Teaching Sexual Health Education: A Primer for New Teachers, A Refresher for Experienced Teachers pot

TeachingSe xualHealthEducation APrimerf orNewTeac hers, ARef resherforExperiencedTeachers Preparedforwww.sexualityandu.caby DouglasS. McCall ExecutiveD irector CanadianAssociat ionforSchoolHealth 2 3 Contents A. PreparingtoTeachSexualHealthEducation:SomeBackgro undandResearch 1. Introduction 2. Reviewoftheresearch 3. Reliablesourcesofsexualhealthinformation 4. CanadianGuidelinesonSexualHealthEducation 5. Evidencebasedoutcomesinsexualhealthinformation 6. Somedo’sanddon’tsforsexualhealthteaching 7. Achecklistforyour school 8. Thewww.sexualityandu.cawebsite:Agreat sourceofinformat ionforteachers 9. Othersourcesoflessonplansandstudentprojects/webquests 10. Areyouready?Aselfassessmenttoolforteachers 11. Areyouready?Trytheseknowledgetests B. BetterPracticesinTeachingSexualHealth 1. Teachingstrategies&tips 2. Respondingtostudentquestions 3. Studentassessmentinsexualhealtheducation 4. Parentandcommunityinvolvement 5. Teachingsexualhealthinconservativecommunities(religious,rural,culturaletc) 6. Teachingstudentswithdisabilities C. TeachingTools(For YourUse) 1. Studentpersonal healthjournal 2. Studentevaluationtracker 3. Studentquestionsbox 4. StudentparticipationselfAssessmenttool 5. Studentprojectevaluationrubrics 6. Samplelettertoparentsexplainingprogram D. LessonP lanstoCovertheBasicTopicsinSexualHealthEducation 1. Introductiontoourteacherresources 2. Webresources,lessonplansandwebquestsbytopic 4 A. PreparingtoTeachSexualHealthEducation:SomeBackgroundandResearch Thissectionprovidesbackgroundinformationandrelevantresearchonsexualhealtheducation thatteachersshouldbeawareof intheirteaching. 1. Introduction Thisbooklethasbeenpreparedtoassistteachersthat haverecentlybeenassignedto teaching sexualhealthinformation.Hopefully,someofthisinfo rmationwillalsobeusefultoteachers whohavetaughtsexualhealtheducationforanumberofyears. Wehaveprovidedbackgroundinformationandresearchinasummaryformat.Thissection includesseveralsuggestedteachingstrategiesandtipsaswellasselfassessmenttools. Wedescribesomeevidencebasedbetterpracticesinsexualhealtheducat ionandoffersome pract icaladviceforimplementingeachofthosebetterpractices. ThethirdsectionofthisbookletoffersseveralteachertoolssuchasStudentPersonalHealth Journals,Student QuestionBox,studentprojectevaluationrubricsandasamplelett ertoparents. Thefinalsectionpresentsthemanywebresources(quizzes,simulations,factsheets),lesson plansandstudentwebquest sthatareavailableon www.sexualityandu.ca.Theseresourcesare listedaccordingtosexual healtheducat iontopics mostcommonlycoveredinhealtheducation curriculainCanada. Thosetopicst endtoemphasizethebasicthingsthatneedtobecoveredinsexualhealth education.Wehavenotdonejusticetoanyofthosetopics,sowesuggestthatteacherslook elsewhereforotherideasaswellasusetheselessons. Wehavenotcoveredsometopics(suchasHIV/AIDS,abortion/adoption,sexualorientation, genderequit y)becausethosetopicsarewellcoveredinotherwebsites.Ourfocushasbeenon sexualhealthtopicsthat affectallkidssuchaspuberty,relationships,co ntraception(inc luding abstinence),sexuallytransmittedinfections,socialinfluencesandotherbasicissues. Teacherswillneedto lookfor avarietyoflesso nplansandresourcesto meettheneedsoftheir students.Wehopethatthiscollectionandt hisadvicecanhelpyougetofftoagoodstartinyour teaching. Sexualhealthisoneofthemostimportantpartsofthecurriculumin juniorhighschool,sothese resour