ABSTRACT
Return to the earlier list of values (including any that were added by the children), or their own list of values. Ask them to describe some behaviours that might reveal each value in everyday life. What would the person be doing? What would they expect to see? Prompt by asking them to clarify how a ‘good’ son / daughter might behave, for example. Ask the children individually to think about a friend, then ask them to list what it is about this person that they like. Which are behaviours and which are perceived values? Do the behaviours support the identifi ed values or suggest other values? Tell the children that they will be invisible for one day so that they can secretly observe someone with whom they would like to be friends. What values would they hope this friend would have and how would they be able to spot them? Ask them to think about someone from history who they admire, a well-known person they look up to, or their ideal job. What values do they believe this person has or this job requires? What might this reveal about the children and their values? Ask them to think about being a nurse, a stockbroker, a teacher, or even a knight and / or any career of your choice. What values would you expect someone from each of those professions to have? Suggest they compare their thoughts with others in the class to see if there is a consensus. Extend by asking them to write a person specifi cation for each profession that includes their expected values (see Table 13.1). Challenge one of the values of the above professions by suggesting a scenario where the person behaves in a way that seems to contradict the agreed values for that profession. What reasoning can the children come up with for the behaviour? For example, it might be agreed that the stockbroker values earning a lot of money, but works for free in a homeless shelter in the evenings. How much do they know about each other? The children should write down their values, already revealed through an activity, making sure their name is on the top of the paper and place them in a bag you have. You then randomly select some of the lists. From the values you read out, the class have to work out which class member is being described.
