Veronica Morcom

The Australian government funded the West Australian project ‘Reporting Values to Parents’ as part of ‘The Values in Action Schools Project’ (2009). The two aims of the qualitative study were to develop a common values language supported by observable behaviours and an appreciation that values education is fundamental to schooling. Teachers used an action research process to create authentic values activities and involve parents in the assessment process. Parents shifted their perspectives to ratify teachers’ role to teach values explicitly. Students experienced a deeper sense of connection and belonging at school. Educators can adapt the activities in this paper to infuse values into their teaching. Future research is warranted to support and retain preservice teachers by examining the ‘hidden curriculum’ and personal biases to create inclusive classrooms. All students have a right to access an education that reflects their interests and values and teachers need urgent support for this quest.

This longitudinal qualitative research is framed within a sociocultural perspective and examines experienced teachers and their mentor as they changed their practice. The data, sourced from three teacher focus groups, email correspondence and the mentor's reflections are analysed using Rogoff's personal, interpersonal and institutional/community planes. This small-scale study gives insights into the complex nature of professional learning, particularly when teachers are challenging the status quo which creates tensions that need to be addressed. Teachers had real concerns about time to teach the curriculum and complete the research activities. They worried about ‘fitting in’ with colleagues and parent perceptions. A collaborative self-development framework is advocated as a culturally appropriate way of for teachers to continue to learn during their careers, encourage risk taking and innovation.

A sociocultural view of learning positions teachers as mediators who teach a curriculum that reflects what is valued by society. In this paper it is proposed that a specific focus on mediating relational agency to support collaboration further builds teacher and student capacity for learning. Relational agency is a two-way process, to become responsive so you can both receive and give support to peers. Peer interaction supports the development of communication, social and emotional competencies required for effective collaborative learning. The aim of this paper is to reflect how evidenced based social practices promoted relational agency in a collaborative classroom. These social practices can be adapted by other teachers interested in this approach with their students. The data are drawn from three linked, consecutive year-long projects conducted by the teacher/researcher with her students and teacher/colleagues whom she mentored. Rogoff's analytical planes provide a framework to analyse the qualitative data. The findings are presented as four case studies related to bullying, conflict resolution, student leadership and teacher mentoring that illustrate relational agency in action. Further research is necessary to understand how to support teachers for 21st century learning, within the context of traditional schools where the status quo is well established.

Peers create one of the most significant contexts for developing prosocial values. This paper reports on a yearlong study of thirty one year 4/5 students where antisocial values were deep-seated. The aim of this qualitative research was to examine how to reduce antisocial behaviour and promote peer collaboration. The notion of whole-class scaffolding was applied to use the collective knowledge of the peer group and develop mutual respect to reduce antisocial behaviour. Social and reflective practices included: the Daily Social Circle; Weekly Class Meetings; student reflection logs and interviews and parent surveys. Two themes generated from the findings examine how students changed from ‘antisocial behaviour’ to ‘developing mutual respect’ through explicit values education. The findings suggest that whole-class scaffolding of peer collaboration was effective when values education was linked to students’ collective needs, supported by targeted social and reflective practices. This research contributes to our understanding of operational values education.

A sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978) framed the qualitative study, to understand how to create 'shared affective spaces' as an enabling factor to scaffold within the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Social and emotional learning is conceptualised as a social concept, focusing on the collective knowledge of the peer group. The longitudinal study was conducted with thirty-one students 9-10 years of age in a composite Year 4/5 classroom. There were 17 students in the Year 5 cohort drawn from sixty students distributed across four similar classes to cope with volume of antisocial behaviour. The teacher/researcher implemented sociocultural strategies such as the weekly class meetings to scaffold students to make connections with their emotions and the impact of bullying behaviour on the perpetrators and victims. Rogoff's (1995) analytical planes frame the discussion of students' participation and the case study of Lindsay, a Year 5 student who was a bully. Lindsay's journey exemplifies the positive outcomes for teacher scaffolding of understandings about making friends and prosocial behaviour to reduce bullying, using holistic classroom practices that made explicit the affective aspects of learning. Future research is required to develop teachers' expertise in understanding the scaffolding process to enlist students' emotions as an enabling factor.

This qualitative study examines the social practices of two elementary classrooms to elucidate scaffolding students’ social and emotional learning through values education. The conceptual model is based on Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory and the related notions of zone of proximal development (ZPD) and assisted learning. Rogoff's (1995) community, interpersonal and personal planes frame the data analysis. In the findings the teacher/researcher examines social practices that promoted a student centred approach to developing participative decision making and collaborative skills. This research contributes to understanding the critical role of emotions and relationships, where primacy is given to the affective dimensions of learning. More research is needed to develop teachers' expertise to address student's social and emotional needs though scaffolding within the ZPD.

The Learning to be Waste Wise Activity Guide is a series of curriculum-linked activity packs written for the Waste Wise Schools Program. Each booklet covers a different topic including a general introduction to waste, the ‘3Rs’ (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), ‘Worms’ and ‘Compost’. The activities are designed to complement the school’s ongoing waste minimisation projects, and to support learning at every stage of a school’s Waste Wise journey. In turn, Waste Wise projects provide real life context to curriculum outcomes while directly involving students in their own learning. By reinforcing Waste Wise principles through the curriculum in an engaging and practical way, teachers will find it easier to incorporate waste reduction practices in their school. In addition, the involvement of students and the modelling of positive behaviours, reinforces the environmental principles and curriculum outcomes. The activities are designed to be fun; to promote life-long learning; to empower and enable students, teachers and the rest of the school community to take responsibility for their waste minimisation actions; to develop positive environmental values and to promote long-term behaviour change.

The development of an inclusive community is underpinned by values that support an appreciation of diversity. This paper is based on a larger research project, ‘student leadership in a primary classroom’, which developed different ways for students to interact with each other. The focus not only promoted full student participation in classroom activities but also benefited students such as Mary and Lesley, who had intellectual disabilities, because they were included too. Mary and Lesley attended an Educational Support Unit (ESU) in the morning and returned to their mainstream classroom in the afternoons. The teacher/researcher scaffolded collaborative values explicitly through the social practices of the daily social circle and the weekly class meeting, which provided authentic learning opportunities for students to discuss values. Students developed leadership skills based on inclusive values that were modelled by the teacher. Transcripts from video recordings of classroom activities, teacher observations, as well as student and parent interviews conducted throughout the year provided evidence that students also reflected on their personal values. As a result, Mary and Lesley's movement between their ESU class and the mainstream class each day was seamless because they were welcomed in both contexts and their participation was encouraged, appreciated and validated.

The Reporting Values Cluster Values in Action: Building Resilience and Inclusion project was framed around reporting values to parents in accordance with the Western Australian Department of Education requirement that teachers report on ‘attitude’, ‘behaviour’ and ‘effort’. The WA report format includes a list of seventeen capability descriptors. The project aimed to review and make recommendations for amending that list; it also aimed to support teachers in making evidence-based, rather than subjective, judgements about student behaviours and attitudes.