Please read the link to the article "Abstinence Education..What Works" provided below. Write a two paragraph response identifying:
-What works in Sex Education
-What Best Practice in Sex Ed looks like.
http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/hklb/hiv-aids/abstinenceed.pdf
Read other posts and respond to at least one other.
What works best in sex ed, according to the reading, is being honest with students, and not trying to use scare tactics or lie or exaggerate what will happen to them, but giving them facts and helping them make choices on their own, for their own health. They will learn best when given ways to interact with the material and each other, and relate the information to their own life. The material that are presented with should be appropriate to their age, experience, and culture. They should be allowed time and opportunity to practice communicating and using the skills that they are learning. They should be given consistent, reliable information, and it should not be in the form of a one-time assembly or class. Finally, students should have the opportunity to taught by teachers and peers that have sufficient training, and behind the program that they are teaching.
ReplyDeleteBest practices in sex ed are fairly well aligned with methods that work best, in that the focus is that the students have plenty of opportunity to learn about how to safely communicate and make decisions, and students should be getting accurate, medically proven information. Students should be taught that they have the right to be safe and that no sexual expression should be physically or emotionally harmful. They should be made aware of the laws around persons over 18 having sex with someone under 18, and the laws around financial responsibility for children. There should be conversation about the potential physical, psychological and emotional effects of teen sex and teen pregnancy. Finally, students need to be taught about how to protect themselves and the different kinds of contraception that are available to them, and how to access those resources.
I like what you said about being honest with students. It seems like a lot of the material in health education can be taboo and it's easy for teachers to just skirt around certain subjects, not providing valuable information to their students. But if we are honest with ourselves it should be apparent that we need to be honest with our students so that we can teach them life skills that will allow them to make responsible choices throughout life. The reason I enjoy the subject health is because it pertains to everyday life, you can apply it to everything you do, so if there's anything we should be honest about, it's health education.
Delete-What works in Sex Education
ReplyDeleteResearch has shown that abstinence based Sex Ed programs are the most effective in reducing risky behaviors associated with sexual activity. Having a clear, consistent message from the administration all the way to the members of the community enables you to reinforce the key elements of your program allowing the participants of the program to understand the importance of the topic. You need to provide basic, accurate information as well as skills that focus on reducing risky sexual behaviors. Sex Ed needs to be age appropriate, comprehensive, last a sufficient amount of time and be an integral part of your health curriculum so that participants understand the importance of the program. Your program should also discuss emotional, physical and psychological consequences of sexual activity as well as discuss the laws associated with sexual activity.
-What Best Practice in Sex Ed looks like.
Best practice in Sex Ed should be fun, engaging, interactive, and informative for all participants. It should be clear that the program is abstinence based, but should also include accurate information about condoms and other forms of contraception. Sex Ed programs should be all-inclusive allowing everyone involved to feel comfortable in all facets of the program. With sex all around us, we can’t hide from the fact that sex is part of our society and because of this, we need to use this opportunity that we have with health education to teach our youth how do deal with sex in a responsible way, we can’t hide from it.
The phrase that you used, "all-inclusive" really stuck out to me and is something that I feel may not be thought about as much as it should be, because of all of the focus on being "PC" and telling kids the "right" things, and it can become an after thought. I think that inclusiveness can come in many different forms, from including information about all different cultures and how they are impacted by different aspects of sexual health to providing activities that all students can feel comfortable participating in, and giving students an opportunity to not feel ashamed or uncomfortable about experiences that they may have had in the past. I feel that being inclusive and giving kids the chance to learn about the material and understand how it really relates to them is key to them taking it outside of class with them.
DeleteEveryone deserves to know the truth, at different ages the truth looks different. Sex education needs to be truthful and accurate. Of course it needs to be age appropriate, but the information still needs to be accurate and consistent. There are so many sources for information and most of them never say the same thing. Teachers all teach a little differently, but curriculum and information needs to be consistent. We are already combating the internet, correcting miss information from other educators seems like the opposite of progress.
ReplyDeleteAlong with honesty, accuracy and consistency, sex education needs to include the student. These are life lessons that are influencing behaviors that these students will take with them into the real world, we need to make it count. By giving students the opportunity to practice communication, negotiation and refusal skills, they will actually gain these skills. Just telling students about them doesn’t help them develop a skill. Research shows that just telling students to abstain from sexual activity is not helping the situation. But by explaining risks and how abstaining is the safest bet of avoiding unwanted pregnancy and contracting HIV/STDs and then backing that up with information on contraception we’re giving students all the facts so that they can make education decisions. This is what good sex education does, it gives students all the facts, provides a safe place to practice and develop new skills and then influencing good behaviors.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat works in sexuality education is employing several strategies to incorporate the Oregon Health Education Standards which will get students involved, engaged, and actively participating in their education. Providing medically accurate and researched based content works to provide students with consistent and up-to-date information about their health. A focus on reducing risky behaviors in itself promotes abstinence while incorporating information on protection and safe sex practices. A sufficient amount of time for sexuality education is necessary in order to teach age-appropriate content, reinforce behavior goals, and practice communication and refusal skills.
