Team 2 – Developing a General HEI-Specific Course for Pre-Service Teachers

Integrating Values and Knowledge Education into the Foundation of Teacher Training:

As part of the Development Work Package (WP2), Team 2, coordinated by Tamar Mosiashvili (Ilia State University), has designed a series of higher education courses that introduce pre-service teachers to the philosophy and practice of Values and Knowledge Education (VaKE).

While some courses are entirely devoted to the theoretical study of VaKE, others integrate its methodology into broader teacher education curricula, adapting to each university’s academic structure and national context.
Their shared purpose is to enable future teachers to connect ethical reflection with knowledge acquisition, fostering empathy, critical thinking, and civic responsibility in the classroom.

Common Focus and Methodology

The courses share a constructivist foundation, drawing on the ideas of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Kohlberg, and emphasize interactive learning through dilemma discussions, group projects, and reflective activities. Continuous assessment replaces traditional final exams, valuing the process of moral inquiry over rote memorization.

Courses Developed by Team 2:

Ilia State University (ISU) — Value Education
Developed by Ekaterine Shaverdashvili and Tamar Mosiashvili, this six-credit course provides an in-depth theoretical and practical understanding of VaKE. Students study how values are formed and practiced in educational settings and learn to create lesson plans that integrate ethical dilemmas into teaching.

Telavi State University (TESAU) — Value and Knowledge Education
Created by Natia Gabashvili, this three-credit course focuses on linking pedagogical psychology with moral development. Students engage in dilemma-based discussions and apply VaKE strategies to classroom scenarios, bridging educational theory and practice.

Caucasus University (CU) — Value and Knowledge Education (VaKE) in Primary Pedagogy
Designed by Maia Zibzibadze, this five-credit course demonstrates how VaKE can be used in early education. Students develop interactive lesson plans that balance cognitive and ethical objectives in primary classrooms.

Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) — Value and Knowledge Education for Peace and Cooperation
Prepared by Marianna Harutyunyan and Tigran Mikayelyan, this two-credit course adapts VaKE to peace and citizenship education. Students explore intercultural dialogue, cooperation, and conflict resolution through moral reasoning.

Yerevan State University (YSU) — Value and Knowledge Education (VaKE)
Developed by Lusine Hayrapetyan, Serob Khachatryan, and Marine Yaghubyan, this two-credit course introduces VaKE as a key concept in pedagogical ethics. Students analyze dilemmas from educational and social life, deepening their capacity for ethical judgment.

Together, these courses form a regional model of value-based teacher education, balancing shared philosophical principles with local educational realities.

This activity was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union under the PROVE project — Promoting Values Education in Higher Education in the South Caucasus.
Learn more: https://prove.tesau.edu.ge