Educational values: current views and perspectives for modern school

Abstract

The article presents the author’s viewpoint on the value-rich education and its possible development in modern schooling society. The notions of “values” and “educational values” have been discussed. On the basis of the discussion, the author’s understanding of educational values has been suggested. The issue of selection of values to be integrated into school practice has been discussed. As a result, three groups of values that should be placed at the centre of school policy and then integrated into action in the classroom practice have been singled out: 1) foundation values which help a person to gain some orientation in the sense of social responsibility (safety, support, self-control, honesty, considerate and responsible attitude to people and educational activity), 2) focus values, those which enable a person to build relationships with the community and around him/herself (collaboration, confidence, communication, achievement, fallibility, quality, enquiry, play, initiative, wonder, etc.), 3) aspirational values which are based on a person’s global responsibility for him/herself, the other people and physical world around (wisdom, holistic approach, membership, knowledge, democratic existence). The framework of educational procedures for integration of the selected values has been created and substantiated in the paper.