Answering curly questions

Key messages

• There are 5 main types of questions students ask in RSE.
• Tips for answering questions are listed.
• Scripted answers to students' frequently asked questions are provided.
• Teachers can write in to GDHR to have questions answered by the team.
• Educator notes help upskill teacher's content knowledge in RSE. 

Types of questions students ask

There are 5 main categories of questions students typically ask in sexual health education:

1. Information questions
2. "Am I normal?" questions
3. Permission seeking questions
4. Values-based questions
5. Questions intended to shock or requesting personal information

Understanding and learning to recognise the subtle differences between question types will make it easier to give an appropriate answer. 

Tips for answering questions

Accept all questions as genuine

• For sexuality education to be effective and relevant for students, it is vital that teachers genuinely accept students' questions.
• There is no such thing as a silly question - questions that may appear to be asked to 'get a laugh', may be genuine questions and should be treated as such. 

Be honest

• Answer all questions honestly.
• If you are not sure of the answer to a question, be honest and tell the class you are unsure and will follow this up prior to the next class.
• Alternatively, you can direct students to other sources of information. This is a great way to model help-seeking behaviours and remind students of the importance of using reliable and credible resources. 
• Ensure that all answers are age appropriate.

Provide simple and concise answers

• Answer questions accurately and use plain language. It is important to not overload students with too much information. 
• Students can always ask for further information with additional questions in the question box.

Be non-judgmental

• Provide a simple and correct answer free of judgement.
• Be aware of what messages students may be receiving from your body language.

Group questions into common themes

• Questions can be sighted by the teacher well in advance of the lesson, giving the opportunity to group similar questions together and prepare answers to questions.
• It can be helpful to let students know that you have a number of questions around a similar topic so that they are reassured that they are not the only ones seeking the same information. 
•  Multiple questions on a similar topic may also indicate that further lessons are required on the topic.

Invite volunteers to offer answers to questions

• Prior to answering a question, students could be asked for possible answers. This technique must be used carefully and the teacher needs to know the class well to ensure that the student answering the question is in a safe space to answer.
  • (i.e. that they are not at risk of judgement from other students for knowing (or not knowing) the correct answer.
• ONLY volunteers should be asked to given answers.

Questions that are unclear

• If questions are based on incorrect facts, use this as an opportunity to address misconceptions or misunderstandings.
• If a question is unclear, read the question to the class and offer the chance for the person to anonymously clarify what they were asking the next time the class are writing questions for the question box 
  • e.g. Read the question aloud and say, 'I am not quite sure what this question is about. Perhaps the person who wrote it can give me a little more detail when we write our next round of anonymous questions at the end of this session.

Aim to be unshockable

• Some students may attempt to write questions intended to provoke a response by the teacher or students. 
• Remaining 'unshockable' (particularly during the first question box session) usually prevents this from happening again and often young people genuinely want to know the answer to these questions.

If students ask a question during a lesson

• Make sure you understand exactly what the student is asking. 
  • e.g. a kindergarten student might ask, "Where do I come from?".  Before going into a detailed explanation about how babies are made, ask the student to tell you what they already know. From this information you can then gauge an age appropriate answer. The student might simply be asking if they are from Perth or Sydney.
• Re-phrase the question to check that you are answering the question the student has asked.
• Before answering a student's question, consider whether it is appropriate to respond in front of the whole class or whether a private discussion with the student or a suggestion for them to speak to their parents may be a better option.

Answers to specific frequently asked questions

Student FAQ and scripted answers 

• Scripted answers to specific questions that students may raise. 
• Offering different levels of detail in plain language. 
• If you have a 'curly' student questions you would like added to this section, please submit your request on the Ask a question page. 

Upskilling in content knowledge

• The Educator notes offer professional reading to help upskill teachers background knowledge to deliver lessons and answer students questions. 

Guiding students to reliable information

• Searching the internet can be problematic for this topic area. Students can easily happen across explicit material and have to navigate a lot of misinformation.
• Get the Facts, is a WA Health website, that provides reliable information for teens.
• Teens can write in and 'ask an anonymous question' that will be answered by a sexual health professional within a week.

Read next

Scripted answers to FAQs

Teaching strategies