Explore current knowledge, attitudes and values whilst assessing prior knowledge.

These teaching strategies help students to:

  • consider and reflect on their own and others' current knowledge, skills, beliefs and attitudes
  • identify changes in their own knowledge, skills, beliefs and attitudes
  • work collaboratively to learn from and share with others
  • generate ideas and cover several issues or aspects efficiently
  • classify, group and generalise.

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  • Devise a set of statements or questions that identifies students' understanding, beliefs and attitudes towards relationships and sexual health issues. Place them on a table such as the example below. The focus may be on one issue (e.g. contraception) or a range of issues (see the example provided below).
  • Ask students to respond to each statement/question before commencing a unit or focus area. Collect the sheets.
  • Once students have participated in one or several of the learning experiences in the unit or focus area have them complete the ‘after' column.
  • In pairs or small groups, ask students to reflect on any changes in their understanding or attitudes towards the issue. 

Before 

(agree or disagree)

Statement

After 

(agree or disagree)

 Drinking alcohol or taking drugs increases your risk of engaging in risky sexual behaviour. 
 Using two condoms at once doubles your level of STI protection. 
 Abstinence is the only method of contraception that is 100% effective. 
 The media influences the way I feel about having sex. 

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  • Place students in groups.
  • Give each student two or three slips of paper.
  • Pose a problem or question related to a health or safety issue. For example: What strategies do you use to help protect yourself from blood-borne viruses?
  • Students individually write responses on the slips of paper. Only one idea should be written on each slip of paper.
  • Students place their responses in the middle of the group then through discussion with other group members cluster them by identifying similarities. A heading or title may be given to each pile of slips.
  • All groups come together to share their card clusters. 
  • Responses may be represented graphically in a mind map or bar graph, or in written form by using each idea as a new sentence.

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  • Divide the class into small groups. 
  • Give each group a large sheet of paper and different coloured felt pens (a different colour for each group member allows for individual contributions to be tracked). 
  • Provide each group with a different question, issue or statement to consider.
  • Within a designated time, groups ‘graffiti' their paper with words, phrases or drawings related to their question, issue or statement. 
  • Advise students that they ‘own' the word/comments/drawings they record. This means that they could be asked to explain or clarify information where necessary.
  • The graffiti sheets are then passed to another group. 
  • Instruct students to avoid repetition of ideas by ticking the comments they agree with, writing comments next to ideas and writing their own new responses on the graffiti sheet.
  • The process is repeated until the graffiti sheets are returned to their original owners. 
  • Groups read, discuss and summarise the graffiti sheets. Comments may be categorised in order to draw conclusions or present a brief summary presentation to the class. 
  • Planning for further learning experiences can be carried out using the students' responses.
  • Variation: Graffiti walk - Display the graffiti sheets around the room. Students walk around to different sheets to contribute.

A-Z race

  • Poste a topic (e.g. Thoughts about puberty), question (e.g. What do you know about STIs?) or statement (e.g. Things that help make a respectful relationship).
  • Students have to think of an answer for every letter of the alphabet and write it down. 
  • E.g. Thoughts about puberty: A = Ahhhhhh help! B = Body changes lots! C = Coping with friendship changes.
  • Group that finishes all 26 letters first are the winners.
  • Share answers with class. 
  • This can be a great way to begin or end a topic to evaluate pre and post learning.

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  • Use a picture book or simple novel as a starting point or to reinforce key messages and understandings. See Resource library for ideas on various topics. 
  • Provide students with a short period of time to preview the text silently either individually or as a group.
  • Ask students to share their predictions of the main ideas with a partner or the class. Suggested question prompts include:
    • What do you think the story will be about?
    • How do you know?
  • After reading, use these prompts to help students to think critically about the text:
    • How did the illustrations make you feel?
    • What is the message of this story?
    • What would the character/s have felt like? Have you ever felt like that?
    • What feelings did the other characters in the story show? Why?

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  • Pose a question, statement or issue for students to consider (e.g. Safer sex issues for young people).
  • One a piece of paper with 3 columns labelled K, W, L students brainstorm:
    • K - what they already know about the topic
    • W - what they want to know about a topic
    • L - what they have learnt.
  • The K and W are completed at the start of a lesson or series of lessons and the L is completed afterwards' to identify what students have learnt and if there have been any changes in attitudes.
  • Determine if further learning experiences are required for students to achieve the outcomes.

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  • Give students exactly ‘one minute' to write down all they know or would like to know about a certain sexual health or relationship topic.
  • Students share their writing with a partner or group.
  • Use common areas of interest to guide the choice of future learning experiences.
  • Variation: have students reflect on their understandings and attitudes:
    • What was the most important or useful piece of information you learnt from these activities?
    • What two questions do you still have?
    • What would you like to know more about?
  • Variation 2: A-Z one minute challenge
    • Write down a word for each letter of the alphabet for the topic. 
    • See how many letters you can complete in one minute. 

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  • Devise a set of question and answer cards related to the unit or focus area. Alternatively, students can research information and write their own question and answer cards.
  • Explain that each question card has a matching answer card.
  • Hand out cards to students.
  • Students move around the room to find the person with the matching card.
  • In pairs, students discuss the question and answer.
  • Collect the cards and repeat the activity to let students find out more about the issue.
  • Determine the questions that students would like to further investigate and select appropriate learning experiences from the focus areas.

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  • Students or the teacher devise a set of quiz questions related to the health or safety topic.
  • Students individually complete the quiz then discuss the questions as a class.
  • Use the questions that students had difficulty answering to guide the selection of further learning experiences.
  • Variation: True/false

    • Students indicate answers with thumbs up/thumbs down/thumbs sideways.
    • This allows for a very quick, informal assessment and allows you to identify students who may need extra support next lesson.

     


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  • Songs and stories can be used to facilitate learning of a particular topic. See Resource library topics and filter by music or video for ideas.
  • Examples: 
    • To learn parts of the body, emotions, etc.
    • To unpack gender roles and expectations.
    • To look at sexualisation in music/media.

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  • Use different kinds of music that evoke different emotions.
  • Have students paint, draw or move to show the emotion. 
  • Discuss colour, shape, lines, etc. 
  • Compare and contrast with class.

     


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Using a picture to pose questions and focus a group discussion.

  • Adverts (fragrances, deodorant, make up, clothes, alcohol, tampons, etc) - discuss gender stereotypes, gender roles, over-sexualised images, body image, etc.
  • Social media posts - pose questions around unrealistic body image (photoshopping images, camera angles and filters); start a debate on respectful/disrespectful behaviour.
  • Photograph from the past - discuss how bodies change, how society has changed, etc.
  • Storybook page - discuss why the character is feeling this way, what has happened previously, what might happen next, what they could do differently, what choices they have.
  • Freeze frame from a movie/tv show - discuss characters' choices and decision making, respectful/disrespectful behaviour, etc.
  • Picture packs - packs of picture cards can be purchased from places such as Innovative Resources. These cards can be used in a number of ways and can be purchased in different languages.

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  • Sitting in a circle facing each other, introduce students to a topic and invite them to share their opinions, one at a time.
  • Avoid going around the circle in a linear way as this places pressure on the next person in line to speak.
  • Remind students about their 'right to pass' in the group agreement especially when discussing sensitive topics.
  • Use a 'talking stick' - an object used to indicate who is talking (to ensure that only one person is speaking at a time). A soft object, such as a foam ball or toy, can be passed or rolled to the next student that would like to speak. 

 

Have a question?

Email the GDHR Team at gdhr@health.wa.gov.au

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