Values I – SS1 Civic Education Lesson Note (First Term)

Values are the moral principles and standards that guide how we deal with people in society.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define values from the point of view of civic education;
2. list types of values;
3. explain selflessness and justice;
4. state the four types of justice;
5. state the importance of justice and of values.

What are values?

Values are the esteem, quality or importance a person or group gives to ideas or beliefs accepted by individuals and their society.

• General meaning: the monetary and non-monetary worth of a thing.
• Meaning in civic education: the esteem, quality or importance a person or group gives to ideas or beliefs accepted by individuals and their society.
• Also defined as: the set of moral principles and standards guiding our interactions with people.
• What they point to: things that are good and constructive, which a good and active citizen should have.
• What they help to solve: human and societal problems such as corruption, terrorism, cultism, thuggery and robbery.

Where do values come from?

Values come from what a group or society accepts as a standard of behaviour and ideals, and there are six main sources.

• Family: parents and elders teach children what is right and wrong at home.
• Environment: the community and surroundings a person grows up in.
• People around us: friends, neighbours, teachers and role models.
• Religion: Christian, Islamic and traditional teachings on good conduct.
• School: rules, lessons and school activities that shape behaviour.
• Culture and tradition: customs, proverbs and ways of life handed down in a community.

What are the types of values?

There are seven common types of values: selflessness, hard work, discipline, justice, love, contentment and integrity.

• Selflessness: caring for and working for other people more than oneself.
• Hard work: putting in steady effort to achieve a worthy goal, as a farmer or a diligent student does.
• Discipline: controlling one’s behaviour and obeying rules, such as keeping to time and queueing in an orderly way.
• Justice: being fair, reasonable and right in dealing with people.
• Love: genuine care and goodwill towards family, neighbours and fellow citizens.
• Contentment: being satisfied with what one has, without envy or greed.
• Integrity: being honest and keeping to one’s moral principles, even when no one is watching.

How are values shown in daily life?

A value is shown by what a person does, so each value has behaviour that marks it.

What is selflessness?

Selflessness is the ability to work for and care for other people more than oneself.

• Nigerian example: the late Chief Ganiyu (Gani) Fawehinmi.
• His title: he was given the unofficial title Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM).
• Why he earned it: he fought and stood for justice and for the end of man’s inhumanity to man.

What is justice?

Justice is being fair, reasonable and right in dealing with people.

• Main feature: the absence of favouritism, bias or sentiment when settling conflict between two or more people.
• Why it matters: no human society can be at peace without justice.
• Where it is seen: in courts, schools, workplaces, homes and sports.

What are the types of justice?

There are four types of justice: distributive, procedural, restorative and retributive.

• Distributive justice: a fair share of what people receive as income or just recompense.
• Procedural justice: using a fair process to decide how goods, or whatever is to be distributed, are shared.
• Restorative justice: also called restitution, it seeks to put right a wrong done to a person or group.
• Retributive justice: punishment given to someone who offends, aggrieves or betrays another.

Why is justice important?

Justice is important because it keeps relationships in society fair and peaceful.

1. It prevents unnecessary conflict among the people in the society.
2. It encourages good relationships and interaction in the society.
3. It promotes peace in the society.
4. It makes people feel fairly treated and happy.

Why are values important?

Values are important because they guide behaviour and help a person and the society to do what is right.

• They help us resist pressure: people of integrity do not compromise their beliefs, so they refuse to conform to values they do not appreciate.
• They help in goal setting: goals are functions of our moral principles, so someone with good values sets goals in line with those principles.
• They help us influence others positively: a mentor or role model of integrity enables one to influence others for good.
• They help to solve societal problems: good values reduce corruption, cultism, thuggery and robbery.

Evaluation

1. Define values from the point of view of civic education.
2. State four sources of values.
3. What is selflessness? Name a Nigerian who is known for it.
4. List and explain the four types of justice.
5. State three reasons why values are important.

Assignment

Discuss at least four (4) values, showing their attributes and how each is manifested.