TREE OF VALUES: WHAT IT IS FOR AND HOW IT WORKS - ECONOMÍA

The tree of values is an educational activity used to help people discover what is really important to them. It is usually used with children in the context of a classroom; but with some modifications, this activity can also be used with adults.

Values are the basic beliefs that guide or motivate our attitudes and actions. They help us determine what is really important to us. In addition, they describe the personal qualities we want to guide our behavior, and the kind of person we want to become.

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One of the fundamental objectives of the educational system is to transmit certain positive values to children. Although each person has to be able to develop their own moral and ethical code, it is often very helpful for children and their development if they are shown some of the most common values.

Due to the fact that the subject of values can be quite complex, in general it is worked through activities that are as enjoyable as possible within regulated education. The tree of values is one of the most widespread tools in this sense; then we will see exactly what it consists of.

Purpose of the value tree

The objective of this activity is to introduce the children to a series of recognizable behaviors that are representative of the values they want to work on. In this way, they are helped to be aware of some of the attitudes that are important to them, in such a way that it is possible to work on them later in the classroom.

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Thus, instead of just presenting the values that are of interest to instill in them in an abstract way, children can see an example of each of them that helps them to identify them more easily in the future. To do this, they are usually presented using a story or a tale, where the characters act according to different rules.

Some of the values that are usually worked with more frequently through this activity are responsibility, respect for others, order, punctuality, perseverance, empathy, self-control, collaboration and non-violence. However, it can be used to teach any value that is interesting.

Operation of the activity

The tree of values can be accomplished in many different ways. However, it always consists of three clearly differentiated parts, which are presented in the same order.

Thus, first, the behaviors related to the values that you want to work on are exposed. Then the children have to identify the value behind each of them, usually in a collaborative way. Finally, a visual classification of all of them is made, usually in the form of a tree.

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1- Presentation of the selected behaviors

One of the greatest advantages of the tree of values is that children see a behavior that exemplifies each of the values on which they want to work.

This is precisely what the first part of the exercise deals with, where, through various techniques, students are shown different ways of acting representative of each of the objective qualities.

In general, this is done through a children's story, in which the different characters act in ways that are consistent with both the values they want to instill and those that are considered negative. However, depending on the age and characteristics of the students, these qualities can be introduced in other ways.

Thus, for example, a possible version for adults would simply consist of the presentation of descriptions of different actions related to the most common values or those that you want to work on. In this way, the activity becomes more direct, which can be positive with older people.

2- Identification of the values behind the behaviors

Regardless of the way in which the different ways of acting have been presented in the first phase of the activity, the second phase consists of identifying the values behind them and giving them a name. This can be done both individually and in groups, through the collaboration of students.

One possible way to do it is as follows. Through brainstorming, the children make a list of all the actions they have identified in the story. The teacher only serves as a facilitator in this task, in addition to including those values that the students have not been able to detect by themselves.

Once the complete list has been constructed, the children have to name each of the values they have been able to identify with a single word. Again, this can be done both individually for each child, and in groups, depending on the characteristics of the students.

3- Construction of the tree of values

In the third and final phase, students have to classify the values they have identified in the previous section according to the importance they believe they have.

This classification is done visually, forming a "tree" in which the most fundamental are at the top, and the least important below.

Depending on the objective of the activity, it is possible to carry out this phase in a group or individually. Usually when completed alone, children can reflect more deeply on what values are important to them and which ones they want to work on the most.

However, individual work with the tree of values can be quite complex, so it is not recommended to choose this mode if the students are very young or are not used to working on these topics.

On the other hand, if the tree of values is carried out as a group, a debate can be generated about which of the behaviors identified are important and which are not.

In addition, this activity can serve to generate a code of conduct applicable within the classroom, which will help children to get the most out of class and behave appropriately.

conclusion

The tree of values is one of the best activities that exist when working on issues of morality and ethics with children in an educational context. However, it can also be adapted to other situations and people with different characteristics, thus being an extremely versatile and easy-to-use tool.

References

"The tree of values" in: Carlota is Happy. Retrieved on: February 01, 2019 from Carlota is Happy: carlotaesfeliz.com.
“Values tree” in: Youth and Philanthropy Initiative. Retrieved on: February 01, 2019 from Youth and Philanthropy Initiative: goypi.org.
"What are values?" in: Ethics Sage. Retrieved on: February 01, 2019 from Ethics Sage: ethicssage.com.
"Meaning of values" in: Meanings. Retrieved on: February 01, 2019 from Meanings: significados.com.
"Value (ethics)" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 01, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.

TREE OF VALUES: WHAT IT IS FOR AND HOW IT WORKS - ECONOMÍA - 2025