How important are values in education?

Values are primarily the principles used to judge the worth of an idea, person, action etc. Wisdom, humanity, respect, positive thinking, motivation, decision making, appreciation etc. are all values gained through education. It can be noted that "values" in education deal only with the positive knowledge acquired from education.

A few important factors influencing the values in the present education system:

Educators - They know things and they pass on the information. Their wisdom can implant values while educating others. They teach values like wisdom, importance of sharing, analysing things etc. with the ones who are eager to learn.

Free Thinkers - They play a vital role in developing a country. Their thoughts are broad and positive. Various ways to deal with problems, decision making, positive thinking can be gained from them.

Parents - They are the first source from where values can be taken from. While teaching the basic things to their children, they can implant values like kindness, trust, compassion, truth, non-violence etc.

Experiences - Experiences are the best teachers of the lot. When children experience something, they learn from it. Whether the experience is good or bad, the lesson is always learnt and the lesson comes with a value. Decision making, independence, lateral thinking etc. can be learnt from experience.

Society - It forms a larger picture. Society comprises people of various ages, professions, habits, thought processes etc. Many of us in the present day believe in pleasing the society before anything else. From the large perspective, appreciation, tolerance, self-progress, etc. can be learnt from society.

How can students benefit out of such values?

Students can work on improving their values by first identifying the positive and the negative aspects of the people and events from which they gain education
Once they are able to understand the difference between positive and negative deeds, they can take a step ahead and focus on the positive aspects from their "learning"
They can fine tune their personality by bringing into practice the values they have received. For instance, honesty, faith, being independent etc.

How to incorporate the values in education environment?

While educating; the educators, parents etc. must give equal weightage to the values, the subject/topic being taught has to offer.
Turning the values into practical experiences can prove successful in shaping up a child into a better adult.
Adopting alternate ways to make the student understand the importance of what is being taught and what value it has can help them analyse better.
Encouraging students to teach something that has a vital value for others to learn. For example, the importance of time, why knowledge is better than money, etc.

Education without value is like a tree without leaves. No one gets the shade no matter how big the tree is. Hence, the ultimate goal of education must be turning students into better human begins along with helping them gain knowledge.

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