When we think about the meaning of the word education , it is very likely that we relate this word to the way in which people make their own some norms and conventions that hold society together, work techniques and pieces of knowledge about how the world is.

However, there is a type of education that goes far beyond this technical learning: the education in values .

What is values education?

The concept of education in values is very broad, but in general terms it refers to the set of strategies and dynamics of relations that have as their objective to train in civility and in models of coexistence based on respect, empathy, and equality.

This means that it goes far beyond the teaching of subjects related to the functioning of nature and societies. If these first subjects speak to us about the “what” and the “how”, education in values speaks to us about the “what for”.

As education in values is related to the ethical scale and the values that serve to order priorities , it also influences the way in which people set objectives to be achieved through the knowledge they learn in the rest of the subjects.

Issues addressed from the perspective of education in values

This form of education has a number of open fronts on which students (or, rather, learners) will be encouraged to reflect and debate. These are the main ones:

Equality and Inequality

The idea that all human beings are equal is fundamental for developing inclusive moral systems. However, it is not always easy to know what practical implications this moral principle has. Education in values invites us to think about what equality means and about what kinds of behaviours threaten it.

The idea that all human beings are equal is not only one of the foundations of democracy, but also makes social adaptation and compliance with rules of coexistence possible.

Empathy

Although it may seem so at first, educating in values is not about teaching what the laws and customs are that govern society: someone with strong psychopathic traits would also be able to do that. Educating in values consists, among other things, of assuming an ethical scale in which commitment to society and empathy help to define the objectives of our actions.

Putting oneself in the other’s place both cognitively and emotionally improves the ability to manage conflict and understand different points of view.

Ethical circles

From education in values we also reflect on the extent of our ethical circles, that is, those collectives that include individuals, groups and elements that should be protected especially.

Respect for animals is also an issue addressed here, and can serve to generate reflection on the rights of non-human life forms.

The preservation of the environment

The environment is not only a collection of resources, it is also our habitat, and it needs joint protection. That is why the relationship that one has with nature is fundamental in education in values; on the one hand, it encourages thinking about a problem that must be tackled jointly and that therefore depends on a civic and joint commitment, and on the other, it allows one to develop a sensitivity towards problems that go far beyond oneself and even beyond the people one knows and appreciates.

Detecting special needs

Knowing how to detect personal or collective situations in which one is at a disadvantage is fundamental for developing sensitivity towards certain types of claims that for us would not be too important as they are not directly affected. This is the case of the needs of ethnic minorities or homosexuals who are discriminated against by law and by treatment.

How to develop education in values?

Education in values is not simply a specific subject that should be taught in educational centres; it should be transversal and affect the way of doing things not only of the whole teaching staff, but also the way in which the whole educational institution, parents and guardians, and the community in general, act. As it is something that is internalised through practice, there is no division between what happens inside the classrooms and what happens outside them .

Some strategies for educating in values are the following:

  • Reject forms of discrimination.
  • To promote forms of leadership not based on the ostentation of power.
  • To invite philosophical debate on moral dilemmas.
  • Identify behaviours that are harmful to the whole without stigmatising people.
  • Emphasize the principle that people can change.
  • To propose joint practical exercises in which decisions have to be made in real time.
  • Above all, preaching by example.

Concluding

Education in values may seem a relatively new concept that could only be created in today’s prosperous societies, but the truth is that philosophers like Socrates already defended the idea that one of the fundamental pillars of education is the goal of creating good citizens.

In a way, is an education based on the philosophy of morality : it helps us to reflect on our motivations and on the appropriateness of setting goals in one way or another, taking into account the impact that this will have on oneself, but also on others.