cesareallrelevantforthosegrades.Asyoungpeoplematureandfacedecisionsthatmay affecttheirhealthandwellbeingforever,theyneedtoknow,they needtounderstandandthey needobjective,reliableinformationfromtheirteachersandothers. Goodluckinteachingasubjectthatisalwaysinteresting. Ifyouhaveanysuggestions/commentsonthisresource,orwouldliketosuggestorcontributea lessonplanorotherresource,pleasecontactusatinfo@sexualityandu.ca 5 2. Reviewoftheresearch MostCanadiansagreethatteachingsexualhealtheducationisimportantfo rthehealthandwell beingof ouryouth. Nevertheless,sexualityandtherelatededucationalneedsofyouthareissues thatneedtobeaddressedwithsound,factualinformation. So,itisimportantforteachersand programplannerstobeabletoclearlyarticulatetoschooladministrators,policymakers,andthe communityatlargetheimportanceofschoolbasedsexualhealtheducation. Asasexualhealtheducatoryoumaybeaskedwhyschoolsneedto providesexualhealth education.Theinformationinthissectionprovidesastrongbasistohelpyouanswerthis question.Youmayalsowanttosee: PublicHealthAgencyofCanada'sCanadianGuidelinesforSexualHealthEducation. SIECCAN'sCommonQuestionsAboutSexualHealthEducation,ausefulresourcefor makingthecasefo rschoolbasedsexualhealtheducation. CharacteristicsofEffectiveSexualHealthEducation 10CommonCharacteristicsofEffectiveCurricula 1. Effectiveprogramsfocusonreducingoneormoresexualbehavioursthatleadto unintendedpregnancyorSTD/HIVinfection. 2. Effectiveprogramsarebasedont heoreticalapproachesthathave been demonstrated tobeeffect iveininfluencingotherhealthre latedriskybehaviours. 3. Effectiveprogramsgiveaclearmessageaboutsexualactivityandcondomor contraceptiveuseandcontinuallyre inforcethatmessage. 4. Effectiveprogramsprovidebasic,accurateinformationabouttheriskso fteen sexualactivityandaboutmetho ds ofavoidingint ercourseorusingprotection againstpregnancyandSTDs. 5. Effectiveprogramsincludeactivitiesthataddresssocialpressuresthatinfluence sexualbehaviour. 6. Effectiveprogramsprovidemodellingofandpracticewithcommunication, negotiation,andrefusalskills. 7. Effectiveprogramsemployavarietyofteachingmethodsdes ignedtoinvolvethe participantsandhavethempersonalizetheinformation. 8. Effectiveprogramsincorporatebehaviouralgoals,teachingmethods,and materialsthatareappropriatetotheage,sexualexperience,andcultureofthe students. 6 9. Effectiveprogramslastasufficientlengthoftimetocompleteimportantactivities adequately. 10. Effectiveprogramsselectteachersorpeerleaderswhobelieveintheprogram theyareimplementingandprovidet hemwithtraining. ElementsofEffectiveSexualityEducationPrograms Thefollowingst ructuralelementsneedtobeincludedinaneffectivesexual health educat ion program § mandatory,comprehensivecurriculumw ithappropriatelearningknowledge,sk ills, beliefs/at titudes,socialsupport,preventivehealthservicesandbehaviouraloutcomes organizedinanwelldesignedscopeandsequencefromtheearlyprimaryyearsto seniorschoolgraduation § sexualityeducat ionprogramispartofacomprehensive healtheducat ionprogram, whichinturn,ispartofapersonalandsocialdevelopment program § highqualit yteaching/learningmaterials,includ ingprint,mediaandtechnologybased alternatives § activelearningandteachingmethods § effectivepreserviceeducationforteachers § goodinserviceeducationforteachers § parentinvolvementininstructionthro ughgoodcommunicationswiththehomeand throughtakehomelearningactivities § activestudentinvolvementinadaptingtheprogramtolocalneedsandpeer leadershipandeducationintheclassroomandtheschool § theinstructionalprogramissituatedwithinacomprehensiveschoolcommunity approachtopromotingsexualhealththatincludesaccessibleandconvenient adole scentpreventivehealthservices,socia lsupportfro mparentsandothersinthe community,asafehealthyphysicalenvironmentintheschool,convenient accessto condomsbyyouth,etc(Seeour SchoolChecklistbelow) 7 3. Reliablesourcesofsexualhealthinformation Weareobviouslyproudofour website,www.sexualityandu.cawhichismaintainedbyteamsof expertstokeepthecontentrelevantanduptodateforteachers,teens,parents,adultsandhealth careproviders. ThefollowingsourcesofsexualhealthinformationwithinCanadaarealsorecommended: § CanadianFederationforSexualHealth § SexInformationandEducat ionCouncilofCanada § SexualandReproductiveHealthPromotion(PublicHealthAgencyofCanada) § CanadianAssociat ionofSexualAssaultCentres § TheSocietyofObstetriciansandGynaecologistsofCanada § InfertilityAwarenessAssociationofCanada § CanadianWomen'sHealthNetwork § TheVanierInstituteoftheFamily For moreinformation,seeourpageof ResourcesforTeachers 8 4. CanadianGuidelinesfor SexualHealthEducation ThePublicHealthAgencyofCanadahaspublished guidelinesonsexualhealtheducationfor Canadiansofallages.Thisguidewaspreparedwithadvicefromexperts,citizensandteachers. Thissectionpresentsafewexcerpts.Foracompletecopygoto: http://www.phacaspc.gc.ca/publicat/cgsheldnemss/cgshe_2e.htm CanadianGuidelinesonSexualHealthEducation Sexualhealthisamajor,positivepartofperso nalhealthandhealt hyliving. Sexualhealth educationshouldbeavailabletoallCanadiansasanimportantcomponentofhealthpr omotion programsandservices.ThegoalsofsexualhealtheducationasoutlinedintheGuidelinesareas follows: § tohelppeopleachievepositiveoutcomes(e.g.selfesteem,respect forselfand others,nonexploitivesexualrelations,rewardingsexualrelationships,thejoyo f desiredparenthood);and § toavoidnegativeoutcomes(e.g.unintendedpregnancy,HIV/STIs, sexualcoercion, sexualdysfunction). ThisGuidelinesdo cumentproposesaframeworkthatoutlinesthephilosophicalandguiding principlesforthedevelopment, delivery andevaluationofsexualhealtheducation.T heguideline statementssupporteachprincipleandprovidethecontextforeffectivesexualhealtheducation programsandpoliciesinCa nada. Hereisthatframework. 9 5. Evidencebasedoutcomesinsexualhealthinfo rmation Researchhasdemonstratedthathealthknowledge alonemaynotaffect behaviour.Behaviour changemodelssuchastheHealthBeliefModelortheInformation,Mo tivationandBehaviour Modelsuggestthatsexualhealtheducationshouldincludefunctionalorpracticalknowledge aboutthehealthtopic,skillsdevelopment(bothgeneralskillssuchasdecisionmakingaswellas specificskillssuchasrefusalskills),instillingneworcorrectednormativebeliefsaboutthe healthtopicandhelpingstudentstoplanandpracticeselectedbehaviourstotheextentthatthe cla ssroomandonlinesimulationspermit. Thelearningoutcomesdescribedbelowaremoreappropriateandeffectiveforsexualhealth education.Toooftenwefocuson“facts”andknowledgeineducationthatmaynotbeeffective inhelpingstudentstomakehealthierchoices.Forexample,theearlycurriculainHIV/AIDS educationincludedfactsonhowthevirusattackstheTcellsinourbodies.Thisisinteresting stuffandcouldbepartofscienceclassesbutthiscontenthaslessimpactonbeha viourthan functionalknowledgerelatedtosexualhealth.Forexample,studentsknowingthata personcan haveasexuallytransmittedinfectionbutstillappeartobehealthy(afactwhichaccordingtoa recentCanadianstudy,manystudentsdidnotknow) Researchhasshownthathealth behavioursandahealthierenvironmentarebothenha