Ethical Literacy® Learning Community

Category: Authentic Student Input

My Values, Your Values, Our Values

By admin,

Objective

To help students identify and communicate ethical values with each other.

Activity

Working with a partner, each of you identifies an ethical value that has special meaning for you. You may select one or your school’s shared values or an ethical value that you hold for your family and friends. Tell your partner the value you selected and why it is important to you. Your partner is to do the same.

Now, partners find another pair. Share your partner’s ethical value and why it is important to him/her with the new pair. Do not share your own. Have each person do the same. Listen carefully to what is said and ask questions if necessary. Within this group of four, pick a new person to share his/her values with the next group.

Each group of four is to find another group of four. Repeat the sequence for sharing each other’s ethical values, but now in a group of eight.

After sharing in this group, the teacher will ask for feedback from the students on this activity.

Reflection

What was it like to share your partner’s ethical value with a new pair or quartet?
What did you discover as you continued to share each other’s ethical values in larger groups?
What did you discover to be similar or different about our values?
What did you learn from this experience and how will that help you in the future?

When to Use

This activity can be used to bring greater awareness of individual and shared values within the school community. It also can be used to reinforce the school’s shared values.

To Download this activity as a PDF, click here.

This activity as part of the Ethical Literacy® program, includes implementation and communication strategies of the Institute for Global Ethics® and its education program. Further, it uses components of the Institute’s trademarks and copyrights including Ethical Fitness®, Moral Courage™, and Ethics Newsline®. You may not copy, quote, or publish these materials without our written permission. Please contact us if you would like permission.