Health

It is critical to ensure that students have a clear understanding of what they are learning and what successful learning looks like throughout their learning experiences. Standards-based assessments for health education provide evidence of students’ current level of performance related to health skill performance and functional knowledge acquisition. Assessments should include scenarios that students might experience in real life (e.g., at home, in school, and in the community). A variety of assessments (e.g., performance task, role play, advocacy campaign, constructed response) may be used to allow all students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in relation to the National Health Education Standards (NHES) and Performance Indicators.

Builds Functional Knowledge 

While the primary focus of Health Education is the development of health skills, these skills must be addressed in conjunction with functional information in the context of Priority Health Topics. Standards-based Health Education must be age and developmentally appropriate, medically accurate, and provide factual information in all Priority Risk Topics:

• Mental and Emotional Health

• Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

• Personal Health and Wellness

• Safety (Unintentional Injury Prevention)

• Violence Prevention

• Tobacco Use Prevention

• Alcohol and Other Drug Use Prevention

• Sexual Health and Responsibility

Functional information provides the context in which students learn and apply skills. It is relevant and applicable information that directly contributes to maintaining and enhancing their health and the health of others. This information is utilized to help students develop health skills in class.

When determining functional information that supports skill development, educators may consider asking “What information about this topic do my students need in order to apply the skill being covered effectively?,” and “When my students learn this information, how will they use it to benefit their health or the health of those around them?” (Benes, 2022). As functional information is processed and internalized, it becomes functional knowledge that students can apply in real-life situations.

Nurtures Attitudes that Support Positive Health Behaviors

In addition to developing skills and functional knowledge, students have opportunities to explore and analyze diverse stories, ideas, and influences on health and well-being; examine their own identities, perspectives, beliefs, and values; and engage in learning experiences that strengthen health-promoting attitudes about healthy behaviors and preventing and reducing risky behaviors. 

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered in odd-numbered years to Hawai‘i public school students in grades 6–12 to monitor priority behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and young adults (Saka, 2021). Age and developmentally appropriate use of YRBS data within health education classes may be used to build student interest in a health topic, challenge youth perceptions on health behaviors, and support health skill development (e.g., evaluate and analyze health information, advocate for the health of self and others). The YRBS data may also be used to identify key areas of focus for curriculum design and professional development.

Addresses Students’ Strengths, Interests, Needs, and Challenges

Health education occurs within inclusive and supportive learning environments that foster a culture of learning and address the diverse learning needs of all students. A respectful and caring learning environment allows students to feel safe to share and reflect on their perspectives, interact with others, take risks to enhance their learning, and ask sensitive questions.

Educators work collaboratively to analyze local health data and student feedback to strengthen and refine their curriculum, instruction, and assessments.

Student-centered, interactive instructional strategies are utilized to engage students in learning health literacy skills within a social context. Examples of participatory methods include role play, large- and small-group discussions, debates, cooperative learning, problem-solving, and simulations (CDC, 2019). 

Learning experiences should be designed to invite and encourage students to share their thoughts and opinions, develop critical thinking skills, and engage in creative expression (CDC, 2019).

Providing relevant and meaningful opportunities for students to connect with their family and community is a critical component of Health Education. This can occur in a variety of ways, including conversations and activities for students and their ʻohana, resource mapping, ʻāina-based learning, hands-on learning (e.g., taste-testing, food preparation), health-related advocacy efforts, youth participatory action research, and service learning (e.g., peer education).