Exploring values - student activity

(Adapted from Living Systems Resource Kit, Activities pp 7-11: www.dse.vic.gov.au/ then follow prompts to Conservation & Environment, then Biodiversity, then Rural Landscapes)

Objectives/context:
This activity looks at people's values and how they might influence management decisions. Students will be able to think about their own primary values (in the context of maintaining a rural enterprise) and recognise how they influence personal visions and the use of resources to produce goods and services.

Background:
Values are the fundamental principles that can dictate how we operate on a day to day basis as we pursue our goals. Our values are shaped by many things: life experiences, our family, religion and culture.

This activity assumes that people make management decisions according to what they value. The range of responses generated can be used to demonstrate that different people have a range of individual values, which influence decisions and lifestyle choices.

After undertaking this activity with a range of different stakeholders, the Living Systems Project (see Resource List) identified four key values that consistently rank highly on any priority list.

These values are:

»	Wellbeing
»	Relationship
»	Sustainability
»	Wealth

Of these, wellbeing appears to be the strongest overall value held. This is probably because it includes elements of all the others. These results can sometimes be surprising to people, as wealth is often assumed to be the major value that drives landholders.

The Activity:

»	Explain to students that for this activity they need to imagine that they are a landholder (you may like to define the type and size of property, or let students decide this for themselves).
»	Distribute copies of the 'Exploring Values' worksheet to each student.
»	Ask the students to nominate the seven outcomes that are most important to them on their property and mark each by placing a cross in the corresponding circle. There are no right or wrong answers, just what each student feels would be important to them.
»	Continue to follow instructions on 'Exploring Values' worksheet.
»	Each of the 27 outcomes correlates to one of nine values as shown in the 'Identifying Key Values' table.
»	To collate the responses: Copy and distribute the 'Identifying Key Values' table to each student. Ask students to list their allocated dollar amounts and to get a total for each of the nine values. They can then determine their own priority list of key values.
»	The results of the group as a whole can be collected (a list of key values could be written on the board and each student could place a tick next to their top priority).

*Helpful hint: If students have trouble identifying their values, you can repeatedly question them to determine why something is important to them. This will help to clarify their core outcome and align their response to one of the responses listed in the worksheet. For example, the initial reaction of a participant may be 'We want to make more money from the farm.'

Question: 'Why do you want to make more money?'
Response: 'We want to be able to use new technology.'
Question: 'Why?'
Response: 'We want more time.'
Question: 'Why?'
Response: 'We want a closer relationship with family and friends.'

Activity resources:

»	Identifying Key Values Table (print version)
»	Worksheet - Exploring Values (print version)

Discussion:

»	Were the results what you expected?
»	How did your individual response compare to that of the group?
»	How does each value influence decisions made by landholders?
»	How might these results influence future decisions that are made on their property?
»	How can changing community values affect the use of resources to produce goods and services? Why? Suggest examples.

Students may be able to draw links between values identified and decisions made on farms. For exmaple:
Wellbeing - use less pesticides on the property so there is less exposure to toxic chemicals.
Relationships - make sure there is labour available so the family can get away from the property for at least one holiday per year
Sustainability - fence off waterways to protect riparian zones and stop contamination of water.