Values-Driven Education - Part 3

At the 6th Annual Exhibition of Institutions hosted by the National Council for Higher Education ARCC was asked to present a paper on "The Role of Universities in Advancing National Cohesion and Integration." The following is a portion of the paper presented by Jeff Atherstone, the Director of ARCC, on the role of values in education for advancing national cohesion and integration.

IMPLANTING VALUES WITHIN OUR STUDENTS

My mentor as a young man in ministry often encouraged me not to put all my focus on preaching. He would remind me, “Jeff, more is caught than taught!” For most of us this is our primary mode of learning, imitating others.

When my sons were young we didn’t hold lessons on walking and talking. As they grew we discovered that their greatest times of learning were when we had them spend time with children that were just a few months or possibly years older than them. The boys would instantly see what the older children were doing and seek to imitate them.

The most important way that we can implant values within our students is to surround them with faculty and staff who live out the values of the school each day. In order for these values to pass from faculty to students we need to examine the current state of our classrooms. Our classrooms cannot simply be filled with lecture and exams but they must also be filled with dialogue and debate, practical exercises and assessment of real life scenarios where learning will transition into practical application. Through lively interaction the values of our staff will most effectively pass on to become the values of our students.

I would even go further to say that our staff must begin to interact with our students outside of the classroom if values are to be passed on. I have seen faculties such as the Makerere Veterinary faculty doing great work in taking their year four and five students out to local farms, including the farm at ARCC, to share the practical skills with their students. Recently, I was with one such group of students from Makerere as the professor handed the students the blade and helped them to dissect a goat that had mysteriously passed away. As I watched them work to diagnose the problem I wondered how many other faculties spend time in the field with their students.

Do Social Science, SWSA and Community Development students visit the field with their professors to diagnose the needs of Uganda’s communities? Do Education students visit Ugandan Primary Schools or Secondary Schools with their professors to diagnose the challenges in education? Do theology students sit with grieving families as their professors seek to share the hope of the gospel?

Friends, more is caught than taught. Are we giving our students anything to catch?

Values are most easily passed on as one person imitates another.