Constructing a values sequence

Values and teaching primary schools on flooding and natural disasters Name: Institution: Date: Introduction There is increased recognition that schools and teachers have pivotal role to play in facilitating value education with particular emphasis on morality and ethics (Lovat & Toomey, 2009). This view is contrary to an earlier perspective that stated that the role of values in the life of students was the domain of parents and the family. Thus, public education is now holistic and prepares students for active participation in the society by upholding morality and being a good citizen. Equally, it is now recognized that the quality of education determines the achievement rates of students. This departs from the notion that education performance among schools is merely a reflection of student’s ability. The environment does affect learning, but this is does not provide a good forecast of education success. Nonetheless, there are critics of value education who insist that focusing on value education is an infringement on freedom and rights of individuals. Other individuals shy away from the issue because it is politically incorrect. However, government agencies in Australia dealing with education concur with the contemporary view that there is a need to facilitate learning of value education in primary schools. Consequently, the Department of Education expects schools to implement value-based education in their curriculums. Therefore, teachers are vital in ensuring that there is success of value education but for this to be possible, the framework adopted by government agencies ought to be regulatory (Cairns et al., 2013). The Australian Curriculum Geography (ACARA, 2013) prescribes that students ought to be active participants in the society to deal with 21st century problems. Active participation of people in the Australian society could begin at school through encouraging inquiry and discussion on controversial matters. Through school programs, this is most likely to be possible as the programs are also introduced to controversial matters (Gilbert, 2011). Similarly, teaching on controversial issues like environmental matters ensures that they acquire critical thinking skills to identify and deal with environmental matters affecting the contemporary world. With Australia being an island nation, flooding is now a cause for concern in the country. There is a need to look into ways through which the country can estimate flood frequency across the nation. Even though, flooding is a natural disaster flooding recovery can minimize the loss suffered the case of heavy torrential rains and floods, through mitigation measures. The East Coast of Australia has recently been hard hit by floods, and is thus important to highlight on the possible causes and way to reduce the impact of flooding. There were predictions that floods would hit Australia since the beginning of the year 2013 with Brisbane and Gold Coast at a high risk because of the river system in the area (Saulwick, 2013). However, Western Australia is also a vulnerable area and floods may claim many lives and it is essential for Australians to understand that disaster preparedness is necessary. Other than the loss of life, many people are left homeless or homes requiring massive repairs for them to be habitable again. Thus, floods affect people both socially and economically and should be a concern for students on how best to mitigate losses occasioned by flooding. Surprisingly, the North western part of the country is now at a risk of further flooding, after heavy torrential rains pounded the dry parts of the country (Gaulter, 2013). Controversial topics and citizenship It is necessary for Australian students to understand the role of civic life and have the capacity to make decisions on ethical and social justice issues. For them to make informed decisions then the school system ought to facilitate their involvement in civic duty. Similarly, the education should enable the students to make judgment on controversial matters. Controversial issues typically involve making decisions on values and scientific evidence is inadequate in such matters as individuals use there past experiences and belief systems to make judgments (Kivunja et al., 2011). Subjects under Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) have controversial subject matters, and it is therefore vital for students to have critical skills and be able to tolerate and analyze different viewpoints. Values investigation and the significance of studying flooding Study on flooding is relevant as there is debate as to whether flooding is merely an act of God or whether human activities compound the harmful effects of floods. Flooding has increased over the years when deforestation is also on an upward trend. In many cases long-term deforestation loosens the soils leaving the land easily exposed to both wind and rain. In essence, human activities like deforestation lead to less vegetation cover in Australia accelerating the effects of soil erosion, and the land is less likely to regenerate. Even though, high torrential rains cause rivers to break there banks, human activities may affect the likelihood of flooding in cases where the run off speed of river water increases. This could be due to inappropriate farming methods, urbanization other than deforestation and this is a dilemma on how best to ensure sustainability without harming the environment or lowering the living standards. The study of flooding as a natural disaster appears in year 7 of the Australian Curriculum Geography (ACARA 2013), it is an extension of the study of physical characteristics in Australia. Natural hazards are in the news more often than not, and the physical characteristics of Australia call for more attention on the geographical process of flooding and its impact on Australians. Natural hazards have been oc...