ReplyDeleteBest practice in sexuality education should utilize all of the Oregon Health Education Standards in various teaching methods to reach students with different learning styles. Learning activities should be engaging and applicable. Content should be medically accurate and research-based to provide honest and consistent content. Curriculum should continue to build on itself each year as students develop and change in their lifestyles and experience. Sexuality education should include more than just physical and biological content, but should also include information on emotional development, psychological consequences and healthy relationships. Content should be delivered in an inclusive way respecting diversity in the classroom. Students should feel that they are in a safe, inclusive, non-judgmental environment while receiving comprehensive sex education.
I like that you highlight the importance of a curriculum that builds on itself. I feel that sex ed is limited so much in school that this get over looked. Schools want to put a short timeline on long this is discussed in class and then this factor is over looked. When teachers are pressed to breeze over the topic quickly there is no time for building, connecting or learning new skills.
DeleteLike Stephanie, I also like how you highlight the importance of a curriculum that builds on itself. I grew up in a time where it was very taboo to discuss sex ed very openly. We were still split up between boys and girls to get our sex education.
DeleteFactors that have been proven to be successful when teaching abstinence education are all based on how children and adolescents are communicated to. How we set a comprehensive and comfortable tone will help ensure that young adults feel able to ask questions to create a dialogue about their bodies and feelings. Preparing children for the future means to realize how vital and accurate information can go a long way to making a difference in how they go about sexual activity.
ReplyDeleteBest practice in Sex Ed requires the teaching of factors such as STD’s and forms of birth control. Educating youth that abstinence is the only 100% chance of preventing STD’s, pregnancy, and HIV/AIDS will allow youth to understand the risks; although an abstinence only stance is not sufficient information.
What works best for sex education is a comprehensive (abstinence based) approach to educating our youth. Sex education is most effective when it is taught 2 years before sexual encounters begin. Using scare tactics is not effective, nor is the approach of abstinence only or abstinence before marriage. Information should be given as age appropriate and built upon as the child gets older.
ReplyDeleteBeing provided with clear and accurate information presented by peers and educators trained to deliver the information in the best way possible. Information given during sexual education class should also include the physical and emotional feelings that our youth may encounter if they choose to be sexually active. The information should be given in a manner that engages interaction with the kids.
From Gabby Harper{
ReplyDelete1) What works in Sex Education?
Sex education is used to acquire information and to form attitudes and beliefs about our own body function, fear factor, relationships, sexual identity and most important sex. Sex education targets young people to learn the correct skills so they are able to make a correct choice; rather it being behavior, confidents or competent about acting on these choices they need to be educated about the correct ways to go about their own actions.
Sex education is an opportunity to help the youth around us from ways to protect themselves, abuse, unintended exploitation, pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases for example HIV or AIDS; sex education works with each of these problems and gives answers.
(Douglas Kirby, PhD, emerging Answer: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, May 2001) The main way sex education works is through the teachers and peers leaders; who highly believe in the program and are able to provide the youth with adequate training. They are providing examples and explanation of information about social pressure, teen sexual activity, ways to avoid intercourse and methods of protection against pregnancy or STD. Most importantly they are incorporate behavioral goals, teaching methods, and materials that are appropriate to the age, sexual experience, and culture of the student.
One topic that I appreciate the most is the (ORS 336. 455, OAR 581-022-1210 and 581-022-1440,encl) Discuss the possible emotional, physical and physical and psychological consequences of adolescent sexual intercourse and teen pregnancy. Youth and adults are educated on the means of their actions and or discussing the possibly of life changing results.
2) What Best Practice in Sex Ed looks like?
The best practice in sex Ed is abstinence-based, abstinence-only and abstinence-only until marriage. Young people are able to be exposed to a wide range of health messages that expose sexual development and reproduction, contraception and birth control, relationships and sexuality. Although they may have positive and negative effects young people are able to choose for their self which direction they wish to take; they are able to learn these 3 practices in school which have the important responsibility of addressing the needs of students by helping them succeed academically and health clinics services that will enable them to lead both healthy and successful lives.