Whatever else one may think of this book, Neil Hawkes’ commitment to values-based education (VbE) is unquestionable. His pursuit of learning and teaching based on what he terms ‘universal positive human values’ has taken him throughout the United Kingdom (UK) and to many countries beyond, and this book details several of his experiences and encounters along the way. From the outset, Hawkes states that his aim is to inspire his reader to adopt a values-based approach in work and in life generally.
The book is structured around Hawkes’ own journey in exploring and developing VbE and the first six chapters set out how he has come to his present thinking. Here, he addresses what is meant by values and offers suggestions of what ‘universal positive human values’ might be. These are not prescriptive lists but are those values identified and selected by those schools, head teachers, teachers, children and parents who have chosen to adopt a values approach to learning and teaching. The identified values themselves are unsurprising with respect, compassion and caring featuring prominently in the values generated by various schools. In the opening chapters, the author invites his reader to share a world view in which a sense of values whilst not lost is not shared, parenting skills are in need of repair, and more attention needs to be paid to the affective (as well as the cognitive) experiences of learning and life. It is this perception that forms the proposition that there is a need for VbE.
The second part of the book consists of 10 foci (Fs) (the 10Fs of VbE) which Hawkes argues are the foundation of a values-based approach. As with the values identified in the book, the foci would be familiar in any school but what Hawkes encourages his reader to do is to consider them through a values approach. He advocates that values should not be ‘taught’ in a designated values class but that they should be lived as they permeate all the activities and relationships present in school. Indeed, Hawkes argues strongly that relationships based on values of mutual respect and trust should inform all aspects of education including curriculum, assessment and all school routines. Consequently, his 10 foci entail all that might occur in the life of a school, thereby reinforcing his message that values need to be lived and modelled and not simply taught.
For this reviewer, chapter 6, ‘So what’s a value?’, was particularly interesting. In this chapter, Hawkes begins with a simple definition of a value as ‘a principle that guides our thinking and behaviour’ (p. 59) before going on to explore his own thinking behind the definition. He differentiates, for example, between the effects of beliefs and values, arguing that ‘… beliefs can divide people, whereas values unite them …’ (p. 62). Equally interesting for this reader is the suggested development of an ‘ethical vocabulary’ and ‘ethical intelligence’ (p. 68). Although this aspect of Hawkes’ approach is addressed later in the book, a deeper, more rigorous interrogation of these concepts would have enhanced the author’s arguments but perhaps that is a task for another type of writing.
The tone of the text is conversational and anecdotal. Chapters are peppered with photographs, helpful illustrations and invitations to reflect or simply pause. Each chapter ends with bulleted ‘reflection points’ to help the reader review the chapter and their own thoughts. Many of the reflection points invite the practices entailed in the ‘10 Fs of VbE’, principally the foci on the well-being of self and others; on relationships; reflective practices; and the development of an ethical vocabulary, a language of values, the meaning of which is shared and lived in the need to model the shared values selected by the community whether school, workplace or, as Hawkes ambitiously envisages, a values city. The operation of a values approach is based on transformational analysis, what is currently termed ‘mindfulness’, and the development of an ethical vocabulary, and these aspects are given some attention in the later chapters.
Whilst the general tone of the books is somewhat laudatory, there is also recognition that establishing a values approach is not unproblematic. For example, Hawkes argues that adults are often the most difficult to persuade and advocates openness and a supportive atmosphere where opposition or resistance is encountered. He recognises also that his claim that adults, especially parents and teachers, have a profound influence on children and their education, can work for both good and ill.
This is not an academic book and normal academic criteria had to be set aside in this review. For example, the phrase ‘universal positive human values’ is used throughout the book with little interrogation of either the phrase or the values claimed to be so. Moreover, the tone of familiarity and the enthusiasm the author shows for his subject read more like a personal testament rather than a rigorously constructed argument. Nevertheless, Hawkes does name several prominent academics with whom he has studied, whom he has met or heard of, or whose work he has used in support of VbE. Whilst the academic basis of his approach may not be present in this book, recruiting these people in support suggests that there is a sound academic basis to the arguments presented. Indeed, a cursory visit to the website of the International Values Education Trust, founded by Hawkes in 2008, reveals several noted academics among its trustees.
There is little in the substance of the book with which I would disagree: all education is founded on values, nor would I disagree with any of the values identified as appropriate to pursue. Whilst this book is therefore probably aimed at an audience of teachers, head teachers and others involved in values approaches to education and other aspects of life, or who are willing to be persuaded of the benefits of such an approach, it is also helpful in challenging the more sceptical. For academics it is always valuable to know what is significant in the field of practice and this book provides a platform for a range of issues related to values-based education that invite academic engagement.
University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
Email: [email protected]
© 2014, George Head
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2014.955638