What's new - February 2008

Welcome to ‘What’s new’ on the Values Education website for February 2008.

Events

1 January – 31 December 2008, UN International Year 2008: Languages; Planet Earth; Potato; Sanitation
14 – 15 February 2008, 7th International Conference on Educational Leadership: Relationships for Educational Excellence
18 – 19 February 2008, Values Education Good Practice Schools – Stage 2: Final National Briefing Session
18 February 2008, Day of Understanding
21 February 2008, International Mother Language Day
23 Feb 2008 – 15 March 2008, UNESCO Asia Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education (APNIEVE) Workshop Series – Semester 1 2008
25 February – 20 June 2008, iNet Student Online Conferences: Whose World Is It Anyway?
29 February 2008, Schools Clean Up Day
2 March 2008, National Seaweek: Extinction – a Saw point
8 March 2008, International Women’s Day
10 March 2008, Commonwealth Day
21 March 2008, Harmony Day
21 March 2008, World Forestry Day
22 March 2008, World Water Day
30 March 2008, Neighbour Day
8 August 2008, Beijing Olympics

See links below for workshops and seminars in your State or Territory.

States and Territories

In the Australian Capital Territory:

• Kristy Aitchison is the new Values Education Contact Officer.

In the Northern Territory:

• Eighty-six new teachers attended a two-day orientation seminar in Darwin on 22 and 23 January where they explored the values that have been adopted by the Northern Territory Department of Employment, Education and Training to guide practice in Territory schools.

In Queensland:

• Two ‘Values at Sunset’ events with Barbara Holland Ph.D. on the topic of Quality Service and Service Learning: Benefits and Impact
  • Gladstone – Central Qld University – 14 February, 5.30 – 7.00 pm
  • Cairns – Shangri-La Hotel – 27 March, 5:30 – 7.00 pm
• Regional forums are planned for the following dates:
  • 29 – 30 April 2008, Cairns, Connecting to Country – Values Education and Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools
  • 18 – 19 May 2008, Rockhampton, Making Connections – Values Education and Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools. Keynote speaker: Dr Neil Hawkes
  • 20 May 2008, Toowoomba, TBA. Keynote speaker: Dr Neil Hawkes
  • 21 May 2008, Sunshine Coast, TBA. Keynote speaker: Dr Neil Hawkes
• Values Education State Conference (for State schools only), Citizens for the 21^st Century – What State Schools Value, 21 April 2008, Sofitel Hotel, Brisbane
• Winding up 2007
  • Values Education Networks of Engagement (VENE)
  • Regional forums

In South Australia:

• Malcolm McInerney is the new Values Education contact for the government in South Australia.
• Twilight Seminar: Values Education and Service Learning – Towards Community Engagement, 27 March 2008 4.15 – 6.30 pm at the Education Development Centre, Hindmarsh.
• Values Education State Conference –12 May 2008
• Twilight Seminar: Report on Values Education and Whole School Change, 8 November 2007
• School forum snapshot: Islamic College of South Australia

In Victoria:

• Day of Understanding, 18 February 2008, 10.00 am – 2.00 pm, Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
• Bealiba Primary School in north-central Victoria outlines their approach to values education.

Good Practice Schools

Values Education Good Practice Schools Project – Stage 2

• Goldfields Cluster: Eastern Goldfields College and South Kalgoorlie Primary School in Western Australia were joint winners of the special projects category of the Goldfields District Excellence in Education Award for their values project.
• Unity in Diversity Cluster  in South Western Sydney has established a website for their project.

Final Briefing Session

18 – 19 February 2008, Values Education Good Practice Schools – Stage 2: Final National Briefing Session, Angliss Conference Centre, Melbourne

The national briefing sessions bring together cluster coordinators and deputy coordinators from the grant schools, State and Territory values education contact officers, academic researchers from the University Associates Network (UAN), the research manager for the project, members of the project management team at Curriculum Corporation and representatives from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.   

Resources

Articles

Two new articles :

• ‘Restorative Practices in Schools: Research Reveals Power of Restorative Approach, Part I’ (21 March 2007); ‘Restorative Practices in Schools: Research Reveals Power of Restorative Approach, Part II’ (6 June 2007) Abbey J. Porter, International Institute for Restorative Practices, 2007.
• ‘Smart and Good Schools: A Paradigm Shift for Character Education’, Matthew Davidson, Thomas Lickona, and Vladimir Khmelkov, Education Week, 14 Nov 2007 Vol. 27, Issue 12, pp 32, 40.

Links

New web links for values education resources include: Accepting diversity: an interactive handbook in progress, and Earth Charter.

Parents

Two new resources for parents include: Raising Children Network: the Australian Parenting website, and Reach Out!

Professional Learning

Sue Cowie from Werribee Secondary College highlights drama as an effective model for the direct teaching of values in ‘Values in Education through Performance’. 

Reviews

Two new books :

• Human Rights Today: Discussing the Issues, Accepting the Challenge by Robert Baker, Beth Gilligan, Kathleen Gordon and Brian Hoepper (Curriculum Corporation, 2007)
• The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools (Alberta Education, 2005). 

Building Values Across the Whole School: A Resource Package

Building Values Across the Whole School: A Resource Package is available to schools via this website. Part of the ‘Values for Australian Schooling’ resource series, the package consists of two components: primary and secondary teaching and learning units and a professional learning programme. To access this package from this website you will need the access code key. This was sent in a letter to all Australian school principals in October 2007. If schools cannot locate the letter please call Jason Rutgers on (03) 9207 9600.

Survey and data gathering tools

New assessment tools:

• The Heart of the Matter: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools (Alberta Education, 2005).