Life and Society
Module 1:
Formation and Application of Values
Youth and Moral Education Office, ICAC
Values Auction
• Assuming each person has $1,000 to bid on any
items he or she likes, such as happiness, wisdom,
world peace, high social status, good health, etc.
• Each item begins at $50. You can make your bid
by raising hand. The items will be sold to the
highest bidder.
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Values Auction Item List
1. Happiness
9. Living in a corruption-free society
2. Freedom
10. True love
3. Wealth
11. Being an honest person
4. A happy family
12. World peace
5. True friendship
13. Attractive appearance
6. Wisdom
14. Fame
7. Good health
15. High social status
8. Living in a fair society
16. Power
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Values Auction
• What item(s) did you bid during the auction?
Were you successful in bidding for them?
• Did your classmates also bid for those items?
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Values Auction
• The item(s) that a student bid for represents
the value(s) that worth most to him/her. Every
person has his/her own value set.
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Same ‘Values’ for You and Me?
• Write down five values you consider the most
important
• Divided into groups of five to discuss and select
five important values commonly agreed by all
members of the groups
• Write on the blackboard the five important values
selected by each group
• Identify the important values commonly agreed by
the whole class
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Same ‘Values’ for You and Me?
• Were the values that you selected the same or different
when compared with those of your classmates?
• How did you determine what values are the most
important to you?
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Same ‘Values’ for You and Me?
• Values signify what is important and worthwhile
• They would affect our choices in everyday living
and serve as the basis for ethical reflection
Youth and Moral Education Office, ICAC
Survey on Youth Values
In 2011, the Law Society of Hong Kong in
collaboration with the Hong Kong Polytechnic
University conducted a survey of students who
participated in 2010’s ‘Teen Talk’. A total of 523
completed questionnaires were received. The
respondents of the survey were Secondary 4 to
Secondary 6 students from 32 different schools.
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Survey on Youth Values
93.8% Agreed that one should not break the law
66.8% Agreed that hard work is the key to success
63.8% Expected that they will be worried about money
48.2% Expected that they will be forced to follow what others
do (morally) in order to prevent being rejected
31.8% Considered that they can obtain happiness using money
18.9% Considered that as long as the ways being used to
make money do not cause any harm to others, it does
not matter whether it is legal or illegal
Source: The Law Society of Hong Kong 2011
http://www.hklawsoc.org.hk/pub_c/news/press/20110518a.asp
Youth and Moral Education Office, ICAC
Survey on Youth Values
• Divided into groups to discuss the
factors affecting the formation of values
among the young people in Hong Kong
Youth and Moral Education Office, ICAC
Survey on Youth Values
• The formation of our values would be
affected by factors such as our family,
school, society, culture and media.
One should have an understanding of
the determining effects of values on
decision-making in order to handle
ethical challenges effectively.
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Making Ethical Decisions
• Divided into groups to perform short
scenes about making ethical decisions
• Perform the competing voices of the
main character
• After the performance, ask the students
who have played the main character to
make decisions
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Decision-Making Scenarios
Scenario 1
Fanny and her classmates are assigned by
their teacher to buy Christmas party gifts.
Her classmates keep all complimentary
gifts and ask Fanny not to tell the teacher.
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Decision-Making Scenarios
Scenario 2
Ken’s good friend begs Ken to let him/her
copy his homework. He/She has no time
for homework because his/her mother is
in hospital and he/she needs to take care
of her and do the household chores.
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Decision-Making Scenarios
Scenario 3
Sam is a prefect. His good friend is three
minutes late for school after lunch. He/She
requests Sam not to take down his/her name
and let him/her slip through the net.
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Decision-Making Scenarios
Scenario 4
May originally promises to sell a limited
edition bag to Classmate A at $500 and
plans to deliver it tomorrow. Upon knowing
it, Classmate B is willing to offer $800 to
buy it from May. May isn’t sure what to do.
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Decision-Making Scenarios
Scenario 5
Peter’s sports team members ask him to lose
deliberately in the preliminary round of the
inter-school sports competition so as to get
an easier match-up in the next round and
avoid meeting strong opponents too early.
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Factors to be Considered in Making
Ethical Decisions
Divided into groups to discuss the factors considered by
the main character in their respective scenes when
making decisions
Alternative A
(
Alternative B
)
(
)
Possible consequences
Impacts on other people
Are the positive values
compromised?
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Conclusion
Factors to be Considered in Making
Ethical Decisions:
• responsibilities and consequences
• impacts on other people
• upholding positive values such as honesty
and fairness
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