T. Lovat & R. Toomey, Values Education and Quality Teaching. The Double Helix Effect (pp. 141-150). Springer.

Values-Based Education [VbE]. (2023, February). Values-Based Education. Retrieved February 2023 from https://www.valuesbasededucation.com/