Sathya Sai Primary School

A New Approach to Teaching
Human Values and the Australian School Curriculum

There is a growing cry from various groups in society, such as parents, teachers, employers, public commentators on the need for values education as the remedy for the growing problems for youth in society. This implies that schools can and should be used as the prime means of changing society. To this end the Federal Government has set up a working group to encourage schools to develop and implement values eduction.

The Sathya Sai Primary School was set up to develop a model which integrates universal values into the Australian School Curriculum.

The program is based on three premises:

1. That the goal of education is not only to produce skilful adults but more importantly to develop citizens with character. Our motto is "The End of Education is Character", the most valuable asset a citizen can have. An education system that does not achieve this has actually failed the student and society.



2. In education there is no 'values free' system; there is no values neutral process. All teachers promote values consciously or unconsciously by their behaviour, teaching style, teaching materials etc. It is essential that values education becomes a conscious process.



3. That values education is most effective if the total school culture is values based. To this end we require that all adults in the school environment be aware of the values promoted by the school and be models of those values, and that the values be integrated into all aspects of the curriculum.

CHARACTER - the goal of education

To achieve our goal of 'character development', the Educare program recognizes a new Key Learning Area, Education in Human Values. The program is non-denominational and is based on the five universal values of Love, Peace, Truth, Right Conduct and Non-violence, which are common to all cultures and philosophies and faiths. These values are promoted through weekly lessons, using the seven teaching techniques, (quotation, silent sitting, music, story, group activity, mind mapping and creative visualisation). Each lesson focuses on a sub value of the five prime values, e.g. Love -caring , Peace- understanding, Truth- honesty, Right Conduct- sharing, Non-Violence- tolerance.

Through these lessons students acquire the language of values and by setting the values in a meaningful context, they gain an understanding of the values. Through group activities they experience the values. The universality of the values is promoted by setting the values in ever widening circles, first with respect to the individual, then the family , the wider community and environment, and finally the world. The weekly values are then integrated into all subject areas by emphasizing the value as one of the goals of work tasks. The Welfare and Discipline policy of the school is based on the five Human Values; playground behaviour is monitored through the students understanding of the values. The program requires parental support and input. Parents are involved through workshops on values and in monitoring student homework tasks involving the values.

The Education in Human Values Program is a whole school process, which assist children in developing positive, healthy relationship building behaviours, which are the basis for a harmonious and cooperative society. It is a new approach to teaching. It requires that teachers be aware that, while they are teaching their subjects, they are also teaching and modelling values.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values model has been successfully applied to other schools in Australia.

School Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8.30 am-4:15 pm Address: 9 Nullum St Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Postal Address: P.O. Box 705 Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Phone: 02 6672 8972 Fax: 02 6672 8922

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