Humanising Language Teaching
Year 2; Issue 6; November 2000

"Values are disappearing." "There is a crisis in the area of values." "The younger generations have no values." These are some of the complaints one hears every day. To discover how much of this is true and what each of us can do about it are the challenges educators face nowadays.

Here is another common saying that has come into being in the last few years: "There is nothing more constant than change." If this is true – and there is ever-present evidence of the truth of this statement- we are to look at things differently from the ways we used to do in the past. We have to devise new solutions for new problems, deal with the unexpected, and even devise new solutions for old problems. In order to do so, we resort to our values. The values which will help us solve the many sorts of problems and conflicts that come our way are nothing theoretical. On the contrary, values can be easily found in the world around us. They are practical rather than merely theoretical.

What are values and what are they for? Values are the basis of our relationships and interactions. They contribute to the enhancement of our lives, they help us grow as human beings. They affect our behaviors by modelling our feelings. Values are a tool for a successful life; therefore, they must be an integral part of education. Education can not do without values. So we, as educators, have to reflect upon their importance and to act accordingly - to try to live and teach values. By the way, educators are not alone in this task of teaching values. In fact, everybody is an educator in this respect – no one can avoid transmitting values, or even the lack of some, no matter his intention or willingness to do it or not.

It is time, then, to start thinking about how values come into play – in our lives and in our classes. Values have to be part of our lives and especially our lives as teachers. They must not be saved for those times of conflict and used as "remedial work". They must not be dealt with at the beginning of the year only, when we plan and carry out activities that will promote appropriate behavior rules and respect and cooperation among group members. Educating in values is, first of all, an ongoing endeavor. The reflective teacher needs to constantly ask the right questions in order to find the answers that will help him or her maximize the classroom experiences dealing with values – which, in fact, need to take place not only within the boundaries of the classroom, but also in the whole context in which we interact with students. To think that our responsibility expires once we exit the classroom is to believe that a student is another person and has different codes of behavior in and outside the classroom. It is like believing that a student becomes a stranger once we leave the classroom. Hence, the values we advocate within the walls of our room are the same values we seek at places like the school playground or cafeteria.

In the same way, teachers neeed to feel responsible without allowing timetables or programs to get in the way and hinder their mission. We have moved from a "What-do-I-have-to-teach-today?" attitude to a "What-situation-am-I-going-to-create-today-to-promote-my-students´-and-my-own-learning?" commitment. Learning is seen as involvement, experimenting, falling, starting over. The process of learning takes time, effort, investment for the future. Every teacher is deeply aware of this since our very first steps in the career. Then, why should we not consider the process of learning values in the same way? Why not plant the seeds now? But we have to do it consistently, methodically, and follow the same principles of education we advocate which are the pillars of our practice, striving for a balance between investments and outcomes.

How do values fit in? How do teachers start integrating them into their world – by this I mean, our micro world: the classroom? Well, just think of asking an elementary school child about his view of a better world. How do children imagine a better world? Then, you will be able to discover the values we all share: freedom, love, peace, respect, honesty, responsibility, cooperation, to name a few. Actually, anyone´s self-exploration will lead to that same answer. And it is through self-exploration that values will appear, will be made conscious, both from a personal as well as from an educational perspective. The next step would be to share this with someone else, e.g. with others in the group, with peers. This will lead to more reflection, to discovery, to discussion, to acceptance, to incorporating new concepts, thus, to growth. Steps as simple as reflective and sharing activities are the basis for effective and successful introduction of values in a class. This is the point of departure in its simplest form.

But of course, it is a process which needs time. Changes do not occur overnight. They need sustained effort, a clear statement of objectives, solid action plans, frequent practices, ongoing assessment and feedback. All this which is nothing more than the reflective cycle we as teachers are so familiar with and that is imbued in our way of seeing the process of teaching. Moreover, another important aspect to remember is that, in order to achieve changes, educators need shared responsibility. In the first place, it is an institutional responsibility. The key concept here is clarity – clear views on this topic will be the foundation of any prospective work on values carried out by the faculty. Secondly, communication is another essential tool which will enable us teachers to act coherently and cohesively once we decide to engage in such an enterprise. What the language teacher does in her class should not contradict what other teachers do in relation to values. It is through active involvement and communication that a project on values will become a sound reality. Otherwise, what you get is just isolated attempts, with limited results.

By way of exemplification, let us select a value to work with and explore some of the possible classroom proposals and alternatives in a series of subjects. Among the many values, one of my favorites is "Freedom", a concept welcome by students of all ages and at all levels and which offers a wide range of possibilities. Let us consider the contributions that can be made from different subjects at the high school level.

In the geography class, students can discuss about countries which have lost their freedom. In history class, the conversation may be about leaders who have fought for freedom – their own, their countries´. The music teacher will probably find songs that talk about freedom; or else, students can be in charge of providing such materials. Another alternative is to bring music that makes students feel free. What type of music has that effect in them? The language teacher may propose an association game like the following one: "If freedom were an animal, what animal would it be?" "What is the color of freedom?" What smell do students associate with freedom? What element of nature represents this concept for them? Something along those lines can also be implemented in the art class. And in Literature, freedom is an appealing topic to study either prose or poetry. And students can be asked to write their own poems or stories.