What this lesson teaches
I can explain how shared values shape what citizenship means and help people live together.
Syllabus K336, Issue 1, Guiding Question 1. Shared values
Make a guess
A club hangs a poster saying 'We value respect'. How do you think you could tell whether its members really share that value?
- Watch how members treat people and make their decisions.
- Ask whether members agree with each other on everything.
- The poster proves it, because members chose the words.
Show the answer
Watch how members treat people and make their decisions.
Values matter when they guide actions. A slogan on a poster does not prove people act on it.
Shared values, such as respect, fairness and care, guide how people treat each other and help a society work together.
Values are principles people see as important. They answer the question: what matters when we make this decision? When many people share values such as respect, fairness and care, they can cooperate, trust each other and know how to treat one another.
Values matter when they guide actions. A group that values fairness checks whether people with different needs can all use a shared service. A group that values respect listens to people's experiences before acting.
Listening to an unfamiliar view can reveal a need the group had missed. Acting on it shows respect for that person as a member of the community. This links a value to a real decision, instead of treating it as a slogan.
Sharing a value does not mean agreeing on everything. Two people may both value fairness but disagree about what is fair. A value written on a poster also does not prove that people act on it. Look at what people say, what they do, and the limits of the evidence.
- Values
- Principles people see as important, such as respect, fairness and care.
- Values in action
- A value matters when it changes what people do.
- Evidence
- Judge values by actions, not slogans.
Real examples to use
Shared Values, 1991
Singapore adopted five Shared Values in 1991. They are: nation before community and society above self; family as the basic unit of society; community support and respect for the individual; consensus, not conflict; racial and religious harmony.
Worked example: Making a reading room fair
A neighbourhood group says everyone should have a fair chance to use its reading room. Residents who work at weekends say they can never come, so the group adds a weekday evening session.
- The value is fairness: everyone should have a chance to use the room.
- The group acts on it by changing the opening hours.
- This shows fairness in practice. It does not prove every access problem is solved.
Watch out for this
The group wrote 'respect' on a poster, so everything it does must be respectful.
A poster shows what a group says it values. Look at its actions to see whether it lives up to that value.
Check your understanding
Which example best shows a shared value shaping how people act?
- Residents often use the word 'fairness' when they speak at meetings.
- Residents who value inclusion add sessions that more groups are able to attend.
- Residents put up a large banner listing the values they care about most.
Show the answer
Residents who value inclusion add sessions that more groups are able to attend.
Yes. The value leads to a concrete change that includes more people.