ncedby educationthatseekstopromo te: · Functionalorpracticalknowledgeaboutthehealthissue.Sometimes,inour enthus iasm,weincludefartoomanyextraneous,medicalorotherfactsaboutahealthissue. Sexualhealtheducat ionshouldfocusont hepracticalfactsandknowledgethatcantruly influencehealth. · Genera landspecificskillsandaptitudes Researchhasshownt hatgeneralskillssuch asdecisionmaking,problemsolvingandmedialiteracy,aswellasspecifictechniquessuchas refusalskillsorassertivenessshouldbetaughtinhealtheducation.Trytofind lessonplansand activitiesthat enablestudentstoidentify,learnandpracticethesesk ills. · Attit udesandbeliefs thatmotivatebehaviourorsystemchange.Researchinhealth educationindicatesthatindividualattitudescanbeinfluencedbygroupwork,discussions, rankingandcategorizing.Theseareallactivitiesthatshouldbeperformedo fteninyour cla ssroom. · Greaterselfknowledgeandselfesteem Throughextensiveuseofjournalingstudents shouldbeencouragedtomaintainaPersonalHealthJournal Teachyourstudentstoidentify theirowntraits,measure,monito randcomparetheirattitudesandbehaviourstoothersandlearn aboutvarioussocialandpsychologicalinfluencesontheirhealth. · Easieraccesstohealthservicesandinformation–Yoursexualhealthteachingshould includeactivitieswherestudentsvisithealthclinics,pharma ciesandotherplacesthatoffer services.Whereverposs ible,eachlessonshouldincludereferencetowhothestudentscancall for helporwheretheycangoformoreinformation.Thewww.sexualityandu.cawebsiteisa greatreferencetoolforthistypeoffollowup.Aswell,manysexualhealthclassescanhavethe studentsworkingonactivitiesthatdisseminatetheinformationtotheirclassorschool. 10 · Overcomebarrierstosocialsupport fromparents,trustedadultsandot hers.Sexual healtheducationclassesshou ldalsoincludeactivitiesthathavestudentsinteractingwithparents, fr iendsandotherso nhealthissues.Somelessonscanincludeadvocacyprojects wherestudents seekchangestotheirschoolsandneighbourhoodssuchasimprovingsexualhealtheducationin theirschool,encouragingclinicstobemoreyouthfriendlyandfindingwaystotalkwiththeir parentsabouthealthissues. · Differentwayst ohandlespecificsituationsorrisks–Sexualhealtheducat ionclasses shouldaddressspecificsituationsorchallengesthatstudentscanfacesuchasrefusingalcoholat apartyorassessingtheirrelationshipforpotentialabuse.Trytofindlessonsthatpresentthese problematicsituationswithpracticaltipsonhowtorespo ndoravoidthemandwhere/whotocall for help. Research onhealtheducationshowsthatbehaviourchangeisfacilitatedbygroupwork,self monitoring,identifyingpersonalbenefits,settinggoalsandt argets,devisingcopingstrategies, accessinghealt hservices,benefiting fromsocialsupportfromothersandovercomingphysical, economicandpract icalbarriersto change.Alloftheseactivitiesshouldbeincorporatedinto yoursexualhealthteaching. [...]... Clarify roles and responsibilities. Who will handle logistics? Who will recruit  participants? Does the clergy/leader want to review educational materials and/or lesson  plans before each session? ·  Identify potential "land mines" that concern you and the clergy/leader. What topics will  likely stir controversy? How can you handle the typically controversial issues in a  respectful and truthful way? Discuss what you will do to handle controversy should it  . ionclasses shouldaddressspecificsituationsorchallengesthatstudentscanfacesuchasrefusingalcoholat apartyorassessingtheirrelationshipforpotentialabuse.Trytofindlessonsthatpresentthese problematicsituationswithpracticaltipsonhowtorespo