Values education through authentic integration: an example

Citizenship is at the core of our democratic principles. It is also central to the institution of education, in that it is widely accepted that the overarching purpose of education is to create useful, productive citizens. In the modern world, citizenship has both domestic and global applications. Active citizenship can be encouraged by schools through both implicit and explicit pedagogies. One way of doing this is through the incorporation of a strong Values Education focus in all areas of the curriculum. The Values Education Framework (DET NSW, 2005) encourages the development of such attributes as understanding, tolerance and inclusion, which in turn reflect democratic principles. This paper examines how Values Education has been embedded in an integrated unit of work on the Stage 3 HSIE topic of Bali, with a view to improving citizenship skills and attitudes for all students. The unit of work discussed was designed by a final year primary education student for implementation during internship. The workshop will explore some of the activities from the unit of work, designed to encourage active citizenship.