Transforming Hearts and Minds: The Contribution of Christian Values to the Curriculum

Abstract

In this article the author explores how Christian education can make a 'value-added' contribution to the curriculum. The author considers the day-to-day work of the classroom teacher by asking the questions: how can classroom teaching contribute to ensuring that schools and society does not produce 'clever devils' - such as those produced in the Holocaust? For a Christian school, how can reflection on Christian values be systematically promoted through classroom teaching? How can schools capitalise on the potential offered by 'values moments' - those time when questions of value and meaning force themselves through the academic content of the lesson to become the focal point of the pupils' attention? In order to illustrate how to develop an effective Christian value-added curriculum, the author discusses the Charis Project, which was set up in the wake of legislation in the UK that required schools to promote the spiritual and moral development of their pupils through the curriculum. He then suggests five practical actions for implementing a values-added approach to the curriculum in the Anglican school: (1) develop and capitalise on informal values moments; (2) be strategic in the values that are promoted; (3) plan the curriculum as a biblical 'fifth act' enterprise, which means being aware of the bigger story that the subject is promoting; (4) design teaching methods that promote reflection and response; (5) develop specific topics with a strong values base.