Sometimes choosing the right framework and context for learning could mean giving skills a new purpose. That purpose can be defined in terms of values. Design can be taught with a service purpose so that students think about how the design will serve the customer and society, rather than how they can showcase their abilities. Math can be taught with the purpose of combating injustice.
- Teachers can present advertising in a values context such as contentment, encouraging students to examine the attitudes some ads create in society. This can lead to creating a different type of ad by using skills to encourage contentment.
- Teachers can show how pie charts can make information accessible and bring about change. Florence Nightingale used a form of pie chart to change the way hospitals were built. Teachers can show students how their math skills can be used in a project to bring about change or bring an important issue to people’s attention.
Examples such as these show how skills can be given a new purpose by putting them in a values framework that can make sense to learners and possibly aid motivation.