EVALUATION AND PRACTICE OF VALUES IN THE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY: AN APPROACH FROM CRITICAL PEDAGOGY

Abstract

This essay addresses the pedagogy of values as a central axis in educational formation, particularly in rural contexts marked by inequality, violence, and exclusion. It is based on the premise that education in values cannot be reduced to normative statements or isolated practices, but must be integrated as a living and meaningful experience that permeates all dimensions of the educational process. Within this framework, it emphasizes the need to re-signify the role of the teacher as an ethical mediator, community builder, and facilitator of transformative learning processes.
The main purpose of the essay was to reflect on the meaning of value-based education in rural Colombian schools, identifying how such values are conceived, applied, and experienced in pedagogical practices. The guiding questions focused on the evaluation of ethical competencies in the classroom, the teacher’s role in their promotion, and the effectiveness of current practices in light of contextual needs. The methodology was qualitative, grounded in an interpretative approach, with emphasis on the critical analysis of educational practices and discourses, supported by documentary sources and situated reflections. The main findings reveal a gap between institutional discourse on values and the lived realities faced by students and teachers in vulnerable territories. The urgency of a pedagogy that incorporates affectivity, dialogue, listening, and recognition of the other as essential foundations for the construction of values is highlighted. Likewise, it is proposed that ethical formation should go beyond the explicit curriculum and be integrated into daily school life as a coherent, participatory, and critical practice. In conclusion, a situated ethical education is proposed—one that contributes to rebuilding social trust and strengthening citizenship from within the classroom, as a political and hopeful act.