Intro Health Ed: K-12

Course Description

An introductory study of a coordinated school health program. Health problems and issues are addressed at developmentally appropriate grade levels (K-12) using the Health Framework for California Public Schools in the following areas: mental and emotional health, personal health, consumer and community health, injury prevention and safety, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, nutrition, environmental health, family living, individual growth and development and communicable and chronic diseases. The legal responsibilities of teachers related to student health and safety will be explored. Effective communication with parents and site-based and community resources to meet the individual needs of students, research-based school health programs, life skills and positive behaviors, needs of special populations, and evaluation of health web sites will be discussed. This course meets the state requirement for all teachers to have taken a general health education course.

Learning Outcomes

• Examine components of a coordinated school health program including: comprehensive health education, health services, a healthy and safe school environment, physical education, nutrition services, physiological and counseling services, health promotion for staff, and family and community involvement.
• Utilize the concepts of health and well-being and data on the health status of today’s youth to document the need for comprehensive school health education and collaborate with others in developing a program.
• Analyze risk factors and protective factors for major health problems which affect youth in this country, including injury and violence, poor lifestyle habits, drug abuse including alcohol and tobacco use, chronic and communicable diseases.
• Analyze developmentally appropriate grade level (K-12) content using the Health Framework for California Public Schools in the following areas: mental and emotional health, personal health, consumer and community health, injury prevention and safety, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, nutrition, environmental health, family living, individual growth and development and communicable and chronic diseases.
• Discuss the teacher’s role in enabling, promoting and reinforcing positive health choices among their students by means of instruction, positive role modeling and participating in school and community-wide efforts to improve the health of students.
• Evaluate local, national, state, and Internet resources and strategies for promoting good health among children, young people and their families.
• Discuss the relationship of personal, family, school, community, and environmental factors as related to student academic achievement and physical, emotional, and social well-being.
• Apply the major laws and principles related to student and employee health and safety and student and parent rights.
• Discuss research-based programs, findings, and practices related to the health status of youth and comprehensive school health education.
• Evaluate how and when to access site based and community resources and agencies, including social, health, education, and language services in order to promote integrated support to meet the health and school safety needs of the individual learner.
• Discuss medical issues encountered in schools e.g. dispensing medication (prescription and over the counter), universal precautions, exposure control plans, medical procedures (such as blood glucose monitoring) and identification of common and communicable diseases of children and adolescents and when and how to make referrals.
• Develop strategies for teaching refusal skills, handling peer pressure, conflict resolution, violence prevention, suicide prevention, stress management, crisis prevention, and meeting the needs of special students (e.g., special education students, foster students, homeless students, pregnant and parenting students, court/community youth, and ESL learners).

Requirements

Document and discuss the need for comprehensive school health education and national and state standards utilizing concepts of health and well-being, as well as data on the health status of today’s youth. Discuss how to present the data to parents, the community, school board and other stakeholders to gain support. Prepare a written self-health assessment utilizing the wellness scale and questions in the text and/or assessment tool(s) located on the Internet. Discuss the implications of the assessment and how it affects your life now and in the future. Relate to the life skills in the text and to ‘Healthy People 2020.’ Then, based on your assessment design a behavior change contract that you can use to encourage behavior change or behavior maintenance. The contract should include a measurable goal, date for achievement, effect on your health, the plan, how to track progress, a reward for success or penalty for failure, and should be signed and dated. A space should be provided for a witness signature. Written report given 20 school situations cite the California Educational Code number of the legal reference or other code that supports the action and briefly in 2-3 sentences describe the appropriate professional course of action for the teacher. Answers can be located on the California Healthy Kids website.

Develop a written research paper on one issue, concept, or health topic related to the health status of youth. Describe why the topic is an important concern, provide statistics related to the topic, identify any secondary consequences, and relate to ‘Healthy People 2020.’ Include any cultural similarities/differences, how the issues or concept presents in the classroom, and identify at least two local or national agencies or hotlines that provide assistance in the area. Include research-based practices related to the issue or concept. You must have at least 5 references and a minimum of 2 must be from a research journal. Examples of research journals include Medicine, Science, Sport & Exercise, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of School Health, The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, or Journal of Health Education. Locate a minimum of five Internet sites that pertain to school health education, nutrition, emotional health, growth and development, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, communicable and chronic disease, injury prevention, or environmental health. Describe the information found on the site and evaluate the site for scope, accuracy, authority, currency, purpose, organization, structure, and design. Use the evaluation tool found in the Health Framework for California Public Schools. Given various scenarios (minimum of three), describe resources and agencies to promote integrated support to meet the needs of individual learners. Discuss in class medical issues encountered in schools e.g., dispensing medication (prescription and non-prescription), exposure control plan and universal precautions, medical procedures, and identification of common and communicable diseases and how to make referrals.

Written assignment. Locate one lesson plan for a unit of health instruction. The lesson should be standards based using the Health Framework for California Public Schools and the Health Content Standards. Using the text, content in unit 4, and other reliable sources appropriate for a specified age level, critique the lesson plan that you have located. You might select a lesson from the text, one from ERIC, The National Dairy Council or other Internet site. Include title of the unit, grade level, California Health Education Expectation (Standard) the lesson is based on, specific instructional objectives and life skills, accurate content, cultural and age appropriate learning activities, how the objectives will be measured, list of materials and resources, and how health content can be infused into other subject areas. You may use the Lesson Plan format found in the Student Teaching Handbook. Develop three case studies that identify, describe, and analyze factors that enable, promote, reinforce, and confirm positive health choices among today’s youth. Include the influences by peers, family, teachers, media, and role modeling.