Can we assess attitudes and values?
You can find out whether pupils know what the words cooperation or justice mean; you can't give a mark out of ten for how cooperatively or justly they behave. You can test if they know facts about both their own and other countries and cultures; you can't grade their sense of interdependence or lack of prejudices. However this does not mean that it is either inappropriate or impossible to attempt to see if these kinds of skills or attitudes are growing.
(Steiner, 1993, p. 24)
Now complete Part 1 and Part 2 of the activity on the right, which will give you the opportunity to reflect on what we mean by attitudes and values and whether it is possible and desirable to assess them.
Reflecting and celebrating
The philosophy and methodology of global education support the learner taking responsibility for their own learning. Throughout this unit the activities with your classes will have engaged pupils in planning their own learning to some extent. You and they will also now have assessed the extent to which they have succeeded. Now is the time to celebrate their achievements. You could choose from the following:
- plan a display;
- plan an assembly;
- perform a short play;
- create a book of illustrated comments about what has been achieved and learned;
- devise a poster to tell others in the school about the topic or issue;
- plan action or join a campaign to use the skills, knowledge and understanding gained.
Part 3 of the activity opposite will help you reflect upon your pupils' achievements. Look at this now.
Activity Resources:
- Images
- Interactive
- Sound
- Text
- Video
Activity
Part 1
- Click on the Text icon and print out the extract 'Creating a culture of citizenship' from Citizenship Schools: a practical guide to education for citizenship and personal development (Alexander, 2001, pp. 46-8).
- Read it through and highlight in one colour the parts you feel accord with your own views and, in another colour, the aspects which you feel might be difficult for you or the school.
- Ask a colleague to do the same and compare notes.
- You can carry out the activity 'Developing shared aims and values' if there is an opportunity.
- Find out if your school has an explicit statement of its values. Have a look at it or consider the possibility of creating one.
Part 2
- Go to the 'Citizenship Pieces' website. Click on 'Initiatives' and then click on the different activities - don't forget to scroll down to see all the initiatives. Citizenship Pieces
- Choose one that you think deals with or relates to pupils' attitudes and values. (Click into 'details' to see more about each project.) Print it off and discuss with a colleague the way in which the project (initiative) is assessed. Do you think that the attitudes and values of the pupils are assessed at all? How? Or, if not, can you think of ways in which attitudes and values could be assessed as part of this project? Would it be desirable?
Part 3
- Think about your own values and those of the school, and the assessment process you have carried out.
- Click on the Text icon and print out the 'Fundamental principles checklist' (AAIA, 2001, p. 8).
- Note down three action points that will enable you to use the global dimension to raise pupils' achievements. Are there any other fundamental principles you would like to add?
- Now look again at the start of this unit, and your notes on being a global teacher. Have your ideas changed? If so, how? And now, don't forget to celebrate your own achievements in whatever way you choose!
