National statement: Global Perspectives

Global Perspectives: a Statement on Global Education for Australian Schools offers a concise, practical and philosophical guide to the aims of Global Education as it has developed in Australia. This is an invaluable resource for teachers seeking to incorporate a global perspective into the curriculum.

Values education Internationally and nationally there is increasing engagement and discourse about schools and their role in the formation of the values young people live by. In Australia in 1999 all education ministers agreed to National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century known as the Adelaide Declaration, which reflected a strong commitment to values education. Emerging from this background, the 2003 Values Education Study has revealed a broad range of varied and excellent practices and approaches to values education in Australian government and non-government schools. In particular, the study provides a range of examples of good practice in three domains of values education: articulating values in the school's mission/ethos developing student civic and social skills and building resilience, and incorporating values into teaching programmes across the key learning areas From the Final Report a National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools has been developed which includes a set of guiding principles to support schools and a set of key elements and approaches providing practical guidance to schools in implementing values education. http://www.valueseducation.edu.au/values/ There are many synchronicities between these developments and the values articulated in Global Perspectives: A statement on global education for Australian schools (2002) Values and attitudes emphasised in global education include: a sense of personal identity and self-esteem; caring and compassionate concern for others, both in one's immediate relationships and in the local, national and global community; a recognition of shared responsibilities and a willingness to cooperate with others in fulfilling them; a commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all people, a concern for justice and equality, including gender equity, and a commitment to helping to eradicate poverty; a positive attitude towards diversity and difference, a willingness to learn from the experience of others and respect for the rights of all to participation and expression; appreciation of and concern for the environment, a sense of personal responsibility to act in environmentally responsible ways and a commitment to sustainable practices Global education emphasises the development of positive values and attitudes, based on a strong sense of identity and self-esteem and encompassing caring for others, recognising responsibilities, a commitment to upholding the rights and dignity of all people and an appreciation of diversity and difference. It also encourages and empowers learners to translate their knowledge, skills and values into a preparedness to participate actively in community life. At the same time it is vital that students develop a realistic awareness of how effective such action and participation will be. Students should never be discouraged by thinking that they can make no difference at all, but they should also not be misled into believing they can remake the world.

Global Perspectives: A statement on global education for Australian schools

Care and Compassion Doing Your Best Fair Go Freedom Honesty & Trustworthiness Integrity Respect Responsibility Understanding, Tolerance & Inclusion